Social drinking is fun, and when consumed in moderation, alcohol can’t really hurt anyone. Or so people like to think. While it might be true that partaking in an occasional cocktail party with your friends and colleagues is fun, it’s important that you realize the long-term dangers of alcohol consumption.
Quite simply, there is no “healthy” dose of alcohol, and the proposed benefits of some substances such as wine or beer are not only mild at best, but there is much more to be gained from leading a healthy lifestyle instead. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most compelling reasons why you should quit alcohol once and for all.
Regain mental clarity and energy
The first positive change you’ll notice when you get off the sauce, is that you’ll feel better overall. As a neuro-inhibitor, alcohol suppresses neurotransmission in the brain, causing the dreaded mental haze to ensue. What’s more, it hinders ATP production and makes you feel tired, drowsy, and weak.
These symptoms might not be noticeable to you if you’ve been drinking for a long time, but the change will become apparent after just a couple of weeks of abstinence. You will feel energized and more “awake” than before, and you will have regained your mental clarity and zeal, allowing you to lead a more productive lifestyle and stick to a healthy fitness routine.
Look and feel younger
If you’ve been drinking for any amount of time, you might have noticed that your face has become a tad puffy and red with reduced elasticity. You might even look dehydrated. Well, that’s because you are. Alcohol is a diuretic, and it puts heavy strain on your liver, which is in turn unable to successfully filter out all of the toxins from your body – and the skin is always the first to display the symptoms.
Usually, all of this makes you look older and a bit unhealthy, and chances are that a more serious condition is looming in the future. That said, your complexion should return to its natural state when you stop drinking. Collagen production will normalize, your skin will rehydrate, and you will have regained a more youthful, radiant glow.
Banish the risk of serious ailments
The most dangerous thing about prolonged alcohol consumption is that it can lead to numerous serious medical conditions down the road. It might even kill you. And no, that’s not an overstatement. It’s important to know that the effects of alcohol on the body are profound and long-lasting, slowly poisoning your mind and body until you’ve become addicted, ill, or worse.
This is why it’s imperative that you seek out professional help if you notice that you might be overindulging on a regular basis and that you might even be falling prey to alcohol addiction. You need to get yourself cleaned up, or risk serious illnesses ranging from poisoning and liver cirrhosis, heart failure, long-term cognitive decline, cancer, and more. If you care for your health and longevity, you will stop drinking altogether as soon as possible, because like we’ve mentioned earlier, there is no “healthy” dose of alcohol.
Save money and reinvest
As if you needed a reminder that drinking costs money. Much like any other form of addiction, whether it’s smoking or gambling, drinking can and will set you back a pretty penny, and there is no denying that the money you spend on alcohol can be used in a more productive way. Particularly, you can use it to better your life and the life of your family.
You can invest the money you save from abstinence into growing your business or furthering your career, allocating money to your kids’ college funds, or reinvesting in your home. There are so many ways you can use that money to make your life more meaningful, and most importantly, happier. What’s more, this directly ties into the concept of social stability.
Regain social stability
Social stability is your standing in the world, how people perceive you and how you perceive yourself and your surroundings. It’s also how you conduct yourself towards family, colleagues, and friends, and how they feel about you. Needless to say, people who drink tend to have a difficult time retaining friendships, professional connections, and even keeping family members.
This is not to say that people will leave you because you’re drinking, but it could happen if you fall prey to addiction. If you still think that that won’t happen to you, just keep in mind that you’re not the same person when you drink, and that every time you’re under the influence, you’re changing the way people see you. This can spark unrest in your household, make you say and do something you didn’t meant to, and make you drive people away from you in your personal and professional life.
Final thoughts
Drinking might be fun, or it might be a social construct imposed by modern society that you happen to believe in. When you think about it, and especially when you get off the sauce for a while, you will discover that alcohol is not only harmful but that it doesn’t bring you the joy you deserve. So put the glass down and say goodbye to drinking once and for all in order to discover a life of health and lifelong happiness.
