The Impressive Health Benefits Of Sobriety
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Most of the people in the United States are drinkers, but they aren’t getting any health benefits from it. In fact, it’s known that alcohol is a poison to the body.
It can be very difficult to choose to start living sober. We know that better than anyone, but we also know that anyone can make the choice that betters their life.
You may be wondering if it’s worth your time and efforts to make this lifestyle change. What are the benefits of sobriety? Why would you want to do something that seems so drastic?
Keep reading to learn about the main reasons sobriety benefits can change your life.
Improved Memory Overall
Drinking any type of alcohol is not good for your memory. If you blackout from drinking so much, you actually won’t be able to remember much of anything at all.
Doing this regularly will impact your functioning daily, but it will also make it harder for you to be in the moment during important events like work or social occasions.
You may be in a haze during the day after a long night of drinking because your body and brain are still trying to recover.
This may mean you miss out on important things, like time for real self-care, keeping up with work schedules, having positive relationships, or general opportunities in your life.
When you stop drinking, you’ll find one of the benefits of staying sober is that you actually remember the things that happen around you with ease.
Fewer Anxious or Depressive Thoughts
Alcohol and drugs make anxiety or depression worse. Ironically, many people use these substances to cope with these conditions, but they make them worse because of how your brain chemistry is impacted by the use.
Specifically, alcohol causes your brain to produce extra neurotransmitters that make you feel good (dopamine and serotonin). This makes you want to drink more and more, but it also makes you feel much worse when you stop drinking.
Since it is a gradual effect, it’s not something that happens right away after the first drink. You probably won’t even notice it, but your brain remembers the feeling and craves more of it.
You can be happier when you’re sober because your brain chemistry will become more level and balanced. You’ll notice it as soon as you stop drinking.
More Energy in Daily Life
When you drink alcohol, you’re putting a depressant into your body. As you do this more and more, your body starts to say “hang on, we need to keep up with this! Let’s increase the volume of natural uppers our body produces” and this affects your sleep.
It’s known that you don’t sleep as well when you’re drunk, but even after a drink or two, you won’t get as good of a night’s sleep as you would otherwise.
It may make you sleepy at first, but the natural uppers that are being increased in your system will disrupt your sleep.
Getting better sleep means you have more energy during the day. You can enjoy things more when you’re awake, and you may find that you are getting more out of the day when you have so much more enthusiasm to take on tasks!
Weight Loss and Better Weight Management
The truth is that alcohol is full of empty calories. A lot of us don’t realize how many calories we are adding to our daily diet with just a few drinks.
Realistically, if you’re having only three 12oz beers or 5oz glasses of wine per day, the number of additional calories you’re having can vary from about 300 to over 700 (depending on the type of beer or wine).
If you stop drinking, you’re no longer consuming these extra calories and will most likely have an easier time keeping weight off.
In addition to that, you may be someone that likes to chow down when they drink. Drinking less means you won’t have those same impulses and won’t have a whole pizza by yourself in the middle of the night.
Lastly, not drinking means you’re more likely to perform healthy activities, like exercise and maintaining a normal sleep schedule. Both of these things are important to weight management.
More Confidence and Emotional Stability
Whether you are a high-functioning alcoholic, a casual user, or fall somewhere in-between, choosing to stop drinking alcohol means you are choosing yourself over the drink.
If you’re feeling better, looking better, and functioning at your best, you’re going to have more confidence in yourself.
In addition to that, being sober brings a lot of peace to your life that you may not realize until you experience it. Your emotions won’t be driven by alcohol as much as they once were, and you’ll likely start to notice that little things just aren’t as important.
When you become sober, you learn more about yourself and start to understand who you really are. This helps you find happiness and more emotional balance.
Are You Ready to Reap the Benefits of Sobriety?
Now that you know more about the main benefits of sobriety on your health, you may feel more inspired to give it a try.
We are here to help you succeed.
At SOBA New Jersey, we have trained, experienced staff that you can talk to about your situation, and they will get you connected with the care that you need.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.