Increased quality of sleep can have some positive effects for many people. Many of the benefits listed above such as improved memory and ability to focus and concentrate, will continue. For anyone dealing with mental health challenges before or while they were drinking, a reduction in alcohol or going AF often reduces the intensity of the experience of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety (Beyond Blue, 2020). Because of these internal changes, relationships often improve or become more possible. Some people find that their self-esteem improves and ability to be self-compassionate also increases (Collison et al., 2016). This is the point where some more intangible benefits start to appear. You’ve made it to 6 months! That’s fantastic! At this stage, you’ve continued to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Finally, you may start to experience a boost in your overall mood and a less intense experience of anxiety or depression. For people who have experienced weight gain due to drinking excess alcohol, weight loss may be part of the AF (alcohol-free) experience. Many will notice that their blood pressure has lowered if it was high before making changes. At this stage your risk of experiencing cardiovascular disease and several cancers starts to reduce ( World Cancer Research Fund, 2007 Roerecke et al., 2017). Your sleep quality should continue to improve, and this (amongst other benefits) should provide an improvement to your overall health. If you find that one aspect from that list is still something you’re struggling with, such as sleep or lack of mental clarity, we encourage you to seek medical support to see if there are other things in your life affecting that part of your health.Īfter 3 months, your liver will continue to experience that relief as mentioned above. Hopefully, you’ve started to experience some of those benefits from the 1 month list and it’s ok if it took a little longer than a month to notice them. This is the time that withdrawal symptoms such as urges, cravings and thoughts around alcohol can start to reduce as well and become much more manageable. As some of the areas above start to improve, it can result in an increase in your overall health and well-being. It can be a surprise for some, but alcohol rarely has a positive, long-term effect on people’s sex lives. Research also shows that some people experience an increased libido after reducing or quitting alcohol. Relief on your liver gives it an opportunity to stay well and minimise any damage that alcohol might have been trying to cause. Your liver gets a nice holiday at this stage and it doesn’t need to work quite as hard to keep you healthy. Sleep has an impact on so much of our everyday functioning and if it improves from a reduction in alcohol you might find that you don’t wake up as often and you experience more deep, restorative sleep than you did before. Increased mental clarity often appears after a few weeks and partly this comes from better sleep. It’s important to recognise the small wins and keep an eye out for the inner critic that might downplay what you’ve done well. Research shows that one month in, some people start to feel a sense of achievement and control over their relationship with alcohol (O de Visser & Piper, 2020). Seek medical advice if you need guidance on what’s happening in regard to your health. We would encourage you to hope for as many of these great benefits while keeping in mind that you are as unique as your fingerprint. What happens for one person may not be your experience. Quick disclaimer here – everyone’s experience is their own. We want you to be informed of the things you can start noticing after a couple of weeks, all the way to 12 months down the track. We want to take you through some of the improvement and progress that you can notice if you decide to quit or reduce your intake significantly. But regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, it’s a choice that comes with some great benefits. For some it’s an easy choice and for others a painful one. Making a choice to reduce your alcohol intake or quit drinking is another one of these life choices. They impact our jobs, our social connections and ultimately the time we get to spend doing. The choices we make regarding our physical and mental health impact our long-term wellbeing. Life is full of choices, and the choices we make, make the people we become. It matters that you did.” ~ Cassandra Clare “In the end that was the choice you made, and it doesn’t matter how hard it was to make it.
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