Sober October: What a Month of No Drinking Can Do for Your Health

If you’re interested in sobriety, it might help to start by looking at your current behavior and what you want to change about it. It isn’t always easy to know if your drinking qualifies as excessive. But it’s often wise to seek professional help if you or a loved one think you have a problem. The CDC also offers guidance on how to identify excessive drinking. But the end of 2020 and the dawn of a new year could inspire some Americans to rethink their pandemic drinking habits. That might just mean slowing down and drinking less.Or it might mean quitting alcohol altogether, either temporarily or for good.

Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues. A trained healthcare provider can offer guidance on early signs of alcohol use disorder and help you get the right support.

This Nostalgic Trend is Back, and It’s Going to Be Controversial

You will also have a greater sense of accountability in relationships and in life. You will have goals, maybe a career, and other responsibilities that keep you going. You will enjoy more of the little things in life, and you will remember them. Sober living means maintaining a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle. It involves a daily commitment to yourself, to abstinence, and to self-care.

What places, people and circumstances make it easier for you to drink. If you drink enough to feel hungover the next day you’ll have physical and cognitive symptoms. Studies show when you have a hangover you have delayed reaction times and difficulty with attention, concentration and visual-spatial perception.

Reasons to abstain from alcohol

If you’re a heavy drinker, it’s important that you stop drinking under the care of your doctor or an addiction specialist. It’s likely that you’ll experience some withdrawal symptoms, especially if you’ve developed a dependency on alcohol.

• Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals.
• That’s the stage important to memory, learning, and preventing brain fog the next day.
• Dry January was often a go-to for people as the prior six weeks of holidays that many people around the world celebrate often cause us to overindulge in both food and drink.
• Sober living requires a person to change their attitudes and actions – transforming bad habits into positive, healthy behaviors.

I am especially focused on humans’ connections with nature, from biophilia and home gardening to our roles in the climate crisis and wildlife declines. “I have mixed feelings about the pursuits of temporary sobriety,” Langabeer says.

(NOT DRUNK)

It also helps to restore the body’s ability to get alcohol out of the system. There is nothing a person can do to quickly reduce the blood alcohol concentration level in their body.

Aim to spend time with friends who respect your decision and don’t continue urging you to drink. Giving some thought to how you feel as the days of sobriety add up can help you get more insight on your alcohol use. Keeping track of your feelings in a sobriety diary can help you sort through emotions as they come up and do some deeper exploration later on. If you’re looking for a reason to cut back — or simply reevaluate your relationship with alcohol — joining the Sober October challenge might be the perfect motivator. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. Even outside of October, young people appear to be drinking less. The new generation of college-age Americans is opting out of beer pong and opting in to abstinence from alcohol.

What Does Being Sober Mean? The Details on Alcohol-Free Living

This http://main-ip.ru/isp/detail/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4-%D0%94%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9/TeNeT/ looks at the causes, treatments, and tips. However, there are methods to help reduce or relieve the symptoms. This can include maintaining hydration, eating nutritious food, and getting plenty of rest. Instead of a stimulant, alcohol is actually a depressant. It sedates certain areas of the brain that control judgment, self-control, and inhibitions.

You will also have a better idea of the http://www.hist-sights.ru/node/16472/ you want in your life, and those you need to step back from. This will allow you to surround yourself with healthy relationships and avoid the toxic ones. Alcohol use disorders can affect people from any walk of life and at almost any age. At Resurgence, we have comprehensive programs that help people with both alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction. If you think you have a problem, give us a call today. Our goal is to help the most people possible live happier, healthier life.

It may be helpful to think of alcohol as just another drug that affects your brain. If you are in the first bucket, we congratulate you for making it this far, and we encourage you to think back on the many benefits you experienced while sober over these last few weeks. Perhaps you slept better, worked out more, had more meaningful dates with friends and family, and were able to remember all the memories you made. Keep those tucked away in your pocket, should you ever want to do the Sober October challenge again. Also, keep in mind that, for many, getting sober is not always easy.

Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it can also keep you from getting deep sleep. Too much alcohol may keep you from getting to the REM stage of your sleep cycle. That’s the stage important to memory, learning, and preventing brain fog the next day. If you’re in recovery, you’re actively taking the steps to address a drinking problem. Everyone’s path along recovery is different, and what works for some may not work for others. This article is about the avoidance of alcohol and other drugs.

Eating and drinking

It’s a 31-day challenge and money raised goes to help Macmillan Cancer Support. But even if you do not participate in the official challenge, Sober October is a good way to help reset the body and to help you reevaluate your relationship with alcohol. Mocktails are a good option for parties or relaxing at home. McBurnett said she enjoys drinking sparkling water mixed with cut fruit, basil, and mint out of a wine glass. But sober curiosity doesn’t work for everyone, especially for those with alcohol use disorder. «By skipping days when you drink, you allow your body a rest period to help fully detoxify. Cutting back on daily amounts can help too—there’s less toxin coming into your body,» Bruning said.