8 Things That Can Happen When You Stop Drinking Alcohol

Plus, when you have better sleep quality and more energy from being alcohol-free. While not everyone will lose weight when they stop drinking, you may lose some. This timeline is a broad estimate of what will happen and when after a dependent drinker has their last alcoholic drink. When you give up alcohol, having been a dependent drinker, you’ll move through various stages of recovery.

You’ll also reduce your calorie intake, so you may notice weight loss. The consequences of heavy alcohol use are serious and include an increased risk of cancer, dementia, falls and dangerous interactions with medications. Almost everyone will have moments of feeling worse before they https://ecosoberhouse.com/ feel better, experiencing a sense of being stuck or of relapsing either emotionally or physically, but everyone has the capacity to move forward. With the right support, you can feel better, you can leave alcohol and addiction behind and you can create a new, healthier, happier future.

Common Withdrawal Symptoms

Finally, alcohol ingestion can negatively impact the action of dopamine—a neurotransmitter and hormone that also affects your sleep. If your vacation from alcohol is temporary, proceed with caution when you start drinking again. “Even moderate drinkers who stop drinking for two months tend to overdrink when they start again,” Dr. Koob says. Nobody really knows why, he says, but it seems to be some kind of overcompensation for the time you lost. It may be that your drinking habits calm down after the novelty of celebrating a month or two of sobriety wears off, but Dr. Koob says it’s important to keep it on your radar so you can avoid overdoing it. It’s hardly a secret that having a few drinks alters the way your brain works.

• After all, a serving of alcohol is a 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol.1 Most people have more than that at happy hour or on the weekend.
• Plus, they can link you to support services and track your progress through follow-up visits.
• If you’re concerned about someone who drinks too much, ask a professional experienced in alcohol treatment for advice on how to approach that person.
• “When we stop drinking, we can begin to repair some of the long-term effects of alcohol use.”
• People may notice they have more energy, so sexual function can be improved by stopping drinking.

So when you stop consuming one of those things, e.g. alcohol, your body might start craving other sources, e.g. sugar. “Also, when you stop drinking, you can expect your blood sugar levels to drop dramatically,” says Leon. “I say, don’t give yourself a hard time. You’re currently recovering, which wreaks complete havoc on your body, and is going to take time.”

Signs You May Have a Drinking Problem

Over time, the brain can actually get used to the effects of alcohol, causing it to work harder and cause unpleasant or even dangerous withdrawal symptoms like tremors and heart palpitations. Symptoms can range from headache, elevated blood pressure, heart palpitations, and nausea and vomiting to tremors, what happens when you stop drinking alcohol hallucination and in severe cases death. It’s no secret that alcohol plays a significant role in your liver health. Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption can destroy liver cells, which are necessary for filtering out harmful substances in our body (the liver is our built-in detoxifier).