Drinking is a popular pastime in this country — so much so that abstinence from alcohol is often pejoratively dubbed “teetotalling.” But what many people don’t know is that there are significant quality-of-life benefits to kicking a drinking habit. The following pay-offs make sobriety a worthwhile lifestyle for anyone, not just those with an addiction:
1. Looking and feeling better.
Numerous studies drive home the point that an alcohol-free lifestyle is actually better for you, starting with cardiovascular health. Red wine’s heart-healthy claims aside, there is a greater abundance of research showing that alcohol weakens the heart. Consider, for example, these cardiovascular risks associated with drinking, according to the American Heart Association :
— Too much alcohol can raise the levels of certain fats in the blood known as triglycerides, which are associated with higher risks of heart disease.
— Excessive alcohol can also mean higher caloric intake and, in turn, a higher risk of obesity and diabetes.
— Heavy or binge drinking can lead to stroke, cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.
Kicking a drinking habit can also increase your energy level and improve your mood. Alcohol is a sedative and depressant, after all — and it also interferes with sleep, which is a necessary component for both good mood and healthy energy levels. Eliminating alcohol from one’s diet thus improves overall health and well-being.
Feeling better is half the battle to looking healthier. Cutting down on alcohol consumption is great for your skin. Drinking can cause premature aging and wrinkles. More advanced stages of alcoholism are often characterized by jaundice (or yellowing of the skin). Additionally, because alcohol is high in empty calories, quitting a drinking habit can also help you lose that beer gut. The result: a trimmer, fitter you.
[See: 7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can’t Ignore.]
2. Greater financial freedom.
Depending on its severity, a daily drinking habit can quickly empty your bank account. Even just two drinks daily can cost you $100 per week (or $400 per month). That is money that you could otherwise be putting towards retirement, travel, education or another quality-of-life boost. Find out how much money you’re wasting on a drinking habit with this handy alcohol spending calculator from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
3. More resources to pursue hobbies, interests and dreams.
Quitting drinking also frees up your time, energy and money to pursue healthier forms of life enrichment. Just as nobody at the end of their life wishes they had spent more time at the office, I’ve yet to meet anyone who has ever said they wished they had consumed more alcohol. In my work with clients in alcohol treatment, I’ve yet to meet someone who regrets getting sober. Abstinence typically opens up new opportunities for fun, learning and adventure that were never an option when drinking monopolized your time.
[See: 8 Resolutions Health Experts Want You to Make.]
4. Better mental clarity and focus.
Excess alcohol can damage the brain by impairing key functions like cognition, memory, problem solving and decision making . This damage occurs at the neurobiological level. Alcohol disrupts the white matter connections, or “information pathways,” between regions of the brain that govern these important functions. On the other hand, just a couple weeks of abstinence help to reverse alcohol-related damage to these pathways, according to 2013 findings. By quitting drinking, you can improve your mental clarity and strengthen your attention span.
5. Deeper connections with others.
Alcohol dulls your capacity to feel. This is one reason many people become alcoholics: They’re drinking to self-medicate their pain and ease difficult or negative emotions. Over the long term, heavy drinking may in fact decrease your innate ability to empathize with others, according to a 2012 study. Yet empathy and emotion are critical to experiencing meaningful connection with other human beings. Often, then, sobriety is a chance to “wake up” to healthier, fuller relationships with the people who matter to you.
[See: 9 Reasons It Rocks to Be the DD.]
When you make the choice to kick a drinking habit, the positive outcomes can be exponential. An alcohol-free lifestyle is worth considering for anyone seeking to be healthier, happier and more fulfilled.
More from U.S. News
7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can’t Ignore
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14 Ways Alcohol Affects the Aging Process
5 Quality-of-Life Benefits of Kicking a Drinking Habit originally appeared on usnews.com
