6 Incredible Things that happen when you give up Alcohol!
22-08-2017 | Posted By: Chhavi | 3374 View(s)
Be it a birthday party, wedding party or a business event, alcohol today has become a major part of a social gathering. While casual drinking does not harm your body much, but if the taste of alcohol gets you and you start taking alcohol frequently, it can ruin your health adversely. Yes, we understand that to give up alcohol is a very difficult task, but the benefits make it worth the effort.
Here are 6 Things that Happen when you Give up Alcohol:
1. You will Get a Good Night Sleep
A study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that taking alcohol before going to sleep increases alpha wave patterns in the brain. This is a brain activity that occurs when you are awake but resting and hence, it results in disrupted sleep. Medical experts say that when you drink alcohol before bed, it makes you fall asleep more quickly, but as the night goes on, the body spends less time in the deep sleep and more time than usual in the less restful state, which makes people feel tired and exhausted the next day.
Do you want to wake up feeling energised and refreshed? Then, quit alcohol and you will sleep better along with many other benefits such as improved mood, mental performance and concentration.
2. Say ‘Hello’ To Better Looking Skin
If you give up alcohol, you will notice changes in your skin. Your skin will look radiant and will glow. Wonder how this happens? Well, it is because alcohol is a diuretic which makes you pee more than usual. Also, there is a hormone in our body called antidiuretic hormone that helps the body in reabsorbing water and drinking too much alcohol decreases the production of this hormone in the body.
Due to this, your body does not get proper water, and hence, your skin does not get hydrated which in turn leads to various skin problems such as dry skin, dull face, puffy eyes, acne and fine lines. Do you want to get a glowing skin? Well, then stop drinking too much alcohol and improve your skin appearance.
3. Your Immune System will get Stronger
According to a study, the immune system of your body becomes weak within just 20 minutes of drinking alcohol. Yes, it is hard to resist that glass of wine when you see all others around you enjoying their drinks! But, if you want to keep yourself healthy and fight diseases effectively, then quit alcohol. It is because a strong immune system allows your body to fight off infections and disease-causing bacteria, thereby keeping you healthy. So, next time you go to a party, drop that glass of wine after one or two drinks if you want to keep yourself away from diseases.
4. You will Concentrate Better
Studies suggest that ingesting too much alcohol even on a single day can affect neurotransmitters in the brain and make you forget things. If you do not quit alcohol, then these symptoms: forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, not able to solve problems and more neurological effects will become common.
Medical experts say that alcohol makes a significant impact on the frontal and temporal lobes, which are the areas of the brain which are involved in learning, impulse control and other complicated human behaviours.
A recent study also found that people who are heavy drinkers sometimes undergo subtle brain changes which make it very hard for them to learn from mistakes, take decisions and learn ways to tackle problems.
Hence, if you stay away from alcohol, you can stay away from cognitive problems too. Quitting alcohol for a year may allow the structural brain damage to correct itself to a certain extent and reverse the negative effects on attention, thinking skills, problem-solving, decision-making and memory. So, the bottom line is when you give up alcohol, you will feel alert, focused and clearheaded.
5. You will Shed Pounds
If you cut out alcohol from your life and do not replace it with other calories, you will surely start losing weight. One margarita contains around 300 calories, which is too much to make you gain weight if you are not actively involved in other physical activities. Alcohol contains a significant amount of calories, mostly from carbohydrates. Consuming calories with no nutritional benefit may make you put on weight.
Assume you drink an average of five alcoholic beverages in a week. And then you stop drinking alcohol without making any other lifestyle changes. It is a good bet that you would save more than 39000 calories and lose around 11 pounds of belly fat. So, if you want to lose a few pounds, it’s best to give up alcohol.
6. It will Reduce the Risk of Diseases
Drinking too much alcohol invites a host of diseases including heart diseases and cancer. Although, alcohol does not contain cholesterol; it has the tendency to boost your cholesterol levels. Drinking alcohol on a regular basis can increase the level of ‘bad’ cholesterol, i.e. Low-Density Lipoprotein by around 40%. Also, studies have shown that binge drinking can make people put on weight.
Some studies have also shown that heavy consumption of alcohol may raise High-Density Lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol levels, but if you drink excessively, then the opposite may happen. Binge drinking is a high-risk factor for obesity, and obesity is known to cause cardiovascular problems.
Find the Best Doctors Nearby
On top of that, alcohol is also a risk factor for cancer. Drinking too much alcohol on a frequent basis can increase the risk of mouth cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and rectum cancer. So, if you want to stay away from these deadly diseases, give up on alcohol.
We know that giving up alcohol takes time. Practice meditation, keep your stomach full of healthy food, exercise daily and adopt healthy lifestyle changes if you want to quit alcohol successfully.
