Timeline of what happens when you quit drinking

This article is intended for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol socially. If you are someone who deals with addiction, find emergency hotlines, counseling, and treatment options here. Having a conversation in advance can also help set expectations on your friends’ part. This way, by the time you get to your destination for the evening, they know you won’t be drinking and have managed their own ideas for how the night will go.

Alcohol dehydrates the skin and can lead to issues such as redness, puffiness, and premature aging. When you stop drinking, your skin begins to look healthier and more hydrated. You may notice a reduction in blemishes and a more even skin tone as your skin’s natural moisture balance is restored. Drinking alcohol can contribute to a variety of cognitive issues, including poor memory, slow reaction time, impaired impulse control, and poor concentration. Over time, drinking can also damage nerve cells and contribute to a loss of brain volume.

Alcohol Withdrawal: Symptoms, Timeline, & Treatment

Quitting drinking can have many important benefits for your physical and mental health, but there are many other types of benefits you may experience as well. “Furthermore, consistent use of alcohol to induce sleep only increases the need to use alcohol in the future to get to sleep,” he explains. At this point, your risk of developing all types of disease will be reduced and your bone density will start to increase. Keep in mind that everyone is different and will experience different things when they stop drinking. After half a year without drinking, you will really start to reap the rewards.

• Explore why caffeine and nicotine are drugs excused in recovery and their impacts on the healing journey.
• Cirrhosis of the liver (severe scarring of the liver) can occur over time in those who drink excessively.
• One of the best things about giving up alcohol is that you may find yourself feeling happier overall.
• Here are some significant ways not drinking can impact your body, mind, and overall health.
• While there are many potential benefits that you should expect to see in your first month of sobriety, the positive effects of stopping alcohol will continue to follow you and grow throughout your life.
• Those moments can be thought of as a “them thing, and less of a you thing,” says Shani Gardner, LCSW, a therapist at Soulful Grace Therapy.
• If you are a heavy drinker, you should consider entering a medically supervised detox to safely manage these symptoms.

You sleep better.

Although we often turn to a glass of wine or a stiff martini to feel better, the irony is that drinking can have both short- and long-term negative effects on mood. Since alcohol floods the brain with dopamine, which influences how we feel pleasure, the “rush” of this feel-good chemical can cause anxiety to flare up as soon as the levels begin to drop. If you need a break from alcohol, going alcohol-free for a month or more can bring about many physical and mental health benefits. For a more structured approach, various professional resources are available for alcohol dependency treatment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) modifies negative thought patterns related to drinking and equips individuals with coping strategies. Medications like Naltrexone, Acamprosate, and Disulfiram can assist in managing cravings and deterring alcohol use.

For those with heavy drinking habits, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, including the DTs, is a serious concern. This is also important for those with co-occurring substance use, such as opioid addiction, as withdrawal from multiple substances can be complex. Cancer risk can be increased because of several factors, some entirely out of our control, like genetics.

Overcoming Acute Alcohol Withdrawal Challenges

Alcohol messes with your hippocampus — that part of your brain which creates memories — thereby essentially rendering yourself incapable of or much less capable of learning and storing new information. Dr. Volpicelli says dehydration can contribute to poor mental clarity too. If you do opt to cut alcohol out of your life — whether it be a week, a month, or for good — you won’t just notice a surplus in your bank account. By focusing on rebuilding trust, strengthening connections, and becoming a positive influence, you can nurture and improve your relationships as you continue on your path to sobriety.

Struggling with addiction? We can help.

Insurance will cover medical care from a hospital or alcohol detox program. Symptoms can range from headache, elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations, and nausea and vomiting to tremors, hallucination and in severe cases death. Although most people lose weight after they quit drinking, some people gain weight. First, the vast majority of people with alcohol use disorders have chronically low blood sugar. Alcohol triggers an insulin response just like sugar, and the increased insulin levels keep your blood sugar low.

Reduce the risk of cancer

• It’s always best to seek medical advice to handle withdrawal symptoms safely.
• There is no shame in admitting this — the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 28.9 million Americans suffered from alcohol use disorder in 2023 alone.
• Talk therapy, either as an individual or as part of a group, can also offer support through the process of quitting.
• After quitting alcohol, you’ll likely find that your sleep quality improves, helping you feel more rested and energized.
• Cutting out alcohol for 30 days can have benefits for those who drink more than the recommended limit of two drinks a day for males and one drink a day for females.
• Be mindful of withdrawal symptoms like shakiness, restlessness, and nausea, which may indicate alcohol dependence and require professional help.
• Abstaining from alcohol can lower your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Fortunately, reducing your alcohol use can help improve your sleep over time, although you might experience more sleep disturbances for some time after you quit. As you eliminate alcohol, which causes dehydration, your body will begin to absorb more water, improving the functioning of every organ, including your skin and your brain. Gradually, as cell turnover increases, the damage alcohol may have done will begin to be reversed. Hany says that things that happen when you stop drinking once you stop drinking, you may initially find it more difficult to fall asleep. Your sleep, he says, will be restored gradually during the first four weeks, but after that you’ll sleep more deeply and wake up more rested.

After One Week

However, individuals who have been drinking heavily for long periods of time may still experience some symptoms of withdrawal and may even have hallucinations or delirium tremens (DTs) and seizures. Because alcohol slows down your metabolism, you can easily gain weight when drinking. When your metabolism slows, your body needs to work harder to process fats and sugars.