How to Stop Drinking: The Good Things That Happen When You Quit Alcohol

Many things can happen all at once when you stop something unhealthy. Not only will there be immediate changes to your body both physically and mentally, but the long-term benefits might outweigh the immediate in terms of your physical health. Quitting alcohol might seem like an uphill battle you will have to fight every day, but knowing that not every hill is so hard will help your recovery process. To say that there are more good things that come when you quit alcohol than there are bad would be the biggest understatement because there are only good, positive outcomes when you take that step towards sobriety.

Recognizing the Need for Change

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       We are always looking for signs to point us in the right direction. Just like those signs, there might come a time when you recognize signs that it might be time to stop drinking. Family and friends will start voicing their concerns or making remarks on how much you drink or how many drinks you’ve already had. Co-workers after work might try to casually remark that you still have work in the morning and don’t want to be hungover in the morning. Other signs that it might be time to stop drinking would be that you’ve started to struggle with other addicting habits like drugs, shopping, or gambling. These are all more stressors in your life that might make you want to drink more, but take a step back and try to hear what your family, friends, and even co-workers are saying to you directly or indirectly about your drinking habits. 

Preparing to Quit Drinking

Like any lifestyle change having a support system in place is one of the keys to setting yourself up for success, you wouldn’t train for a marathon without telling someone who has maybe already run one and can give you some pointers that they wished they had known. So why would you prepare yourself to quit drinking without telling those around you? Here are some tips for setting realistic and achievable goals to quit drinking;

• Tell your family and friends how you can voice your concerns, and what might trigger you, and let them know what can of support you might need.
• Speak to your doctor about your concerns about your drinking- your doctor will also be able to find you medical help like a detox center if she thinks that a medical detox would be better for your overall physical and mental health.
• Set realistic goals- this may look like going from five drinks a night down to three, then down to two, one, and then none. This may look like having two or three alcohol-free days. It might be a slow and steady progress, but you are also changing the relationship you have with alcohol that you are also working on.

Strategies for Stopping Drinking

There are a couple of ways you can begin your alcohol-free life. The first one is to reduce your drinking until you are completely alcohol-free, and the other option is going completely cold turkey. While both have the same end goal there are some key differences. Reducing your alcohol might come with fewer withdrawal symptoms it’s still not easy. Here are helpful strategies to help you along the way;

• Keep a drink journal- document how much you drink, what you are drinking, where you are drinking (like at home, a bar, a friend’s house, etc.), and who you are drinking with (are you by yourself, co-workers, a certain group of friends?). This is a great way to document your habits and will be something that a therapist will want to know.
• Set a drink limit and stick with it- if you typically drink seven drinks a night set a limit to four. Then keep reducing that number gradually.
• Change your social habits- if you go to the bar nightly and that is where you do all or most of your drinking, change what you do socially. Instead of going to the bar on Tuesdays replace it with another social activity, like going to the gym.

While reducing your drinking gradually might work for some, it might not work for all. Going “cold turkey” means quitting abruptly. If you know that your drinking habits need to stop all at once or they won’t stop, then cold turkey might be for you. Here are some tips to help you through this transition;

• Staying hydrated- drink plenty of water, especially adding electrolytes 
• Eat a more balanced diet- adding extra protein will help keep your body energized 
• Stay active- this is the perfect time to replace drinking with walking, running, or yoga. 
• Sleep- making sure that you get plenty of sleep is a good way to make sure your body hits its daily reset button each night.
• Seek medical help if the withdrawal symptoms become too much to manage by yourself or at home. Alcohol withdrawal is nothing to joke about, while you might only feel like you have the flu for a week, there are much more serious symptoms that you should be seen by a medical professional.

Coping with Withdrawal Symptoms

Everyone’s relationship with alcohol is different and their quitting alcohol is also going to be different. Withdrawals from any abused substance can happen within 12 hours or anywhere up to 48 hours. Here are some symptoms to be aware of from less extreme to more extreme.

• Anxiety or nervousness 
• Fatigue
• Irritability 
• Mood swings
• Shakiness
• Not thinking clearly
• Sweating or clammy skins
• Dilated pupils
• Rapid heart rate
• Tremors in hands or other body parts 

Remember always to seek medical help when you feel like the withdrawal symptoms become severe.                                               

Immediate Health Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

There are some immediate health benefits of quitting alcohol. For one, your sleep will greatly improve which in turn will make you feel rested and ready for the next day. You might also notice that you are in a better mood, while you might not stay in that good mood all day long, you will notice a significant increase in your mood. Staying hydrated is another immediate health benefit you’ll notice, alcohol is a diuretic, which means it causes your body to remove fluids from your blood faster than other liquids. When you stop drinking alcohol and start drinking more water or other fluids your body will start to absorb them making you feel great!

Long-Term Health Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

Quitting alcohol has more long-term benefits not just for your physical health but for your mental health as well. While you’ll see some initial health benefits when you stop drinking, the long-term benefits might take some time to show up. This just means that your body is working overtime to fix itself. Here are some long-term physical benefits of quitting alcohol;

• Fewer headaches
• Reduced heartburn
• Improved indigestion and stomach upsets
• Lower blood sugar and blood pressure

One of the most important long-term benefits of quitting alcohol is a significantly decreased risk of cancer and liver problems. This includes throat cancer, esophageal cancer, breast, and colorectal cancer. Quitting alcohol will also reduce the risk of liver cancer as it will help your liver repair itself.

Your mental health will benefit from quitting alcohol, not only will you see an increase in your mood, but conditions like depression and anxiety will likely lessen. When your mental health is in a better place it not only affects you but also the people around you. 

Social and Emotional Changes After Quitting Alcohol

When you quit drinking, or even gradually reduce your drinking, that unwanted shadow starts to fade away until one day you won’t even notice it anymore. Alcohol addiction can hinder our relationships with our friends and family replacing those relationships with alcohol. Once you fully detox from alcohol, you’ll start to gain your confidence back, or maybe gain some confidence you thought you would have while drinking. Living a sober lifestyle doesn’t mean you “failed”, in fact staying sober will show not only your friends and family that you are successful at fighting that shadow of alcohol addiction and winning every single day.

Sustaining Sobriety

When you choose to quit drinking and take back control of your life, you will find the need to replace the time you set aside for drinking with something else. Staying active like walking, running, or simply going to the gym is a great way to not only use that “extra time” but also get back to a healthier lifestyle. While you might feel lost in this new sober life this would be a great time to try a few different activities or hobbies. Try taking a new cooking class, or pick up a new craft that keeps your hands busy and your mind occupied. While you figure out what new activity or hobby, remember that going to support meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous is also vital in your day-to-day recovery process. Not only will you find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone but you might also find some new hobby or activity to do in your area. If nothing seems to feel right, talk with your therapist and come up with a list together, they would also be able to help you navigate this new life with a different perspective.

How Resurgence Behavioral Health Can Help

At Resurgence Behavioral Health, our highly trained medical staff take a more holistic approach to addiction treatment, not only treating the addiction but taking into account your physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs. Our team is made up of medical professionals, certified addiction specialists, and licensed therapists, many of who have struggled with addiction themselves and now flourish in a sober life. At Resurgence Behavioral Health, all treatment programs, including inpatient addiction treatment, are customized and geared toward your sustained addiction recovery. Our facility feels more like a home away from home, aiming for a harmonious environment. While at Resurgence Behavioral Health, you can focus on yourself and sobriety.  If you are ready to take the next step into sober living give Resurgence Behavior Health a call at (855) 485-0050

Josh Chandler
After growing up in Chicago and North Carolina, Josh chose to get help with substance use disorder and mental health in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than five years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for four years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. Josh remains passionate about the field because he understands that one phone call can alter the course of a person's life.

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