Many of us love having a glass of wine at the end of the day, having a cold beer on a hot day, or going out for a drink with our best friends.
Grabbing a drink once in a while is fun, and it can even be healthy for you!
Drinking a glass of red wine from time to time can promote heart health, fight certain cancers, strengthen your bones, and more.
Unfortunately, it's pretty easy to go from one glass of wine to two, to most of a bottle.
Many of us have had those nights where we probably could have gone with one fewer drink, but after our hangovers are gone, we forget about it. After a hangover is over, though, alcohol still affects us long-term.
Did you know that cutting alcohol out of your diet completely can have huge health benefits?
Read on to find out all the benefits you might experience when you quit drinking!
Thumbnail Photos: Wikimedia Commons // Wikimedia Commons
Benefits You'll Notice When You Quit Drinking Benefit #1: You'll Sleep Better
One of the many benefits you'll notice when you quit drinking is better sleep.
According to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical And Experimental Research, alcohol disrupts sleep, which can lead to tossing and turning, waking up in the night, and being sleepy during the day.
Quitting drinking can lead to having a better night's sleep and waking up feeling more refreshed and ready to take on the day.
Benefit #2: Your Risk For Cancer Decreases
Many people know that drinking a lot of alcohol can have negative effects on the liver, but it can also negatively affect many other organs.
According to the National Cancer Institute, alcohol consumption has been linked to breast cancer, head and neck cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Luckily, you can reduce your risk of getting these types of cancer by drinking less alcohol or cutting it out of your diet completely.
Benefit #3: You’ll Save Money
This might seem obvious, but when you stop drinking, you'll save tons of money.
Instead of buying a $12 bottle of wine at the store, you can choose a $2 bottle of water, soda, or juice. At a bar, an alcoholic drink could run you $8, while a soda water will only cost a dollar or two.
It may not seem like a lot at first, but it all adds up. You could quickly have a few hundred dollars saved up just from drinking less!
Benefit #4: You’ll Eat Less
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition explains that alcohol affects dietary intake.
What this means is that even moderate drinkers ate more (or ate more poorly) while they were drinking.
Cutting out alcohol can help you eat a healthier diet, and help you consume less while you're at a meal.
Benefit #5: You’ll Lose Weight
Since people tend to eat less (and more healthily) on days when they don't drink, quitting drinking can help you lose weight!
Also, when you cut alcohol out of your diet, you cut out all those unnecessary calories (and some drinks have as many calories as entire meals!).
According to MyFitnessPal, a frozen margarita may have as many as 300 calories and 23 grams of sugar.
Benefit #6: Your Skin Will Clear Up
Vogue reports that alcohol can do serious damage to your skin, as it causes both dehydration and inflammation.
Giving up alcohol will not only make your skin feel more hydrated, it will also give you a more even complexion and reduce the looks of redness and broken blood vessels.
Even better, your skin may age more slowly!
Benefit #7: You’ll Reduce Acid Reflux
According to the US National Library of Medicine, alcohol consumption may be a risk factor for gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
NPR explains that alcohol relaxes the muscle between the stomach and esophagus, allowing stomach acid to come back up.
Getting Through The First Few Days
During the first few days of quitting alcohol, you may experience some symptoms of withdrawal, including tremors, insomnia, anxiety, depression, sweating, and more.
After about a week, you'll notice some of the first positive benefits, like weight loss, better skin, and a healthier body.
If you've ever considered cutting out alcohol, please SHARE this article with your friends and family!
If you are seeking more information about alcohol addiction and recovery, learn more at American Addiction Centers.
