What casual drinking does to your body

Casual drinking seems to be an inevitable part of the Great British social life – after work drinks? Make it a wine. Dinner party? Wine. Daughter’s birthday party? Wine (we won’t tell).

But steadily, a shift is happening, and if you go down to even the pub it’s not that unlikely one of your friends is having soft drinks that evening for the sake of their health.

And they’re quite right to as Courtney Baron, Thumbtack health coach and founder of Baron Health and Wellness, told MyDomaine what really happens to our bodies when we stop our casual drinking habit.

After a day

As soon as you stop drinking, your body begins to strip the alcohol from its system and works to “restore your blood sugar levels to a normal state,” said Baron.

After a week

You’ll sleep better and have more energy, as studies have shown that alcohol affects REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

“This is the stage of sleep that matters most; where our bodies restore themselves,” Baron explained.

“Alcohol intake disrupts this good night’s sleep leaving us to feel drowsy, lazy, and unfocused the next day.”

After two weeks

You’ll have fewer sugar cravings, as drinking booze messes with our blood sugar levels – including sparking “intense cravings for refined carbohydrates (bread, cereals, cakes, cookies) and sugar”.

After three weeks

You’ll lose weight thanks to the lack of excess calories and by this time, your body will have started to shed the pounds.

After one month

Baron said that cutting alcohol can make us feel “more mentally and emotionally stable”:

“If we treat our bodies with love and kindness, we will feel happier, energised, positive, motivated, and beautiful,” she concluded.

And with that extra energy, fewer excess pounds and less of an urge to cram ourselves with sweet stuff, it’s no wonder.

Would you give up alcohol for a month? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.

Could you cut it out? [Photo: Pexels]

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