What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol For A Month

 Story by Times Now Digital

what happens to your body when you stop drinking alcohol for a month
© Provided by Times Now

New Delhi: Those who enjoy alcohol do not even get to know when they become addicted to it. Not only does the addiction messes you up physically but can also play havoc with your mental health.

According to the current guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation, even if consumed in moderation, alcohol causes high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Drinking is also linked to head, neck, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and rectum cancers.

And so, if you need a break from alcohol, going alcohol-free for a month or more can bring about many physical and mental health benefits.

According to experts, the benefits of quitting vary from person to person depending on how much of a change from their baseline behavior this is. Those who drink minimally but abstain from alcohol for a month may feel a sense of control over their health.

And those who are heavy drinkers may even notice more pronounced physiologic effects like mental clarity, regulated and uninterrupted sleep, healthy weight loss, and a feeling of detox.

A few positives of being off alcohol for at least a month would do the following changes in your body:

Repair your liver

According to doctors, continued alcohol consumption causes cirrhosis of the liver, a life-threatening and deadly disease that is irreparable. While cirrhosis does not happen in a day, you can reverse the effects if you stop early.

In the absence of alcohol, the liver can properly break down toxins produced by the body, and metabolize fats and excess hormones.

Decrease in risk of heart ailments

When you drink in excess, an enzyme called dehydrogenase which is produced in the liver gets saturated and is metabolized by a different enzyme. It then produces lots of free radicals which raise bad cholesterol, leading to various heart problems, which may include a heart attack. 1

And so, quitting would not only bring down LDL but also shoot up HDL or good cholesterol.

Reduces cancer risk

According to the National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human, alcohol is a human carcinogen, and it increases a person’s risk of developing cancer. 2

Quitting drinking for even 30 days can significantly bring down the risk.

Aids weight loss

A normal glass of beer has around 150 empty calories which only ramp up your appetite. It also makes you more impulsive, and less able to resist junk and other fried foods. So, when you stay away from alcohol, the number on your scale may well start moving down.

Improve immunity

Even just one bout of drinking too much can weaken your body’s germ-fighting power, so when you quit drinking, it amps up your immunity.

Quitting alcohol can help your body repair itself.

Improve sleep

While you may think drinking alcohol before bed would help you sleep better, experts say in reality, the opposite happens.

Drinking large amounts before bedtime leads to decreased sleep onset and disrupted, poor-quality sleep later in the night. For those who are addicted, the conditions are connected to chronic sleep disturbance, insomnia, lower slow-wave sleep, and more rapid eye movement.

Improved sex life

According to experts, alcohol may make you friskier and especially in men can lead to erectile dysfunction.

Also in women, the sex drive might drop, and their vagina might get drier. Cut down on the booze, so stir up intimacy.