It's Friday at 3 pm, and your phone won't stop buzzing with texts from your friends asking what your plans are for the upcoming evening.
It doesn't matter what Friday it is because this cycle repeats itself on a weekly basis.
Every week you internally debate whether you should go out or stay in like you've been promising yourself you would for as long as you can remember.
But as we are all way too familiar with, the peer pressure and FOMO sets in, and we're back at the bar downing shot after shot we definitely don't need.
I'm not sure how many hangovers it would take to convince us to change our ways, but apparently the limit does not exist.
But today, before you head into your weekend, we're going to break down exactly why it's in your body's best interest to maybe sit this one out.
1. Not drinking is great for your skin.
You may hate on Kim K for endless reasons, but her flawless skin definitely isn't one of them. Just add beautiful skin to the long list of reasons Kim stays away from alcohol.
Dr. David Colbert, the founder of New York Dermatology Group, has explained how alcohol is a hepatotoxin aka something that causes damage to the liver.
You may think your liver doesn't have anything to do with your skin, but you couldn't be more wrong.
Dr. Colbert asks you to think about, "What [do people] look like who [are] dying of liver failure? They're sallow. They're pasty. They're cold. Their pores are huge."
2. You get to spend time with yourself without getting distracted.
Everyone always preaches about how important alone time is, but do we ever really commit to practicing this?
There's barely enough time in the day to get the sh*t we need to finish done. Between work and managing personal relationships, do we ever really have any "free" time?
3. You make yourself dehydrated.
Excessive alcohol consumption leads to dehydration in a variety of ways. The less you weigh, the less alcohol it will take you to get dehydrated, and as everyone has seen before, we rarely follow limits when it comes to partying.
Alcohol decreases the production of anti-diuretic hormone in your body that allows it to reabsorb water.
When this hormone is not readily viable, your body will lose more fluids than normal, caused by frequent urination.
Binge drinking also frequently results in vomit episodes, which we all know, cause dehydration.
4. Your wallet supports this.
There is no quicker way to save money than to change your partying habits. Drink prices are always ridiculously marked up at bars — one glass of wine at a bar could be (and usually is) the equivalent of the price of one bottle at a liquor store.
5. ...And so does your liver.
The job of the liver is to break down the foods and beverages you consume on a daily basis, in addition to removing other detrimental substances from the bloodstream.
The reason alcohol consumption can be such a problem is that this liquid can damage, and even destroy, liver cells.
6. You can catch up on that much-needed sleep you've been skipping out on.
You know you need sleep. You've been tired for as long as you can remember. Did you know a continuous lack of REM sleep can result in death? Yup.
7. It's time to start preserving our health.
Whether it's protecting our hearing from loud music, our lungs from extra smoke and toxins in the air or our feet from being trampled on by drunk underage girls — it's time to take a stand.
8. Sugar in drinks is terrible for you.
Have you ever celebrated a milestone with a punch bowl? Have you woken up with the worst headache ever afterwards?
That's because on top of your regular hangover, you're also suffering from a sugar hangover. What does this result in?
Sallow skin and red, puffy and bloodshot eyes. Attractive? We think not.
9. You won't experience an emotional roller coaster.
The more you drink, the more emotional you get. This isn't to say you'll cry every time you drink, but there's definitely a range of extreme emotions a person feels during a night out.
10. There is no awful feeling of alcohol withdrawal.
Do you know what the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal even are? Let me lay them out for you: anxiety, tremors, increased heart rate, confusion and irritability, just to name a few.
You know what I'd like to do? Anything that would avoid experiencing any of that sh*t.
11. You're saving calories on the drunk food you're not going to eat.
The last thing on your mind while you're intoxicated is your diet and health regimen.
Unfortunately, despite the fact that you may not remember consuming five slices of pizza, your body does.
12. You actually will hit the gym like you said you would.
It's easy to tell yourself you're definitely hitting the gym the next morning, but it's an entirely different situation when you wake up with a pounding headache.
13. You're much less inclined to make terrible sexual decisions.
If you weren't blacked out, would you have brought that soft four home from the bar?
If you weren't heavily intoxicated, would you have agreed to let some random sleep at your apartment and forgo the condom? I strongly think not...
14. Binge drinking is terrible for you.
There is no doubt binge drinking is bad for you, but for some reason, whenever we go out, that's the route the night seems to take.
Staying in doesn't mean you can't relax, drink and enjoy yourself, but it is a lot more likely you will stick to a few glasses of wine in the comfort of your own home as opposed to a bar, where you will likely be ordering rounds of shots.
15. Alcohol f*cks with your serotonin levels.
You may think you feel amazing when you're drinking, and chances are, you would be correct since alcohol can boost serotonin levels — at least in the short term.
When you abuse alcohol in the long term, it can cause and heighten levels of depression.
16. You can avoid the guaranteed panic attack you will eventually suffer from.
Abusing alcohol can and will lead to anxiety attacks and even violent episodes.
Did a past situation just pop into your head that confirms this? I bet it did.
17. You won't get a f*cking hangover.
No hangover? No problems!
