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Just Finished FebFast? These Are The Benefits You Can Enjoy From Cutting Out Alcohol

Just Finished FebFast? This Is How Exactly Far You've Come
A beautiful woman with a straw hat eating a papaya with fresh granola and yogurt.
Jordan Siemens via Getty Images
A beautiful woman with a straw hat eating a papaya with fresh granola and yogurt.

Whether it was your first time quitting alcohol or your 10th, there’s no doubt you’re feeling just a little bit smug right now.

And, so you should.

“There are certainly health benefits from abstaining from alcohol for one month. Particularly if people have been drinking more than what is good for them, that is, more than the recommended levels and they’ve been doing so for some time,” Professor Wayne Hall, Director & Inaugural Chair Centre for Youth Substance Abuse told The Huffington Post Australia.

Yep, if you’ve just come off FebFast not only have you injected your body with a healthy amount of vitality, but your mentality around how you consume alcohol has probably changed, too.

Plus, your bank balance is looking pretty good right now, isn’t it?

To celebrate your efforts, here are some of the things to be proud of (and maybe even boast about).

Improved sleep

“One of the most common things that people report is that they are sleeping better. We know that alcohol disturbs sleep in varying ways caused primarily through your body withdrawing from the drug -- which is why people report waking early or broken sleep after a night of drinking,” Hall said.

Productivity levels skyrocket

It’s a no-brainer that, as a result of having a good night’s kip you function better throughout the day. “People tend to feel more positive about life day to day and also have a better sense of wellbeing,” Hall said.

Your liver is literally jumping for joy

“Alcohol is toxic to the liver. So it’s hardly surprising that taking time away from it will improve liver function,” Hall said.

You lose weight

A British study found that after a month of going without alcohol, 49 percent of people reported they’d lost weight. “Drinking half a bottle of wine is like having an extra meal but people tend to forget about the calories that are in alcohol. If you’re knocking that off for a month you can actually see detectable weight loss,” Hall said.

You realise alcohol doesn’t equal fun

“If people have had a break and they do go back to drinking they are probably a little more considered in when they drink and how much they drink. As a result, they can start to make more informed choices about whether alcohol is an inevitable part of everything they do or not,” Hall said.

Blood pressure lowers

British researchers studied 102 people who took part in their febfast equivalent, Dry January. After a month of abstaining from alcohol, their insulin resistance levels improved and there were detectable improvements in blood pressure.

You've saved a ton of money

Especially if you were drinking heavily before. Just think, if you were a three bottle a week drinker, that’s close to $250 in your pocket.

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