Benefits Of Quitting Alcohol: Timeline & What to Expect

What Are the Benefits of Quitting Alcohol?

Extensive research shows that alcohol use remains a leading risk factor for disability and premature death. Its consumption is connected to 60 acute and chronic diseases and even low or moderate levels of drinking may be risky.¹ With that, it’s possible that the benefits of quitting alcohol can support better physical health and increase longevity.

Chronic drinking can worsen self-esteem, relationships, concentration and focus, and motivation. Completely abstaining from alcohol may be beneficial for mental well-being. One study found that people who never drank reported the highest levels of happiness. However, that same study found that moderate drinkers who quit also yielded significant mental boosts.²

Signs You Need to Cut Back on Drinking

Quitting alcohol is a deeply personal process and there’s no “perfect” time to stop drinking. With that, it’s important to be mindful of the main signs of alcohol use disorder. Keep in mind this is a large spectrum, and that you don’t need to hit rock bottom to decide to change your relationship with alcohol.

Signs you may need to cut back on drinking include:

• You frequently drink more than you plan to
• You feel guilty after drinking
• You experience blackout embarrassment when you drink
• You drink in hazardous situations
• You downplay or outwardly lie about your drinking habits
• You frequently miss work due to hangovers
• You research ways to get sober fast
• You tend to drink alone and when you’re very sad, anxious, or lonely
• You often choose to drink over engaging in other activities or relationships
• You have been told you drink too much

Benefits of Cutting Back on Drinking

Many people notice both immediate and delayed benefits when they stop drinking. You may notice improved energy, better sleep, and more stable moods. Similarly, you might find that the benefits of quitting drinking include enjoying your relationships or certain hobbies more when you’re not under the influence. The benefits of not drinking alcohol may also lower the risk of developing serious medical conditions.

Benefits of cutting back on drinking include:

Feeling Better in the Morning

Many people find that they feel more rested and alert when they wake up without alcohol in their system. There’s no hangover to deal with, and you’re also less likely to wake up dehydrated. Because alcohol can disrupt sleep cycles, stopping drinking can promote better sleep habits and sleep hygiene, helping you feel less groggy in the morning.

Being Less Tired During the Day

Although alcohol can help people fall asleep faster, people who drink are more likely to experience sleep disruptions, such as insomnia, nighttime awakenings, and nightmares. Alcohol may also exacerbate health conditions, including sleep apnea. Problems with sleep at night also contribute to more fatigue during the day.³ Quitting alcohol can counteract this effect.

More Energy

Alcohol suppresses various brain activity, which can hinder how energetic you feel. It also reduces the amount of REM the body experiences at night, which coincides with more drowsiness and restlessness. But cutting back on drinking or giving up alcohol can restore adaptive sleep hygiene, and many people note that they experience more energy when sober.

Better Looking Skin

Alcohol can result in the body losing essential fluids, resulting in dehydration. It also can cause facial flushing, puffiness, dark circles, and flare-ups due to inflammation. Dehydration can slow down cell turnover, resulting in the skin appearing dull or gray. This can cause skin damage and prematurely advance aging effects. Quitting drinking may result in healthier skin.

Better Weight Management

Chronic or binge drinking can result in weight gain, as people may consume hundreds or thousands of excessive calories without realizing it. The calories in alcohol also don’t have any nutritional value. Furthermore, many people experience heightened food cravings and weakened impulse control when they’re under the influence. Cutting back on drinking or giving up alcohol can help people maintain or lose weight.

Better Mood Stability

There’s a relationship between alcohol and depression, with many people who abuse alcohol concurrently experiencing mood disorders. Likewise, alcohol itself is a depressant. While it may temporarily make you feel better, these effects are short-lived, and chronic consumption can erode your emotional well-being. Many people note better and more stable moods when they cut back or quit drinking.

Better Sleep

Alcohol and sleep have a complicated relationship, as many people rely on alcohol to help them fall asleep. The problem is that alcohol also contributes to erratic sleep patterns and poorer sleep quality. It also tends to magnify preexisting sleep issues. Therefore, quitting drinking can significantly improve sleep.

Healthier Immune System

Chronic drinking is associated with weakened immunity, and people who drink heavily may be more susceptible to experiencing infections and other health issues. Alcohol also disrupts gut microbiota and gut barrier function, which can have significant effects on your physical well-being.⁴ Quitting alcohol can reverse some of these effects and improve overall health.

Improved Decision-Making

Alcohol often coincides with impulsive and erratic behavior. When under the influence, people are prone to making rash decisions that they may later regret. This can lead to significant financial, interpersonal, and occupational consequences. Quitting alcohol will support you in thinking more rationally and can help you practice delaying gratification.

Improved Overall Behavior

Quitting drinking may also encourage you to take better care of yourself. For example, you might now have more energy to focus on exercising regularly or eating nourishing foods. You might also prioritize better self-care when it comes to focusing on meaningful hobbies or important relationships. These have a compound effect that can improve your quality of life.

Improved Relationships

Alcohol can cause significant relationship issues. When you’re under the influence, you’re more likely to be distracted, disengaged, and prone to emotional outbursts. Conversely, you may be more attuned and mindful of others when you’re sober. You may also be more invested in nurturing your relationships once you stop drinking.

Timeline on Cutting Back on Alcohol

If you plan to cut back with mindful drinking or plan to completely stop drinking, it’s important to be aware of what both your mind and body will experience over the next few days, weeks, and months. Keep in mind that everybody’s timeline is different, and your exact symptoms will vary based on several factors, including the severity of your alcohol consumption and current physical health.

A timeline of what to expect when cutting back on alcohol includes:

2 to 12 Hours After Your Last Drink

Heavy drinkers may notice acute withdrawal symptoms within 2-12 hours after their last drink, whereas mild or moderate drinkers may not notice any immediate effects. At this point, there may be some slight irritability, restlessness, and nausea. The symptoms tend to be mild, but they will gradually worsen over time.

12 to 24 Hours After Your Last Drink

Chronic drinkers will generally find that alcohol withdrawal symptoms ramp up within the first day of abstinence. At this point, people may experience night sweats, depression, brain fog, headaches or migraines, and sleep problems. There may also be a heightened craving to drink, making someone more prone to relapsing on alcohol.

24 to 72 Hours After Your Last Drink

Peak withdrawal symptoms tend to emerge between 1-3 days after the last drink. In rare cases, people with severe alcohol use disorder may experience delirium tremens at this time. In more common cases, people will likely experience cravings, irritability, increased blood pressure, disorientation, and appetite fluctuations. People may also notice more sleep problems and exacerbated depression and anxiety.

3 to 7 Days After Your Last Drink

The most intense symptoms of alcohol withdrawal symptoms can peak within 1-5 days after stopping drinking, and then they gradually start to improve. At this point, people may still notice having strong cravings. You may also feel sleepier, hungrier, and moodier than usual. You might experience ongoing brain fog, which refers to feeling like you can’t think clearly.

1 Week After Your Last Drink

Many people report better sleep and a more stable mood after the first week of stopping alcohol. After just 7 days, you may also notice improved skin and increased energy throughout the day. However, you still may have cravings and notice symptoms of depression and anxiety. These can be magnified if you frequently used alcohol to self-medicate your mental health.

1 to 2 Weeks After Your Last Drink

At this point, hydration, energy, nutrition, and sleep levels tend to continue improving. People also tend to notice that their mood feels more stable. There still may be ongoing emotional discomfort. If you drank alcohol frequently, you may feel a sense of unease about “what to do” during circumstances where you normally drank.

2 Weeks After Your Last Drink

After quitting alcohol for two weeks, people tend to continue sleeping better at night, and their body is no longer in a state of acute detox. You will notice that it’s likely easier to focus on specific tasks, and you may have more energy throughout the day. At the same time, it’s still typical to have some mood swings and fluctuating mental health symptoms.

3 to 4 Weeks After Your Last Drink

The body continues stabilizing and healing itself from the effects of alcohol by this time. Sleep and energy continue improving. However, post-acute withdrawal symptoms may also occur, and these can include sleep issues, mood changes, fatigue, and cravings. Some people may struggle with relapse (or the desire to relapse) around this point.

1 Month After Your Last Drink

Many people note more momentum for their alcohol abstinence after quitting drinking for one month. This is especially true if you have not been successful in cutting back or stopping in the past. By this time, you may note increased energy, better concentration, and more awareness of your relationship with alcohol.

3 Months After Your Last Drink

Momentum for sobriety may continue increasing by the 3-month mark. However, some people may also note that the ‘pink cloud’ effect of recovery begins wearing off, and it can feel overwhelming to manage life without alcohol. At this point, cravings may still persist and post-acute withdrawal symptoms may emerge. It is paramount to have support and healthy coping skills in place.

1 Year After Your Last Drink

After stopping alcohol use for a year, you have already successfully identified and implemented healthy coping skills and various alternatives to drinking. You have likely dealt with cravings and learned how to manage potentially triggering situations many times. Both your physical and mental health may have improved, and you may have also saved money and felt more functional at work.

How Long Does It Take to Feel Better After Quitting Alcohol?

There is no magic number for how long it takes to feel better after quitting alcohol. Likewise, feeling better isn’t a set destination; it’s an ongoing journey, and some days will simply be harder than others. It’s unrealistic to expect to be happy or calm all the time! In general, however, most people note feeling dramatically better after a few months of quitting alcohol.

Tools to Help Cut Back on Drinking

In addition to seeking professional support or attending support group meetings, there are many resources available to help people stop drinking alcohol. Several podcasts, books, and social media pages are dedicated to this specific topic. People may also benefit from using interactive sobriety apps like Reframe, Ria Health, or Workit Health to support their recovery process.

Coping With Alcohol Cravings & Avoiding Relapse

Many people experience fluctuating alcohol cravings after quitting drinking. The intensity. duration, and frequency of these cravings vary, and they may not always make complete sense. That said, it’s important to track potential triggers and be mindful of how certain places, situations, or emotional states trigger you to want to drink to help avoid an alcoholic relapse.

Ultimately, although cravings can feel highly distressing, they do pass. It is helpful to identify various coping skills you can use when you have a strong desire to drink. Consider writing these skills down to refer to when you’re struggling. The more you can practice them, the more intuitive they will start to feel.

Can Negative Health Impacts Be Reversed if You Cut Back On Drinking?

Cutting or stopping drinking can potentially reverse harmful health effects. For example, research shows that the memory may start repairing itself within six weeks of cutting out alcohol. Brain fog, attention span, and learning also improve. Stopping drinking may also reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or cancer.⁵

Alternatives to Alcohol

There are more non-alcoholic alternatives available than ever before. In addition to soda, coffee, juice, and smoothies, many restaurants/bars are offering mocktails and other non-alcoholic beer, wine, and cider options. Consider trying these various beverages in place of drinking. Getting creative with this process can make sobriety feel more enjoyable.

Alternatives to alcohol include:

• Mocktails
• Alcohol-free sparkling wine
• Alcohol-free beers
• Water-based spirit substitutes
• Matcha
• Kombucha *may contain trace amounts of alcohol*
• Ginger beer
• Seltzer water

When to Seek Professional Help

Some people find that quitting drinking on their own feels too challenging or even impossible. Or, as they quit drinking, they note an uptick in other mental health symptoms, such as social anxiety, mood fluctuations, low self-esteem, and more. These symptoms, if untreated, can lead to a relapse cycle, which can feel discouraging.

A professional therapist can provide you with guidance or support as you reevaluate your relationship with alcohol. You can use our online therapist directory or an online therapy platform to look for an addiction specialist. If you’d like to review medication options for treating an alcohol use disorder, meeting with a psychiatrist will be your first step. Most psychiatrists offer both in-person and online psychiatry options.