Struggling with anxiety? Here are reasons NOT to drink to take the edge off.
The busy super-mom winds down with a bottle of wine. The serviceman or woman comes home from active duty and finds relief drinking with high school buddies. The office worker consistently has one too many cocktails at company happy hours. All of these common images and stereotypes feed into our mistaken assumption that alcohol will help us cope with anxiety.
While one or two drinks might bring on a buzz that seems to take the edge off your woes, alcohol doesn’t work as a coping mechanism long term. Here’s why:
1. Your brain is a balance of chemicals.
You, my friend, are a beautiful being buzzing with neurotransmitters and hormones that manage your response to stress. Heavy drinking can cause the settings on this stuff to get scrambled, leaving you less prepared to face all the situations life throws at you. It may even make your anxiety or depression worse. Dulling your brain to handle stress is like LeBron James prepping for a big game by handcuffing his hands behind his back. It just doesn’t make sense. Consider meditation or therapy, both of which will help you sharpen your emotional muscles without throwing your internal chemistry off-balance. Be like LeBron, and stay at your peak.
2. Alcohol takes the place of healthy coping skills.
Speaking of meditation and therapy, there’s a world of healthy coping skills out there that can you help you feel better than the drink ever will. Why? Coping skills allow you to calm your stress response, give your brain chemicals a boost, and prepare you to meet life head-on. Anything from taking a walk to using a mindfulness app can be a healthy coping skill, as can chatting with a friend while sitting on a park bench. Exercise is a brilliant stress-buster that both your body and your brain will thank you for. Not a big hiker? Hey, we feel that. Try soaking in a bath or putting together a puzzle to decompress. Think back to an activity you loved as a kid: playing, exploring, building a pillow fort.
3. Alcohol inhibits emotional processing and growth.
All that stuff (pain, fear, shame, whatever) you’re trying to drink away? The bad news is that your problems aren’t drowning in all the booze you’re chugging. They’re always waiting for you on the other side of your hangover, just as steady and solid as they ever were. Handling your issues head-on allows you to learn and grow as a person. When you do this, you can actually move through your problems so you can put them behind you. Drowning your woes in a drink? Not so much.
4. If you struggle with stress, you’re more likely to struggle with addictive behaviors.
Some of the characteristics that keep you from handling stress are the same traits might put you at risk for addictive behaviors. This may be the red flag of stress and drinking. If you find yourself reaching for a drink each time you get bad news instead of calling a friend or hitting the gym, it might be time to reevaluate your relationship to alcohol.
Life sucks sometimes. And alcohol is always there, tempting you to take the edge off. But a quick buzz often causes more problems, rather than fixing any old ones. Next time you have a problem and want to party it out of your system, pause and consider if booze is the solution you are really looking for.