Surprising impact of just a few drinks per week?

[sarahb083]

I noticed huge improvements when I cut down from moderate drinking to a few drinks per week, but I've now cut down to nearly no alcohol and been very surprised by how even a little alcohol (3-4 drinks spread across the week) was affecting me.

By cutting out the last few drinks, I feel much calmer, less anxious, and everything feels easier to manage. My night sweats disappeared. I just feel better in myself.

I didn't expect just a few drinks per week to have that sort of effect - has anyone else found similar?

I've cut down from drinking definitely too much to practically nothing and am surprised I feel absolutely no different to when I was drinking a lot. I was thinking of posting the opposite question, why don't I feel sooo much better? Do I just have to wait a lot longer to feel any benefit?

Same here, now barely ever drinking and thought I'd feel loads better but I don't.

I was hoping for better sleep, better skin, less bloat, a bit of weight loss.

I haven't noticed anything different at all!

This is interesting as I think it’s such a personal thing how drink affects you. I am currently not drinking and I haven’t felt any benefit whenever I have done long periods of not drinking. The thing about weight loss, better skin etc just hasn’t happened for me. I do feel virtuous though, and enjoy the lack of guilt that comes from dinking too much. Maybe it’s mind over matter and people think more positively and therefore see themselves looking better? I don’t know, but sometimes it feels like I cant win!

I used to be quite a heavy weekend drinker but I basically don't drink at all now - can't even remember the last time I had alcohol but it's a handful of times a year at most now. I'm sure I'm better for it but can't really say I feel it - still anxious, still crap at sleeping, still got low energy levels. I suppose it would be even worse if I was still boozing.

I do enjoy the lack of hangovers though, both the physical effect and the existential dread used to be really debilitating.

How old are you?

I felt no difference at all pre menopause. Then I became peri and not drinking has made a massive difference.

I gave up for 7 months to help my fitness for a cycling event i did with my partner.

I didn't really feel any better until about 4 months in, then i just seemed to have much more "go" in me.

The huge benefit was to my finances, probably saved around £30 to £50 per week, which pretty much paid for a 3 week holiday to France.

I cut down from a bottle of wine over a weekend to nothing and felt no effect to be honest; I was a bit disappointed as I’d hoped I’d feel less stressed but not really

I wonder if it's how happy your liver is when you stop. Might take a while to feel the benefits perhaps?