1. Weight Loss
Cutting back on alcohol can help you lose weight.
Alcohol delivers more calories than most people realize; it provides a whopping seven calories per gram. A pint of beer can easily add as many calories as a large slice of pizza; a large glass of white wine is about the same as ice cream. What’s more, calories in alcohol are empty calories as they don’t provide any nutrition at all.
2. Sleeping like a baby
Cutting down on alcohol can help you sleep better. Improved deep and restorative sleep was one of the immediate benefits we experienced when we first stopped drinking alcohol ourselves.
Alcohol decreases the amount of restorative REM sleep during the sleep cycle, and that can leave us feeling tired, anxious and grumpy the next day, or even for days after.
3. You’ll have healthier skin
Quite frankly, you’ll look better. Alcohol dehydrates the body, including your skin. This also lowers the antioxidant defenses in your skin, making it more susceptible to things like sun damage and free radicals.
The good news is that reducing your alcohol intake will allow your body to fix the damage that alcohol does. Add to the anti-ageing properties Chaga and you could find yourself looking your best again.
4. You’ll feel better
Alcohol is a very blunt tool. Yes, it will take the edge off stress on a Friday night. This works because alcohol is a depressant but because of this it will also limit the amount of joy and happiness you’re capable of experiencing.
There is no way to use alcohol to just limit unwanted emotions, it’s all or nothing. The more you drink, the less you feel and experience, good and bad.
Drinking less, and finding different ways to deal with stress, will lead to greater presence and a greater capacity to experience positive emotions. So, if you want to relax open a can of our Reishi, meditate for ten minutes and then see how you feel. Chances are, the pint of beer or glass of chardonnay will have lost its appeal.
5. Healthier gut flora
We’re beginning to learn more and more about the connection between the digestive system and overall health, including mental health.
One of the foundations of digestive health is functioning gut flora.
After alcohol is consumed, it takes between 30 to 60 minutes to enter into the bloodstream. 20% will be absorbed in the stomach and 80% through the small intestine. Once alcohol enters your body, it immediately begins to irritate the digestive system and makes your stomach produce more acid than usual. This is part of the reason why hangovers tend to involve feelings of nausea.
Alcohol can also cause an imbalance of gut bacteria, encouraging the growth of potentially harmful bacteria and harming beneficial bacteria. This can cause inflammation of the gut.
Our gut bacteria support our immune system, help with the absorption of nutrients and even help to maintain gut barrier function. When the balance of gut bacteria is disrupted, the resultant imbalance can give rise to numerous health problems.
How has drinking less alcohol been a benefit to you? Let us know in the comments below.