You work out regularly, eat mindfully, but then Friday comes and like clockwork you go to happy hour with your co-workers. Five drinks later, you’re considering skipping morning yoga and going to bed.
Drinking socially—and often heavily on long nights—is deeply ingrained in our culture as a way to combat stress, connect with friends, and meet new people. However, more and more people are wondering if these rituals have an impact on our physical and mental well-being and are investigating how to quit drinking.
Beyond not having a screaming hangover, there are many benefits to quitting drinking, from deeper sleep to improved muscle recovery.
1. You’ll get more out of your workout
“Research shows that alcohol can interfere with the benefits of exercise,” says Dr. Aaron White, Ph.D., senior scientific advisor to its director National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). “It’s possible that a break from drinking can help a person get the most out of their exercise routine.”
Alcohol consumed after exercise has been associated with delays in recovery due to prevented hydration and inhibited protein synthesis. It can also reduce peak muscle strengthwhich may reduce performance during your next workout.
“Drinking alcohol after exercise increases the decline in muscle strength during recovery,” says White. So stay tuned.
2. You will sleep more soundly
A night drink can make you drowsy and help you fall asleep faster, but contrary to what you think, it can they wreak havoc about the quality of sleep you get. Although alcohol induces sleep, this disrupts rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — and that’s when your most vivid dream happens.
“For most of us, alcohol is notorious for disrupting and disrupting our sleep architecture,” explains Dr. George Fallieras, his medical advisor BioCorRx. “A healthy sleep cycle goes through several phases, including deep delta wave sleep.” When this architecture breaks down, the benefits of restorative sleep become less effective, which leads to less energy and focus.
And “sleeping in” on the weekends won’t do much to treat your sleep cycle disorder. Spending an entire Sunday snuggled on the couch doesn’t effectively compensate for the quantity and quality of sleep lost after a sob.
3. You will feel a sense of accomplishment
“At the very least, a break from drinking gives a person a chance to evaluate their relationship with alcohol,” White explains. “Some people may find that their alcohol use affects their relationships or that they rely on alcohol for stress relief more than they thought.”
Taking this time for self-reflection can help you focus on your goals more clearly, be more productive, and feel proud of following through on a commitment to yourself. To a British study During Dry January, 82 percent of participants reported feeling a “sense of accomplishment.”
4. You might lose a few pounds
If you’re wondering if giving up alcohol will help you lose weight, there’s a good chance it will. In the same British study, nearly 50 percent of participants reported weight loss, White points out. Most of us know that cocktails are loaded with calories, especially those with sugary soda mixers.
On average, a standard beer has about 150 calories, a glass of wine has about 125, and a vodka soda, the classic calorie-dense option, he is about 65. Not to mention when you do eat some, you’re more likely to reach for a late-night slice of pizza or a burger and fries instead of lean protein and a salad.
5. Your skin will look younger
“Alcohol is a diuretic [substances that increase urine production], which means it blocks antidiuretic hormone,” Fallieras explains. “In addition to becoming dehydrated, you lose a number of electrolytes and minerals, such as potassium and magnesium.” These are essential for many metabolic processes in the body.
Over time, says Fallieras, chronic dehydration from alcohol begins to affect your skin, especially when combined with poor sleep quality. In other words, when you don’t get enough beauty sleep and plenty of water, you’ll start to look haggard as you speed up the aging process.
6. You may feel over the rainbow
“Drinking is so loosely ritualized and culturally accepted that not enough attention or discussion is given to its psychological effects,” Fallieras says. “But alcohol for sure affects GABA, glutamate and dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain.”
Disrupting these circuits can have short- and long-term consequences, which could lead to anxiety and depression, reduced focus and fatigue.
“Many people who give up alcohol for a month or two report dramatic improvements in their overall outlook,” he says. “For some, it may be the first time in decades that they feel like they’re living in color rather than black and white.”
7. You will spend less money
Among the many benefits of quitting drinking for your body and mind, there’s also the bottom line: You’ll save a ton of dough. You can even use this handy calculator to calculate how much you spend on alcohol per week, month and year.
If, for example, you go out four nights a week and drink about three $12 cocktails, you’re looking at an annual bar tab of $7,488. Excluding tips, of course.
