What happens to your body when you stop drinking alcohol The Nude Nutritionist Blog Deliciously Free of BS

Giving up alcohol can be tough—but the benefits make it worth the effort, says Damon Raskin, M.D., a Los Angeles-based physician who is board-certified in addiction medicine. As you no doubt know—and maybe your liquor cabinet even bears this out—there has been no drinking like pandemic drinking. Alcohol sales, according to Nielsen data, famously climbed 54 percent in the week ending March 21, 2020.

If done correctly, detox is the first meaningful step in the recovery process. At the same time, it’s also the stumbling block that can completely derail any attempts at long-term sobriety. The first 72 hours after you decide to quit are very much the crucible that every person who commits to sobriety must cross through. Tremors, sweating, and other withdrawal symptoms set in as early as two hours after your last drink as a result of your body overcompensating for the high levels of depressant alcohol that’s usually in your system.

4 Weeks

Once you’ve been free of alcohol for a month, there are several visible health improvements you’re likely to experience. For one, cutting down on alcohol consumption can bring healthy weight loss, your skin can begin clearing up, and blood pressure will improve as well. After three months of sobriety, your body, brain, and potentially your confidence and security in your recovery will have made great strides. There’s a continued recovery from the effects of alcohol abuse, which is characterized by improved concentration, greater energy, and general improvements in feeling. While some people can experience considerable post-withdrawal symptoms even at the three month mark, this is rare. Although we often turn to a glass of wine or a stiff martini to feel better, the irony is that drinking can have both short- and long-term negative effects on mood.

In cases of extreme, chronic, excessive alcohol use, physical symptoms may last two weeks or longer. As mentioned, alcohol is a depressant and can deregulate our “happiness hormones.” This can worsen anxiety and depression. Because many people turn to alcohol to escape from negative feelings, it’s common to get stuck in an unhealthy cycle of using alcohol to cope. When you stop drinking alcohol, your brain chemicals can regain their balance, and depression and anxiety levels typically decrease.

Months

She lives on a working cattle ranch in Ohio with her family and is an active part of the farm in her spare time. While everyone’s timeline is different, there are common patterns in the first year without alcohol. Surely’s non-alcoholic rosé is the perfect way to maintain that sober lifestyle without forfeiting the unique, refreshing taste of rosé.

Over time, the brain can actually get used to the effects of alcohol, causing it to work harder and cause unpleasant or even dangerous withdrawal symptoms like tremors and heart palpitations. According to the National Cancer Institute, drinking booze What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol has been linked to an increased risk for cancers of the mouth, liver, breast, colon, and rectum—and the risk increases the more you drink. Replace your post-boozing McDonald’s menu with snacks and meals high in fibrous fruits, veggies, and legumes.

Month After You Quit

Some improvements in sleep occur as early as seven days, and these gains increase in the week after. While post-withdrawal symptoms such as cravings and lethargy persist up to around the two-week mark, they begin to fade considerably at that point. Alcohol abuse is infamous for the toll that it can take on the body, although some risks are misunderstood and others are understated.

Plus, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it flushes your body of water through urine. Less alcohol means your body can retain the right amount of water for proper hydration and electrolyte balance. Thomas Delauer is a popular health and fitness influencer on YouTube, known for his expertise in the areas of nutrition, weight loss, and intermittent fasting. He has a large following on his YouTube channel, where he provides educational content about health and wellness.