There are plenty of reasons to quit drinking. Among them, the cost of alcohol use and saving thousands of dollars every year.
If you’re young, spending a year without alcohol might seem socially isolating. If you’re older, you might think you have to fundamentally change your weekend routine or your friendships.
Thankfully, you can spend a year without alcohol without feeling like you’re punishing yourself. Even if it hasn’t felt like a problem, alcohol has its drawbacks for your health and wellness.
If you’re having a tough time imagining what your first year without drinking could look like, you might be surprised by how good it can be. Here are just a few things you could be looking forward to.
Say Goodbye to Hangovers After a Year with No Alcohol
You might go around thinking you’re just not a morning person. But how could you really determine that if so many mornings are clouded by the haze of a hangover?
Waking up energetic and ready to take on the day has so many pluses. You could be more productive in your work, you could take on that side gig, or explore a new hobby. Think of the things you could do before noon if you were out of bed in the morning.
Also, hangovers hurt your cognitive abilities in the morning and can leave you with negative emotions. You might think you said, did, or wore something inappropriate when you didn’t.
A year without alcohol could be 365 mornings where you wake up ready to pounce on the day.
Socialize Even Better After a Year with No Alcohol
In the last few years, research has shown that alcohol can actually increase your social anxiety. While you might think of drinking as a lubricant for social activity, it can backfire if you’ve been drinking for many years.
As you make all sorts of assumptions about how hard it will be to get to know new people, you build up the power of alcohol. By buying into that argument, you justify something that might be getting in the way.
Another problem is that you could be meeting great and interesting people and forget important details they tell you. You could meet someone who could help you in your career or with an important project but you won’t get anything if you wake up unable to remember their name.
While it can be a little scary at first, you might become far more outgoing than you ever thought you could be. And you might find you’re not the only one out there not drinking at events. Check out the drug and drinking statistics for a better idea of how many people aren’t drinking.
Sleep Like a Baby When You Haven’t Drank in a Year
You’ll be shocked to find out how many great nights of sleep you’ve been missing during a year without alcohol. If you are overweight, you’ll find that you could be developing breathing patterns that disrupt your ability to breathe, keeping you from full REM cycles. At any weight, alcohol disrupts your body’s ability to get a full night of sleep.
Sleep is as essential to your brain’s functioning as taking out the trash is in your home. While you sleep, your brain repairs your synapses and balances out all the chemicals.
Great sleep is essential to feeling good and making good decisions. A year without alcohol will ensure you’re always rested up.
You Experience Events Differently Without Drinking for 365 Days
Have you ever been sitting around with close friends while someone recounts a wild event from another time, making you say, “Wow, I forgot about that”?
That’s because many of your most exciting experiences have been mediated and interrupted with alcohol. If you’re going to a concert and are tasked with making a run to the bar, you could miss out on your favorite song or a really amazing moment.
The emotional balance you get from not drinking also leaves you open to more intense experiences. During a year without any alcohol, you might find that going to see the opera, an art exhibition, or a great jazz band can feel like a life-changing experience.
You’ll Love the Way You Look After a Year With No Alcohol
When you drink, you tend to store stubborn fat everywhere. You might find that your face looks a little chubbier and more tired than you’d like. It could be even easier to drop that weight if you quit drinking.
Most personal trainers will tell you that no matter how much you work out, you might be stuck under a ceiling if you drink. Belly fat is difficult to lose if you’re drinking, especially if you’re drinking beer. While exercise can be one way to balance out the negative impacts of drinking, reaching fitness goals is next to impossible with alcohol.
Waking up hungover could also make you feel like you’re unable to push another ten minutes, run another mile, or do a few more reps.
Waking up after a night of drinking, you might also notice there’s some evidence of caloric slippage in the form of burger wrappers on the desk. The habits that go with drinking conflict with good health.
You’ll Save Cash When You Haven’t Had a Drink in a Year
Depending on your drinking habits, where you live, and what you like to drink, you could be spending $100 every weekend on drinking.
If you live and work in a place where you start hitting happy hour bars on Thursdays, you could be doubling that figure easily. Four days a week of drinking could be burning a hole in your wallet.
Spend a year without alcohol and when you go out for dinner with friends, make sure the bill is split up fairly. You’ll see your friends dropping bill after bill on their food and drink tabs while you spend next to nothing in comparison.
You could end up saving for a new car with what friends are spending for a few drinks here and there every week.
A Year With Out Alcohol is Full of Benefits
While there are plenty of general benefits to a year without alcohol, there are probably some missing from this list that are specific to your life.
You could find that your grades improve, you’re able to make that big purchase you’ve been talking about or you could finally finish that big DIY project. The extra time, money, energy, and happiness could work wonders.
Need Help Giving up Alcohol for a Year? It can help to know the phases of alcohol recovery if you’re a heavy drinker. Alcohol rehab is always an option as well. Let us help. Give us a call! (877) 377-2450
