If you quit drinking, you will avoid the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer.
Non-alcoholic cocktails and non-alcoholic beer are increasing in number. This is because the number of people trying to quit drinking is increasing. Over the past 20 years, the number of American college students who said they moderate their drinking has increased by 8%.
People quit drinking for many reasons. Some people quit drinking to lose weight by reducing their calorie intake, or to prevent increased blood pressure or the potential risk of cancer. Live Science, a popular science media outlet, reported on what changes occur in the body of a typical drinker when he or she quits drinking.
A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2018 was conducted on 94 volunteers with an average age of 45. Volunteers were asked to abstain from alcohol for one month. These people were ‘moderate to heavy drinkers’ who drank about 258g of alcohol per week. None had liver disease or alcohol dependence.
There was a difference between people who refrained from drinking and people who continued to drink. On average, abstainers had a 6% lower blood pressure and lost about 1.5kg. Insulin resistance, which reflects the risk of developing diabetes, was reduced by 25%.
Dr Kevin Moore, University College London, an author of the study, said: “Quit drinkers felt better and had improved concentration.” Additionally, the levels of proteins in the blood that promote cancer growth, namely epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), decreased by approximately 73% and 41%, respectively.
It is unknown whether these positive effects will last longer than one month. Dr. Moore speculated that it could be possible. “It is clear that alcohol has physiological effects on the body,” he said.
In a 2023 study published in the journal Alcohol, scientists found that the outer layer of the brain, which can thin as a result of alcohol abuse, thickened again after about seven months of abstinence. Before quitting drinking, study participants had been drinking about 13 drinks a day for 12 months.
“In people with alcohol use disorder, brain size in several regions across the brain recovered quickly after two to four weeks of abstinence,” said Timothy Durazzo, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.
People who are addicted to alcohol may experience withdrawal symptoms, so they should exercise extreme caution before significantly reducing their alcohol intake. The central nervous system is so dependent on the depressing effects of alcohol that when you stop drinking, your brain becomes ‘hyperactive’. This can lead to symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia and irritability, and in severe cases can lead to hallucinations, seizures and potentially death.
Katie Witkiewicz, a psychology professor at the University of New Mexico, recommends talking to your doctor about taking withdrawal medication if you feel shaky and uncomfortable the morning after drinking or if you drink throughout the day. He also added that talk therapy can help individuals and groups.
Source: kormedi.com
