Benefits of Quitting Alcohol for a Month or More
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so perhaps you’re curious about what it would be like to quit for a month – or even altogether. First of all, good for you. It’s definitely worthwhile to examine your relationship with alcohol every so often to see if it serves you. It’s also nice to reset your drinking habits, and a month or so without is a great way to do that. You’ll probably notice a difference in your overall health pretty quickly, even if you’re a moderate drinker. You will almost definitely notice a difference if you’re a heavy drinker.
We learn from Brian Couey, Psy.D., the executive director of INTEGRIS Health Arcadia Trails Center for Addiction Recovery, about what happens when you quit drinking for a month.
Week one: Your body starts adjusting to the absence of alcohol. You may crave it, and you may also have actual withdrawal symptoms like tremors and palpitations, anxiety and agitation. On the plus side, your blood pressure will likely become lower (a good thing) and your liver will begin to heal.
If you’ve been drinking heavily, you might experience more serious withdrawal symptoms like hallucinations, delirium or seizures. In most cases (for light to moderate drinkers) any cravings or symptoms will lessen or disappear after the first week or so.
“It’s not uncommon for people to underestimate the amount they actually consume. An actual serving of wine is 5 ounces which looks paltry to many,” Couey says. “Moreover, the smaller size and refreshing taste of drinks like hard seltzer tend to encourage overconsumption. Many people we interview who come in for alcohol treatment realize after the assessment that they grossly underestimated the amount they drink.”
Weeks two to four: As your nervous system continues to adjust to no alcohol, you may find yourself sleeping better and generally feeling more clear headed. Cravings might still occur, but they’ll likely be less intense and less frequent. You may lose the weight you gained from drinking. Your skin will look better, blood pressure will lower and liver and immune functions will improve. Your organs will function better, too. Should you choose to stop drinking for even longer (or greatly cut back), you’ll lessen your risk of cancer.
Here are some other things you might notice:
Sweeter dreams. Well, better sleep, at least. Yes, booze will make you initially sleepy and you’ll fall asleep quickly but after that, alcohol actually disrupts your sleep patterns. Why? It’s a depressant, which means it slows down your nervous system and throws your sleep cycle off. Then, as your body metabolizes the alcohol, your nervous system speeds back up to normal, potentially causing you to wake up more frequently during the rest of the night. Many folks who abuse alcohol also report suffering from insomnia. When you’re not drinking, sleep improves, becoming deeper and less disrupted. People who quit alcohol may awaken feeling more rested and refreshed, thanks to higher quality sleep.
Couey states that, “It’s important to note that many people purport to drink to alleviate things such as anxiety and insomnia. What they don’t know is that using alcohol for this purpose tends to create what’s called a ‘rebound effect.’ This is where the mild withdrawals associated with alcohol use are actually increasing the anxiety and insomnia over time, which leads to increased tolerance and needing more alcohol.”
A healthier liver. Overdoing it with alcohol over an extended time (AKA chronic and excessive alcohol consumption) is a great way to destroy liver cells. Your liver needs its cells – they help it do its job of filtering harmful substances from the body. Alcohol-induced fatty liver disease, caused by alcohol consumption, can cause the liver to become swollen, which damages its tissue. Scar tissue forms in the damaged spots. The more that happens, the more scar tissue you develop until eventually there’s so much scar tissue, and so little healthy tissue, that you develop cirrhosis of the liver, a condition that slows – and can eventually halt – the liver’s functioning. Untreated, cirrhosis of the liver will lead to liver cancer or liver failure. Those are fatal; you can’t live without your liver.
Better skin. Because alcohol dehydrates, it can leave your skin looking dull and dry. Fine lines may look more pronounced and overall, skin may look less plump. Alcohol also releases a histamine, which dilates your capillaries, making skin redden. If you drink a lot, this redness can become permanent. As if that weren’t enough, alcohol also dilates pores, which can lead to the formation of whiteheads and blackheads. Left untreated, these can become inflamed skin papules (AKA pimples) or cystic acne.
Improved digestion. Drinking and indigestion go together like peas and carrots. Alcohol makes acid reflux worse, partly because it’s a diuretic (makes you urinate more often) and can cause dehydration, which makes reflux worse. Combat alcohol-induced indigestion by hydrating with non-alcoholic liquids, eating bland, carb-rich foods like crackers or toast, taking antacids to soothe your stomach and resting to offset fatigue. Alcohol consumption can also mess with your gut microbiome, which is integral to a properly functioning digestive tract. An imbalanced gut microbiome can cause unpleasant symptoms like bloating, gas and stomach aches.
Less belly fat. A high intake of carbohydrates, AKA sugars, along with poor diet and inactivity are factors that cause belly fat (visceral fat). Alcohol contains sugar, some types more than others. While beer doesn’t technically contain sugar, it does contain sugar-like compounds left behind when yeast breaks down the grains used to make beer. These ‘remnants’ can’t be broken down by yeast, but our bodies can break them down and that’s one of the key factors in how beer bellies are made. Visceral fat is dangerous – it lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your organs and too much of it affects how well they work.
Improved mood. At the end of a hard day, or a happy day, or a long day, our natural inclination (honed by decades of popular culture) is to shake up a martini, pop open a cold beer or pour a soothing glass of wine. In the short term, we may notice a rush of well-being, warmth and calm because alcohol triggers a dopamine (feel-good chemical) rush in the brain. But it’s short lived, and levels will soon drop which can leave us feeling anxious. That can lead to ‘relieving’ the anxious feeling with another drink, and before you know it you’ve developed a vicious cycle of drink and feel good, feel anxious as the drink wears off, drink more, feel anxious, drink more... Not surprisingly, there’s a high correlation between alcohol use disorder and other mental disorders including depression and anxiety. Quitting alcohol can markedly benefit your mental health.
More balanced hormones. Drinking messes with your endocrine (hormone) system, throwing off its ability to cope with changes to our environments. Your hormones are also disrupted by hangovers and alcohol withdrawal. Severe hormone dysregulation caused by alcohol can contribute to or cause behavioral disorders, reproductive issues or thyroid problems over time.
Healthier weight. Alcohol contains calories. A glass of wine (depending on the type) clocks in at 110-150 calories or so. A pint of strong lager might contain 222 calories; a 1.5 ounce shot of vodka or tequila contains about 100 calories. Drinking alcohol regularly can add up, in the form of extra, nutritionally empty calories. The other thing that happens is that once you’ve got a drink or two on board, people are less likely to make smart food choices. Salty snacks, junk foods and other indulgences suddenly seem much more appealing and when eaten too often can pack on unwanted pounds.
A clearer mind. Alcohol use – heavy and otherwise – can slow your reflexes and impact your ability to remember things.
Strengthened immune system. Drinking weakens immunity in more than one way. It causes inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation happens when the immune system sends cells to fight bacteria or a perceived injury. Inflammation can harm organs and tissues, contribute to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and more.
Less inflammation. Who do you know that likes it when they’re puffy and bloated with swollen ankles and bags under their eyes? Chronic inflammation affects more than just your appearance, though. It can cause headaches, joint pain and body aches and if you experience it often enough, you could end up with inflammatory arthritis, like gout. That’s in addition to the organ damage and other conditions above.
“Even though alcohol is generally viewed as socially enhancing, it’s really the opposite for many people,” Couey says. “We hear from folks frequently that the availability of alcohol is a primary consideration relative to what they choose to engage in socially. For instance, for many, the availability of alcohol determines things such as where they will vacation with their kids, where they will and won’t go out to dinner, whether they attend gatherings, what time they need to get off of work, etc. We hear all the time that the availability of alcohol determines where and when people engage socially, which ultimately is very unhealthy.”
When it comes to recovery, we know that timing is everything. It’s vitally important to begin treatment as soon as you’re willing and able. At INTEGRIS Health Arcadia Trails Center for Addiction Recovery, no outside referral is necessary, but if you’d like professional help or intervention resources, please contact us.
