11 Mental Health Reasons Not To Drink Alcohol

Mental health wasn't something that people liked to discuss in the past because it was tied with mentally ill individuals. However, there is much more awareness of mental health these days, which has helped millions of individuals get the type of attention that they need to get better.

Unfortunately, mental health is quite commonly associated with alcohol, drugs, and other addictions that people try to hold on to because they give them a positive feeling. But in reality, these things might just be making things worse. For instance, a person who had a little too much to drink and was driving can be charged with a DUI.

What Effect Does Alcohol Have On Mental Health?

When you start consuming alcohol in massive amounts, you will not only be affecting your mental health but your body as well.

There are many mental health complications that can arise from drinking too much. Also, these issues can cause a person to drink alcohol even more.

The main reason why people consume alcohol is that it changes their moods or state of mind. When they drink alcohol, they can temporarily get rid of anxiety, depression, or whatever they are tired of feeling. Basically, drinking alcohol is a form of self-medication. However, all of this drinking just keep making the problems worse.

Even though people who are suffering from certain mental health problems are more likely to abuse alcohol, it doesn't mean that alcohol can cause these illnesses. There isn't enough research to prove it yet. However, alcohol has been known to wreck people's lives and contribute to mental conditions like depression.

How Does Alcohol Affect Your Mood?

Drinking alcohol can significantly lower your inhibitions. That means your walls are down when you get drunk, and fewer personal constraints are in place. Not only that, but drinking alcohol can also tamper with the drinker's ability to rest. That means you may be more active when you get drunk, as your body might be working harder to break down the alcohol in your system.

While it is common knowledge, alcohol has the ability to make you feel numb on the inside. That happens because it can depress your mind and make your moods fluctuate. Drinking alcohol might even mean that you speak out your underlying feelings that are still affecting your life or are frequently on your mind.

11 Reasons to Should Consider Giving Up Alcohol

Can Cause Addiction

If you start drinking too much, and your body starts to feel the need to keep consuming alcohol, then you might already be an addict.

Binge drinking alcohol to purposefully lower your inhibitions and keep your mind off something, or to simply end a tough day for maybe the 10th time in a row is not a good choice.

These behaviors can lead to alcohol dependence, which can take you really close to addiction.

Can Result In Weight Gain

There are many people that throwback bottles of beer like they are nothing. But a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor, five ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer can have around 150 calories. If that doesn't seem like much, then just think about how many ounces you consume in a day.

All of those calories and no nutrition at all is not a good combination. Not only that, but alcohol addiction can also lead to obesity and other illnesses.

Can Make You Age Faster

Your age will definitely not increase in terms of years, no matter what you drink or eat. However, the life expectancy of your internal organs and everything else can decrease.

Alcohol can put quite a lot of pressure on your organs, which causes them to age faster. As a result, you might suffer from diseases or have an older appearance sooner in life.

If you want to live a good and healthy life, then you need to make better decisions. Try to significantly lower your alcohol consumption, or just leave it all out.

Can Disrupt Your Sleep Cycle

Sleep is necessary for every person, and they need to get seven to eight hours of it every night.

Many people who aren't able to get the sleep they need because they have a lot going on. Adding alcohol on top can just make everything much more complicated.

When you drink alcohol too much, you will be affecting the quality of your sleep. That means you won't be able to sleep properly. Even if you somehow get a few hours in, you might not feel as rested as you would hope.

Can Worsen Your Ability to Retain Information

Regularly consuming alcohol can have quite an impact on your mind. The worst possible effect of alcohol on your body might be that it can affect your ability to absorb and store information. That means your memory can get worse over time as you keep drinking.

This can be a horrible effect if you want to get anywhere in life. If you drink alcohol and reduce your mental capacity to retain information when you are young, just think of what will happen as you get older.

Can Cause Long-Term Brain Disorders

Along with the inability to retain information, alcohol can also cause several long-term or chronic brain disorders.

The list is actually quite long, and you might be scared out of your mind if you go through this in detail on the internet. Talking about a few, alcohol abuse might cause slurred speech, slower reactions, loss of balance, impaired memory, and blurry vision. From there, the list starts to get quite serious.

Can Be a Strain on Your Wallet

Buying alcohol is not cheap at all. When you are buying alcohol every day, how much does it set you back? Simply calculate the amount of money that you spend on alcohol each day and multiply it by 30. That will be your rough estimate for a month worth of liquor.

Now look into some savings accounts and think about how much money you could have in your savings each year if you stopped consuming alcohol. You might be surprised.

Can Cause High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, for any age, can be a significant problem for many people in their everyday lives. If you are already having blood pressure issues, then drinking alcohol can make the situation worse.

If you don't have a high BP problem, then just imagine how bad it can be to not eat your favorite foods, having to pop pills, and not having a great lifestyle.

Can Lead To Liver Issues

You might already be aware that drinking alcohol doesn't sit right with your liver. While most alcoholics joke about losing their liver and how they don't care, you should take the matter seriously.

The more you abuse alcohol, the worse your liver can get. It might start with a mild disease and then slowly develop into cirrhosis. If you know anyone with cirrhosis, then you might consider leaving alcohol right away. Even though cirrhosis is an incredibly severe liver condition, it doesn't stop there.

If the alcohol drinking continues for long enough, your liver might even fail. At that point, you would need to get a transplant.

Can Impair Your Judgement

Since alcohol can lower your inhibitions and your ability to keep a hold of yourself, you might end up doing an activity that you wouldn't normally do.

In real life or on the screen, you might have seen at least one person who has done some incredibly stupid or even dangerous things when they were completely drunk. So the next time you are drinking, think whether you would want to be in their state or not.

Can Lead To Arrests and Prison Time

Sometimes your lowered inhibitions can get you into legal trouble. There isn't a shortage of examples when it comes to people committing all kinds of crimes when they get drunk. But the most common crime might be drinking and driving.

Drinking and driving can be incredibly dangerous for you and anyone else on the road. Just think about how you might save someone's or even your own life if you considered not drinking at all.

Among The Biggest Issues Alcohol Users Face - DUI

Drinking alcohol and driving is a serious concern that you need to be completely aware of. If you are having a number of drinks every other night, then you might try to drive home at one time. Maybe you probably have already.

When you get caught driving drunk, you could face some serious charges depending on the events that take place. A good thing to do for now is to keep the contact information of a suitable Los Angeles DUI lawyer on your mobile.

If you do get arrested for DUI or DWI, you might face a number of charges. Not to mention, you could be facing prison time, lose your car for a few months, and even lose your driver's license. In some cases, you could get years in prison or never be able to recover your license.