Benefits of quitting alcohol
Benefits of quitting alcohol
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I stopped drinking about 10 months ago now and I wanted to share some of the benefits, and see if anyone else is on the same journey. I was motivated to post on here because my skincare benefits have been absolutely incredible. 2020 was also a year when drinking in Australia (especially among women) increased dramatically and it's a really good time to have a conversation about how and why we drink. It also doesn't matter how much you drink - whether it's a few glasses a week, or more - it's always worth reevaluating anything that can negatively affect our physical and mental health. No judgement here at all, whether you drink or you don't!
Here are the biggest benefits I've seen in my 10 months off booze:
-My skin looks incredible! I started getting fine lines in my late 20s, and in my mid 30s now and they have disappeared. My skin is clear and even - having oily and acne prone skin, this was never the case, not since I was about 13.
-My mental health has improved drastically. I attribute this to both quitting drinking and also addressing stressors in my life with a psychologist. I had very severe, diagnosed anxiety and depression, both which affected my life dramatically and I really struggled to get by. This was surprising to me - I didn't expect such huge mental health benefits from addressing one seemingly insignificant coping mechanism.
-My likelihood of getting cancer has decreased. I like to think of myself as pretty well-informed about health issues, but I didn't realise when I was drinking that alcohol was a carcinogen on par with smoking. I feel more confident that I'm looking after myself now. I would previously do a lot of 'healthy' things like eat more fruit and vegetables, but then at the same time binge drink like everyone else in my age group was doing, and not even question it.
-I have begun to heal my relationship with my body. For many years, I've tied my weight to my worth. Stopping drinking has given me the mental space to actually realise that my appearance has NOTHING to do with me as a person, nor does it tell people about my health status. Health comes at all shapes and sizes. Even when I was at my thinnest, I was always finding reasons to hate my body. It's never too late to let go of these little things that cause enormous daily stress. I don't want to be growing older and worrying about how my body looks, and hiding in 'flattering' clothes - I want to be entirely focused on living life. And while these changes don't happen overnight, they are certainly more noticeable for me now.
I would love to hear of anyone else's experiences with stopping drinking. I'd prefer to keep this thread positive and that includes not judging other peoples' choices to drink or not. Happy 2021, beauties <3
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Wow, eriberry! Great post! LIVE YOUR LIFE, GIRL!
Please read eriberry's post!
Like most women, I struggle with body image, too. But, I don't let it stop me doing things.
I used to drink a lot in my teens. A counsellor said I was an alcoholic, but in hindsight, I don't think I was because I quit immediately, without a problem. I didn't drink for years afterwards, but now I drink a little - as in maybe a few times a year.
My non-drinking mother used to try to get me to drink at Xmas because I'm a happy drunk & she knew there'd be no fights with dad if I was drinking. As a migraine sufferer, it's odd that I don't get hangovers, but alcohol makes me so thirsty I drink a lot of water after each glass. Despite not seeing immediate symptoms, I know it's detrimental to drink at all.
Happy 2021, eriberry!
Thanks so much for your support, misfortune8! I don't agree with the label alcoholic for myself for a number of reasons, but the good part is (as you've described) you don't have to be at rock bottom to do something good for your health - you can make changes before you get to that point.
I'm also a chronic migraine sufferer, which was another catalyst to me quitting drinking. It was almost like my body was saying - this is enough!
Happy 2021 to you too :)
Bumping this too in case anyone has missed it.....
My parents were publicans when I was in my teens. I lived upstairs of some pretty dingy pubs for a few years. It gave me a great insight into just what alchohol could do to a person , physically, mentally, spiritually. A respect for it that I think many of my peers did'nt have. That's not to say I have'nt gotten pretty drunk at times in my life but I'm not a big drinker. I will have a few now and then these days, when I feel like having a drink, not simply because it's new years eve or a birthday etc...
I'm not surprised you noticed a change in your skin eriberry if our liver struggles then it's one of the first places to show it.
My husband gave up smoking a couple of years ago after more than 20 years of my nagging LOL . He started to get red patches on his skin, a bit like eczema , every now and then he would get them randomly, I bought him some Avene calcifate which he jokingly called his "blotch cream" he believes it was something to do with giving up smoking, maybe it was his body purging something? He does'nt get them now, they have slowly stopped appearing. Maybe it was related to quitting smoking, who know? , I'm just glad he gave up.
Happy new year eriberry - onwards and upwards!
Thanks so much for your reply - it sounds like you got some incredible insight into how alcohol can negatively affect our lives. As someone who barely grew up around alcohol, and didn't start drinking 'properly' until my 20s, I had no idea what I was in for. That's so great that you can just drink when you want to, rather than 'need' it like so many people do to wind down or to celebrate.
Yes - totally agree with the liver thing! My liver function tests were not looking good before I quit. It can take over 20 years of heavy drinking for these sorts of changes to show, but I could see that there was already some damage - luckily I caught this at the point where it was very reversible.
So glad your husband listened to you and gave up smoking! We want our partners to live for as long as they can, don't we? That's great that it worked out.
Happy new year to you too!
If I could like your OP eriberry I would! And happy new year to you too.
I'm mostly a non-drinker by choice, partly because I don't like the stuff, but partly because my digestive system physically can't handle it. That being said, I do drink some alcohol every now & again, if & when I feel like it. I don't judge those who choose to drink, but generally it's not fun being the only sober/sober-ish person in the room. My parents, on the other hand, are & have been somewhat large consumers of the stuff.
My mum in particular is on a mission this year to not only reduce her alcohol consumption, but her sugar & fat intake due to being fairly overweight & wanting to lose that weight. So far she's lost around 2-3 kilos, which I think is motivating her to continue on this path. She's the main culprit when it comes to drinking: she can't stop at just 1 or 2 wines, she has to drink the whole bottle (or 2). She gets silly when drunk, maybe even a bit more chatty than usual.
My dad, on the other hand, gets very chatty (and, dare I say it, annoying) when he's had too many wines (he's not like this on the beers though). Either that or he becomes even more moody/stroppy than he already is (this usually happens after I or my mum tell him to shut up and stop passing commentary on everything on TV).
Edited this post as I think I got a bit TMI....
Thanks so much for your reply, Seashells! I don't think my body could handle any of it, to be honest. I've always had a bad digestive system. I just ignored what drinking did to it because it numbed me and I wouldn't have to deal with the consequences until the day after. I've also suffered from chronic pain for a lot of my life, so sometimes it helped me deal with the pain.
I agree - drunk people are annoying as hell. People think that they become more social when they're drinking, but really, they are much more difficult to connect with, and they're off in their own little world, and really interested in what they have to say (but not what any of us do!). I'm sad that I was that person for so long.
Yeah - some of us simply can't stop at 1 or 2. It's difficult when it becomes a habit, and then with fewer inhibitions, you're more likely to have more.
Didn't see the rest of your post but all good - appreciate you joining the conversation, and I hope you're doing well!
I rarely drink, can count on one hand the number of drinks I'd have in a year. People think I'm strange when I say I don't drink. I have friends who I think drink quite a lot. Mum always has a large glass or two of wine at dinner. Think she needs to cut back.
Im a non drinker also Hayley Ive seen what alcohol addiction does to people so I was just not interested in taking part in drinking. Its weird that some people just cant handle the fact that I dont drink and in social situations they have to tell me im boring. I dont need alcohol to have a good time. I think life is pretty wonderful just as is thank you.
I LOVE meeting people who don't need alcohol to have a good time. They seem few and far between, which is just wild - why should we need to numb ourselves to enjoy life? Good on you for this! You're the opposite of boring, in my eyes!
Thank you eriberry Im me and its odd to me that in social situations people would prefer an alternate me to socialise with. The alcohol affected me. Thats someone that will never join them so tough luck to them I guess. :D
That's great that you don't drink! It's odd how ingrained it is in our society for people to not drink. We don't question if someone turns down a cigarette - why is it so different for alcohol?
Good on you for looking after your health!
They're exes for a reason. Show him the door and wish him the best of luck. Voodoo schmoodoo.