As a rehab in Philadelphia, we know how your body heals when you stop drinking.
The long-term abuse of alcohol can lead to many physical and psychological problems. Alcohol can affect the levels of particular neurotransmitters in the brain, impacting how the body and mind communicate while changing your moods and thought processes. Whether you have an alcohol problem or just ask for a friend, we are sharing the benefits of not drinking alcohol timeline that will best illustrate the gradual effects on the body when you stop drinking.
Alcohol is known as a central nervous system depressant. After you drink alcohol, it is absorbed into the bloodstream via the stomach (20%) and small intestine (80%). Alcohol’s side effects kick in within 5 to 10 minutes after drinking. These side effects usually peak after 30 to 90 minutes and are carried throughout the rest of the body.
As a CNS depressant, alcohol stimulates the mind in short doses and produces a calming effect in large doses. How alcohol affects the brain starts at the cerebral cortex, which processes information from your senses, plays a role in thinking and consciousness (along with the basal ganglia), and initiates most voluntary muscle movements.
When you drink alcohol, it depresses or relaxes the parts of the brain that inhibit certain behaviors or reactions, increasing talkativeness, sociability, and self-confidence. Alcohol also slows down the brain’s ability to process information we absorb through our senses, causing difficulties in seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting. The threshold for pain is also increased. The most common and well-known side effect of alcohol is impaired judgment or inhibited thought processes.
When a person drinks too much, they may have difficulties thinking clearly and making sound decisions, which can lead to all sorts of dangers and injuries. Additionally, a person may begin to exhibit physical symptoms like alcohol face changes, which serve as one of the many ways that unhealthy drinking habits can affect how a person looks.
When a person who frequently drinks heavily is unable to control their habit despite the repercussions, then they have an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol is addictive because it is able to affect the release of certain neurotransmitters like dopamine and produce a relaxing and pleasurable “buzz” or high. A person who has developed a chronic drinking problem should receive alcohol treatment at our Philly drug rehab to avoid complications when managing withdrawal symptoms and to aid in their recovery.
A person may experience many positive changes after quitting alcohol. Below is a “benefits of not drinking alcohol timeline” that will give you a general perspective of how sobriety changes your body over different periods of time.
Simply put, the benefits of cutting out alcohol include:
Even after two weeks without alcohol, your body will greatly improve. If you struggled with heavy drinking for a long time, it might take a little longer for you to recover, but it is worth it. No matter the stage of the alcohol recovery timeline that you are in, you should not face the challenges of achieving sobriety alone. Our Philadelphia substance abuse programs are designed to provide the support necessary for our patients to make long-lasting recoveries.
If you are battling with alcoholism and are finding it difficult to quit, call Banyan Treatment Centers Philadelphia now at 888-280-4763 to learn how PHP treatment can help.
Related Readings:
If you or a loved one are struggling with drugs or alcohol, call us now!
Sign up below to receive 10% OFF your entire order!
"*" indicates required fields