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What are the benefits of quitting alcohol?

Home Resources What are the benefits of quitting alcohol?

Recovery Centers of America recently conducted a poll on our Twitter account, RecoveryCOA to find out how voters would respond to the following:

I would eliminate or reduce my alcohol intake if I knew that: 

  1. I could lose weight
  2. I could have better skin appearance
  3. I could sleep better
  4. My heart health could improve

Out of 2,487 voters, 37% voted weight loss, 21% voted better sleep, 24% voted better skin and 18% voted better heart health.

According to an evidence-based article from Better Health, there are several benefits to reducing or eliminating  alcohol intake.

Weight loss: Alcohol is considered to be “empty calories,” however, it also increases cravings for food high in calories.

Sleeping better: Despite alcohol causing people to fall asleep, it does affect the overall sleep cycle. A recent study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research stated that drinking before bed increases alpha wave patterns in the brain, which disrupt a good night’s sleep.

Skin appearance: Alcohol decreases the production of the antidiuertic hormone that helps the body reabsorb water, which will cause skin appearance to look dull and dry. Eliminating alcohol will hydrate the skin and help with the reduction of conditions such as dandruff, eczema and rosacea.

Heart health: According to the American Heart Association, alcohol causes triglycerides and fats in the blood to rise. In other words, drinking alcohol is comparable to the intake of fat in the body.

Aside from these, there are several other great reasons to not drink. Scott Weisenberger, Chief Clinical Officer at Recovery Centers of America, lists some other amazing benefits.

  1. Saving money
  2. Being able to visit nicer restaurants without running up a bar tab
  3. Reduce the risk of diabetes
  4. Reduce the risk of seizures
  5. Eliminate the risk of getting a DUI
  6. Eliminate conflict with loved ones (saying things you may regret)

What would YOU do? Join the discussion

36.8%

I could lose weight

24.1%

I could have better
skin appearance

21.9%

I could sleep better

18.1%

My heart health
could improve

Thankfully, more awareness is being created around properly disposing of prescription medication sitting in medicine cabinets. Whitehouse.gov statistics said in October 2018, 4,274 law enforcement partners participated at more than 5,321 collection sites nationwide, taking in 912,305 pounds of prescription drugs—more than the weight of three Boeing 757s. These initiatives were a result of National Takeback Day, which was established in 2010 by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The need for National Takeback Day revolved around studies finding teens were abusing prescription drugs found in their parents’ medicine cabinets. Improper drug disposal also contributes to harming the environment. Recovery Centers of America along with the non-profit organization MAPDA (Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse) have supplied Deterra drug disposal bags at events throughout local communities. 

National Takeback Day is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 23rd. Currently, Public Service Announcements created by the DEA read headlines such as “Don’t Be The Dealer” to insinuate that keeping unused prescriptions around can lead to misuse and addiction. National Takeback Day’s official website provides a collection site locator where you can enter your state and zip code to find a drug disposal site close to your home. Click here to go directly to the website.

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