Spring Forward to a Healthier You: 5 Surprising Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that 10% of Americans have an alcohol use disorder, and the problem is responsible for 2.6 million deaths each year worldwide. These numbers are astonishing and could be one of the reasons you decide to quit drinking alcohol. But drinking is highly social, which makes it difficult to stop.

At Lori Scott Family Care in Kinston, North Carolina, addiction specialist Dr. Lori Scott helps patients overcome alcohol dependence. This spring, put the focus on a healthier you by recognizing the benefits of quitting alcohol.

How does alcohol affect my body?

Drinking alcohol is a way for many people to unwind after a long day of work or enjoy a ball game. However, regular and excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks can wreak havoc on your health and wellness.

Beneath the feeling of euphoria and relaxation that can come with alcohol use, drinking too much alcohol can:

• Inhibit cognitive function and impair memory
• Lead to poor coordination
• Cause fatty liver and cirrhosis
• Increase your risk of pancreatitis
• Cause high blood sugar
• Damage your stomach lining
• Cause high blood pressure
• Lead to cardiac arrhythmias
• Make your body more vulnerable to infection
• Increase your risk of developing several types of cancer

The more alcohol you consume regularly, the more likely you are to develop problems. But even having a few drinks a week contributes to various health issues and concerns.

5 advantages of quitting alcohol

Many people are taking the leap and cutting back or cutting out alcohol from their lives. It’s a major decision that has many benefits for your health, as you can see from the list above. Five benefits that may surprise you include:

1. Improved sleep

Drinking alcohol affects your body’s sleep-wake cycle, often making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Quitting alcohol allows the body to return to its normal sleep cycle, which improves your physical and mental health in several ways.

2. Easier weight management

Alcoholic drinks have a lot of empty calories, which contribute to weight gain and obesity. Quitting drinking can go a long way toward helping you reach your weight loss goals.

3. Better immune function

Drinking alcohol takes a toll on your body’s immune system, making it difficult to produce white blood cells necessary to fight off infection. After you stop drinking alcohol, you may notice that you get sick less often and that it’s easier to recover from an illness.

4. Improved skin health

Alcohol contributes to skin health issues, such as dry skin, redness, and inflammation. When you stop drinking, you’ll notice that your skin looks healthier with an improvement in elasticity and tone.

5. Reduced risk of cancer

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing various types of cancer, including mouth, throat, and esophageal cancers. A major reason to quit is the reduced risk of developing cancer for a longer, healthier life.

Making the effort to stop drinking

Drinking isn’t easy to stop, especially when it’s a large aspect of your social life. Whether you’re an occasional drinker or you can’t get through the day without alcohol, when you want to stop, you can start by:

• Planning before going out
• Avoiding known triggers
• Learning to cope with unavoidable triggers
• Deciding how to handle urges to drink

Trying to quit on your own isn’t easy, which is why Dr. Scott offers professional help. If you’re struggling to quit alcohol, she can use the Sinclair Method and Naltrexone, a highly effective protocol that’s helped many people break their alcohol addiction.

Talk to Dr. Scott about alcohol use and how you can quit. Contact Lori Scott Family Care today to help you finally stop drinking.