Alcohol addiction takes a toll on your whole body, your life, and the people in your life. Quitting is not easy, but it is not impossible either. Sometimes, you need a reminder or reassurance as you struggle with your decision to give up drinking for good.
#1. No More Hangovers
Drinking to intoxication is the number one cause of a hangover. Dehydration is one side effect, and the one people are most acquainted with, but it is not the only one. Your endocrine system is affected every time you drink. Unbalanced hormones are why hangovers can last weeks since they take time to rebalance.
Many heavy drinkers confuse a hangover with alcohol withdrawal because the symptoms are similar. However, there is no scientific or medical evidence to support this correlation.
#2. Your Liver Will Function Properly Again
Long term, heavy, and binge drinking affects your vital organs, but the liver takes the largest hit. It can lead to fatty liver disease or liver failure, but the moment you stop drinking, your liver begins to reverse the damage. The same applies to your heart, which alcoholism can weaken.
#3. You Will Lower Your Risk for Disease
Cancer, Hepatitis, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and more state alcoholism as a risk factor. This also includes depression, irregular heartbeat, blood clots, emotional disorders, other cognitive disorders, and stroke. By quitting drinking now, you are drastically lowering your risk factors.
#4. You Will Remove Alcohol’s Power Over You
Addiction takes root in the mind. It can lead you to harm yourself, your loved ones, and complete strangers by insisting and convincing you that you need it more than anything else. Take back that control and power by kicking alcohol out of your life for good.
#5. You Will Have No More Morning After Regrets
Whether its drunk dialing your loved ones or riskier behavior, you will no longer wake the next morning and have to face the consequences of actions you do not recall.
#6. Your Mind Will Be Clearer
Cognitive function is not impaired only when you are actively drinking. Its side effects can last days or longer. You can say goodbye to blackouts, sluggish thought patterns, and mental issues related to drinking such as anxiety and irritability.
#7. You Will Have More Money
Alcohol is not free, so you will have more cash in your bank account. You can use that to fund a new hobby, go back to school, or save up for an item you need or want. Many former addicts keep jars they put their savings into, and after a month, six months, or a year of sobriety, they count it. It is a large reminder that can keep you on track long after you have made your decision to quit.
#8. You Will Gain More Than You Lose
Sometimes sobriety means losing friends because you will need to avoid places and situations where alcohol is involved. While that can be a struggle, you will be gaining so much more with a sober life. You will have a new outlook on life itself, meet new people who are walking the same road, and you will repair broken relationships with loved ones. You will regain your health, focus, and your future, but most of all, you regain the control alcohol has taken from you.
Healthful benefits of giving up alcohol can take days, weeks, or months before you see physical improvements. However, just because you do not see an immediate result it does not mean your body is not healing. The same applies to broken relationships where your alcoholism is concerned, but if you commit to sobriety, you might find those broken bonds will heal as well.
About Author –
Peter Langiewicz is a blogger and living in a gorgeous house in Atlanta with his beautiful wife. Working for the outreach team at The Recovery Village.
Categories: HEALTH
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