Misty Jhones
If you want to live a healthier life, you often have something for that purpose. Spend more money on nuts and quinoa? No problem! Want to spend hours in the gym? Of course you like that. But quit smoking and quit drinking? That goes a lot too far for many people. You can’t stand up to all parties sober, can you?
Nonetheless, alcohol is one of the most important factors that deteriorates your health. Unfortunately, many people do not realize how many benefits they can stop drinking. With all the unhealthy consequences! Today we list ten benefits of a life without alcohol for you.
Detox from alcohol does not only mean that you spend fewer mornings with a hangover. The benefits are a lot wider, and probably go further than you expected!
1. Fewer calories
Many people forget how many calories alcohol contains: 7 kcal per gram. In addition, the calories from the carbohydrates (and sometimes with fats from cocktails). A glass or bottle of beer provides 100 to 150 calories, but with cocktails that can go up to 300 or 400. If you drink well through the evening, you will have gained 1500 extra calories.
Add some snacks and the obligatory fries afterwards, and you have eliminated your calorie deficit for an entire week. Alcohol can quickly ensure that you no longer lose weight or even gain weight.
2. Better sleep
Many people still believe that alcohol makes you sleep better. And it is true that it makes you feel drowsy quickly, so you may fall asleep faster. However, that does not mean that you are well rested!
Because of all that poison in your body, the quality of your night’s sleep is bad after a night out. After detox from alcohol, you will generally feel better rested. Your concentration is also going up.
3. Better resistance
You also get less flu when you drink less, and that is not only because you are better rested. Alcohol also has an effect on your immune system. This way the amount of blood cells in your body goes down after you drink. However, it is precisely those cells that are essential to ward off viruses and bacteria.
4. More vitamins and minerals
Alcohol inhibits the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. Your body is busy processing your drink, so that the rest of your food receives less attention. In other words, all the effort you make to eat healthily is partially canceled out.
5. Healthier liver
Of all your organs, your liver suffers the most from your drinking habits. This organ is responsible for the purification of your body. When you drink a lot of alcohol, it becomes over-stressed. This not only increases the risk of liver disease, it also means that other waste products are less well filtered out of your body.
They then have a greater chance of causing damage elsewhere. If you detox from alcohol, your liver and your health will improve.
6. Stronger muscles
Alcohol is a drama for your muscle growth. Check it out: you need sleep to be able to recover from workouts, you need to feel rested to train hard, and you need an energy deficit to get those muscles visible. All difficult if you regularly drink hard! In addition, alcohol reduces testosterone. All in all, your results will improve considerably if you detox from alcohol.
7. More motivation
The chance that you will train after a good night’s sleep is virtually nil. And you will also have to discipline yourself enormously to say no to that doner sandwich. Not drinking generally provides more motivation to stick to your goals!
8. More beautiful skin
Some of the toxins that your liver cannot process when you drink end up in your skin. This creates impurities that in turn cause inflammation and the like. Furthermore, alcohol also has a drying effect that can be seen in your skin. All in all you will look grayer and healthier! Alcohol detox is one of the best ways to regain a healthy complexion.
9. Better mood
Alcohol enhances the production of the stress hormone cortisol. This has many disadvantages in the long term, such as the breakdown of muscle tissue and the production of belly fat. However, an important effect of a surplus of cortisol is that you start to feel chronically stressed. From studies, it is clear that there is a relationship between excessive use of alcohol, and depression. After a while without alcohol you will become calmer and happier.
10. More money left
Does this sound like a bad reason? You should keep an eye on how much money you actually spend on those tasty beers and good bottles of wine. If you look at that on a monthly or annual basis, it quickly becomes hundreds of euros! Money that you can put a lot better in good food or relaxing outings.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms after one month
Detox from alcohol can be difficult for a while. You will notice that your body has really gotten used to alcohol, which means that you can suffer from headache and tiredness in the first few weeks. You will also probably have to explain a few hundred times to friends why you do not drink more (or less).
But once you have overcome those disadvantages, you will soon notice improvement! After a month the withdrawal symptoms are a lot less and you feel a lot healthier in all areas. Just hold on, so, because it’s totally worth it!
