21 Things That Will Happen When You Quit Alcohol

Of all the culturally conditioned behaviors that we’ve mindlessly adopted, alcoholism is possibly one of the most curious. We know it's highly detrimental to our health and that it contributes to countless societal problems including violence and drunk driving. Also, the alcohol industry is exceptionally lucrative when at the same time the police state uses that addiction to extend their authority.

Some people argue that alcoholism is a spiritual disease and that the ‘spirits’ consumption is a means of giving the self up to some inner demons. Dr. Gabor Maté defines alcoholism as a means of covering up personal trauma and emotional pain, but even without getting too deep into this it is easy to see that abstaining from booze has several pretty unbelievable benefits for those who seek better health and greater awareness in their life.

However, what do dedicated social drinkers and outright alcoholics realize when they quit ‘spirits,’ and what can our observations from newly sober people teach us about the sicknesses that are running rampant in our society?

Here is a list of the many things people realize when they quit drinking alcohol, as compiled from several personal stories found online, all of them listed below in the footnotes:

1.) The first significant change people see is a dramatic improvement in overall physical health. That commonly includes weight loss, improved digestion, more energy and less fatigue, clearer skin, and no hangovers, headaches or nausea in the morning.

2.) Improvements in mental health include reduced overall anxiety, lowered depression, much higher levels of mental clarity, better memory, increased concentration, improved sense of connection, reduced levels of stress, higher self-esteem, greater motivation and a more positive perspective on life in general.

3.) Sleep dramatically improves. It becomes much easier to fall asleep and sleep much better during the night. It has to do with feeling more rested upon waking.

4.) Significant changes in the attitude towards other people. It now tends to be easier to view things from the perspective of others. When you quit alcohol, you become less self-absorbed and find it much simpler to be empathetic towards others.

5.) Quitting alcohol typically saves a great deal of money.

6.) You also save lots of time as you get their evenings, night-time, and mornings back. You often embark in new endeavors or try new hobbies which were impossible to do with the alcoholic lifestyle you had before.

7.) You realize that you don’t have to drink to have fun and enjoy yourself at parties and social gatherings, thus exposing the big cultural lie that alcohol equals a good time. Many who quit alcohol discover that drinking strains social relationships rather than empowering them.

8.) You start to see yourself for who you truly are, no longer using drinks as a mask behind which to hide. That can be both enlightening and startling as you're forced to accept both the positive and the negative aspects of yourself. You must then decide how to confront the emotional reality of your life, something that would be impossible with regular consumption of alcohol.

9.) You realize that alcohol tends to make personal problems worse.

10.) You have fewer regrets when living alcohol-free. Not only do you not do stupid, risky and troublesome things you used to do when drunk, but you also are available to experience more from life.

11.) Quitting is both very hard and very easy. The first stretch when you stop drinking is the most challenging, as the cravings for alcohol must be reckoned with. But once you’ve experienced sobriety, you find it is much easier than you had imagined staying sober, even when you're hanging out with drunk people.

12.) For some reason it makes drinkers uncomfortable to be around somebody who's abstaining. You'll realize that people who drink are unbelievably judgmental towards non-drinkers, and would try anything to get a sober person to drink. They will even make fun of you for staying sober or put you down.

13.) You'll notice that many people are just assholes when they drink. That's not always easy to see when partaking in drinking with everybody else, but with the clarity of sobriety, you'll find that the quick-witted social rock stars that seem so impressive at the bar are actually attention seeking jerks.

14.) You'll realize that booze-fueled conversations are pretty boring, ego-driven and quite superficial.

15.) You'll realize that people can be just as toxic as substances and that several relationships can't survive without the crutch of alcohol. You'll learn a great deal about who your true friends really are.

16.) You'll begin to understand that alcoholism is in big part an environmental disorder, which means that it's just as easy not to drink once a reasoned change has been made to your environment, who you spend time with, who you work with, and what you do in your free time.

17.) Alcohol is the least fulfilling and least exciting buzz available when compared to lots of other mind-blowing and mind-expanding substances.

18.) You'll find it's easier to make healthier choices in general, selecting better foods, drinking more water, exercising more, and sleeping better.

19.) You'll find that not drinking allows you to experience a greater level of spiritual awareness and consciousness in your everyday life.

20.) You'll find that a return to drinking alcohol is usually immediately gratifying with a drink or two, but that shortly after consuming even a small amount of booze you feel crappy, lethargic, spaced out, dizzy and off.

21 You'll realize that alcohol can often lead to aggressiveness, bickering, fighting and ill sentiments.

References:
– http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelly-fitzgerald/7-things-i-learned-during-my-year-without-alcohol_b_5291015.html
– https://edlatimore.com/10-observations-from-2-years-of-not-drinking
– https://www.thrillist.com/vice/lessons-i-learned-from-quitting-drinking-for-one-month
– http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-sober-alcohol-drunk-booze-perspec-1231-20151230-story.html
– http://www.raptitude.com/2017/05/five-things-i-learned-from-not-drinking-for-four-months/
– https://www.annawickham.com/stop-drinking/
– https://greatist.com/live/lessons-learned-when-i-stopped-drinking-for-a-year
– https://soundcloud.com/superdutytoughwork/67-the-benefits-of-sobriety
– Truth Theory