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Why is it important to stay alcohol-free?
Long-term benefits – Good health is a really important factor in how satisfied we feel with our lives.5 And by taking the decision to stop drinking, you could reduce your risk of developing many serious alcohol-related diseases. Alcohol is linked to seven different types of cancer including bowel cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer and mouth cancer.6,7 Giving up drinking could also have a big, positive impact on your liver and should reduce the chances of developing liver disease, as long as it hasn’t already been irreversibly damaged.8,9 Your level of risk will depend on how much alcohol you have drunk over the long-term, as well as other factors like family history and lifestyle.
Heart disease, stroke 10 and high blood pressure 11 Liver disease 12 Sexual dysfunction 13 Gut problems 14
Stopping drinking could make your life feel brighter in all kinds of ways, as well as helping your long-term health. If you’re ready to stop, arming yourself with strategies and tips can help you or a loved one take small steps towards big results. Keep track of your drinking with the MyDrinkaware app
Why is the simplest strategy for remaining alcohol-free?
Why is the simplest strategy for remaining alcohol-free simply to avoid situations where alcohol is present? You cannot be tempted to drink alcohol if none is available. Why is alcoholism considered a chronic disease? Alcoholism requires lifelong treatment.
How can lying be part of a valid strategy for staying alcohol-free?
Explain how lying can be part of a valid strategy for staying alcohol-free. Lying is generally not considered appropriate, but it can be used to come up with excuses and reasons not to use alcohol.
Is alcohol free better for you?
Are No & Low Alcoholic Drinks Bad for You? – Drinks with low alcohol content are not damaging to your health when enjoyed in moderation. This is particularly true when compared to their alcoholic counterparts; opting for the No or Low version of a drink will always be less damaging to your health than choosing the full-ABV version.
How does stopping drinking improve your health?
When you stop drinking, you have the opportunity to: Improve your mood, anxiety, and stress levels. Get better sleep and feel more rested. Focus on having better relationships with your friends and family.
What is one simple strategy to reduce alcohol?
Benefits of reducing or stopping drinking – In the short-term, reducing or stopping drinking can help you:
- Save money
- Boost your mood
- Sleep better
- Find more time to do other things you enjoy
- Feel more productive
- Get in shape or improve fitness
- Strengthen relationships
- Avoid hangovers
- Support your mental health and wellbeing
At the same time, you’ll reduce your risk of long-term harm from alcohol including cancer, heart attack, stroke and liver disease. Women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol to reduce risk of harm to their unborn child. Counting your drinks is a simple yet effective strategy to reduce your drinking.
Set yourself a drink limit, and every time you get a drink make sure you’re taking note of what number drink it is. The Australian Alcohol Guidelines can help you to make informed decisions about how much alcohol you drink. Choose some days each week where you don’t drink alcohol. This will help you reduce your overall intake and give your body a break.
Planning things in advance can help distract you when you’d normally drink. You might want to avoid places you usually drink for a while when you’re starting out. Check the standard drinks label and go for low-alcohol options. Decide not to exceed a certain number of drinks and count the drinks you have.
There’s an increasing range of no alcohol products available at many retailers. Reach for water or a non-alcoholic alternative to quench thirst before your first drink. Then for every drink of alcohol, have one non-alcoholic drink. Understanding how much alcohol counts as a standard drink may also help – it can vary depending on the type of alcohol and size of the container.
For packaged alcohol, the number of standard drinks is required to be listed on the label. Try our online Standard Drinks Tool to see how many drinks are in your typical pour. Avoid stocking up at your next trip to the shops. Research shows that the more alcohol we buy, the more likely we are to drink it sooner than we intended.
Giving yourself a break between drinks can give you a chance to be mindful about how alcohol is making you feel. Set your own drinking pace – the more you practice saying ‘no’, the easier it becomes. Drinking alcohol to deal with these issues can make them worse. There are a range of other strategies that are proven to work to help manage stress and anxiety, aid better sleep and support your overall wellbeing.
For more information and strategies to support mental health visit Think Mental Health, Sometimes we do things out of habit and don’t really stop to think about it. It might take a conscious effort to change up your routines at first, but small actions can help build consistency and new habits.
- Take a few moments to yourself
- Switch to non-alcoholic drinks
- Cook a nourishing meal
- Go for a walk outside
- Find a new way to relax
- Do something on your to-do list
- Try a new activity or hobby
What are the benefits of going alcohol free for a week?
Conclusion – Going 7 days alcohol free has several benefits such as better sleep, better memory function, more energy, better mental health, and much more. The best way to maintain your streak of alcohol-free days is to eat healthier, avoid caffeine, and switch to alcohol-free spirits and cocktails for those days when you crave a drink.
Does alcohol have any positive benefits?
Introduction – Throughout the 10,000 or so years that humans have been drinking fermented beverages, they’ve also been arguing about their merits and demerits. The debate still simmers today, with a lively back-and-forth over whether alcohol is good for you or bad for you.
- It’s safe to say that alcohol is both a tonic and a poison.
- The difference lies mostly in the dose.
- Moderate drinking seems to be good for the heart and circulatory system, and probably protects against type 2 diabetes and gallstones.
- Heavy drinking is a major cause of preventable death in most countries.
In the U.S., alcohol is implicated in about half of fatal traffic accidents. Heavy drinking can damage the liver and heart, harm an unborn child, increase the chances of developing breast and some other cancers, contribute to depression and violence, and interfere with relationships.
- Alcohol’s two-faced nature shouldn’t come as a surprise.
- The active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, a simple molecule called ethanol, affects the body in many different ways.
- It directly influences the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder, and liver.
- It affects levels of lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and insulin in the blood, as well as inflammation and coagulation.
It also alters mood, concentration, and coordination.
Is no alcohol better than a little?
Having an alcoholic drink or two per day is not healthier than abstaining, study shows. An analysis of 107 studies found that, when it comes to lowering mortality risk, some drinking is not better than none.
Does drinking less alcohol make you happier?
A sound night’s sleep, brighter skin and improved mood. Cutting back on alcohol can have positive effects on the way you look and feel – often within just a few days. Cutting back on the amount you drink could improve your overall mental health too. And at the same time you could be reducing your medium- to longer-term risks of serious illnesses including liver and heart disease.1,2
What happens when you go alcohol free?
How Long Will It Take To Feel Better? – It may take a full month of not drinking alcohol to feel better. Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health.