BENEFITS OF GOING SOBER THIS OCTOBER

The Benefits of Ocsober

Do you find yourself enjoying the after graft draft, a glass of wine after a long day or the night out on the town with the ladies/gents? South Africa has a culture infused with drinking and socialising but what are the actual benefits to going sober for a month?

According to the latest statistics, the average drinker in SA consumed 30 liters of pure alcohol in 2016. That level of consumption per drinker places the country in the sixth position globally. This ranking is according to the 2018 global status report on alcohol and health published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

As South Africans are known to “throw a couple back” we are here to shed some light on the benefits of going cold turkey for a month or two.

SLEEP

Regular drinking can affect the quality of your sleep. When drinking, you generally find that you are able to get to sleep a lot faster than normal (even sometimes on the side of the road.) But this effects your regular sleep cycle. Although you are in a deeper sleep earlier in the cycle, you spend more time than usual in the less restful, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep. This disruption in your sleep cycle can leave you feeling tired the next day no matter how long you stay in bed. But having alcohol-free days can help. You should be sleeping better and find it easier to wake up in the morning feeling energized and ready for the day.

LATE NIGHT BINGES

Ever wondered why your first instinct after a night out is to order 100 nuggets from MacDonalds? Well, alcohol causes a drop in your blood sugar levels, causing your body to crave sugar and starchy foods. Staying sober will give you a much better chance of making healthier food choices and also keep the late night spending to a minimum. Which brings on the next title…

FINANCIAL

Believe it or not South Africans spend more money on beer then on vegetables. Recent StatsSA figures showed that beer accounted for 2.1% of household spending while only 1.5% was spent on vegetables.

If we are honest with ourselves, the cost of alcohol adds up. The odd draught or bottle of wine is only a few bucks, but when you add that up over a year you will be shocked at how much you are spending on alcohol. Not to mention, poor financial decisions often accompany drinking (food, partying, Ubers). The National Institute of Health has a great alcohol spending calculator on their website. This tool is designed to help drinkers calculate the amount of money they spend on booze. Just plug in the average cost of each drink, the average number of drinks consumed, and the number of days.

LOSING WEIGHT

As we know, alcohol is very high in calories. The body processes and stores alcohol as sugar ,which eventually converts to fat. Alcohol is known to mobilise insulin, a fat-storing hormone, which can lead to the production of fat cells around the middle (I mean its not called a “beer belly” for nothing). People who drink excessively usually carry more weight around than those who abstain.

Lastly, turning to alcohol to cope with difficult or painful emotions means people do not learn healthier coping strategies or take steps to process those emotions. Going sober for a short period of time can shed some light on how you may use alcohol to cope. The University of Sussex research found that, after a month without alcohol, 82% of participants think more deeply about their relationship with drinking and 76% reported learning more about when and why they drink.

As you can see sobriety isn’t just for alcoholics. Nearly everyone could benefit from taking a break from the bottle. The physical, emotional, and financial upsides are evident. It doesn’t have to be forever but a break now and then can do you a world of good.

Cheers,

Team Hughes Chiropractic

(Blog post is written from a combination of my experiences and the various research I have read over time).