Need an excuse to take a break from alcohol? Bin the booze this October with our favourite health related benefits you can expect from ditching the strong stuff…
Clearer Skin
Notice how skin tends to look a little worse for wear after a night out? This is because alcohol dehydrates your entire body, including your skin. Excessive consumption of alcohol is thought to deplete the skin of vital vitamins and nutrients, resulting in a sullen and lacklustre appearance. Skin ailments such as rosacea, a skin condition that causes flushing in the cheeks, is commonly linked to alcohol intake.
Beat the bloat
As well as causing unsightly skin breakouts, alcohol can lead to bloating and puffiness in the face and stomach. The balance of water within the body is a delicate one that can be thrown out of whack by various conditions, diseases and certain aspects of our diets. Alcohol happens to be a major culprit when it comes to water retention, one of the main causes of bloating. Additionally, the toxins in alcohol are thought to contribute to the build up of cellulite – no thanks!
Loved up liver
If you regularly consume alcohol, it’s time to give your liver some love. Whilst some may think that it’s the livers job to break down toxic substances such as alcohol, filtering alcohol out of the body is only one of the livers 500+ vital functions. Said simply, this means it can only handle so much alcohol at a time, with the excess alcohol left to circulate in your bloodstream negatively affecting your brain, heart and other tissues – yikes!
If that’s not enough to get you to give up that odd glass of prosecco or vodka lime and soda, then hopefully this will! This October, Macmillan Cancer Support is challenging the UK to Go Sober for a whole month. Running from the 1st-31st of October, by taking part in Go Sober for October, you will help Macmillan provide practical, medical and financial support for people affected by cancer so no one faces cancer alone. As an added bonus, Macmillan have partnered with Hotpod yoga to bring FREE yoga classes to those participating in the challenge.
Nick Higgins and Max Henderson, co-founders of Hotpod Yoga who are taking part this year, share their tips for rising to the Go Sober challenge.
– Take up something else – fill your former-drinking-time with something new and refreshing: Yoga?! We’re putting special Sober October classes throughout October, for free, just for Sober Hero’s taking part in the challenge
– Appreciate the benefits – like it or not, drinking’s not good for you. Revel in the clarity of mind, the quality of sleep, the openness of your body. Enjoy it.
– Consider the impact – Macmillan is pretty amazing. 10 seconds of thought as to the impact your hard-raised ££ is having should set you right in no time.
– Seek the crowd – it’s a great thing to have support on – seek comfort and companionship in other no-drinkers. That’s why we’re trying to get people together at our free class at prime drinking time!
To get involved, round up your fellow hip & healthies and head over to www.gosober.org.uk, sign up, and look forward to swapping gin for juice this autumn!
MORE: How To Boost Your Immune System This Autumn
SHARE THIS STORY
