Sober-Curious: Benefits of an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle

Here in the United States, one particular option has grown dramatically in its availability and legality. For example, there’s been some articles written in the U.S. where young people are saying, I’ve given up drinking. Because A, it’s legal and I can get it and it provides some of the sense of a momentary pause or relaxation or what have you that alcohol once did, but they believe that it’s a better way to achieve that.

• When she’s not researching or writing, Cherney enjoys getting outdoors as much as possible.
• It is not the end all be all of how I want to live my life every day.
• Yeah, and there’s a universally people out there who’ve chosen not to drink and really cool men and women that you would love to know.
• Give back is like, How can I be of service to others in recovery today?
• And what I really realized in the last six months, is that I’ve really been over exercising, and as a form of self-punishment, as a form of control.
• Lim­it­ing your alco­hol con­sump­tion can help sta­bi­lize your sero­tonin lev­els and pre­vent dras­tic shifts in your mood.

Can cutting out alcohol bring about health benefits?

• Tak­ing a break from con­sum­ing alco­hol allows you to eval­u­ate your rela­tion­ship with alco­hol and the role it plays in your life.
• Those who suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder, more commonly referred to as alcoholism or addiction, do not have the option to simply “cut back” on drinking.
• And I’m like, why would you trust me, I’m a criminal.
• Most alco­holic bev­er­ages are high in calo­ries, and many are also mixed with juice or oth­er liq­uids that are loaded with sug­ar.

Like, you know, I’ve tried I’ve dated other addicts, like when it comes to that, like it’s true, but you can educate other people. And to me, it’s information like that, that has nothing to do with recovery. Totally, totally, I know, when somebody tells me what to do. I’m like, fuck you, I’m gonna do it, even if I don’t want to. But then after that, like you can’t just not use, that’s white knuckling it, you’re not going to recover, you’re just gonna be miserable. Give back is like, How can I be of service to others in recovery today?

How alcohol addiction can affect a household

So it really changes the way that you see drinking, and you realize, I don’t have to drink and all these social changes. It’s not necessarily this emotional thing, you know, where Oh, I’m always drinking, because I’m feeling this certain way. It’s like, sometimes it’s just as automatic as brushing your teeth. Yeah, I just, I thought about my own journey.

Cognitive Benefits of Quitting Alcohol

So right I’m supposed to be going gluten free, but it’s really hard to just go gluten free. I when I was like I had been gluten free before now meaning gluten again. Or I’m just going to have water like, I used to go to my husband’s like gala events. And it would be like, like, Oh, I don’t drink. And they’re like, club soda, cranberry juice.

When using the device, clients simply submit a test at the scheduled time, built-in facial recognition confirms their identity, and tamper sensors detect any attempts to beat the system. The system’s Advanced Reporting capabilities even compile a client’s complete testing history, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ making it easy to review or share a loved one’s progress. Utilizing Soberlink’s Alcohol Monitoring system can help those looking to maintain an alcohol-free lifestyle. Alcohol being classified as a depressant means there is a slower connection between your brain and body.

Emily, can I just ask you quickly about the language that we use around this movement or the increase in people choosing not to drink anymore? Because you heard Kelly in that clip, say, I’ve been sober for about four and a half years. I don’t know if she had an alcohol dependency challenge before that, but we also more casually hear the phrase, sober curious, et cetera, in terms of choosing not to drink. And we know that certainly young people are initiating drinking later.

• But you know, every restaurant they had it prominently in on the menu.
• Prior to this interview, I would have no more than 1 drink per week, so it wasn’t a big stretch.
• Well, and you have the insight now, and the tools, and I think it’s a constant calibration in our lives, to be like, Okay, how do I keep myself in my mind?
• Symptoms can range from headache, elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations, and nausea and vomiting to tremors, hallucination and in severe cases death.

Many people with alcohol use disorder also have other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Quitting alcohol has a number of important mental health benefits. In addition to improving your mental well-being, it may lower your risk for some mental illness and contribute alcohol free lifestyle to better sleep. Even if you know that there are benefits to quitting alcohol, it does not mean that it’s easy to stop drinking—especially if you’ve been misusing alcohol for a long time. Achieving and maintaining sobriety is a unique journey for each individual, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

• Alcoholics Anonymous is one example; it offers a structured 12-step path toward recovery with a community of support from those who have dealt with similar challenges.
• Some of the most common risks are the damage to your emotional and mental well-being.
• According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.2 million U.S. adults had both mental health disorders and a substance use disorder in 2018, yet nearly 60% did not get treatment.

Improve sleep

So really, it’s just a hindrance to everything genuinely. And so, when also… You don’t have to be, you know, “that bad” to decide that it’s not working for you, or it’s not healthy, or it’s dragging you down or keeping you stuck or sort of operating at half power. And so, I kind of ventured outside of what was like, you know, now considered, you know, traditional recovery. And what I found was, there’s a lot out there for other people that, you know, are interested in doing that traditional 12 steps. And I knew there were people, but I didn’t know how to find them, you know? So that’s kind of what you know, sparked my idea in starting the DRI club and starting the, 1000 hours drive challenge.

If you’ve stopped drinking and still can’t sleep, talk to your provider. There are many things that can affect your sleep—physically and mentally. But there are also things you can do to cope and improve your sleep. Alcohol use and poor sleep are closely linked because alcohol messes with your sleep-wake cycle.