When Drinking Becomes the Way You Cope
Having a drink to relax or unwind doesn’t automatically mean there is a problem. But I think it is worth becoming curious when alcohol starts to become one of the main ways we cope with how we are feeling.
Sometimes drinking isn't really about the drink.
It might be about wanting to switch your brain off after a difficult day. It might help temporarily quieten stress, loneliness, anxiety, anger or thoughts that feel difficult to sit with.
And because alcohol can become part of everyday routines and social life, that change can happen quite gradually.
Perhaps you notice you're drinking more often than you used to. Maybe you automatically reach for a drink when you're stressed or low, find it difficult to relax without one, or notice that drinking is beginning to affect your sleep, relationships or how you feel the following day.
Rather than immediately judging yourself, I think a helpful question can be:
“What am I asking alcohol to help me cope with?”
Because underneath the drinking there may be something that needs care and attention.
Reducing alcohol isn't only about taking something away. It can also be about adding other ways to cope — talking to somebody, finding ways to decompress, managing stress differently, reconnecting with people or getting support for whatever has been sitting underneath it.
You don't have to wait until drinking reaches a crisis point before talking about it.
And asking yourself questions about your relationship with alcohol doesn't automatically mean you have a drinking problem.
Sometimes it simply means you're paying attention to yourself.
Be curious rather than judgemental. What you discover might help you understand what you actually need.
,
Maggie
Space to Breathe Therapy
