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T.His vacation is coming to an end, and all that remains are memories of the year-end party and a hot afternoon spent drinking cold beer and white wine. Traditionally, it’s a time of regret, but it’s also a time of resolution.Many Australians turn to their drinking habits and decide to take a break from booze in February.
No matter what you call it, no matter what your drinking habits are, a month of sobriety is good for your mind and body. .
Opportunity to re-evaluate (even if you are a moderate drinker)
Associate Professor Grant Blashki, GP and Chief Clinical Advisor at Beyond Blue, says a month of sobriety is an opportunity to “reset” your drinking habits. “It allows people to see clearly the problems that alcohol might have hidden,” he says. “It could derail some of the negative automatic habits of drinking that have crept in and prompt people to make decisions.” I can’t.”
Aside from starting important conversations with yourself, family and friends, and perhaps your doctor, depending on how much you drank beforehand, a month of grog-off can have physical and psychological effects. may give.
Professor Kate Conigrave, Addiction Specialist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, said: alcohol around.
If you drink very low levels of alcohol (say, one or two drinks a week), the effect may not be noticeable. “But if you’re drinking, say, two cups a day, you may sleep a little better and feel a little better, even after just two weeks of drinking,” she says.
The more alcohol consumed each week, the greater and more pronounced the quitting effect. Sounds like a cautionary tale. Stopping abruptly without medical support can lead to serious withdrawal symptoms, including seizures.
“If you anticipate getting sick, [you] stop and then [it’s] It’s good to check with your doctor about whether you need withdrawal treatment,” she says.
Good for sleep and mental health
Professor Michael Farrell, director of the National Center for Drug and Alcohol Research at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and an addiction expert, says that even small amounts of alcohol can affect sleep quality, so stopping drinking can help you sleep better. It is said that there is an advantage that is improved. .
“Any kind of sedative-type drug, alcohol is also a sedative-type drug. It’s the rapid eye movement sleep, the sleep you’re actually dreaming in, and the sleep where a lot of the brain processing is going on during the night. “It has some impact,” he said. Say. “For some people [alcohol] It can interfere with sleep, and quitting alcohol can significantly stabilize sleep patterns. ”
Improving sleep can also help mental health, but the big picture of how alcohol and abstinence affect mental health is a bit more complicated, says Blashki. Some manage social anxiety and depression.
“Alcohol improves both symptoms in the short term, but worsens them in the long term. [have] I still have to deal with myself in the morning,” he says. He sees a patient he calls “hang-zeiti” whose depression and anxiety worsen in the morning after a night out. So, he says, sobering up for even a month can force people to face, and hopefully deal with, potential mental health issues they’ve been hiding with alcohol.
it’s good for your body
Even below the limits recommended by most guidelines, the health hazards caused by alcohol consumption have been extensively studied and documented, ranging from heart palpitations and reflux to cirrhosis and cancer. Even people who consider themselves moderate drinkers can benefit from not using a bottle for a month.
People with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes will see more pronounced benefits than those without. Quitting alcohol may contribute to a modest reduction in blood pressure and a modest improvement in insulin sensitivity, an indicator of a diabetic condition. Stopping alcohol may improve within a few days.
Alcohol is a diuretic. This means that urine production increases and dehydration worsens. So quitting drinking means better hydration.
Alcohol is also high in kilojoules. A bottle of beer contains about the same amount of kilojoules as a glass of Milky Waver or a third of his McDonald’s cheeseburger, which is the Australian guideline he consumes 10 per week. Even the following standard beverages add up immediately. “People who cut back on alcohol will regularly say that weight management has become easier,” says Conigrave.
What about the more serious long-term effects of alcohol exposure at all levels, such as cancer? According to the latest Canadian guidance, drinking 3 to 6 standard beverages per week can lead to a variety of cancers, including breast and colon cancer. A “moderate risk” of developing the type of cancer is indicated.
However, cutting down to one to two drinks a week puts you in the “low risk” category for all alcohol-related effects, including cancer.
“Reducing the body’s exposure to cancer-causing agents is obviously a good thing,” says Conigrave.
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