All The Good Stuff That Happens To Your Body When You Take A Break From Alcohol
By Alana Wulff on
There’s nothing quite like going out with your mates for a big night or two (or three), but there’s also nothing as satisfying as realising you’ve managed to sidestep another time-wasting, hangry hangover.
Making the decision to hit the reset button and take a break from booze isn’t just liberating, it’s a sure-fire way to save your cash and get your mental and physical health back on track. So, with Dry July just around the corner, here are just some of the best reasons to contemplate hitting snooze on the booze.
Your Sleep Improves
Is there anything more annoying than waking up at 3am because those delicious yet devious wines and beers have messed with your sleep patterns? Drinking, especially if you’re indulging on a regular basis, can...
Why alcohol makes you feel warm – and other strange effects it has on the brain
By Claire Roston on
Alcohol: why do we drink it? People have been consuming alcohol for at least 10,000 years. And when drinking water was rather risky, alcohol seemed a much safer bet. Amaldus of Villanova, a 14th-century monk, even wrote that alcohol “prolongs life, clears away ill humors, revives the heart and maintains youth”.
Today people will give you many reasons for their decision to drink and most of these reflect the effects it has on mind and brain. But before you get too sozzled, one thing is for sure: it is certainly not a safer, healthier bet than water.
1. It tastes nice
It depends on what you are drinking (some drinks like alcopops contain more sugar) and people obviously have different taste preferences. The fact that ethanol is...
Watermelon Crush
By The Mindful Mocktail on
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced watermelon
- 25 mls lime juice
- 10 mint leaves
- Splash of apple cider vinegar, optional
Method
- Muddle watermelon, lime and optional apple cider vinegar in a shaker or mason jar until all the juice is released from the watermelon. If you don't have a muddler, use the back end of a wooden spoon.
- Clap the mint leaves together in your hands to release the scent and add it to the watermelon mixture. Give the mint a gentle press with the muddler.
- Add a few ice cubes, replace the lid and shake well.
- Strain into a small ice filled glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel and extra mint.
Note: if you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can blend the watermelon, lime, apple cider vinegar and mint together, then strain into an ice filled...
Who Needs A Healthy Liver?
By Dr Cris Beer on
For the first few years that I worked as a general practitioner I had underestimated the liver's significant role in the general wellbeing of my patients. I had learnt that the liver was important from a physiological point of view and that it helped keep us alive, but I hadn't fully considered how it keeps us feeling well on a day-to-day basis.
I had been taught how to detect liver-function abnormalities in blood testing and how to feel for an enlarged or tender liver - all signs of obvious and severe liver damage. But as for understanding liver damage well before any obvious clinical signs begin to show, I was completely in the dark. I had seen severe liver damage from chronic alcoholism and from liver disease such as hepatitis, but...
Think before you drink: alcohol's calories end up on your waistline
By Veronique Chachay on
Alcoholic drinks should all carry calorie counts according to a leading UK public health doctor writing in the BMJ today, because of their contribution to obesity. Fiona Sim, Chair of the UK Royal Society for Public Health, writes that while adults who drink may be getting as much as 10% of their daily calories from alcohol, most people are unaware drinking contributes to their energy intake.
Although her data are from local surveys, Sims is absolutely right in highlighting the silent role of alcohol on weight gain. The lack of information about the energy content of alcoholic beverages is likely contributing to an underestimation of consumed energy.
Given the equilibrium between “energy in” and “energy out” is a constant balancing act...
Rose Lemonade
By The Mindful Mocktail on
This pretty, refreshing drink is perfect for one or a crowd. It looks so pretty served in a jug for guests, just increase the quantities.
Ingredients
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sweetener of your choice
1/3 cup rose dried rose petals (found in health food shops)
Lemon juice
Sparkling water
- Add water and sweetener to a small saucepan and dissolve over medium-high heat. Don’t let it boil - you don’t want to water to evaporate!
- Turn heat to low, add rose petals and stir.
- Leave on low until the colour fades from the petals. It will only take a few minutes. You can remove from the heat and leave it longer to seep if you want a deeper flavour/colour.
- Strain and leave to cool.
To Serve
- Place 2 TBS rose syrup into each glass.
- Add...
How To Get A Good Night Sleep
By Melissa Ingram on
Every single one of us needs to simply stop and recharge – regularly! Most of us have experience times where stress is high, deadlines are tight and yet we still seem to be able to move mountains. On the flip side, I can guarantee that all of us have also experienced periods of the same pressure yet feel we are not firing on all cylinders – resulting in lower quality of work being produced or it taking longer to complete.
Allow your body enough time each night to recharge. Start with attempting to get 7 – 8 hours of quality sleep every night. We are all different with regards to the amount of sleep we require to operate optimally, however the average 7 – 8 hours is a great place to start. While we sleep we unplug from our lives and...
A year after I quit alcohol, this is what has changed
By ABC Everyday / By Flip Prior on
"Will you go back to drinking?" It's a question I've faced a lot lately.
I don't blame people for asking; after almost 12 months of publicly not consuming a drop, the question of "What next?" has just as frequently crossed my own mind — especially as we hurtled through the festive season and into early 2020.
The answer? Right now I'm still leaning towards… probably not? Highly unlikely? I doubt it? It's not quite a hard no — but definitely not a yes.
At times, I have had a sense that some people think I've white-knuckled my way through this year, stubbornly refusing all offers of alcohol to prove a point, looking forward eagerly to the day I can pick up a shot glass and knock it back.
But reaching my original goal now feels more like an...
Eat well to make the most of Dry July
By Anne Finch on
Taking a break from booze is absolutely one of the best things you can do for your health. Not only are you giving your liver (and other organs!) a break, but you can expect these benefits:
- Better sleep – alcohol might help us fall asleep, but it leads to poorer quality sleep
- Less bar snacks – drinking stirs hunger, and can also lead to sub-optimal food choices (I’m looking at you late-night doner kebab)
- Less hangover remedies – greasy bacon and eggs, sugary drinks and fast food are pretty common on Sunday morning, meaning the effects of your weekend drag on
- More movement – not being glued to the couch recovering means more opportunities to get out and about
If you’re looking for even more ways to treat your body right, we’ve got some...