Author: James Anderson

What Happens When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?

Satisfying hobbies can distract you from wanting to drink, but they also help you relax — something everyone needs to do. From month-long sobriety challenges to the Sober Curious movement, more and more people are taking a closer look at the role alcohol plays in their lives. “While for some people these structural changes are not reversible, most people are able to show less shrinkage in one to three months with alcohol abstinence,” says Volpicelli. Quitting alcohol and abstaining for several months to a year gives your brain a chance to try to recover. Heavy drinking can actually cause the part of the brain that’s critical to memory and learning (hippocampus), to shrink. When you stop drinking, your skin gets more elastic and the redness and discoloration on your face will slowly fade.

After you drink alcohol, Volpicelli explains that the small molecules inside it get absorbed by your gut. From there, they travel to other parts of your body and affect organ systems, including the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems, along the way. “I would suggest cutting back on several things rather than completely eliminating to avoid feeling deprived, which can lead to rebound eating/drinking and weight regain,” she said.

1. Tell your doctor if you see, hear, or feel things that aren’t there.
2. If you’ve been drinking for a while, you will probably be surprised by how much being sufficiently hydrated improves your health.
3. If you can’t control it, it may lead to a condition called alcohol use disorder.
4. Research shows that some damage to your brain, liver, heart, and gut done by alcohol will slowly heal when you stop drinking.

Alcohol can cause inflammation and damage to your liver when used heavily over prolonged periods. After stopping alcohol, inflammation in your liver caused by alcohol will subside. Most of this inflammation will be gone by your fourth week of abstinence.

Quitting drinking can have many important benefits for your physical and mental health, but there are many other types of benefits you may experience as well. If you’re a heavy drinker, you’re at an increased risk of developing certain diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. However, when you stop drinking, your risk of developing these diseases decreases. At this point, your risk of developing all types of disease will be reduced and your bone density will start to increase.

In the Next Few Weeks

While many think drinking alcohol before bed will help them nod off and stay asleep, it’s quite the opposite. Excess alcohol consumption may cause weight gain, which means that cutting out alcohol could lead to weight loss for some people. For mild alcohol withdrawal that’s not at risk of worsening, your provider may prescribe carbamazepine or gabapentin to help with symptoms. By Sarah Bence, OTR/LBence is an occupational therapist with a range of work experience in mental healthcare settings. People who drink daily or almost every day should not be left alone for the first few days after stopping alcohol.

Your Body Starts to Detox

Stopping alcohol won’t just put a bit of extra change in your pocket; it has the potential to have a sizable impact on your income and the lifestyle you can live. A glass of regular beer has about 150 calories, and a serving of wine has about 120. On top of those mostly empty calories, alcohol ramps up your appetite. It also makes you more impulsive, and less able to resist the fries and other temptations on the menu.

The Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

Alcohol can cause problems in relationships, such as conflicts, communication problems, and trust issues. So, giving up alcohol may help you to improve your relationships with friends and family. One of the unexpected benefits of giving up alcohol is that you may find yourself more productive than before. This is because alcohol can cause fatigue and decreased motivation, so when you stop drinking, you may find it easier to get things done. It is worth mentioning that nutritional status improvement occurs when someone strop drinking, which is one big reason why people may see many of the above improvements with sobriety.

After Six Months

You may not need to completely reinvent your life to quit drinking, but making a few changes in your surroundings to help avoid alcohol triggers can make a big difference. To stop drinking alcohol, you first need to understand your relationship with drinking. From there, you may need social support, consistent self-care, and new routines that can help redirect your mind. Other medicines, counseling, and psychosocial support can also help to abstain or reduce unhealthy drinking.

Alcohol is metabolized by the liver and an enzyme called dehydrogenase. However, when you drink in excess, the enzyme gets saturated and is metabolized by a different enzyme. Cirrhosis of the liver (severe scarring of the liver) can occur over time in those who drink excessively. The prognosis (outlook) for someone with alcohol withdrawal depends greatly on its severity. Many involve a combination of group psychotherapy (talk therapy) and medications. It’s important to be honest about your alcohol use — and any other substance use — so your provider can give you the best care.

Mental Health Effects When You Stop Drinking

While receiving treatment, healthcare providers will want to monitor you continuously to make sure you don’t develop life-threatening complications. Alcohol use disorder frequently occurs alongside other mental health conditions. Pre-existing mental health conditions can sometimes lead people to turn to alcohol to cope with their symptoms.

Long-Term Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

Keep in mind that everyone is different and will experience different things when they stop drinking. The first day is always the hardest, but it’s also an important milestone. After 24 hours without alcohol, your body will start to detoxify and you may experience withdrawal symptoms.

One of the best things about giving up alcohol is that you may find yourself feeling happier overall. This is because alcohol can cause depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Westman, J.; Wahlbeck, K.; & et al. “Mortality and life expectancy of people with alcohol use disorder in Denmark, Finland and Sweden.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. It can make your family and friends feel as if you are choosing an addiction over them and cause you to act in ways that are destructive to relationships. The effects of alcohol can even make you abusive or cause you to harm others emotionally. Maybe you’ve never been interested in logging your innermost thoughts, but journaling can be a great tool to track your feelings as you work on quitting alcohol.