Benefits of quitting alcohol
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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