Improve your health with drink-free days

The good news is taking more drink-free days each week has lots of benefits for your health. Get to know the facts and use these to motivate you to cut back and feel better.

Know the cancer risks

Alcohol can cause seven types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth throat, liver, bowel and breast. The more you drink on a regular basis the greater your risk. 

Lose weight, get in shape

Did you know that a glass of wine amounts to around the same calories as a small bar of chocolate? And that three pints of typical lager (4% abv) have around the same calories as two cheeseburgers. Enjoying more drink-free days each week can help you cut back on the empty calories in alcoholic drinks, maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risks of type-2 diabetes, heart disease and several types of cancer.

Look after your liver

We all know that alcohol affects the liver but what’s scary is you generally won’t realise if damage has occurred until there’s a serious problem. Enjoying several drink-free days each week reduces the risk of developing liver disease.

Lower high blood pressure

Regular drinking is a common cause of high blood pressure. Untreated High Blood Pressure (hypertension) rarely has symptoms but if left untreated it can lead to mid-life strokes and heart attacks. Cutting back on the amount you drink each week is a good way to lower high blood pressure and improve your health. But never stop taking your prescribed blood pressure medication without consulting your doctor.

Protect your sex life

Hard to talk about but important to know: Over time drinking alcohol regularly can cause long term problems with your sex life and lead to impotence. The good news is that, if you're a man, cutting down on the amount you drink each week can help prevent erectile dysfunction and low libido.

Sleep better, feel better

Rather than helping us nod off, alcohol interrupts the sleep pattern your body needs to repair itself. What’s more, both alcohol and lack of quality sleep are linked to depression and anxiety. So, drinking less each week helps your chances of a good night’s sleep and it can improve your overall mental health too.