Drinking to ease the lockdown pain? Here’s how to cut down ( Archived) (31)

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If you’re struggling to relax during the pandemic, you’re definitely not alone. Many people are struggling to cope with the ‘new normal’, and many are turning to alcohol as a method for dealing with the stress of it all.

But, as it turns out, drinking to cope with difficult emotions doesn’t actually help you deal with them. In fact, drinking might actually be making your stress and anxiety worse.

Sure, alcohol can be a distraction, but it’s more akin to sticking your head in the sand versus actually relieving any of the stress – just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s gone away. (Spoiler: it hasn’t.)

And while some people are fully aware that drinking doesn’t actually solve any of their problems, they don’t actually care. They want the respite alcohol gives them from the current state of overwhelm, but – what you might not realise – is that science shows that drinking can actually add to the burden you’re dealing with, meaning you’re not getting the break you desperately need.
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In a recent study, researchers ran a test on two groups of mice — one that lived normally while the other was fed a daily dose of alcohol for an entire month. At the end of month, the mice who were drinking alcohol daily were much more fearful and anxious, and their ability to handle stressful situations was significantly impaired. Even when the things that were stressing them out were removed, these mice still struggled to overcome their anxiety.

Not only is alcohol doing nothing to actually fix your stress, it’s making you less capable of dealing with any kind of stress in general.

Because here’s the deal. If alcohol was actually an amazing stress reliever, then everyone who drinks regularly would likely be feeling fairly calm right now. They wouldn’t be as stressed – since they got the ‘break’ they were looking for – and likely wouldn’t need to turn to a glass (or several) every night to unwind.

But we know that’s not the case. In fact, more often than not, the opposite is true.

If you actually want to reduce stress, now is a fantastic time to experiment with sobriety

If you want to make that happen, start with a solid commitment. Giving up alcohol can be scary because we often approach it with only two choices – continue drinking as we normally do or quit drinking forever – which can be overwhelming to say the least. We try to find a middle path through moderation, but it’s actually much harder to control your intake of a mind-altering drug like alcohol because it’s designed to make you lose control.
Instead of moderating your alcohol intake, try taking a break

If you only give yourself the odd day off now and again, you’ll never actually experience the benefits of sobriety. Staying sober during the week might seem like a fantastic idea, but when you drink over the weekend, you’re only making yourself go through the struggle of giving it up every Monday, again and again and again.

So give yourself a true break – sans alcohol – for a set amount of time. The first month can be challenging, so I recommend sticking to it for a few months so you can really start to experience the benefits of a sober lifestyle.
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