If you stop drinking after years of substance addiction, not only can your body continue to undo the symptoms of excessive alcohol, you will feel better.
One of the signs of alcohol use disorder is the cessation of social events and interests you once loved to concentrate on drinking. Sober life means getting the time to rediscover yourself and your interests and create a new, fulfilling, alcohol-free life.
Health Benefits of Recovery
There are many advantages to healing from substance use addiction that can help you move on toward a healthy lifestyle:
Improved Sleep
Alcoholism and sleep disruption are closely related. This is because alcohol disrupts sleep-wake periods, making it even more difficult to sleep (or stay asleep) during the night.3 It also relaxes the muscles in your throat, making you more vulnerable to sleeping apnea and snoring.
Although certain sleep issues can be expected in early recovery, the longer you refrain from alcohol (and re-learn proper sleep hygiene), the better your sleep consistency.
Healthier weight
Alcohol robs your body of essential nutrients, and also it disregards your metabolic processes. Besides, alcohol is full of empty calories and a lot of unhealthy sugars.
Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol abuse that brings the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dLi—within a short time (about 2 hours). This usually occurs after six or more drinks for males and four or more drinks by a female.
A large part of the alcohol addiction recovery is learning to stop drinking and learning to lead a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and proper nutrition. While everyone is unique, regaining a recommended weight is a reasonable goal for many people who remain sober for the long term.
Better Mental Health
There is a high prevalence of co-morbidity between addiction and other psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. According to the National Drug Use and Health Survey, 9.2 million U.S. adults experienced mental illness and substance use disorder in 2018. Yet almost 60% of them do not receive any medication at all.
While researchers have yet to identify the specific link, we know that many people are turning to liquor and other illegal narcotics in an attempt to self-medicate the symptoms of depression or associated mental risk. We also know that alcohol is exacerbating mental illness, so you’re going to reduce these symptoms when you quit drinking.
Developing an alcohol-free habit and maintaining long-term sobriety takes much more work than merely not drinking. When you quit drinking and continued on the road to healing, compliment yourself. When you accomplish the milestones of sobriety (small and big) and strive to make you happier, you will continue to see a change in your mental health. This can also include increased self-esteem and self-respect and reduced anxiety and depression, mainly if you are dealing with a co-occurring mental health problem.
Improved Immunity
Alcohol interferes with the immune system, stopping it from creating enough white blood cells to prevent bacteria and viruses from occurring. This is why many long-term, heavy drinkers appear to suffer from tuberculosis and pneumonia.
When you give up alcohol, you’ll probably give up the numerous colds and flu, and ailments that you would not have been able to stop due to chronic drinking in the past.
Enhanced Nutrition
Drinking will deplete the body of essential nutrients. Many individuals with alcohol disorder prefer to “drink” their food, consuming less than the amount of food required to have adequate calories, protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins
Alcohol itself can also conflict with the digestive process, disrupting the digestion, usage, consumption, and excretion of nutrients. As a result, many chronic drinkers become undernourished.7 As you avoid drinking and start working on a healthy way of living, the body will consume nutrients properly.
A Word from United Recovery Project
These advantages have just started. The longer you stay out of alcohol, the more health benefits you can get. This will entail better improvements in your mental wellbeing, partnerships, career or schoolwork, income, and more. Do your best to be careful while your mind and body recover as you relearn life without alcohol—and take pride in how far you have come.
United Recovery Project is developed as an intensive rehab center for people seeking help with substance abuse. Our programs are unique in that they’re not a track within the general population program, but rather a separate program with separate therapy groups and residential experience.
Call us on 888-960-5121 or email our Johnson Street Hollywood, Florida offices at admissions@unitedrecoveryproject.com.
