8 Rarely Mentioned Benefits Of Sobriety
We all know about reclaiming your weekends, improved sleep, and reduced weight but there are so many more benefits to an alcohol-free existence.
Doran Lamb

Doran Lamb

4 days ago·3 min read
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1. Your immune system is stronger.

I used to get sick a lot; flus, colds, whatever was doing the rounds. Right now I’ve been sick once with a virus in 2 years. Alcohol totally f**ks with your immunity.
2. No more slow-brain days.

After a couple of months sober, I noticed I didn’t sit there grimacing because my brain literally hurt to think. Alcohol really dumbs your brain down. Research has found that even those who are not problem drinkers have a reduction in cognitive functions after a heavy night on the booze. But I’m sure you didn’t need research to tell you that right?
3. Skin conditions improve or cease to exist.

There was that whole puffy face before and after drinking thing that took off on the internet, and I also benefited from that. But I also found that my pregnancy and sun-addict-induced melasma disappeared. Plus my skin is noticeably younger and smoother now that I don’t drink. When I show people pictures of me from my drinking days they look at me in horror and say, “Wow you look so much better now.”

Alcohol totally f**ks with your skin.
4. You gain clarity of thought.

This has benefits and disadvantages. The clarity with which you can all of a sudden see situations and sometimes your life choices can be painful. However, it can also provide the impetus to change; it can prevent you from making further mistakes that could hurt you and help you chose the right path in life.
5. Your self-esteem improves.

As you have side-stepped the shame cycle of addiction and are spending less time beating yourself up about things you said when acting the drunken fool, you have fewer things to beat yourself up about. Slowly it sinks in that you’re not that bad a person after all.

Also as you get more quality time you begin to get things done that seemed way too challenging when you were a regular drinker. This ability to be more productive also has an impact on your self-esteem.
6. There is a reduction in anxiety and growth of window of tolerance.

If you previously used to react to situations and were quickly drawn into a fight/flight/fawn/freeze response, this is altered. When I drank, sometimes someone would just have to look at me funny and I would freak out. That’s how small my window of tolerance was.

A good example is if someone I cared about disagreed with me, it would make me panic. My heart would race and depending on the other person I would quickly be thrown out of my window of tolerance and into one of those trauma responses. With some friends, I would fawn and backtrack on my opinion. Since getting sober, it just doesn’t affect me in the same way if someone has a different opinion or someone gives me a funny look.
7. There is a reduction in actual body shame responses.

I used to blush. A lot. Even when I didn’t mean to. Which was awkward. Guess what, I don’t do that anymore.
8. Your feelings about people/places/situations change.

It’s not uncommon to get sober and think, I’m not happy settling for mediocrity anymore or, I’m not going along with the flow anymore. I want something more. So your window of tolerance grows, but it doesn’t mean that you tolerate people, places, or situations more. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Now I am 100% comfortable with saying I don’t want to do something.

When you’re drinking, everything is exciting because you are drinking. Now sitting listening to a guy go on about fish lures at a sticky faux wood bar is no longer quite as appealing and is not how I want to spend my Thursday evening. So I don’t. If I’m having a s**t time somewhere I leave.

There are so many fantastic benefits to sobriety. I am sure you have found many more unusual benefits that I haven’t even noticed yet. Everyone’s journey is different. Own your journey whatever it looks like.
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Me: I’ve been a teetotaler all of my life, from the time when I lived and worked in London and went to lunch at a pub with a guy called Don Tipper. He drank like a fish, could not walk in a straight line and was pretty much ineffective in the office. I decided then that I would not drink or become like him.
I never smoked either – used to steal my fathers Woodbines and smoke them when my parents went out together – this time I was horribly sick afterwards and have never smoked another cigarette, since.
I was in a seniors complex for 11 years – people who smoke, drink alcohol or do both, usually die between 55-65 – I’m 74 and going strong, healthy, fit and happy – should see my 90’s in easily, bearing in mind we only have this life and when we die, we won’t be coming back, so make the most of the time you have here, is what counts for me.
So do you die between 55-65 or maybe live almost twice that amount of time, with the possibility of extending your life even more as new scientific discoveries occur to do just that?
Your life, your choice.