Why your body loves time off from alcohol especially if youre female

Alcohol is a sedative, so you’d think it would help you sleep better. While drinking could help you fall asleep, it suppresses REM sleep, the restorative part of your sleep cycle, Dr. Leavey says. That might explain why you can have a fitful night of tossing and turning after you’ve been out drinking. For that reason, “some people might lose weight when they stop drinking,” James J. Galligan, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and toxicology and director of the neuroscience program at Michigan State University, tells SELF.

Individuals should be prepared to be uncomfortable during this period and have medical help available if needed. This is the period in which delirium tremens is most likely to occur, which requires immediate medical attention. This process temporarily restores homeostasis, or chemical balance, in an effort to counteract the impact of long-term alcohol use on the brain. If your liver has taken a hit from prolonged alcohol use, there are ways to give it — and the rest of your body — a break. Your liver has enzymes that work like special tools to help metabolize (break down) different toxins that enter your body, such as alcohol.

Risks and Complications

However, the nature and intensity of these effects can vary depending on how much and how frequently you drink. While occasional social drinking may not result in significant changes when you decide to quit, you may experience more significant effects if you have been drinking heavily for an extended time. “Even if the damage has progressed to the second stage where there is some scarring on the liver, the liver function can still return to normal as long as the person abstains from alcohol.”

• Think of it as giving your liver a little boost in the right direction.
• And there are some challenges as well (but hey, even Keith Richards has seriously cut back on drinking, and you can, too).
• While that amount is generally thought to be okay for your health, having more than that on a regular basis isn’t.
• When you block REM sleep, stage 4 sleep, your emotions can be disrupted.
• Dr. Robin Berzin is the Founder and CEO of Parsley Health, America’s leading holistic medical practice designed to help women overcome chronic conditions.

Maybe you just want a break, or university, parental, academic or legal pressures have come to light, or you believe you just need to cut back. Regardless of the reason and goal, 30 days of abstinence is the best way to start. Even if the goal is to cut down, abstinence can assist with lowering tolerance to ease moderation of use, and your body could use the break. When you finish the 30 days, you can make the decision to continue not drinking or to moderate your use. People with alcohol use disorder should be monitored by a medical professional when withdrawing from alcohol.

Physical Effects When You Stop Drinking

Alcohol does the same thing, so it’s very possible that when you give up one substance that causes happy-making chemicals to float around your brain, you’ll be more likely to reach for the other. Even mild intoxication can increase your brain activity in the hypothalamus, making you more sensitive to the smell of food and prompting you to eat more. Brigid Clancy works as a contractor to a private alcohol and other drug consultancy. As we snooze, alcohol disrupts the deeper stages of sleep, causing us to wake up more tired and less energized, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Hopefully, this self assessment has helped you to evaluate your use and make decisions that will best work toward your success as a student, as a leader within your community, and as a family member.

“It creates brain fog. I don’t feel as sharp on Monday morning when I start my job.” If taking a full month off of alcohol for Dry January feels like too much, try starting with the One Week No Booze Method instead. With this strategy, which is taking off on TikTok, you’ll only cut out drinking for one week per month. Hello Sunday Morning has a large online support community of more than 100,000 people, and offers a range of resources to help people who want to cut down or quit drinking. It’s a free service, funded by the Australian government and a range of philanthropic organizations. “This also means that they are more likely to increase their sense of control over their drinking, and more likely to experience the benefits to physical health and psychological well-being.”

Who Experiences Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

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