Drinking has been part of our lives since then. We drink at various events and celebrations where alcohol has been the show stopper. Well, adults are one of the main drinkers and they drink for more than they can.
Thus, there are things the alcohol affects us on the run. As we spend more time drinking alcohol, we can have various health concerns that need to be addressed, side effects in the easiest terms. One of which is our mental health.
How does alcohol affect our cognitive aspects? Let’s find out then.
Alcohol & Mental Health
What is the Connection? Alcohol and mental state somehow correlate to each other. Not solely, but because of its effect on the mind. Drinking might give you relaxation at first thus, in the long run, it will affect your mental state that might be hard to deal with.
Some situations affect our cognitive aspect, which includes serious mental health issues like depression that become harder to deal with. That is why we should not drink alcoholic beverages too much when we are in facing personal problems.
That is why you must remember alcohol affects not only your physical health but also your mental health.
What is Mindful Drinking?
This is where mindful drinking walks in. Mindful drinking is all about how aware you are of your alcohol intake. Aside from that, it all goes down and why you are considering being mindful of drinking. Some considerations come for choice or improvement of health conditions. Well, talking about health, what maybe are the benefits of being a mindful drinker?
What are the Benefits of Mindful Drinking?
Drinking moderately promotes various benefits that we could think of. Despite the claims that alcohol is not good for your health, it has been on the lifestyle of many of us. Thus, despite this, it will still harm your health if done too much, yet mindful drinking will not.
Here are some of the benefits to practice mindful drinking.
1. Wake goodbye to hangovers.
One of the hardest things when drinking is its effect when you woke up the next day. Especially if you drank too much, surely a hangover will hit you hard. Thus, if you control your alcohol intake, it will most likely result in a less hangover effect.
2. Provides energy for exercise.
Drinking too much will drain your energy in the run. That is why having your control will protect you from consuming all your energy at once. Your body will still be able to perform tasks with ease, most likely when exercising.
3. Makes you feel fresh & confident.
Like how it affects your energy, you will also end up feeling dull and tired. Drinking too much affects your skin and overall state in the long run. That is why it is important to keep your control on drinking to make your body proactive.
4. Helps you sleep better.
Drinking alcohol is said to be a key to better sleep, as it has sedative effects that are considered a depressant to the nervous system. Thus, this could be beneficial if you control drinking for too much alcohol intake before sleeping could make it harder for you to fall asleep. That is why you need to check your alcohol intake if you are experiencing sleep problems.
5. Provides a healthier lifestyle.
Controlling your alcohol intake will reduce some risks that might affect your body. Thus, you must do some corresponding actions like getting enough sleep right before and after and eating before drinking, as it will be of great help to promote a healthier lifestyle while drinking.
6. Better heightened immune system.
As we have said with the healthier lifestyle, drinking moderately will put you away from risks. It will not harm your body thus promote a better heightened immune system that will be your guard against diseases. That is why it is important to properly control your alcohol intake to protect you in the long run.
How to Practice Mindful Drinking?
Several ways might help you in practicing mindful drinking. You just need to follow these tips to give you an idea of how to manage your alcohol intake.
1. Game Plan in Advance.
Make a plan on how much alcohol intake you must have per day or week. You must strictly follow the game plan to be more aware of the status of your intake.
2. Making a Drinking or Alternative.
Try making a drink that is an alternative to make your drinking lesser. Fruit shakes or juices are some of the alternative drinks to refrain you from drinking occasionally. Thus we know it is challenging to stop drinking at once so you just need to practice mindful drinking.
3. Be Aware of Your Limits.
This is the most important tool to practice mindful drinking. You must know when to stop and when to drink, as it will be of great help to more of a responsible drinker.
4. Plan Some Drink-free Distractions.
Try to distract yourself away from drinking too much. Entertain yourself by doing some activities such as exercising that will reduce the chance for you to be hooked back in drinking.
5. Savor your Drink.
Try to drink slowly. You must not drink on a fast range and just savor your drink so that you will not be drinking too much.
6. Pause & Evaluate
Pause & Evaluate Whether Each Drink Supports you. Do not drink over your capability, just drink wisely.
To know about mindful drinking, you can check out this Mindfulness, Zenfulspirit.com link.
Bottom Line
Drinking doesn’t solely mean bad for the health, but too much does. That is why it is important to watch your alcohol intake to know whether it is still right. Also, just be aware of how much alcohol you can tolerate so that you will not end up with problems eventually.
