5 Things That Will Convince You To Give Up Drinking Right Now
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Written By: Brianna Snyder
Mimosas at brunch, wine at dinner, a cocktail on the porch in the summertime. These are a few of our most deeply cherished and favoritest of things.
But I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know that abstaining from the pleasures of booze comes with, like, crazy health benefits. And while it’s been said that a glass of wine a day can do wonders for your heart, recent reports have shown that that might not exactly be true.
I’m not a fan of scaring people out of doing things, so let’s focus on the surprising benefits of cutting back (or cutting out entirely) that nightly drink or weekend wine splurge.
1. You’re going to sleep better.
A drink before bed can be soothing, calming, and help the falling-asleep process along. A lot of us enjoy a nightcap for just that reason.
But that shortcut to sleep is actually costing you in sleep quality. Studies show that while your initial rest period may be deep, after that your rhythms go haywire, making you groggier and less rested in the morning.
2. Your skin is going to look better.
This might be the strongest case for forfeiting the hooch.
Because alcohol dehydrates you, your face can look puffed and blotchy after a night of drinking. Just a few days teetotaling, though, rejuvenates the skin: you’ll look younger, fresher, healthier. Any skin woes you’ve been dealing with--the ones that drive you to drink, like eczema and rosacea--often clear up, too. That’s a lot more than a charcoal mask is going to do for you.
3. You’ll probably drop weight.
Whether or not that’s your goal, you’re very likely to lose some weight. Some alcohols have higher calorie concentrations—a stank IPA is going to be, like, loaf-of-bread levels of calorie-heavy, where a vodka-seltzer will run you more like 80 to 100 calories—but regardless of what you’re drinking, giving it up is going to mean lower calorie-intake totals in general at the end of the day or week. Plus, you’ll be more hydrated and you’ll have more energy. You’ll actually feel like going to the gym. And you won’t have that bloaty feeling that usually accompanies a morning after enjoying a drink or two.
4. Three words: Dollar. Dollar. Bills. (Y’all.)
A decent bottle of wine is about $10 to $15. A six-pack of that good, bougie beer is at least $12. A bottle of Tito’s is around $20. Depending on how much you’re consuming, those dollars add up—fast. Especially if you typically order a drink at a bar or restaurant, where price markups are something like 250 percent.
Spend just one month sober. Each week, instead of going to the liquor store, take the money you were about to spend at the liquor store and put it aside. Do the same for the money you would have spent at happy hour. At the end of the month, take it all out in cash, dump it on your bed, and do a money-snow angel. That’s how much money you’re saving: Money-snow angel money.
5. Your blood pressure and your cholesterol will PLUMMET.
It’s shocking, but true. Especially if you’re someone who maybe overindulges in spirits, quitting does extremely good things for your system: Blood pressure comes down. So does bad cholesterol. Your risk of Type 2 diabetes also falls and, of course, your liver gets healthier.
Even just a few days of abstinence has tremendous health benefits. If you’re not going to do it for your liver, at least consider doing it for your rosacea.