The Benefits of Reducing Alcohol Intake

Just because it’s not the start of a new year doesn’t mean you can’t start making healthier decisions for you and your body! If you’re planning on reducing your alcohol intake but needed a push to do so, consider the following.

Cutting alcohol out entirely can be a difficult thing to do, especially when it seems like every adult social event centers around drinking. By contrast, you might find reducing alcohol intake to be much easier. Consider having a non-alcoholic drink every other drink, slowing down how quickly you drink, and practice saying “no” to people pushing you to drink. Remember, “I don’t feel like it” is a perfectly good reason.

Here are some of the benefits of drinking less, from head to toe:

The Head:
Do you wake up the morning after a night of drinking with a headache, feeling dizzy, and cottonmouth? This is caused by dehydration. Since alcohol is a diuretic (that means it makes you pee more), your body isn’t holding the water it needs to in order to properly function. By drinking a non-alcohol drink every other drink, you can make sure you’re staying properly hydrated.

The Heart:
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram because it’s made of sugar or starch. That’s almost as many calories as pure fat! (and part of the reason pure alcohol makes such good fuel). Then of course it comes as no surprise that excess alcohol consumption increases fat in the blood, which can cause the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. For every drink you cut down on, you’ll reduce this effect!

The Stomach:
Alcohol irritates the stomach, increasing the production of acid. Drinking a non-alcoholic beverage every other drink gives your stomach a chance to relax. While we’re on the topic, remember to never drink on an empty stomach!

The Liver:
The liver is responsible for breaking down alcohol when it’s consumed. This means that drinking too much can lead to several liver diseases, such as alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis. So next time your out drinking, give your liver a little break between alcoholic drinks with a non-alcoholic one!

Weight loss:
As previously mentioned, alcohol contains a TON of calories - so cutting down on alcohol will of course lead to weight loss! 49% of people who participate in a “dry month” or even just cutting down on alcohol reported weight loss as well as increased energy!

A better night’s sleep:
This has been my favourite effect of reducing my alcohol intake! When someone has been drinking a lot, they don’t enter deep sleep which means you wake up the next morning feeling like you’ve barely slept at all.

These are just a few of the effects of drinking alcohol! Positive effects of quitting include eating less, having a better memory, and better mental health. So if you’re considering cutting back on drinking, hopefully this is the little push you need! And if you’ve already cut back, here’s a reminder of all the benefits you’re giving yourself!

Of course Partake Brewing is here to help on your journey by offering a delicious non-alcoholic beverage to drink between your alcoholic ones - so you can still experience the social aspect of sharing a beer, reducing your calories without the hangover to go with it!