Alcohol affects your physical and mental health. Even a drink or two can have an impact on your body and mood for days.
Reason to not drink alcohol
Here is non-comprehensive list of reasons to quit alcohol.
1. Mood and Mental Health
Alcohol can cause or worsen anxiety and depression. It decreases your pleasure and motivation for doing things, and can make it harder to engage in activities that can help relieve anxiety and depression.
2. Weight Gain & Diabetes
Alcohol is often high in sugar, which can lead to weight gain and put people at greater risk of developing diabetes.
3. Hormonal Health
Alcohol can affect hormone production, and may decrease testosterone levels in men and increase testosterone levels in women.
4. Memory
Alcohol can affect memory and increase the risk of early-onset dementia.
5. Heart Function & Blood Pressure
Alcohol can trigger abnormal heart rhythms, cause damage to your heart muscles, and raise blood pressure — increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke.
6. Sleep
Alcohol inhibits restful sleep, decreasing your deep wave sleep and REM sleep. This is true even without a hangover, and even after only one or two drinks.
7. Motivation
Alcohol decreases your motivation for two to three days after drinking. It may become harder to go for a walk, to go sit outside, to go out for lunch with friends, or to do Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) exercises. Many patients with depression already find it hard to do things like the dishes or the laundry — alcohol doesn’t make it any easier.
8. Coping Strategies
When alcohol is used as a coping strategy, it can make your natural coping strategies weaker. Many people develop anxiety around whether it is an appropriate time, place, or setting to drink as a coping strategy and can struggle to cope without it.
9. Driving
Drinking and driving is deadly. Alcohol can make it difficult to coordinate travel and get where you need to go, as it prevents you from driving yourself.
10. Relationships
You may begin to worry other people knowing that you drink, or how you drink, or how often you drink, when they begin to realize that alcohol is becoming a problem. And alcohol can interfere with relationships in many other ways.
About Us
Wells Medicine is a Houston-based practice designed to provide meaningful care for mental health. Providing targeted interventional treatments for Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD and other conditions, with Ketamine Treatments, Stellate Ganglion Blocks, TMS, and Nitrous-Oxide Treatments. Focused on comprehensive care and integration with Psychiatry, Psychology, and Support Services. We are evidence-based, patient-focused and mission-driven.
The content here is for informational purposes and should not be relied upon for medical decisions. For the details of your specific medical conditions and treatments consult your doctors or other qualified healthcare professionals.
