{"id":205638,"date":"2019-04-26T15:23:54","date_gmt":"2019-04-26T15:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5f17670acf5743285.temporary.link\/rohsi.org\/?p=205638"},"modified":"2019-04-26T15:24:33","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T15:24:33","slug":"what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-stop-drinking-alcohol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205638","title":{"rendered":"WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You Might Dodge Accidents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol plays a role in at least half of all serious trauma\ninjuries and deaths from burns, drownings, and homicides. It\u2019s also involved in\nfour out of 10 fatal falls and traffic crashes, as well as suicides. You don\u2019t\nhave to go completely dry to be safer. Even cutting back your drinking by a\nthird can lower the number of injuries and sick days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Heart Gets Healthier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might think that a regular glass of red wine or other\nalcoholic beverages might be good for your heart. But that may not be true, or true\nonly for light sippers (less than one drink a day). If you use more than that,\ncutting back or quitting may lower your blood pressure, levels of fat called\ntriglycerides, and chances of heart failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Liver May Heal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your liver\u2019s job is to filter toxins. And alcohol is toxic\nto your cells. Heavy drinking — at least 15 drinks for men and eight or more\nfor women a week — can take a toll on the organ and lead to fatty liver,\ncirrhosis, and other problems. The good news: your liver can repair itself and\neven regenerate. So it\u2019s always worth drinking less or quitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Might Drop Pounds<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A glass of regular beer has about 150 calories, and a\nserving of wine has about 120. On top of those mostly empty calories, alcohol\nramps up your appetite. It also makes you more impulsive, and less able to\nresist the fries and other temptations on the menu. So when you stay away from\nalcohol, the number on your scale may well start moving down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Relationships May Improve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoying alcohol socially in reasonable amounts can boost\nyour mood and help you bond with others. But if you drink alone, or down\nmultiple drinks a day, it could turn into an unhealthy habit. If you can\u2019t\ncontrol it, it may lead to a condition called alcohol use disorder. Giving up\ndrinking may let you focus on your relationships, work, and health. It also may\nease any depression and anxiety and elevate your self-esteem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Cancer Risks (Maybe)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s clear that alcohol, and heavy drinking in particular,\ncan up your chances of several types of cancers, including in your esophagus\n(food pipe), mouth, throat, and breast. What\u2019s less clear is if quitting<\/em> alcohol\nlowers your chances for cancer and, if so, how long it might take. Some studies\nsuggest potential benefits, but scientists don\u2019t know for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Sex Life Might Improve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bit of alcohol may make couples friskier. But anything\nmore than a drink or so a day has the opposite effect, especially if you abuse\nor are addicted to alcohol. Men might have trouble getting and keeping an\nerection. Women\u2019s sex drive might drop, and their vagina might get drier. Cut\ndown on the booze, and see if it stirs up the romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll Sleep Better<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol might get you drowsy at first. But once you fall\ninto slumber, it can wake you up repeatedly in the night. Plus, it disrupts the\nimportant REM stage of sleep and may interfere with your breathing. You also\nmay need to get up more often to pee. Try skipping alcohol, especially in the\nlate afternoon and evening, for more restful shut-eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll Get Sick Less<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even just one bout of drinking too much may weaken your\nbody\u2019s germ-fighting power for up to 24 hours. Over time, large amounts of\nalcohol blunt your immune system and your body\u2019s ability to repair itself. Ease\nup on drinking so you may better ward off illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Your Blood Pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you drink a lot and your blood pressure is too high, you\nmight be able to bring your numbers back down to normal by doing one simple\nthing: giving up alcohol. Even simply easing back on drinks can have a big\npayoff. Talk to your doctor about your numbers. Normal blood pressure is below\n120\/80. You have high blood pressure if yours is above 130\/80.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear Your Brain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcohol dependence can make it harder to think or remember\nthings. Over time, heavy drinking can cloud your perception of distances and\nvolumes, or slow and impair your motor skills. It can even make it harder for\nyou to read other people\u2019s emotions. But if you quit, your brain seems to be\nable to regain some of these abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Withdrawal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a heavy drinker, your body may rebel at first if you\ncut off all alcohol. You could break out in cold sweats or have a racing pulse,\nnausea, vomiting, shaky hands, and intense anxiety. Some people even have\nseizures or see things that aren\u2019t there (hallucinations). Your doctor or\nsubstance abuse therapist can offer guidance and may prescribe medication like\nbenzodiazepines or carbamazepine to help you get through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/mental-health\/addiction\/ss\/slideshow-quit-alcohol-effects?ecd=wnl_spr_042219&ctr=wnl-spr-042219_nsl-LeadModule_title&mb=NEGP480IoNwEKR8ZPFIqJg7W9SlMHoOnoFFuxMaknB8%3d#next<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You Might Dodge Accidents Alcohol plays a role in at least half of all serious trauma injuries and deaths from burns, drownings, and homicides. It\u2019s also involved in four out of 10 fatal falls and traffic crashes, as well as suicides. You don\u2019t have to go completely dry to be safer. Even cutting back your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nWHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL - Rays of Hope Support Initiative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205638\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BODY WHEN YOU STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL - Rays of Hope Support Initiative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You Might Dodge Accidents Alcohol plays a role in at least half of all serious trauma injuries and deaths from burns, drownings, and homicides. 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