words Alexa Wang
Have you heard about the new craze that’s sweeping the nation? Unlike so many different diets and other trends, this one can actually be good for your health.
The sober curious movement is bringing sober living back to the masses, whether they’ve suffered from addiction or not.
Alcohol dependence is a serious addiction, and it’s nice to see people taking their health into their own hands.
Alcohol’s Effects on the Body
There are reasons why we’re seeing people who never struggled with addiction join the sober curious movement. And first on the list is that it’s good for your health. More and more today, people are aware of the things they put into their bodies. It may have started with trans fats and GMOs, but this awareness has spread to everything, including alcohol and tobacco.
Here are a few things alcohol does to the body:
- It dehydrates you — Alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it forces your body to eliminate fluids from the stomach and digestive tract. As a result, your body begins to retain water and leave you dehydrated.
- Insomnia — If you’ve been having an alcoholic beverage as a nightcap, you may want to consider joining this sober curious movement. Alcohol actually has the oppositive effect on sleep, keeping you from the super-restful sleep your body really needs. You may fall asleep easily, but you’re much more likely to experience a night of restless sleep.
- Depresses the central nervous system — Alcohol slows your breathing and lowers heart rate and blood pressure. This can make you feel lethargic, and it’s also responsible for symptoms like slurred speech and lack of coordination.
- Weight gain — Alcohol is an appetite stimulant, which causes you to eat more than you would if you weren’t drinking. And this can lead to weight gain. Alcohol is also a major source of empty calories.
- Increased cancer risk — Alcohol consumption over a long period of time is associated with certain types of cancer, including throat cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, and colon cancer.
Should You Join the Sober Curious Movement?
The term “sober curious” movement comes from the curiosity that many people have about their own drinking habits. Anyone who drinks alcohol is at risk for developing alcoholism, but if you’re drinking enough that you’re questioning whether it’s healthy, it’s probably a good time to put this habit on the shelf.
Among social drinkers, one in ten will become alcoholics, and your odds increase if you have a parent or grandparent who has struggled with alcoholism.
So what is alcoholism exactly?
By definition, alcoholism is the state of being unable to stop drinking. At this point, there’s a physical dependence that keeps you from quitting. So, if you don’t have a drink, you’ll start to feel those physical withdrawal symptoms.
But there are so many steps in between casual drinking and alcoholism, and some of them are very problematic. For example, if you have a habit of binge drinking, you are much more likely to develop alcoholism.
There are many types of drinkers from casual to alcoholic, but the choice is ultimately up to you. If you’re curious about whether your alcohol consumption is problematic, or if you just want to improve your health, the sober curious movement may be right for you. There’s really only one way to find out, and that’s to try it on for size.
