The Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol
First let's talk about health benefits of giving up alcohol. People often forget that alcohol isn't a healthy substance. Alcohol has a long list of negative side effects as far as overall health is concerned. When consuming alcohol you are putting yourself at risk for obesity, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, kidney failure, and heart disease. Alcohol is also a known carcinogen and drastically increases your risk of dying of cancer.
Giving up alcohol means better sleep. Alcohol triggers activity in the brain referred to as “delta activity”. Delta activity is a type of deep sleep that helps with learning and memory restoration. But, alcohol also triggers another type of activity at the same time. This type, called “alpha activity”, is one that usually only occurs when someone is awake. When they both happen at the same time, the individual is unable to enter into a deep sleep cycle and unable to rest very well.
Alcohol changes your appearance, producing free radicals in the body and other toxins that tend to make people look older. Alcohol dehydrates the body causing the skin to dry and loose elasticity. Drinking reduces the life span of cells in the heart, liver, skin and other organs, when ones body is too unhealthy to reproduce new cells their skin and other organs will deteriorate faster. Alcohol abuse can present skin conditions such as jaundice, pruritus, hyperpigmentation, and urticaria. Giving up alcohol will make you look better.
The benefits of alcohol detox are not just physical, poor financial decisions often accompany drinking. When someone drinks daily, or even weekly, the costs compound over time. Even if someone goes to the bar once a week and only has two $5 mixed drinks they end up spending more than $500 per year, just think of what an extra $500 could go towards. Or what about travel expense? Paying for an Uber or Lyft to avoid any legal issues, such as a DUI or an accident can be pricey. Drinking is time-consuming, the time spent to get the alcohol and the recovery time after, it adds up. When you quit drinking you enjoy things you never knew you enjoyed. You can try new things like mountain climbing, or pick up a hobby like fishing or gardening.
Alcohol also inhibits the ability to make decisions, often leading to a "moral hangover". Drinking is usually accompanied by shame and guilt, over time taking a toll on a person's mental health. Some people become isolated by their drinking problem and start to feel ashamed and alone, often forgetting that there are people in the world who love them and would like to have a connection with them. Sobriety offers that.
Learn more about substance abuse counseling and how it can help you or a loved one. If you are an addict looking for resources, Alcoholics Anonymous is a great place to start. This organization was created to give alcoholics a place to connect with each other without judgment. Groups hold meetings in almost every town on daily basis. For a list of local A.A. meetings visit https://wilmingtonaa.us/meetings today.