What happens to your body after one day, one week, one month, six months, and one year if you abstain from alcohol?
It is often said that it is better to abstain from alcohol for your health, but some people may not be able to abstain from alcohol if they do not know what changes will occur in their body if they abstain from alcohol for a certain period of time. Therefore,
Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking
https://theconversation.com/even-a-day-off-alcohol-makes-a-difference-our-timeline-maps-the-health-benefits-when-you-stop-drinking-249272
◆One day after quitting drinking
It only takes about 24 hours for alcohol to leave the body, so the effects of abstinence can begin to appear as early as one day. For example, alcohol increases urination and causes dehydration, but once alcohol is excreted from the body, its diuretic effect disappears, reducing dehydration and improving digestion, brain function, and energy. Also, because alcohol is broken down in the liver, it reduces the liver's ability to regulate blood sugar levels , but this also begins to improve as the alcohol is excreted, returning blood sugar levels to normal.
People who drink alcohol on a daily basis may find it takes some time to get used to being without alcohol in their system, and may even feel unwell at times. Symptoms such as sleep problems, mood changes, sweating, and tremors may occur, but these should go away within about a week of abstaining from alcohol.
One week after abstinence
Although alcohol may make you sleepy immediately after consuming it, it
Furthermore, the liver, which processes alcohol, is damaged even by moderate drinking, but regenerates quickly when you abstain from alcohol, so even a week or so of abstinence may be effective in reducing liver fat and healing mild scarring and tissue damage.
Moreover, because even small amounts of alcohol can impair brain function, light-to-moderate drinkers may see improvements in brain health within a few days of abstinence, and even heavy drinkers may see improvements in brain function within a month, Lee and colleagues explain.
One month after quitting drinking
Alcohol can make it harder to control your mood and worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. Abstinence from alcohol restores your ability to control your mood, and most people begin to feel better in their mood after a few weeks, with even heavy drinkers reporting better moods one to two months after abstinence. Improved sleep and mood can lead to increased energy and improved health, and even regular drinkers
Abstinence from alcohol also affects a person's appearance. For example, alcohol contains a lot of calories and can stimulate the reward system, leading to overeating, so abstinence can help you lose weight and body fat. In addition, because alcohol causes dehydration and inflammation, which can make you look older, abstinence from alcohol can improve the condition of your skin and help it look more youthful.
Alcohol stimulates the intestines and inhibits normal stomach function , so drinking alcohol can cause indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, etc., but these symptoms also subside within four weeks of abstinence. By abstaining from alcohol for one month, insulin resistance , which leads to hyperglycemia, also decreases by 25% , blood pressure decreases by 6% , and growth factors related to cancer are reduced, Lee and his colleagues explained.
Six months after quitting drinking
Moderate drinkers may be able to fully reverse liver damage after about six months of abstinence, and heavy drinkers may also experience improved infection-fighting
◆More than a year has passed since you stopped drinking.
Alcohol causes or contributes to many chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, many cancers and mental illnesses, so abstinence or moderation can reduce the risk of these.
In addition, hypertension is the world's highest risk factor for death , and a 2mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure above 120mmHg increases the risk of stroke deaths by 10% and the risk of coronary artery disease by 7%. Since alcohol has the effect of raising blood pressure, abstaining from alcohol can also reduce these risks. Lowering blood pressure also reduces the risk of kidney disease, eye disease, erectile dysfunction, and other conditions.
Sustained abstinence from alcohol has also been shown to reduce the risk of all types of cancer; a 2022 study of more than 4 million adults showed that even light drinkers could reduce their risk of alcohol-related cancer by 4%, while heavy drinkers could reduce their cancer risk by 9% even by reducing their intake to a moderate level.
Lee and his team claim that cutting down on alcohol has immediate and visible benefits for your brain and overall health, and that the longer you maintain a low alcohol intake, the better your health will be. To help you stay abstinent or in moderation, they offer the following advice:
Set a clear goal and then create small steps to get there.
Focus on the benefits of abstinence.
- Use a drink tracker to record the amount of alcohol you drink and monitor your progress.
-Get support using apps, sobriety groups, etc.
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in Science, Food, Free Member, Posted by log1h_ik