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Sponsored: September is a month for the sober-curious to experiment with quitting alcohol

Welcome to Sober September, a time to experiment with not drinking alcohol and the associated health and wellness benefits.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Welcome to Sober September, a time to experiment with not drinking alcohol and the associated health and wellness benefits.

Whether it’s for a month or a lifetime, non-drinkers can face a lot of challenges and even stigma.

Jon LaFleur is a registered nurse with Pine Rest’s residential programs and he joined us to talk about those barriers and how to overcome them.

LaFleur ticked off a list of health and wellness benefits that come with ceasing alcohol consumption:

Better concentration and memory
Better sleep
Stronger immune system
Lower cardiovascular risk
Decreased risk of cancer
Healthier skin
More energy
better mental health

As for the barriers to quitting, LaFleur had some advice:

Seek social support.
Adequate self-care is a great way to keep your head in a good space.
Change up routines; perhaps instead of driving past the bar on the way home from work you can take a different route or start a new after-work activity.
Get alcohol out of the house; it’s harder to slip up if you have to take extra steps to have that drink.

For more information or to seek help, call 866-852-4001 or visit www.PineRest.org/Addiction.

This story is sponsored by Pine Rest.

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