I bet you have a lot of reasons to quit drinking alcohol. It’s not just the bad breath, or the fact that you’re sometimes too tired to make it home from work on time—there are real health risks involved in staying slightly buzzed all the time. In fact, if you keep drinking at your current rate (or worse), chances are good that one day soon you'll wake up and decide you've had enough. But if your resolutions don't last past January 1st, then let us help by giving you some tangible reasons why it's time for an alcohol-free lifestyle!
It's time to kick the bad habit.
You’re probably already aware that alcohol is a drug, and like any other addictive substance, it can lead to dependency. But there are other reasons you might want to kick the habit.
It's expensive.
It can lead to other bad habits.
It could cause health problems.
Alcohol. It can affect your sleep quality and make it more difficult for your body to repair itself after a strenuous workout. Over time this will slow down your metabolism and lead to weight gain around your middle—not exactly something we want in our lives! So what does this mean for us? Well, if we're looking at ourselves as an investment in our own future, then perhaps we should consider how much money we would save by quitting alcohol now rather than later on down the road when all these negative effects start showing up. Not convinced yet? Let's look at some additional reasons why now may be the right time:
Your skin will look better.
Drinking alcohol can cause your skin to dry out, making you look older and more wrinkled. Alcohol dehydrates your skin, which can lead to premature aging and dullness. According to Harvard Medical School, "Drinking too much alcohol has been linked with increased risk of rosacea." Rosacea causes facial redness, broken blood vessels and acne-like bumps on the face.
If you're worried about how much alcohol is affecting your complexion, keep track of the number of days a week that you drink excessively (more than four drinks for women; five for men). If it's three or more days per week, consider cutting back on drinking so that your face looks its best!
You may lose weight.
Alcohol is high in calories, and it’s often sweetened with sugar or other additives. Alcoholic drinks can easily contain more than 300 calories per serving. And when you drink alcohol, your body is less able to process carbohydrates and fats properly. This can lead to weight gain even if you do not eat any additional food while drinking.
That extra weight can have serious consequences for your overall health—it can increase your risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain types of cancer (including breast cancer).
You'll have better sex.
Alcohol can negatively affect your sex drive. The use of alcohol is associated with a decrease in sexual desire and performance, which can increase the risk for erectile dysfunction. Alcohol consumption, especially at high doses, also increases the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors. This includes having unprotected intercourse with multiple partners and having sex when you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
When you are drinking too much alcohol it will make you less inhibited and more likely to engage in risky behaviors that could lead to unintended pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
It would make your mother happy.
If you are reading this article, chances are that your mother has already told you this. If not, here’s the thing: your mother would be happier if you quit drinking.
It may sound strange to hear a parent tell their grown child to stop doing something that makes them happy—particularly when that thing is alcohol! But think about it for a moment: how do mothers feel about their adult children who continue on with their lives as heavy drinkers? The answer is probably not so good. Mothers want their children to be healthy and happy and successful in life, but only if those things come from within themselves and not from an external source like alcohol or drugs.
Mothers don’t want us to become dependent on something outside ourselves because then we become dependent on something outside ourselves—and dependence isn't always good for mental health.
You'll find new activities you love.
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Try new activities.
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Find new hobbies that you enjoy, like yoga or hiking.
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Get involved in a new community.
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Try a new sport—maybe something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do, but never had the time for before now! It could be anything from rock climbing to fishing or even something as simple as playing basketball with friends.
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Spend more time with friends doing things that don't involve alcohol, such as going for walks around the neighborhood together and talking about your lives and whatever is going on right now in your life instead of gossiping about other people's lives (which is what most people end up doing when they go out).
Your liver will thank you.
Your liver is a hard-working organ. It's responsible for processing alcohol, which can be stressful on your liver.
When you drink too much alcohol and your liver is overworked, it can get fatty deposits and scarring. This is called fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The damage can lead to cirrhosis—a condition in which the liver becomes damaged and cannot function properly—or even cancer.
Quitting alcohol could improve your memory.
Alcohol can cause short-term and long-term memory loss. It can also cause permanent brain damage.
The brain is a complex organ that contains billions of neurons, or nerve cells that make up the nervous system. These nerves send messages to each other via electrical signals, which carry information throughout your body so you can think and move properly. Alcohol interferes with this process by slowing down the speed at which these signals are transmitted between cells, which causes problems with memory formation.
Less alcohol means a lower risk of cancer.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports that alcohol is a carcinogen and can cause cancer of the mouth, esophagus, liver, colon/rectum and breast. It also increases the risk of breast cancer in women who drink an average of one drink per day.
The more you drink, the higher your risk for these cancers. The NCI says that:
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Men who have two drinks daily increase their risk of oral cancer by 3%.
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Women who have one drink daily increase their risk for breast cancer by 7%.
There may be a psychological benefit too.
There may also be a psychological benefit. Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it can make you feel tired and relaxed. It can help you to sleep and reduce your stress levels. You might feel more confident, attractive and happier when you drink alcohol, but these feelings are only temporary and don't solve the underlying issues causing your unhappiness or stress in the first place.
Who wouldn't want to trim their budget?
In your budget, alcohol is just one of many expenses. But it can be a huge drain on your bank account if you buy expensive drinks or alcohol at the bar, and that's not including the cost of going out to bars, going on weekend excursions or vacations with friends who like drinking, or buying gifts for special occasions. When you quit drinking, you'll see an immediate decrease in how much money is spent on alcohol every month. Plus all those extra hours of sleep add up too!
Even though it can be hard, there are many reasons to quit drinking alcohol
As you can see, there are many reasons to quit drinking alcohol. The most obvious one is that you won’t have to deal with the hangover or all the empty calories that come from consuming alcohol.
You will also save money on buying drinks in bars and clubs. You no longer need to worry about getting a designated driver or taking an Uber home after a night out because you don’t have to drink anymore!
Another reason why quitting alcohol is great is because it will make your skin look better and feel healthier since most people who drink tend to be overweight, which can cause health problems like diabetes later in life if they don’t change their lifestyle habits now. If they do decide not go down this path though then what happens next could lead them straight towards cancer (which isn't fun either).
Conclusion
We hope these ten reasons to quit drinking alcohol have convinced you to give it a try. If not, maybe the next one will! Remember that everyone’s body is different and reacts differently to substances like alcohol. Don't be afraid to experiment with different methods of quitting until you find what works best for you. Good luck!