Do you stress drink? If you turn to alcohol at times of stress, after a ‘bad day’, or when it’s all just getting a bit much, or to boost your confidence before walking into a bar or a party, you are using alcohol as a coping mechanism. If you are here reading this insight, you already know that this is not healthy – emotionally or physically.
Here’s the good news: you are already halfway to being where you want to be – you have recognised you are not coping well and that turning to alcohol is not the solution.
Here’s the bad news: not only do you need to understand your stress, and take steps to learn how to cope with this, but you have formed a habit – reaching for the wine bottle or a beer – when the stress runs high, and habits can be hard to break.
I am NOT, let me make clear, talking to those with an alcohol addiction. Addictions are an issue quite separate from coping mechanisms. Some people stress drink. Some people stress eat. Some people stress shop. This is not the same as those people who compulsively drink, or eat, or shop.
Those who stress drink have formed a habit that has become a vicious circle. A ‘bad day’ triggers the habit of having a drink. In the immediate term, this can feel helpful. Alcohol affects the chemicals in your brain, specifically the part of your brain that controls inhibition. This is why after a drink or two you may feel less anxious. However, over the longer term, these chemical changes in your brain can mean more negative feelings start to take over, such as anxiety, depression, or aggression. Maybe you’re familiar with this already? Do you like to have a drink before heading to a social event – just something to give you a lift in confidence? Maybe that one drink has led to another, and the next one results in you saying or doing something you regret the next day..? This is because alcohol affects the neurotransmitters in your brain. These are chemicals that send messages from one nerve in your brain to another, which when they aren’t working as they should absolutely impact your mental health and wellbeing. Additionally, you know that having a drink is not a positive solution to your stress, which triggers further worry.
First, we look at the triggers. What is the root cause of your stress? By identifying this, we can then start to ‘rewire’ your brain so that you respond differently to those triggers. II work with many clients who come to me when they feel that stress is overwhelming their lives, leaving them feeling they have no control. Hypnotherapy for stress is an incredibly effective treatment, where we dip into a tried and tested ‘toolkit’ of techniques and therapies to help you feel in control, and able to cope.
By giving you alternatives to using alcohol to cope with your stress, we can then break the habit, further increasing your ability to cope. From a vicious circle you will find yourself stepping into a virtuous circle – in control, able to cope, and moving forward with positivity. And no more hangovers!
Why not start making the change you want with a chat? Give me a call on 0161 374 0227, or email sally@mindsolutions.co.uk and together we can start your journey back to good mental wellbeing,
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