Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Alcohol

What Is Alcohol?

Alcohol (ethanol) is a psychoactive substance found in drinks like wine, beer, and spirits.

While small amounts may feel relaxing or social, alcohol is in any amount a toxin that affects brain, liver, heart, digestion, hormones, and mental health.

Alcohol use increases the risk of addiction, mood disorders, and physical disease.

Alcohol and the Brain - The Mind-Body Connection

Alcohol changes how your brain communicates, especially through:

  • Neurotransmitters – alcohol boosts GABA (relaxation) but disrupts serotonin and dopamine balance.

  • Stress response – alcohol can temporarily reduce stress but increases cortisol afterward.

  • Brain chemistry – over time, it rewires reward pathways, raising risk for depression, anxiety, and addiction.

  • Sleep cycles – alcohol reduces deep and REM sleep, harming recovery and mental wellbeing.

How alcohol affects mental and physical health

Research shows alcohol negatively impacts both body and mind:

  • Mood disorders: higher risk of depression, anxiety, and irritability.

  • Cognition: impairs memory, focus, and decision-making. Alcohol affects all system in the brain by interfering with neural communication. Alcohol causes neural degeneration and brain shrinkage .

  • Sleep quality: disrupts restorative sleep, leaving fatigue and brain fog.

  • Gut health: damages microbiome balance, increasing inflammation.

  • Long-term risk: linked to cancer, liver disease, heart disease, and dementia.

Signs of alcohol’s impact

  • Poor sleep or frequent waking at night

  • Fatigue or low energy

  • Mood swings, irritability, or low mood

  • Brain fog or poor concentration

  • Anxiety or restlessness

  • Digestive issues (bloating, diarrhoea, reflux)

  • Skin changes (redness, breakouts, premature aging)

  • Strong alcohol cravings or difficulty cutting back

How to Reduce Alcohol’s Impact

1. Set Clear Boundaries

Decide in advance how much and how often you drink. Try alcohol-free days each week.

2. Alternatives

Choose kombucha, sparkling water with lime, mocktails, or alcohol-free beer/wine.

3. Support Detoxification

Eat liver-supporting foods like broccoli, kale, garlic, onions, turmeric, and beets. Stay hydrated.

4. Protect Your Gut

Balance alcohol intake with probiotic and prebiotic foods (e.g. sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, yoghurt, kombucha, vegetables).

5. Manage Stress Without Alcohol

Use breathing, mindfulness, exercise, or social connection instead of reaching for a drink.

You can check out mindfulness practices by clicking here

6. Prioritise Sleep

Avoid alcohol before bed. Focus on 7–9 hours of restorative sleep.

Stop plan: how to taper off alcohol

In order to reduce and stop your alcohol intake consider the following step plan. In fact, not drinking alcohol leads to the following benefits:

  • Better sleep

  • Improved energy

  • Losing weight

  • Reduced risk of cancer

  • Better absorption of nutrients

  • Lower blood pressure

  • Better heart health

  • Improvement of existing conditions

Especially if you drink heavily or daily, quitting alcohol may be challenging and completely stopping from one day to the next may not be safe. It is important to perform a gradual taper to avoid withdrawal symptoms and risks.

Step 1: Assess your starting point

  • Start a diary

  • Track your current drinking for 1–2 weeks (amount, times, triggers).

  • Calculate units of alcohol (see guide below).

  • Be honest about frequency and cravings.

Step 2: Set realistic goals

  • Choose a quit date or a reduction timeline (cutting down by maximum 10% each week).

  • Plan one alcohol-free day per week to break habitual drinking patterns.

Step 3: Taper gradually

  • Reduce volume and strength of drinks (e.g., switch from spirits → wine → beer → alcohol-free). Remember to cut down by maximum 10% of units of alcohol per week.

  • Space drinks out with water or non-alcoholic alternatives.

  • Avoid “binge and compensate” patterns—keep it steady.

Step 4: Support your body with good nutrition

  • Eat balanced meals (protein, vegetables, healthy fats) to stabilise blood sugar.

  • Take liver-supportive foods (broccoli, beetroots, turmeric, leafy greens, garlic, artichokes).

  • Focus on hydration

  • Exercise gently every day (walking, yoga, stretching) to reduce stress and cravings.

Step 5: Replace the habit

  • Have go-to alternatives: kombucha, sparkling water with lime, mocktails with herbs.

  • Create a plan of what to do when a craving hits (e.g., walk, journal, call a friend, mindfulness practice).

Step 6: Build a support system

  • Open up: tell someone you trust about your goal and plan.

  • Join an alcohol-free community, online challenge, or support group (see resources below).

  • Consider therapy or coaching if alcohol is linked with stress, trauma, or mood. Alcohol is indeed often used as a coping mechanism.

Step 7: Monitor and celebrate progress

  • Keep a daily log of alcohol units, sleep, energy, mood, and cravings.

  • Celebrate wins—track progress weekly, not just daily slips.

  • If you relapse, review triggers and restart with self-compassion.

Support and Resources

If alcohol use affects your health, relationships, work, or mood, consider:

How many units of alcohol am I drinking?

Consider that 1 unit of alcohol is equal to 10 ml (8 g) of pure alcohol. Therefore:

Units = (Volume in ml × ABV%) ÷ 1,000

ABV% stands for Alcohol By Volume percentage

Here are rough averages for common drinks:

Wine (175 ml glass, 12%): ~2.1 units

Wine (250 ml glass, 12%): ~3 units

Beer / Lager (pint, 4%): ~2.3 units

Beer / Lager (pint, 5%): ~2.8 units

Spirits / Shots (25 ml, 40%): 1 unit

Double shot (50 ml, 40%): 2 units

Cocktails: Highly variable, usually 2–4+ units, depending on ingredients

Key takeaways

  • Alcohol is a toxin that impacts brain chemistry, mood, gut health, and sleep.

  • Even small amounts disrupt recovery, focus, and mental wellbeing.

  • Reducing or replacing alcohol supports better mood, energy, and resilience.

  • When tapering off alcohol it is important to reduce by maximum 10% units of alcohol per week

Marco Caspani

Last update: 24/09/2025

Need Support?

I can help you explore healthier habits and create strategies to reduce alcohol’s impact.

For a personalised approach and to know what is best for you: