Long ago, alcohol was viewed as a destructive drug that killed you inside and out. Now, it’s viewed as a normal beverage that you can have at home, order at a bar, at a restaurant, and even on a flight! As a 21-year-old kid who struggled with alcoholism at a young age, what if there were some simple, and irregular ways of quitting alcohol I can tell you about? Whether or not you’re an average joe, a daily drinker, a competitive bodybuilder, whoever you are, cutting alcohol out of your life is beneficial in the long term. Your family, your friends, and most importantly, you will love it. Without further ado, here are 7 Reasons Why You Should Stop Drinking Alcohol:
My freshman year of college was rough. I was addicted to alcohol, had very few friends, and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. Let me just tell you, alcohol will destroy you faster than you think it will uplift you. It DOES NOT increase your confidence. It DOES NOT help you talk to girls or guys. If you must rely on alcohol to be social with others, please strongly consider quitting. Your true friends aren’t the ones you drink and party with, it’s the ones you can have a good time with, without having to drink. Once you quit, that "confidence boost" that you get when you drink isn't needed anymore.
Regret is not a feeling that very many people enjoy. Regret can be depressing, embarrassing, or even angering. Whenever I drink, alcohol always lowered my inhibitions while increasing my impulsivity. I felt slow, yet fast enough to go around and talk to everyone that I was able to lay eyes on. With my inhibitions being slow, while impulsivity is running high, I started to say things that I really wish I would not have said. Sad thing is, I wouldn’t have known until the morning. I flipped a switch, however, and now just to be safe, if I want to avoid regret as a whole, I just don't drink!
Imagine this: You wake up the morning after the club with your friends and your girlfriends and they are ready to go again later that day, except you? What if I were to tell you that if you didn’t drink alcohol, you COULD go do that! You now could go back to that same club, dance some more, socialize some more, and meet some more people! Now, you don’t have to wake up and tell your friends that you need a trash can placed next to your bed and that you got to get some extra sleep to start feeling SLIGHTLY better.
Were you ever curious about how much money you spend a week on alcohol? Now, take the number you got and multiply that amount by 52. Let’s compare. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend around 1-2 percent of their gross annual income on alcohol. The average household income in 2019, was between $68k-$69k. That’s around $680-$690 dollars a year. That is $56-$58 a month! That’s extra gas money, extra cash for a dinner date with a loved one, or even some extra money just to invest. Unfortunately, financial stress does lead to heavier and more frequent drinking, so be smart with your money!
Addiction is a big problem here in the United States and Alcohol is a big one. Addiction is the “dependency” on something that you like to take or partake in. This is a mental and sometimes even an emotional barrier that is hard to tear down for the average person. When on alcohol, most people like to drink to get “drunk”, because of the good feeling that people get. With extensive brain research between consistent versus inconsistent drinking, I believe that studies will show that you will feel better mentally when you cut alcohol out of your diet completely.
Although it’s common knowledge that drinking alcohol has been seen as the cause of liver cancer, there’s a large possibility that there are more types of cancer that can be developed with drinking alcohol. Colon, mouth, and throat cancer are other types of cancer that are of concern. Other types of cancer, that we may never think of, could be associated with drinking alcohol; however, my understanding is that these other types of cancers would be seen due to alcohol’s long history. With that being said, the best route to take in this case, would be to avoid alcohol to avoid the growth of any sort of cancer.
Being overweight is already uncomfortable as it is, but over time being overweight can also lead to other health problems. Weight gain is typical whenever you drink, therefore, making it more difficult to lose weight if you are overweight and are trying to lose said weight. More research needs to be done but the general knowledge that we people have now is that whenever you cut out some of those empty calories, you will start to see a slight increase in your weight loss journey. A beer a day won’t kill you, but it definitely will gain that unnecessary pound.
The true intentions, or the original usage behind alcohol, like most drugs, were for medical purposes. They weren’t meant for us to sit back, guzzle it on down, and enjoy a laid-back “woozy” time with friends and/or family. Alcohol at one point was deemed to be a dangerous drug at one point, so what made it so normalized today? The fact that you can flavor it up with some sugar and some carbonation and if you can moderate it you’ll feel good? Would you say the same with marijuana? Cocaine? You wouldn’t because society doesn’t tell you that those are accepted like alcohol. So, nonetheless, if you don’t want to regret doing something the next morning since you won’t remember what you did the night you drank, how about just avoiding it as a whole?
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