Alcohol is a common indulgence for many people. A night out with friends, a celebration, a sporting event — all typically include alcohol. Most people often feel an event is incomplete without a few drinks to be had.

Many people know the repercussions of drinking too much alcohol, such as injuries and driving under the influence charges. If you’re faced with a charge such as this, you might even have questions like, “Can I get life insurance with a DUI?” While the answer is yes, you can expect to pay a lot more for your coverage.

Alcohol’s effects don’t end with repercussions such as higher life insurance rates and possible injury. If you enjoy maintaining a healthy lifestyle, alcohol could be doing more harm than you think.

While alcohol is OK in moderation, it can be a massive factor in your health and fitness journey. If you are looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, excessive alcohol consumption can be highly harmful to your goals.  

Alcohol is Empty Calories in Your Healthy Lifestyle

Unless you choose certain alcoholic drinks, you are likely consuming a massive amount of calories when you drink alcohol. Drinks like beer and even hard seltzers have anywhere from 100 to 150 calories each, while heavier drinks like hard ciders can have around 200.

While this doesn’t seem like an alarmingly high number, consuming multiple drinks can rack your calories up quickly. Calories from alcohol are also empty, meaning that they provide no nutritional value.

If you hope to follow a healthy diet and eat well for your lifestyle, alcohol consumption can significantly affect your daily calories. Excessive drinking may put you well over your calorie limit. While this doesn’t seem like a big deal every once in a while, continued drinking can lead to side effects such as weight gain.

Alcohol Can Lead to Poor Food Choices

Not only do you run the risk of overconsuming your calories with alcohol, but you also tend to eat worse during or after drinking. Poor eating choices, again and again, can harm a healthy lifestyle.

While you’re drinking, your inhibitions are lower. You might say no to a greasy burger when you’re sober — knowing its calorie count — but after a few drinks, you may not be so quick to turn it down. You will likely overindulge and eat poorly during a night of drinking.

The day after drinking can also be brutal on your healthy lifestyle. Alcohol increases the body’s production of stomach acid, which most people try to suppress with food. Many people crave carb-filled, fatty foods after a night of drinking.

Rather than reaching for a healthy soup the day after drinking, you may instead find yourself going for a whole pizza. These choices can wreak havoc on your healthy lifestyle. 

Alcohol Leaves You Dehydrated and Sluggish 

Working out and staying fit requires proper nutrition and hydration. When you are dehydrated, your performance will suffer. Between the effects of alcohol and the sweat of your workout, you may find yourself leaving the gym extremely deprived of hydration. 

You’ll also notice yourself feeling sluggish and tired during your workout because of alcohol. Because your liver breaks down alcohol, it will stop producing as much glucose to do its job breaking down your drinks. This leaves you feeling exhausted and unmotivated to start exercising.

If you’re avid about working out to maintain your healthy lifestyle, it’s best to skip excessive drinking. Your exercise regimen will suffer significantly after too much alcohol.

Alcohol and Healthy Lifestyles Don’t Mix

Drinking alcohol doesn’t have to be permanently banned to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It should, however, be monitored and not be made a daily habit. Too much drinking can have adverse effects on your health.

If you enjoy staying healthy, eating well, and exercising, paying attention to your alcohol consumption is essential. While one drink won’t harm you, excessive drinking frequently can halt your health goals. 

Alexandra Arcand

Alexandra Arcand writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, EffortlessInsurance.com. She enjoys maintaining a healthy lifestyle and hopes to educate others on how they can do the same.