Health benefits to giving up alcohol

[mummy23121]

Well I'm trying again after a thousand day ones !!!
I feel horrendous this morning ! I've had bad reflux symptoms over the past few months , from over 4 years daily drinking with an odd night off here and there . I'm so anxious about my health thinking I've done too much damage already ! Alcohol really gets a hold of you! And even with horrible symptoms and feeling miserable how can I carry on drinking . I suffer from jaw/teeth pain in one side also , have been to the dentist and they can seem to see anything wrong , it's like a dull ache , I wonder if that might be related to my reflux from drinking . Anyway today is my day one and just typing it down so maybe it might help me . Anyone have any weird symptoms that completely disappeared when you gave up alcohol?? Thanks if you've read this far x

hey OP, I gave up drinking more than 2 years ago aged 43 at the time. Health benefits yes lots, but mostly for me the mental health improvement, that everything else that happens is ok, i can deal with it. Honestly the first week is the worst, try and remember that every time you think about having one drink. You will have to do the really hard bit again.

@Fortheloveofgodwhy thanks , and yes il definitely keep than in mind . It's exhausting doing the first couple of days over and over again. Well done on 2 years. That's amazing .

I have pancreatic insufficiency (likely caused in part by drinking), basically my pancreas doesn't really work, so I have a lot of digestive issues. I also had reflux and probably some gastritis as well from alcohol.

Honestly, stopping drinking has made a world of difference to my GI issues. Alcohol is horrible for your digestive system. It causes a lot of inflammation throughout the body, but especially in the gut, as you can imagine. I was a very heavy drinker (200 ish units a week). It made a massive difference stopping.

I still have to take treatment for my pancreas (and I will for life), but I feel so much better. Some days I forget I even have it, whereas before I could spend days glued to the loo. No reflux any more. So abdominal pain. All my wonky blood tests were normal within 4 weeks.

And people noticed how much healthier I looked. I lost a stone while eating lots of cake. I know lots of people who stopped drinking and the difference in how they look and feel is amazing. You will not regret sticking to it.

I'm over a year sober now.

Thanks for your reply @mindutopia , and well done on your sober journey. What an amazing achievement to completely change your life around. Glad you're feeling so much better now.

You will begin to sleep really well, deeply and wake up refreshed.

Your cognitive function will improve as your brain cells regenerate at a quick pace and you will become more emotionally stable.

You will feel less stressed and more focused.

Your skin will refresh and you will look and feel younger.

You will feel more hydrated and have more energy.

It's all there for you! You deserve it.

@weregonnagetrelagetedthistimeforsure excellent, thanks, they are some great benefits to hopefully keeping me going !

Hey lovely, I was just going to mention about the teeth as I know exactly what you mean. A hard dull painful ache, down all your teeth and gums, on one side? I had that when I was drinking a lot and it was teeth grinding, even though I'd never done that before. It was so painful, it hurt to eat. I knew it was teeth grinding because I suddenly woke up at night whilst I was doing it, I would never have suspected it before. It stopped when I stopped drinking. The good news is its nothing permanent, the pain will go when you can sleep booze free again. Xxx

A recurring theme I see in support groups and threads is how much easier it's made peri menopause and full menopause, women didn't realise many of their symptoms were made much worse by alcohol or food choices and that they didn't need to suffer half as much. I'm not there yet so not experienced it
Sleep! Getting a full nights sleep and feeling refreshed is so priceless
No anxiety
Clear skin
Look younger
More confidence
More brain space to think of other things in life
Treated better by loved ones and friends
Saving money
Worrying ache in kidney and liver gone

I recently watched my uncle die from alcohol related illnesses, it was incredibly sad. He had several years of being alcohol free about 4 years ago, when he did there was noted significant improvement to his liver to the point he'd reversed a lot of the harm he'd done from years of alcoholism. Reason for my post is he was a lot further along than it sounds like you are when he has his period of sobriety and it had a significant positive impact on his health - it's never too late to make changes and have them make a real difference to your life. Sadly he couldn't sustain them and the alcohol killed him.

It's great you are making positive changes for yourself, I'm confident that you in a year is going to be so thankful to today's you for pushing through today and tomorrow.

Thanks for your replies , I really appreciate them as reading them really does help keep me going . @JovialNickname yes maybe the clenching , I actually clench a lot during the day on the that side not even noticing myself doing it ! @Disturbia81 benefits sound amazing so fingers crossed il get there . Thanks for sharing that story @Notmydaughteryoubitch , and I'm really sorry to hear about your Uncle .

So sorry about your uncle, I lost my cousin in the same way but he didn't have alcohol free period. Can I ask how long he was back drinking before his death?

Omg I was a teeth grinder too. I haven't had DH complaining about it in ages. I hadn't thought it might be to do with being alcohol free. Yay!

Oh yeah and snoring stopped!

@Disturbia81 yes Dh complains sometimes about that 😂 so hopefully it will be another benefit . Can I ask how long you've been sober for ? Wer you drinking daily ?