What happens to your body when you stop drinking alcohol is a question on everyone’s mind. Yes because these are the questions that come to our mind as soon as we think that we all should stop drinking alcohol even if we have this habit.
It can be said that the covid epidemic has pushed many of us to drink. Whether it’s a little extra bit of added stress relief or an attempt to ease months of paranoia, many of us, let’s face it, add another cocktail, beer, or glass of wine here and there at night. Does this drinking habit lead to sluggish, irritable mornings? Sometimes. But even if you don’t notice much of a change, a look at the science of what happens when you stop drinking altogether might have you having second thoughts about leaning into the habit.
First of all, according to some recent research, (and this is good news) alcohol in moderation is mostly good and good for you. The problem lies in the fact that it’s surprisingly easy to overcome what experts call “moderate” drinking. So if you’re a man, drinking 15 or more drinks a week qualifies you as a “heavy” or “problem” drinker. If that’s you, women, it only takes 12 or so a week to enter the trouble zone.
Now, having too many drinks in seven days doesn’t mean you’re completely addicted to alcohol (although it does put you at risk of developing a dependency). But, it affects your health. “Alcohol is indiscriminate — there’s no question it affects the whole body,” says Mita Johnson, addiction educator and president of NAADAC, the Association of Addiction Professionals. “It slows down the systems in our body, they work more than they need to, and then it becomes problematic.”
Some of the downsides of heavy drinking are painfully obvious: you have very little energy, morning headaches, and an expanding waistline, to name a few. As well as high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels, liver damage, and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. Subtle but more damaging. “Just because you don’t feel what you’re feeling doesn’t mean what’s happening in your body,” Johnson says.
However, the good news is that the negative effects on your body are reversible. By cutting back on the booze altogether, you’ll score more get-up-and-go scores, have more patience with your kids, a clearer head, and better health — and it won’t take long to reap the benefits. Here is the timeline.
Day 1:What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking
Don’t expect your first day without alcohol to be very different or difficult. Unlike an alcoholic who experiences severe withdrawal symptoms and cravings within hours of quitting cold turkey, most quitters don’t notice the effects immediately, “because you don’t have that much alcohol in your system constantly . . .”
You may notice sugar or carb cravings because your body isn’t getting the empty calories it gets from booze. “When you stop drinking alcohol, your sweet tooth still kicks in, so be careful what foods and drinks you replace it with,” says Johnson.
Day 2 and 3:What happens to your body when you quit drinking
Since you’re probably not physically addicted to alcohol, going without alcohol for a few days won’t make much of a difference on a physical level. Emotionally speaking, however, you may miss the release and relaxation you get from wine, beer, or mixed drinks. So if a stressful situation arises, you’ll want to go for it, and you’ll feel overwhelmed. Just push through. Good things are about to happen.
Day 4 to 7:What happens to your body after you stop drinking
Within 72 to 96 hours after you quit drinking, you’ll begin to experience some subtle physical changes, Johnson says. Alcohol mainly affects sleep. It messes up sleep cycles and so the first and biggest problem most people notice is good sleep.
What Johnson explains is that “when problem drinkers have alcohol in their system, two things typically happen: They have fewer REM cycles than normal, and they often don’t sleep at night.” “Our body breaks down alcohol into sugar, further into vinegar and water so the kidneys can remove it. It’s sugar, it’s a stimulant, and the effect is enough to wake you up during the night. So even though most people eventually fall back asleep, they often don’t get the full, deep sleep that’s so critical to regenerating cells and restoring energy.
What Johnson says is that after four or five consecutive days without alcohol in the system, our body’s sleep cycles usually normalize, and people start to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. That’s something to enjoy, Johnson says.
Week 2:What happens when you quit drinking
You will also get better quality sleep at night. That will give you more energy during the day. Once restful nights become a regular occurrence for you, tasks will seem less daunting than before, work won’t drag on as much, and when your kids ask you to play a board game, you’ll be more likely to happily say yes.
what happens to your skin when you stop drinking
During this time, your mind will find that you are also much better and more active than before. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate more, flushes water from the body, and leads to dehydration. So it disrupts all systems in the body, but it really shows on the face. Alcohol dries out our skin cells, leaving the face dull, and dry, Making you look tired and old. Since you quit drinking and no longer hydrate your cells, the reflection in the mirror may not scare you as much.
Week 3 to 5:What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking
This is when really good things start happening in your body. After a few days to a week, a week to a month, Johnson says, your central nervous system will gradually improve: “You’ll start to think more clearly, and your memory will be better, and you’ll be able to concentrate better.” Along with that, most importantly, symptoms like anxiety and depression are often reduced. That’s a significant change, says Johnson.
What Johnson says is that you may notice your digestive problems less. “When you drink alcohol regularly, the stomach gets upset because there is too much acid.” “It causes pain, indigestion, and acid reflux. For most people, it all slows down and starts to reverse after several weeks of not drinking.
And the liver and kidneys become much healthier, which is a big deal, Johnson says. “The liver is very important,” she said. “It’s responsible for getting rid of toxins from the body and converting nutrients the body needs into usable substances like vitamin K needed for blood clotting, which starts to return to normal levels. We also see a reversal of alcohol-induced fatty liver problems in our bodies.
stop drinking lose weight
After three to five weeks, you may find that your clothes fit a little looser due to the absence of alcohol. Johnson stresses that it’s impossible to put a timeline on weight loss because everyone’s diet, metabolism, and activity levels are different. That said, it’s normal for people to lose a few pounds during this time.
Months 1 to 3:What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol
After a few months of abstinence from alcohol, all the positive changes from abstinence add up to significantly better long-term health outcomes. “Within a month to a few months, we’ll start to see a reduction in high cholesterol and blood pressure levels in the body. We’ll start to see a reduction in related problems like liver and heart,” says Johnson. Also, cutting out alcohol completely can reduce our “risks of future cancers — throat, stomach and liver cancer.” – will also decrease significantly.” Johnson cheers happily to that.
Bottom line
It’s never too late to stop drinking. The process of quitting drinking can challenge your mind and body. However, there is no need to panic, when you do it safely, removing alcohol from your life will help make you a happier and healthier person. There is no doubt that you can improve your body, and avoid many of the dangers associated with alcoholism.
Now tell me if you are ready to stop drinking alcohol.