You may think there’s no harm in a few drinks, but when a few drinks turn into a regular habit, it can be very damaging. This is why that spare tire is so commonly called a “beer belly.” When you stop drinking empty calories in those alcoholic beverages, you’ll be amazed at how quickly those extra pounds fall off. People who drink alcohol regularly tend to carry excess weight around the midsection. When you quit drinking, not only are you likely to be more pleasant and social, but you will also be better equipped to listen and be a good friend. When alcoholism gets more serious, it can cause be linked to domestic violence and aggression. This can cause friction in all of your relationships, and you can easily grow apart from people who were once close. It’s easier to drink large quantities of alcohol when no one is around to judge you. Most people who drink heavily tend to isolate themselves. This can have a more permanent effect on your skin.
When you drink too much alcohol over time, you may also be depriving your skin of vital nutrients. When your body is even slightly dehydrated, you can experience dull, dry skin. This results in more frequent trips to the bathroom, which can quickly dehydrate you. When you quit alcohol, you can save almost $1,000 a year! Glowing SkinĪlcohol is a diuretic, which means it facilitates fluid loss. Let’s say you buy two bottles of wine each week at $10 per bottle.
It feels good to have money, doesn’t it? Well, if you’re drinking alcohol multiple times a week, you’re spending a lot more than you need to. When you stop drinking, you’ll still have good days and bad days, but you’ll probably have fewer bad days. If you’re really paying attention, you may notice that you feel a little more depressed on the days after you drink.
When you’re drinking, the dopamine boost may feel good so naturally you attribute alcohol with good feelings. This is one of those tricky things about alcohol. The following are just a few of the benefits you may notice when you relinquish the bottle: Better Attitude Even if you don’t drink enough to feel withdrawal symptoms, you will undoubtedly notice a positive difference when you quit drinking. The physical and mental detoxification symptoms can be intense, but once you get past that, it begins to feel amazing. When you’re an alcoholic, it feels awful at first to get sober. It may also help explain why alcoholism is rising. This is probably why alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the United States. You don’t even have to be an alcoholic to get duped I was fooled from my very first drink. When I was drinking, I thought alcohol was a trusted friend. Why? Alcohol fools you into thinking that your body is having a great time by increasing the amount of dopamine that flows to your brain’s reward center.ĭopamine is often called the feel-good chemical because it’s so closely related to pleasure. Instead, they feel like they’re on top of the world. But most people don’t get scared after drinking alcohol. Imagine if someone slipped you a drug that did the same? It would probably be quite frightening. Do you know what else does that on a smaller scale? Alcohol.Īlcohol slows your speech and messes with your coordination. That’s because roofies are tranquilizers that work by depressing the central nervous system. Have you ever heard of someone taking roofies (rohypnol) for fun? It’s rare. And all those years, it had the opposite effect. All those years, I had been fooled into thinking I needed alcohol to feel good. When I finally got sober, I realized what it was like to feel good again. Something I thought of as fun was actually destroying me. So naturally, I was angry when I found out I was being duped. April Fool’s Day is by far my least favorite holiday. I’ve always hated being the butt-end of a joke. Collage from photographs by Plotr Miazga and Catherine McMahon Now sober, an alchoholic shares the life benefits of giving up alcohol