When it comes to substance abuse, its symptoms, and the effects of quitting drinking, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Amitava Dasgupta, PhD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at UTHealth's McGovern School of Medicine in Houston and author of the book The Science of Drinking, agrees that male fertility can be affected by excessive alcohol consumption, but it is believed that these effects can be reversed quickly when drinking is stopped. Quitting drinking can have a significant impact on your health and wellbeing. If you used to drink six 175-ml glasses of wine a week, you would save about 960 calories, which is equivalent to three hamburgers or five and a half bags of French fries. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, so when it's no longer in the system, the body has to adapt to the change.
This can cause withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue and a decrease in motivation. If you drink alcohol every night, withdrawal symptoms may be more severe than those of a person who only drinks on the weekends. It's worth mentioning that improved nutritional status occurs when someone stops drinking, which is one of the main reasons why people can see many of the improvements mentioned above with sobriety. When you drink, you usually fall into a deep sleep and miss out on the important rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. New research suggests that excessive alcohol consumption can cause changes in cells and make you want to consume alcohol even more.
There are many other stages of recovery after drinking and their schedule will largely depend on the person. This schedule is a broad estimate of what will happen, and when, after a dependent drinker has had their last alcoholic beverage. While drinking alcohol has been shown to increase the risk of developing many types of cancer, stopping drinking alcohol will reduce the risk compared to continuing to drink. You'll also have reduced your calorie intake by 3840 calories during the month if you used to drink six 175 ml glasses of wine a week, or 4320 calories throughout the month if you used to drink six pints of beer a week. Anyone who has been binge drinking or is dependent should seek medical help and advice before stopping drinking, due to the potentially dangerous and even life-threatening effects of being left without proper supervision.
