Getting That Beach Body: How Going Alcohol-Free Can Help Your Physical Health

Drinking may make you feel good initially, but daily or heavy drinking can quickly impact your physical health.

We’ve seen how alcohol can create a cycle of trauma by increasing your risk of traumatic events or accidents due to the physical and mental impairment it can cause. But what about alcohol’s physical effects on the body? 

Here’s how going alcohol-free can help your physical health by improving the way you look, feel, and age.

Lose Weight, Get Stronger, and Look Better

Alcohol doesn’t contain any nutrients, which means it’s just empty calories. Many alcoholic beverages contain sugar as well, so it’s easy to consume hundreds of additional calories when drinking without realizing it.

When you stop drinking, you’ll fill up less on alcohol and instead consume food and drinks that actually nourish your body. With better nutrition, your body will naturally become healthier and stronger, and you can maintain a healthy weight and reduce the effects of aging.

Going alcohol-free can also help your skin look better—you reduce your risk of skin dehydration, broken capillaries, inflammation, and loose and sagging skin. Your skin will look less red and puffy and begin to look more smooth and radiant.

Reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption can also help improve your sleep since alcohol can make it difficult to stay asleep and even increase your risk for sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. Proper sleep supports a healthy weight and can even help reduce stress, not to mention help you look younger and more rested.

Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease

It’s been well documented that alcohol consumption, especially regular or heavy drinking, can increase your risk of chronic disease, including cancer, heart disease, and cognitive disorders such as dementia.

People who drink heavily are more likely to have a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, than those who don’t. You can reduce inflammation in the body and protect your most vital organs by going alcohol-free. Since alcohol can cause high blood pressure and influence stress and anxiety levels, reducing or eliminating alcohol may help decrease your stress and blood pressure.

Any damage you may have to your brain, heart, and liver from drinking can heal once you go alcohol-free and continue to lower your risk for health issues as you age. 

Stop Getting Sick and Missing Life

Going alcohol-free can improve your immune system. People who drink heavily, even if it is only one or two nights a week, tend to get sick more often than those who don’t. By cutting out alcohol, you can reduce your risk of catching a cold, infection, or another illness.

Drinking can also disrupt the body’s natural inflammatory process in response to sickness or an injury, which means it can take longer for your body to recover. By skipping alcohol, you can not only reduce your risk for illness and injury in the first place but recover faster, which means you won’t have to miss out on events or time with friends and family.

Reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption can add years to your life with improved immunity and may just improve your mood, anxiety, stress, and relationships, all of which can positively influence your immune system and physical health.

Your Body Can Heal

It’s never too late to stop drinking or cut back on alcohol to improve your mental and physical health. While people who drink a lot may initially feel uncomfortable when they go alcohol-free or even experience withdrawal symptoms, they don’t have to do it alone. You can work with a therapist or medical professional to help you go alcohol-free and start the healing process when you are ready.