Understanding Alcohol’s Effects: 6 Strategies for Smart Sipping
Part of Warrior Fit Academy’s (WFA) mission is to help heal people from the inside out. We believe in empowering people to heal themselves from within, nurturing their bodies with proper nutrition, and cultivating an environment where holistic health flourishes. Today, I want to dive deep into a topic that often lurks in the shadows of our wellness journey: the effects of alcohol.
I want to make it clear that WFA is not a “dry” program. Choosing to drink will not get you kicked out of the program, and in fact some of our coaches even have a drink from time to time. What we do want our clients to pay attention to is how alcohol affects their bodies, and the role alcohol plays in their life and overall health. We want to educate and empower our clients to be intentional about everything they put in their bodies, whether that’s food or drink, and to be able to make the best choices for their goals and lifestyles.
In this blog post, I want to look at the facts about what alcohol does to our bodies, share some personal stories from clients who have experienced tremendous results from cutting back on alcohol, and provide you with some practical tips on how to be more intentional about your alcohol intake, should you choose to cut back.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
My Story
For those of you who know me or have been following me on social media, you know that I’ve been sober for nearly 18 years now. I had gotten to a point in my life where I didn’t like who I was, I didn’t feel good in my skin, and I knew I needed to make a drastic change. I quit drinking, joined AA, and never looked back!
There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today if I hadn’t made the decision to quit drinking. I know for myself it was the right choice, and I am so grateful for all the support and resources I had to make that choice!
I also know that choosing to drink or choosing to be sober is an incredibly personal choice, and nobody can make it for someone else! That’s why, as a coach and owner of WFA, I prioritize educating people on the topic of alcohol, but ultimately what they choose to do with that information is up to them. All I want is to encourage, support, and empower people to feel good and live their best life!
So let’s take a look at the science behind alcohol.
What Does Alcohol Do?
Heavy drinking or chronic alcoholism comes with a host of issues, but for the purpose of this blog post, we will focus on the immediate effects that casually having a drink or two can have on your body.
1. Affects sleep
Alcohol has been known to cause drowsiness, and it may in fact help people fall asleep easier initially. However, this does not mean you will get a good night of sleep! Once the effects of the drowsiness wears off, your body can get restless, leaving you tossing and turning, or even waking up feeling alert.
Your body continues to process alcohol all night, meaning your organs and functions that normally get time off end up working overtime! Your brain is unable to enter into the REM cycle of sleep your body needs, and you’re more likely to have nightmares or vivid dreams. You might even need to wake up multiple times to use the bathroom. All in all, when you drink, your quality of sleep is the first thing that suffers, and can severely impact your quality of life for the next 24 hours.
2. Digestive issues
Alcohol is categorized as a drug, and has many toxic effects on your digestive system. Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach, causing ulcers and heartburn, and also wreaks havoc in your intestines and colon, causing diarrhea. Alcohol causes inflammation, resulting in weight retention, bloating, and lower energy levels. Not to mention excessive use of alcohol can cause nausea and vomiting.
3. Dehydrates your body
Along with causing you to lose bodily fluids via vomiting or diarrhea, alcohol suppresses the production of a certain hormone that controls the levels of urine your kidneys produce. This means you have to go more often, which can further dehydrate you, and causes stress to your kidneys. Additionally, when people drink they usually forget to drink water, which contributes to dehydration.
4. Weakened immune system
When your body is processing alcohol, it doesn’t produce the amount of white blood cells needed to fight germs. For the first 24 hours after drinking, your immune system is compromised and you are more likely to get sick!
5. Caloric intake
Finally, we can’t ignore the amount of calories alcohol contains. An average beer has about 150 calories, and a serving of red wine has about 120. A margarita can be 250 calories or more. Most alcoholic drinks contain sugary mixers and syrups, which can skyrocket the number of calories in a single drink.
On top of that, alcohol makes you more impulsive and less able to resist the cheese curds or other tempting comfort foods on the menu. It also dulls your sense of being full, causing you to eat more than you normally would.
These are just a few of the short-term effects alcohol can have on your body. For more information, check out this informative article: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/ss/slideshow-alcohol-body-effects
The 30 Day Experiment
When clients join our program, we typically ask them to not drink for the first 30 days. As a result, a handful of clients have either cut back on their drinking or eliminated it altogether even after the 30 days are up. Why do so many choose to change their drinking habits? In short, because the results they experience during those 30 days are incredible!
The results our clients have experienced include:
Less inflammation which equals more energy,
Less bloating
Weight loss
Mental clarity
Focus
More gym gains
Once they experience the incredible results above, they begin to realize that alcohol is not worth it to them! The way they look and feel vastly outweigh the temptation to indulge in a few drinks throughout the week.
If you are curious about what results you might experience , I highly recommend the book, “The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control.” The author offers a judgment-free action plan for anyone who's ever wondered what life without alcohol is like. The best part is you do not need to commit to giving up alcohol forever if you don’t want to; just 30 days!
Drinking With Intention in Social Situations
Most people are “social drinkers,” meaning they tend to drink or drink more in social settings. Whether going out for a girls night, attending a house party or going to a sports event, alcohol plays a huge role in the way our society celebrates. For those wanting to scale back on drinking or quit altogether, this can cause a lot of stress, awkwardness, or a general feeling of missing out.
The best way to be intentional about your alcohol intake and take control of your health is to have a plan! Here are the top six strategies I give to my clients to empower them in social situations.
1. Set your intention
Before you go, make sure you spend some time visualizing your goals, and then set your intention for your choices. Whether that’s committing to not drinking or setting a hard limit of how many drinks, that’s dependent on you and your goals. The important thing is to make the decision beforehand. If you can, let someone know - a trusted friend, a spouse, your coach - so they can help encourage you and hold you accountable.
2. Drink plenty of water
Whether you do or don’t drink alcohol, drinking water is always a win! If you do decide to drink, staying hydrated before, during and after will help flush the toxins out quicker, prevent dehydration, and overall limit the effect alcohol has on your body. A good rule of thumb is to drink a full glass of water after every alcoholic drink. This also helps pace yourself so you don’t drink too much too fast. If you decide not to have any alcohol, drinking water throughout the event can help you hit your hydration goals and help you feel part of the festivities as well.
3. Add extra ice
Asking for or adding extra ice to your drinks helps you limit your intake and can make one drink last longer as the ice melts and mixes in.
4. Eat before or during event
Ensuring your body is well-fed and taken care of can help buffer the harshness of the alcohol on your digestive system, prevent nausea or headaches from developing, and help mitigate cravings that can occur after drinking. If the event doesn’t have food options that align with your goal, either eat beforehand or look into bringing your own food or snacks.
5. Avoid drinking games or shots
Drinking games or doing a round of shots are quick ways to feeling the negative effects of alcohol even more. If you think there may be a chance of those types of drinking activities, communicate to yourself and to your friends that you won’t be participating. This helps set expectations right away so you don’t feel backed into a corner later. Your friends will understand, and there will still be many other ways to celebrate together throughout the night!
6. Choose your tribe
It hurts my heart to say this, but so often the people we view as our closest friends might not actually want to support us and our decisions. If you find yourself being belittled, teased, or pressured by your tribe for your choice to not drink or get drunk, I would strongly encourage you to consider spending your time with people who will respect your decisions and who create an environment that supports you and your goals. This may feel impossible - especially if you’re a chronic people-pleaser - but I promise you that you will thrive so much more when you surround yourself with people who cheer you on instead of tear you down!
If you want to find a community of women who uplift and encourage, join my Holistic Health for Busy Women facebook group! We celebrate each other and are dedicated to building a healthy, positive environment. Plus, there are weekly live trainings, free resources, and fun challenges to participate in!
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this far! This topic is near and dear to my heart, and I really wanted to give space to cover all the different aspects. If there’s one idea I want you to walk away with, it’s this: My goal is to help you heal your body from the inside out by making small, sustainable changes. It’s not my goal to shame anyone for drinking or even to tell people to give up alcohol altogether! All I want is for you to feel empowered to make educated decisions about your own body and health journey.
One thing I would strongly encourage you to do is to write down what alcohol does for you. Your list may look like this:
Helps me wind down after a busy day
Helps me have fun with the girls
Tastes good
Whatever you write down, make another list next to it and see if you can think of any alternatives that can give you that same feeling. For my example above, you might list:
Bubble bath or tea
Sparkling water in a fancy cup
Desert such as a homemade smoothie, sorbet, or Halo ice cream
If you give yourself options, you are more likely to choose something that will have a less negative effect on your body. Remember that your journey to permanent transformation is less about doing everything perfectly, but making small, sustainable changes that intentionally set you on the path toward your best life.
If you decide to do the 30 day experiment, let me know! I’d love to hear how it goes for you and how I can support you if you want!
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