Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance use issue, except for smoking, in the country. Also, alcohol is actually the third leading cause of death in America, behind smoking and obesity. About fifteen million American adults have an alcohol use disorder.
Whether you have an alcohol use disorder or you’re just beginning to be concerned about your drinking patterns, it may be a good idea to consider quitting drinking for a while. At Fort Behavioral Health in Fort Worth, Texas, quitting drinking can start as soon as you enroll in our alcohol detox center.
6 Good Things That Happen When You Quit Drinking
When quitting drinking in our rehab program at Fort Behavioral Health, here are some of the benefits you can expect to happen.
1. You feel better.
Since many people drink to feel better, it may sound counterintuitive to say you’ll feel better when you are quitting drinking, but you will. Alcohol causes your blood sugar to fall and stay low for hours, which is one reason you sleep so badly and feel so awful the next day. Many people forget how pleasant it is to get a restful night’s sleep and wake up without a hangover.
Depending on how severe your alcohol use is, you may feel worse before you feel better. Alcohol withdrawal can be both miserable and dangerous, and it may be a good idea to look into our medical detox so you can get sober safely. Once you complete the drug and alcohol detox process, you will definitely feel much better.
2. You look better.
Alcohol is terrible for your face in several ways, including:
- It dries out your skin
- Reduces the skin’s elasticity
- Increases wrinkles
- Aggravates rosacea, which is red blotches on your face
When you are quitting drinking and hydrating properly, your skin becomes more elastic and less inflamed, reducing the look of sagginess and rosacea.
Alcohol also makes it much easier for you to gain weight. What’s more, alcohol changes your hormonal environment, lowering your testosterone and increasing estrogen, making it harder to lose weight. People who are quitting drinking in an alcohol addiction treatment program are often surprised that they lose weight without even really trying.
3. Your health starts to improve.
Excessive drinking has many adverse long-term health effects. These include, but are not limited to:
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Liver disease
- Digestive problems
- Many types of cancers, including mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast cancer
The good news is that your risk of all these diseases begins to drop once you start quitting drinking. The body has a remarkable ability to heal. Even if you’ve already developed early signs of liver disease or cardiovascular disease, you can start healing by quitting drinking. Since alcohol impairs your sleep, which damages your immune system, you may also find you get sick less often after you quit drinking in a drug and alcohol rehab program at Fort Behavioral Health in Fort Worth, Texas.
4. Your relationships improve.
One of the most common reasons people decide to start quitting drinking is that they see how much alcohol has damaged their relationships with friends and family. Alcohol makes you volatile, irritable, defensive, angry, sleepy, and unreliable. People with alcohol use disorder may become deceptive, secretive, or evasive. They may behave in ways they might have otherwise considered unethical. When you begin quitting drinking, you can get back to being you. You can pay attention to your family and friends and be there for them instead of sneaking away for a drink.
5. You save money.
As addictions go, alcohol is one of the cheapest, but the money you spend on alcohol does add up. You can easily spend thousands of dollars a year on alcohol, more if you drink a lot in clubs, restaurants, and bars. Perhaps even more expensive are the consequences of excessive drinking. If your drinking causes you to get in accidents, damage property, injure yourself or others, or get a DUI, you might find yourself in a deep hole pretty quickly. When you commit to quitting drinking, you find more money in your pocket almost immediately.
6. You sleep better.
As noted above, alcohol interferes with your sleep. Although it helps you fall asleep quickly, it also prevents you from reaching restorative sleep levels. This is called the rebound effect, and while you may sleep soundly for a few hours after drinking, you will spend the rest of the night paying for it. Better sleep is one of the things people typically notice right away when they stop drinking. Not only do they feel rested and not hungover when they wake up, but they are more alert during the day.
Discover More Benefits of Quitting Drinking Now at Fort Behavioral Health
At Fort Behavioral Health in Fort Worth, Texas, we offer a safe and nurturing space for clients when they are quitting drinking. Our team believes in inspiring clients to face their challenges, discover the root of their problems, and reclaim their lives while in a substance abuse treatment program. Our rehab program is designed to treat the underlying causes of addiction and help each client create a plan for lifelong recovery. Contact us today at 844.332.1807 or by email via our contact page.
