The Amazing Health Benefits of Getting Clean from Drugs and Alcohol

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Staying clean from drugs and alcohol has a lot of health benefits since you will no longer be a slave to your addiction. From avoiding DUIs to increasing your quality of life, the benefits will change your life completely. Your body starts reversing the effects of excessive alcohol and drugs, which will make you feel better. Abusing drugs and excessive alcohol use can cause you to withdraw from social activities or hobbies you once loved. Getting clean will give you time to rediscover those passions and lead a new and exciting sober life.

There are numerous physical and mental health risks of drugs and alcohol. Some of them include cancer, high blood pressure, dementia, anxiety, depression, alcoholic hepatitis, and arrhythmia.

Health Benefits of Getting Clean

Getting clean and staying sober can help you start a new and healthier lifestyle. Most of the damage done to the liver's cardiovascular system and the brain can be reversed as your body will slowly heal.

Better Skin

Drugs and alcohol have negative effects on your skin and cause various problems, including:

• Inflammation

• Dehydration

• Jaundice

• Broken capillaries on the face

• Reduced collagen levels leading to saggy or loose skin

Getting clean from alcohol can help to restore the skin's elasticity gradually. It can also eliminate the yellowing or redness of the skin around the eyes.

Improved Immunity

Excessive use and dependency on alcohol affect the immune system by preventing it from producing sufficient white blood cells to fight off bacteria and germs. This makes a person susceptible to many diseases, especially tuberculosis and pneumonia. Living a sober life without the use of drugs and alcohol will slowly build your immunity and enable your body to protect itself from various illnesses.

Improved Sleep

Drug and alcohol abuse can lead to poor sleep since it affects the sleep-wake cycles. This makes it harder to fall asleep and maintain quality sleep throughout the night. Alcohol causes the muscles in the throat to relax, which leads to sleep apnea and snoring.

Getting clean from alcohol and drugs may lead to withdrawal symptoms in the early stages. This stage does not last long, depending on the type of drug or level of addiction. The more you stay sober, the more significant the improvement on the quality of your sleep.

Lower Risk of Cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a high alcohol intake leads to an increased risk of developing certain types of cancers. Some types of cancers include Liver cancer, breast cancer, throat cancer, oral cancer, colon and rectal cancer, and esophageal cancer. Quitting alcohol can lower your risks of developing these cancers since it is a known carcinogen.

Healthier Weight

When a person abuses drugs and alcohol, their body fails to get essential nutrients and slows down metabolism. Alcohol contains empty calories and is filled with sugars, leading to being overweight, especially if you binge drink. According to the National Institute of Alcoholism Abuse, Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking alcohol that lowers your blood alcohol concentration levels to 0.08g/L in about two hours. Living a sober life also involves living a healthier lifestyle which includes regular exercise and proper nutrition.

Better Mental Health

People abusing drugs and alcohol are more likely to suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. While the exact correlation is yet to be established, it is clear that most people abuse drugs and alcohol to get rid of mental illness symptoms.  Alcohol worsens the symptoms of mental illnesses, especially for people with underlying mental issues or who come from a family with mental problems.

Long-term sobriety and a drug-free lifestyle require more than just quitting and taking steps to improve your mental health. The benefits of healthy mental health include increased self-respect and self-confidence as well as decreased depression and anxiety.

Improved Memory

Drugs and alcohol affect cognitive abilities and lead to loss of memory. Heavy consumption of alcohol can cause the hippocampus to shrink.  This part of the brain is responsible for learning and memory. Getting clean and maintaining sobriety over a while can help partially correct the damaged parts of the brain. It can also help improve thinking skills such as memory, problem-solving, and attention.

Getting clean from drugs and alcohol is one of the best decisions a person can make, and there are numerous benefits that come along with it. A person will start experiencing better relationships with family and friends and lead a productive life.