Top 5 Benefits of Quitting Drinking
More than 15 million Americans over the age of 18 have an alcohol use disorder. Heavy drinking can take its toll on your physical and mental health with a range of side effects that include anxiety, cancer, cirrhosis, dementia, depression, digestive issues, fibrosis, pancreatitis, and even stroke.
So, what happens when you quit drinking alcohol? The quitting drinking timeline can look different for you than it would for someone else. In general, when you quit drinking cold turkey, you might experience the following side-effects.
• Anxiety
• Chills
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Seizures
After about two to four weeks, your body may no longer have the physical symptoms of withdrawal, but you may still experience anxiety and depression as well as mood swings and a lack of energy. The best way to quit drinking is to seek out an inpatient medical detox program.
A treatment program will help you cope with the physical and mental side effects of quitting drinking. Many of the negative side effects to your brain, cardiovascular system, gut, and liver will improve if you stop drinking. But there are other benefits of quitting drinking. Here are the top benefits.
Better Sleep
When you use and abuse alcohol, you likely experience poor sleep. Alcohol affects your sleep cycle. Beyond having difficulty going to sleep, you may be wakeful and prone to snoring and sleep apnea. When you quit drinking, you should experience better sleep.
Lowered Cancer Risks
One of the risks of drinking alcohol is cancer. Alcohol is carcinogenic, so the more you drink, the greater your risk of developing cancer. Fortunately, as you quit drinking, you lower your cancer risk.
Increased Cognition
Heavy drinking also affects cognitive function and performance, as well as the onset of dementia and brain damage. So, one of the positive side effects of quitting drinking can be an improvement in cognitive function.
Mood & Mental Health Stability
When you drink alcohol, it affects your mood and mental health. You may experience heightened symptoms of anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia.
Improved Memory
Drinking alcohol can also impair your memory. Heavy drinking causes your hippocampus to shrink, which affects the memory. When you stop drinking, you may start to see a reversal of your memory problems.
Since you now know some of the positive reasons for sobriety, here are tips to quit drinking.
- Consider your current relationship with alcohol, but also think about why you want to stop drinking.
- Plan for how you will work toward sobriety. Include specific ways that you will address your alcohol use in your home, in social situations, and beyond.
- Surround yourself with a support system and talk about your experiences.
- Change your environment. The most effective way to begin your recovery program is via our medical detox at Discovery Point Retreat.
Find out more about how we can help you achieve sobriety at Discovery Point Retreat near Dallas, Texas.
Call 855-306-8054 to Get Started on Your Journey to Recovery.