Experimenting with different methods of exercise is a great way to have fun and try new things. Unlike alcohol, exercise truly reduces stress, both immediately and long-term. Exercise is also key to maintaining your physical health, an important condiment of happiness and wellbeing.
When you quit alcohol, your body a chance to increase serotonin without depletion, so you may actually feel happier over time. Still, improved mental health doesn't always happen immediately or seamlessly once we remove alcohol (and that's okay). Sobriety can be the starting point for confronting mental health issues.
However, the fact is that exercise releases endorphins that are responsible for feelings of euphoria and happiness, just like alcohol. In fact, many people refer to a good workout as a “runner's high.” Exercise's physical and mental effects can actually mimic that feeling you get when drinking alcohol.
You may have relied on alcohol or other substances to relax in social settings, and you might wonder if all the fun and exciting times of your life are behind you. It's possible to learn to enjoy yourself without alcohol, but it may take time and practice.
When someone stops drinking, their body may respond by having increased levels of stress hormones like cortisol. This causes the body to go into a state of hyperactivity as well as increased sensitivity. This can cause sweating, which also brings with it other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.
Mood problems.
Your mood should get better within 3 to 6 weeks. Tell your doctor if it doesn't. You may need treatment for long-term symptoms or an undiagnosed mental health condition.
Surround yourself with happy people. Being around people who are content boosts your own mood. Friends and family help you celebrate life's successes and support you in difficult times. Let people know that you appreciate what they do for you or even just that you're glad they're part of your life.
According to Truity, INTP is the most common MBTI type among college students committing alcohol and drug policy violations. This personality type also tends to be somewhat solitary, have less access to coping resources, and experience lower career satisfaction.
Without alcohol in your life, you'll get better sleep, and wake up without a hangover. This can lead to more energy and productivity. You'll also experience long-term improvements in your health and reduced risk of alcohol-related conditions, like heart and liver complications.
The low and non-alcoholic booze trend has been on the rise in Australia for years now but what if we told you that there's a new option if you still want to get buzzed? Noot, a new drinks label that utilises nootropics to mimic the effects of alcohol without the actual ABV.
Perhaps because of an alcohol-related medical condition like liver disease, or because they start taking medication that reacts badly with alcohol. Whatever your reason, the good news is that anyone can stop drinking. And if you're thinking about removing alcohol from your life, you're not alone.
You Need Stimulation
One of the reasons you might find you are bored without alcohol is because you need more stimulation. For the longest time, you numbed your brain rather than engaging it. Now it is suddenly fired up and engaged, yet you're not doing anything with it.
In a world where alcohol seems to be omnipresent, it's important to remember that there is nothing wrong with you for not drinking. Especially if you choose not to drink to overcome addiction or tackle another health problem, you are doing the right thing and it is very brave.
Not drinking can improve your brain health. Not only can poor mental health lead to drinking, but drinking can also lead to poor mental health. In the short-term, alcohol can reduce anxiety and release your inhibitions. But anything beyond a drink a day increases the risk of new or worsening mental health problems.
Generally, people drink to either increase positive emotions or decrease negative ones. This results in all drinking motives falling into one of four categories: enhancement (because it's exciting), coping (to forget about my worries), social (to celebrate), and conformity (to fit in).
In initial studies, type I alcoholics frequently exhibited high harm avoidance, low novelty seeking, and high reward dependence (Cloninger 1987a), personality characteristics indicating high levels of anxiety.
The personality traits most often found to be related to excessive alcohol consumption are impulsivity/disinhibition and neuroticism/negative affectivity, whereas the significance of other personality characteristics such as extraversion/ sociability remains inconclusive (10, 28-29).
To change something in one's life—no matter what it may be—requires awareness, motivation, commitment and WORK. (You can throw in the 3 Ps as well… Practice, Patience, and Persistence.)
Getting sober can be physically and emotionally uncomfortable, especially during the withdrawal period. Most withdrawal symptoms improve within a few days or weeks. But for some people, protracted withdrawal can continue for months. By 1 year of sobriety, most people feel better.