Alcohol

Life-Changing Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol for 1 Month

What happens when you stop drinking alcohol for a month? Quitting alcohol is an important goal for those that are addicted to it.

If you’re concerned about the negative long-term side effects, you might be encouraged to change your alcoholic lifestyle. Breaking free from alcoholism is a positive change that gives you the freedom to live a better life.

You can achieve many benefits of not drinking alcohol. Here are the key advantages you achieve when you commit to no alcohol for a month.

Mental Health Benefits of Not Drinking Alcohol

Living an alcohol-free month is the best choice you can make to improve your mental health. It is common knowledge that alcohol is a dangerous substance that harms the brain. Making the effort to give up on alcohol helps to relieve stress and makes you feel better about yourself.

When you quit drinking, your brain functions at optimal levels. The elimination of alcohol from your life begins with a visit to a coastal recovery center. These professionals can help you commit to your goals and helping you to lower your alcohol intake.

Liver Health

The liver is the most important organ in the body to remove toxins. Consuming large amounts of alcohol is harmful to the liver and leads to serious health issues. Some common liver disorders include hepatitis and cirrhosis. 

The liver also repairs itself when necessary. If you decide to give up on booze, the liver will regenerate itself to fix existing problems. Freeing yourself from alcohol prevents the liver from getting worse.

Sleep Improvement

Eliminating alcohol improves your sleep habits. Some people are unaware that drinking too much alcohol prevents them from entering into a deep sleep cycle. Daily drinking can also lead to severe cases of insomnia.

As a sober person, you have a better chance of being more healthy by improving the quality of your sleep. 

Prevent Heart Attacks

Quitting alcohol helps in the prevention of heart attacks, heart disease, heart failure, and other related problems. If you’re dedicated to your sobriety for one month, you can achieve cardiovascular health.

Alcohol affects the function of the heart because it increases your triglycerides, which causes an increase in high cholesterol levels. Too much alcohol also interferes with blood circulation throughout the body. Therefore, quitting alcohol improves the function of your heart and helps you to live a longer life.

Weight Loss

Weight loss is a wonderful benefit when you quit drinking alcohol. Alcoholics gain weight because of alcohol is stored in the body as sugar. It is this storage that converts to fat.

If you focus on losing weight, you can achieve your weight loss goals by not drinking. You have a chance of shedding pounds when you quit beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.

An Alcohol-Free Month Improves Your Health

Are you ready to reap the benefits of not drinking alcohol? When you give up on drinking, you have the peace of mind that your overall health will return to its normal function.

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What to Expect in a Drug and Alcohol Rehab Program

Seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction is no easy task. But accessing a rehab facility is an important step towards your healthy future. Here’s what you can expect and why you shouldn’t be afraid.

Even when we’re suffering, we fear dramatic change. You know that your life will transform once you enter the path to recovery. But entering treatment is likely easier than the life your leading now.

That’s because you will have professionals with you for every step. You’ll interact with peers enduring the same struggles as you. And you have resources to help you build a better life.

Lost touch with friends and family? Rehab is an opportunity to invite them back into your life. That’s because you’re showing them you’re doing something about your problem.

Best of all, you won’t be treated like a bad person. You are an unwell person deserving of treatment.

Why Do I Need Rehab?

Too many addicts avoid getting treatment. In 2013, only 7.8% of US alcoholics get the treatment they needed. Drug and alcohol-related deaths are tragic and unnecessary given the options available.

Many addicts see recovery as some impossible achievement. They feel trapped in their habits and daily struggles with their abuse. At rehab, they learn it’s a gradual process they take one day at a time.

The most important element is your own motivation. You don’t need to walk through the doors fired up for recovery. You can enter the care of professionals and work with them towards wellness.

Visit Detox First

The first barrier to many addicts is detox. Most rehabilitation centers require patients to be sober. You need to visit a detox center to get clean before you begin.

Detox is strictly a process to relieve you from chemical dependency. You won’t need to make any life changes during this time. That’s why many users leave detox and simply pick up again.

You can see your treatment through. You won’t bounce between highs and lows anymore. And you’ll see a better standard of living right away.

Choose a Facility

Choosing your treatment space is another challenge. There are luxurious facilities that provide a wide range of services. But even public facilities provide the core resources you need.

Choose a facility with great reviews and the right cost. Work with your family to choose a location that’s right for you. Above all you want regular, personal attention from counselors and professionals.

Find a rehab facility local to sober friends and family. If you live in Pennsylvania, find a Pennsylvania rehabilitation facility near you.

5 Things to Expect Once Your Inside

The first thing to do when you enter a facility is congratulate yourself. You will have completed the first big challenge in your recovery. Now, relax and focus solely on your treatment moving forward.

You have only one goal starting now: recovery. All aspects of the outside world can be put aside. Money, employment, or school should not be of concern.

Here are five things to expect once you begin rehabilitation. As you invest in these benefits, be self-aware. You may notice social and psychological improvements right away.

1. Intake

The intake process will begin the moment you’re admitted. This is an important step often overlooked by new patients. Doctors and counselors will use intake information to plan your treatment.

Be as open and honest as possible about your struggles. These are the last people in the world to judge you. Share psychological issues, all addiction problems, and any self-destructive habits at this time.

2. Managing Withdrawal

Even with detox, you will likely experience withdrawal symptoms. These will range from shaky hands for alcoholics to dejectedness and depression.

Your caregivers can help to treat these effects. Communicate with them about your mental, physical, and emotional symptoms. They will prescribe medication or invite you to see a counselor if you need.

3. Therapy

Therapy takes many forms in rehab. You will likely see a regular counselor and psychiatrist. You may not see your doctor often because of other patients. But your counselor will be with you at least once per week.

If you have psychological issues, you may see a therapist. Rehab therapists work with you not only on psychiatric issues. They will help you readjust to a normal human life as well.

This may involve behavioral therapy, group therapy, or both. Behavioral therapy will help you manage daily stresses and social interactions. Group therapy will help you find commonality with other patients and add a healthy social component to your life.

4. Wellness

You probably were not taking the best care of yourself before. Those habits can stick with you just as much as your addiction. Rehab professionals will help you develop a healthier lifestyle in general.

They’ll start by feeding you three regular meals. You may have access to regular snacks and beverages as well. You need to build up your physical strength so you can engage in proper treatment.

They will also encourage healthy habits. This will be a key part of your therapy and work with your counselor. It behooves you to stick with these methods as they’re an often-overlooked part of your recovery.

These habits may include artistic expression, mental exercises, or journaling. Journaling is an excellent habit as it helps you track your progress. Check your entries after two or three weeks and you’ll notice your attitude has improved since then.

Organizing your thoughts in this way is a healthy habit. It allows you to address your issues one step at a time. You will get some practice with the written word again as well.

5. Post-Treatment Preparation

Your caregivers will begin talking about your treatment in relation to reentry to your life. They will not simply kick you out the door unprepared. Keep in mind, your treatment doesn’t leave once you leave.

You will likely be asked to participate in out-patient treatment. This is a great way to keep treatment front and center as you readjust to daily life. You will have access to critical care and resources this way.

They will make sure you understand your addiction through and through. The more you understand your mind and tendencies, the less likely you’ll relapse. They may encourage you to join a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) as well.

“To compare is to despair.” This is your journey, not anyone else’s. Keep track of your own progress outside of the very different progress of others.

You will be amazed as to what this experience will bring you in the long term. But don’t be fooled–it is indeed a gradual path to get there. Don’t doubt yourself as you make steady progress every day.

Resources for Writers of All Kinds

Someday you’ll tell your unbelievable story. Learn more about great writing and journaling at ArticleCity.com.

Visit us to access tips and resources for new writers. We have resources for addiction recovery writers just like you.

7 Tips To Promote Your Alcohol Recovery Blog

The road to alcohol recovery is a long and difficult one. It is a roller coaster of emotions and obstacles that sometimes make the temptation to go back overwhelming. Another reason why the road is so difficult to walk is because it never ends.

Reading about others’ roads to alcohol recovery helps, though. It lets others know they are not alone in their struggles. Additionally, building a successful alcohol recovery blog will let you know that you aren’t alone in your own struggles.

How To Promote Your Alcohol Recovery Blog

There are several marketing tactics that you can use to make your blog a success. The most important tactics, though, are as follows.

1. Create High-Quality Content

It goes without saying that if you want your blog to be a success, it has to contain high-quality content.

To produce such content, your blog needs to be unique. It needs to tell your story and what you’ve learned about your various struggles. Talk about how you took back control of your life.

Content like that is powerful stuff and allows your audience to connect with you on a personal level.

Something else you might consider including is statistics and quotes from experts. Facts speak volumes about your commitment to publishing reliable content. When it comes to alcohol addiction, they also stir powerful emotions in your readers.

Additionally, consider placing original images such as infographics and photos in your blogs. Humans are stimulated visually, so such inclusions grab your audience members who prefer viewing over reading.

2. Implement SEO

You could make a million great blog posts about self-improvement. But no one will read them if no one knows they’re there.

Search engine optimization (SEO) will help readers find your blog. SEO entails certain tried and true web tactics that enable consumers to easily find relevant content. Common tactics are as follows.

• keyword usage
• backlinking to internal links and credible external links
• tailoring content to target audiences

In the case of an alcohol recovery blog, your target audience is recovering alcoholics and their friends and family members. You may also want to include anyone wanting general information about the recovery process. Regardless, you need to tailor your content so it speaks directly to your target audience.

When writing, don’t forget to include keywords. Your keywords are the words potential readers are most likely to search. Include those words not only in your blog content but also in your headers, meta descriptions, and images’ alternative text.

When you backlink to your past content, you increase that content’s engagement. Including links to credible websites such as Alcoholics Anonymous and the National Institute on Drug Abuse boosts your own credibility. Additionally, search engines are more likely to rank your blog high if you’ve included internal and external links in your content.

You can track and analyze your blog’s engagement via Google Analytics.

3. Use Social Media

Another must for leading traffic to your blog is social media.

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have the advantage of already having an audience. Your purpose on social media is to attract the portion of that audience that includes your target audience.

You can do this a few different ways. First, follow and like bloggers who also write about alcohol recovery. Doing so will put you on those bloggers and their followers’ radar.

Next, use hashtags to draw followers who also use those hashtags. Make sure the hashtags are relevant to your blog.

Finally, post links to your content. Use social media to tell your followers when you have new content available. The links will take them to the content, boosting your blog’s traffic.

4. Develop A Schedule

Developing a schedule has a few different benefits.

First, it will get you in the habit of posting new content regularly. In turn, your followers will expect new content from you regularly.

Second, you will know when you have a great window of opportunity for posting new content. Every search engine and social media platform experience higher traffic rates during certain times of the day. If you post then, you will increase your chances of engagement.

5. Engage Followers

Having great content and maintaining a social media presence isn’t enough. If you want to build a solid follower base, you need to interact with your followers.

Likewise, the online community is a kind of recovery village full of those who are part of your target audience. To become known in The Recovery Village, you must engage in conversation with the members thereof.

When followers comment on your blog entries, respond right away. Do the same when they comment on your social media posts. Engaging them in conversation shows them that you care what they have to say.

But don’t just engage your followers. Engage your fellow bloggers as well as subject matter experts in conversation. Developing friendships with them will cement your position as an expert within the online community.

6. Host or Participate in Events

Once you have established yourself, a great way to reach even more readers is hosting or participating in events.

The Internet has proven an ideal platform for various events, including contests, interviews, and webinars. Often, companies and organizations use these Internet events to advertise their wares. They invite well-known bloggers and other influencers to host or participate.

As part of the bargain, influencers gain extra exposure from their participation. They are also sometimes associated with the company thereafter.

7. Develop An E-Mail List

Some people don’t check social media often. Others aren’t willing to get online just to check your blog for new content. The best option to keep those people invested in you is developing an e-mail list.

That way, you can send them alerts when you publish new content. You can also follow up with readers who were maybe on the verge of engaging but held out for whatever reason.

E-mails feel personal, especially when they come from an individual and not a company or organization. A small nudge in e-mail form from you likely will be all it takes to entice those readers into engagement.

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