Story by Julia Ries Wexler

This Health.com article, taken from msn.com, may have been seen by some, but for those who have not, please take the few minutes it will require to read it. The reasons laid out in the article make a compelling argument for curtailing the drinking of alcoholic beverages.

I do not wish to belabor the point concerning the importance of this article by attempting to summarize its points. It is my desire to let the research and resultant findings speak for themselves. I would only say that the decision to drink can have (or may already have had) a huge impact on the quality of life enjoyed or, contrarily, its deleterious effect on overall health.

I am foregoing the obvious controversial or subjective reasons regarding the issue of drinking.

The Health.com article, written by Julia Ries Wexler and published August 29, 2025, follows:

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

• A new Gallup poll shows U.S. drinking is at a 90-year low, with only about half of adults reporting alcohol use.
• Cutting back on alcohol can lower cancer risk, improve heart health, boost mood, and help with sleep and weight management.
• With today’s alcohol-free options, there’s little downside to cutting back—most people feel healthier and enjoy even richer social lives.

By now, it’s clear that Americans are drinking less. You see it in grocery stores and bars, where zero-proof cocktails and non-alcoholic beers are more available than ever. You also see it in the data: A recent Gallup poll found that the drinking rate in the United States is the lowest it’s been in 90 years, with only about 54% of American adults reporting that they consume alcohol.1 [Gallup. U.S. drinking rate at new low as alcohol concerns surge.]

The shift comes amid mounting research on the negative health effects of alcohol, as well as growing warnings from public health experts about the long-term risks tied to nightly glasses of wine or regular weekend binge drinking.

As drinking falls out of favor, you might be asking what cutting back—or quitting entirely—might do to your body. Here’s what three doctors had to say.

Better Sleep

Most immediately, skipping alcohol is likely to improve your sleep. “With less alcohol, you will feel better rested and less cognitively slow in the morning,” said Joseph Schacht, PhD, an associate professor in psychiatry who specializes in substance dependence at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

While alcohol may help you drift off, staying asleep is another matter. “You will often wake up either because you have to go to the bathroom, to get some water because you are dehydrated, or because the alcohol has disrupted your sleep cycle,” said Keith Humphreys, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine. 

Research shows that alcohol can delay, shorten, and prevent rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the phase associated with improved creativity, well-being, and longevity.

Improved Mood

Alcohol may make you feel relaxed and uninhibited in the short term, but as a depressant, it can ultimately worsen your mental health. In fact, many people experience anxiety or panic attacks the day after drinking, according to Schacht.2 [Kim Y, Kim J, Oh JW, Lee S. Association between drinking behaviors, sleep duration, and depressive symptoms. Sci Rep. 2024.]

There are a few reasons why this can happen. For one, studies have found that drinking can cause abnormalities in the amygdala, the brain region that regulates negative emotions, and those changes may impair how people respond to stress.3 [Anker JJ, Kushner MG. Co-occurring alcohol use disorder and anxiety: bridging psychiatric, psychological, and neurobiological perspectives. Alcohol Res. 2019.] Furthermore, alcohol can affect the production of brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, all of which play roles in mood regulation.4 [Castle ME, Flanigan ME. The role of brain serotonin signaling in excessive alcohol consumption and withdrawal: a call for more research in females. Neurobiol Stress. 2024.]; 5 [Dharavath RN, Pina-Leblanc C, Tang VM, et al. GABAergic signaling in alcohol use disorder and withdrawal: pathological involvement and therapeutic potential. Front Neural Circuits. 2023.]

“Reducing the amount you drink will help your brain better regulate these neurotransmitters and make you feel more even-keeled,” Schacht said.

Furthermore, poor sleep—another problem triggered by alcohol—is linked to various mental health issues. Because cutting out alcohol can improve sleep, it may also lower your risk of developing a mental health condition.

A Lower Risk of Cancer

“Of the factors that we can control, reducing your alcohol intake can significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer over time,” said Edward DaVeiga, MD, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

That’s because, even in moderation, drinking alcohol can increase your risk of many types of cancers, including those of the head and neck, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and rectum, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.6 [National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol’s effects on the body.]

Alcohol raises the risk of cancer because our body converts ethanol into acetaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen, said DaVeiga.

Additionally, alcohol can damage DNA, impair the body’s ability to absorb important nutrients, including vitamins A, C, D, E, and some in the vitamin B complex, and make it easier for the mouth and throat to absorb harmful chemicals. Over time, all of these changes can contribute to cancer.

Enhanced Cardiovascular Health

Alcohol has been linked to many heart problems, including stroke, heart attack, and heart failure. According to DaVeiga, this is because alcohol triggers inflammation that can tax your cardiovascular system.

Alcohol also contains calories and can contribute to weight gain.  Schacht said excess weight can reduce metabolism, increase your appetite for high-calorie foods, and interfere with hormones that regulate weight.9 [Powell-Wiley TM, Poirier P, Burke LE, et al. Obesity and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021.] That, in turn, can lead you to develop cardiovascular risk factors such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension.

On the flip side, many people lose weight when they stop drinking, which helps lower those risk factors and reduce strain on the heart. “Most people who drink regularly will lose at least a few pounds if they eliminate alcohol from their diets,” Schacht said.

Fewer Harmful Incidents

When you drink less, you may also find that you experience fewer harmful events. According to Humphreys, alcohol is linked to not just a higher risk of both serious accidents, such as car accidents, but also more minor mishaps, such as tripping, spilling your coffee on yourself, or forgetting to take medication.10 [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Impaired driving facts.] A recent report found that roughly 4.5 million people worldwide died from injuries in 2019, of which 7% were alcohol related.11 [Chikritzhs T, Livingston M. Alcohol and the risk of injury. Nutrients. 2021.]

Alcohol is a neurotoxin and a central nervous system depressant. As such, it can impair balance, judgment, behavior, and reaction time, research shows. “Alcohol both reduces physical coordination and impairs concentration and memory,” Humphreys said.

Is There a Downside?

As for the negatives of quitting drinking, they are few and far between. Some people may worry that being the only non-drinker in their social circle could feel lonely or isolating. But with the rise of alcohol-free wines, beers, and cocktails, staying social and sober is much easier than it used to be, Humphreys noted.

In fact, people who quit or cut down often find that their social lives actually improve because they feel less anxious, better rested, and more confident with their bodies, according to Schacht.

“One of the single best things you can do to improve your health,” he said, “is to cut down on or stop drinking alcohol.”

Read the original article on Health