My family has had issues with alcohol and other forms of substance abuse. I myself have only had a few drinks in my late teens, and haven’t really had much of any ever since because of the effects I saw that it had on friends and family. Because I have had alcohol around me my whole life in one form or another, I thought I would share and offer my thoughts and experiences with this issue and pass on some insights I’ve gathered.
I never bought into the notion of peer pressure, because frankly in nearly every case, I always felt like I had a choice and often made the better one and am glad I did, but I do understand that at that age we all have impaired judgment, some just make better use of it than others. This is not a how-to guide on how to stop drinking, what this is in fact, is a list of some of the health benefits of quitting drinking alcohol, some of which are not just biological in fact, some of the most important involve your relationships both with yourself and with others.
The biggest decision you can make for yourself, is simply to choose life over death, and while it may seem “easy” and “simple” to those who are not struggling with this or similar addictions and make no mistake IT IS an addiction, it is not as simple as turning off a valve, at least not for most people with some rare exceptions. My best advice is that if you are not in AA, you need to join, as a support system is critical, and if you’re in AA, stick with it and know there are others out there who are struggling with this and those who genuinely want to help and see you thrive.
I wanted to provide some further incentive, however, which I have found to be motivating for folks who have already or are considering making the change to not drink alcohol. The benefits are numerous, and I will try to touch upon all the important physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits that living a clean and sober life can give you. You are NEVER too late to start. You deserve a chance at life, so make the right choice! There are even more benefits if you make it to 30 days sober and beyond as well, and what better time to start than now!
Here Are Some Pieces of Wisdom I Have Gained From Folks Who Have Completed At Least 30 Days of Sobriety
- Intense cravings have either greatly diminished or gone away altogether.
- The feeling of having a very heavyweight or burden being lifted, a sense of feeling “lighter” with occasional feelings of genuine happiness.
- Some feel like they have more energy as well which contributes to that happiness, while others actually feel very tired, and often they used alcohol to “power through” that exhaustion. You need to give your body ample organic nutrition, time, and rest.
- Some folks relapse, but many, with the right support and a clearer mind, decide to not drink one drop after the 30 days, a huge step. Planning your day to day life out in advance before your 30 days are up is critical.
- When sober, many people start to truly realize how much work both in terms of money and effort it takes to get the alcohol and keep up the habit, and are simply too tired to keep that up.
- Many have quit before, and in their minds can’t see themselves drinking ever again, but slip, and ultimately don’t make a 100% commitment to recovery, which is key!
- Lastly, those who have been successful at this say, don’t get complacent, and just think “a little sip won’t hurt”. A great way to stay accountable is to join a community, be it AA or an online community.
Why 30 Days?
Because that’s roughly the amount of time it takes to change any habit. The reality is it takes time to make the changes you need to in your life, and it’s not simply “quitting the bottle”, but it is an entire lifestyle change, just as it is for folks with any other addictions or unhealthy lifestyles.
As with any significant changes I or anyone else could make in our lives, it involves evolving our attitudes, changing our preconceived notions and ideas on how to relax or have fun, and most importantly, how you relate to other people, especially those closest to you. Remember, that until now drinking was what ruled your life, it was the norm and you experienced the world through that lens. You need to be prepared to relearn how to live essentially.
- The wrong way to view this is: “all I need to do is quit drinking, one little change, that’s all”.
- The more accurate and truthful perspective is: ” I am going to change my lifestyle as a result of not having alcohol as part of it”.
The long and short of it is, if you go a few days without drinking, you are likely going to feel uncomfortable in general, but you must remember that you haven’t made any permanent changes in your habits yet, that takes longer. The extended time of 30 days forces you to find new solutions to problems and new ways to socialize and engage with the world.
It helps you naturally form new and healthier habits, and it allows you to figure out more constructive ways to deal with the stresses that caused you to drink in the first place. These are the changes that are more likely to stick, and therefore have a meaningful impact on your life and recovery.
You Need A Carrot At The End Of The Proverbial Stick To Make This Work
This is essentially a trial run, the 30 days that is. You have to give yourself permission to drink after you do your 30 days of sobriety, why? Because that is the carrot at the end of the stick essentially. The idea that you can “treat yourself” or have some kind of reward that speaks to you, is what allows you to see the 30 days through to the end this is why a 30-day trial works really. You must give yourself the permission for this to work.
Many people, be them addicts or not, often delude themselves into thinking that they can successfully make future choices for themselves while in the present, this is often a fallacy, one we all can succumb too, including myself on a variety of issues.
The reality is, after 30 days you will be faced with a choice. A choice that truly never disappears and that is to either do as you please or to really change your life for the better and continue your recovery and sobriety.
The difference between deciding this after 30 days of sobriety vs 1 day of going cold turkey is the fact that you have the perspective and experiences of being sober, which gives you what you need to make the better choice. The fog may still be lifting but it’s lighter then it was on day one. The energy may not all be there yet, but some of it is, and the rest will come in time. Healing in every sense of the word takes time, give yourself time to do so.
Everyone Experiences Their 30 Days A Bit Differently
When you initially stop drinking, the first handful of days will likely be your hardest, as it is for addicts of all types. You will probably crave alcohol throughout the day and yearn for that familiar buzz, with thoughts of partying and all the other false associations you connected with alcohol over the years.
After a couple weeks of sobriety however, you will probably come to an important realization, that not drinking at all becomes its own routine for you, it is the new normal. What was once an absolute mountain for you to climb has become a smaller hill, and becomes smaller even still as you progress. It is the same feeling I had when I was very out of shape and couldn’t run for more than 10 minutes, and can now run far longer and for many more miles.
Remember that it is OK for you to ask for help, most of us end up needing it, and that is ok, and sometimes preferable. It is different for everyone because some get there help from meetings, others from online communities, and for some, it takes living in a rehabilitation facility.
It is also possible that you don’t need any of the above, and that you can do it on your own, that’s ok too, just make sure you actually go through with it though. Give yourself the time and the chance to feel the benefits of sobriety like:
- Learning how to enjoy life and have fun.
- Feeling and expressing your genuine emotions.
- Learning how to truly reconnect with the people around you.
- Numerous physical health benefits.
Learning To Enjoy Life
One of the most common themes I have found with this issue in my own life and from what I have learned from others is that folks struggling with this issue feel like they could not and would not never have fun again as a sober person. As if they would perpetually stay miserable and sad until the day they passed on. In some cases, they got so bad that they simply did not care if they ever had fun going forward.
The reality is you can find moments of joy, fun, and happiness in your first 30 days sober. Life IS worth living, it can be exciting, and the question of “why should I bother anymore?” simply becomes irrelevant because “living” becomes the reason for living if you will. Sure you will have to deal with cravings and struggles, but you will also have positive experiences as well. Only this time, you will actually remember them, cherish them, and cultivate even more. Something that just can’t be done when you aren’t sober.
Experiencing and Sharing Real Emotions
Something I have learned over the years is that sharing and reflecting on your feelings is vital for going through life, and even more so if you are going to be re-entering life as a sober individual. Feeling emotions in many cases is what truly makes us, including myself, feel alive.
This is the case whether they are negative emotions or positive. For example, how can we know if we are making poor choices if we are simply medicating ourselves, and dulling our senses? We can’t. Drowning out fear, loneliness, anger, and anxiety with booze will only deepen those feelings over time, not mask them, as alcohol is a depressant. Telling yourself that you only drank for other reasons (like just to have a good time, or being social) is just a form of denial.
When you begin sobriety, emotions tend to start coming back again, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly, both of which are ok and depend on the individual. But rest assured, they will come back! It can be a roller coaster, and like many things has its pluses and minuses, but really, getting the chance to finally feel again truly outweighs all the negatives. Remember, real life is about experiencing sadness and joy. That is how we learn, grow, and engage with the world as humans.
Reconnect With People
When drinking, one of the most common things I have heard from folks who have reached and continue living life in sobriety was how shallow their relationships truly were when they were drinking. They often felt that despite everything, they were compassionate and cared about the well being and feelings of others, but that was a fallacy. When you’re drinking, you tend to only care bout yourself and your buzz and keeping up that self-medication, that familiar feeling of “false comfort”.
While in recovery, that’s when you start to see what real friends and relationships are like. When friends will literally drive across town to help you out and get you to your next meeting instead of taking you out for a night on the town drinking. That is real. A real friend helps to support you, and you help to support them.
You work with each other to improve and grow rather than bring each other down or self medicate together with alcohol. You may have genuinely “cared” for your friends on some level while drinking, but that’s hardly what I just describe above. This stuff doesn’t matter when you’re drinking, but it becomes crucial as you begin sobriety and reflect back.
Finally, The Physical Health Benefits of Sobriety
There are a multitude of health benefits of quitting drinking alcohol, too many to list, but I will touch on some of the most important.
Physical health reasons to avoid alcohol going forward:
- The American Liver Foundation says that excessive alcohol consumption can interfere with our liver’s ability to actually breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It can also cause fatty liver disease which is where the liver literally builds up fat which leads to health complications.
- Alcohol hepatitis is essentially inflammation of the liver and occurs in about 35% of folks who drink heavily.
- Alcohol cirrhosis is a life-threatening disease where healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. About 10 to 20 percent of people who drink heavily will develop this after about 10 years or more of drinking, according to the American Liver Foundation.
- More than 80 percent of liver cancer cases are linked to cirrhosis of the liver.
- In March 2005, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study which found that folks who drank regularly developed an irregular heartbeat which can dramatically increase your odds for a stroke or heart attack.
- Many studies have shown alcohol can damage the brain in ways that severely affect your memory, cognitive functions, and literally how well you control your physical movements.
- According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, drinking too much can interfere with the balance of calcium in your body and the absorption of vitamin D as well. This affects the bodies ability to absorb and store calcium, thus leading to osteoporosis.
Improvements Your Body Sees From Sobriety and A Healthier Lifestyle:
- Increased energy
- Improved sense of mood and disposition
- Helps you quit other forms of addiction like smoking
- Eating healthier and organic food tends to repair some of the damage done to the body over the years, with an emphasis on juicing, smoothies, and whole foods like fruits and vegetables
- You end up consuming more water instead of booze, which in turn helps with headaches, thirst, and how well your kidneys and liver function.
- You engage in exercise more regularly which has all the benefits that come with it including weight loss, lower blood pressure, and better self-image.
- You literally feel less depressed which has a powerful effect on how your body functions day to day.
- Most importantly, you can add several years to your lifespan, statistically speaking at least a decade or more.
This is the road to recovery and better health. Make the right choice. Choose life.