About 25% of American adults have reported engaging in excessive alcohol consumption, which wreaks havoc on your body. Liver failure, heart complications, pancreatitis, various types of cancer- these are only SOME of the symptoms that can develop when you drink too much too often.
As terrible as excessive drinking is for your mind and body, it’s also dangerous if you suddenly stop drinking altogether. After your body creates a dependency on a substance, that cycle of dependency can be difficult to break.
Check out this video to see what happens to each part of your body if you decide to quit drinking out of the blue.
Alcohol Use Disorders
Alcohol Use Disorders- also known as AUDs- come in many different forms of severity. For someone with a mild alcohol disorder, drinking may be difficult to cut back on because it provides some sort of emotional relief. Although they may not engage in very risky behaviors, there is still a root of unhealthy dependence on a substance for a mental escape.
Those with a severe alcohol disorder may engage in more dangerous behaviors with bigger repercussions. For example, they are more likely to be caught drinking and driving. Alcohol is such a big part of their daily life that this may not even strike them as risky.
Side-Effects Of Quitting
The heavier the dependence on alcohol, the more intense withdrawal will be. People with severe AUDs should seek professional help to ween themselves off of a dependency on alcohol.
Without having medical advice, they put themselves at greater odds of experiencing delirium tremens that will likely end up putting them back on the bottle. That’s why rehabilitation centers are such a key part of fighting off alcohol addiction. There’s constant support, accountability, and medical monitoring to keep patients on a sustainable path toward sobriety.
It is okay to drink on occasion, but if you engage in excessive drinking we recommend you stop or at least reduce intake to healthier levels.
If you are trying to take control of your health, we also recommend this article on Fad Diets.
