There’s more to life than heading to your favorite watering hole after work or on a breezy summer evening when the sky is clear, and an outdoor bar is serving refreshing co*cktails.
It’s like being at a party or enjoying a mini-cation while residing in your hometown. Your stress level decreases while you laugh and forget about the drudgery of everyday life along with all your personal and professional problems.
It’s not enough that you drink responsibly, and don’t drink and drive, there are many ways to de-stress while spending quality time with friends who deeply care about you.
As there is another, darker if not more sinister side to drinking to relieve stress. One of those ways is drinking at home, alone. It’s the kind of thing that can escalate into something much more dangerous.
In fact, the professionals at Verve Behavioral Health, experts on depression and drinking alone, say that drinking at home by yourself can rapidly lead to drinking excessive amounts of alcohol which means an increased risk of alcoholism.
This sort of behavior will typically become a dangerous and harmful coping mechanism that leads directly to emotional instability, mental health problems, and physical maladies that can include liver and kidney cancers. There is always going to be stress in a human being’s life. It simply goes with the program.
That said, what are some sober ways to eliminate stress without relying on alcohol and especially becoming dependent on drinking alone?
According to a recent report by Psychology Today, stress is one of those everyday problems everyone must face on a daily basis. Maybe the stresses are caused by everyday annoyances such traffic jams, a boss who’s in a bad mood, or even the new headlines you read on your smartphone.
But maybe the stress you suddenly experience is much more serious. This can include the sudden death of a loved one, a scary medical diagnosis, or even being fired from your long-time job.
No matter what kind of stress you’re experiencing, no one enjoys being over-stressed for a long period of time. Unfortunately, one of the ways many people deal with their stress is by consuming alcoholic beverages.
Stress and Booze
It might not be clearly apparent to you, but when you are stressed out, it’s likely you will reach for a drink.
Alcohol can be your automatic go to beverage when you’re feeling especially stressed out after a long and trying day or when you find yourself going through a long, stressful time over which you have very little control. It only makes sense that stress can contribute greatly to alcohol dependence.
If you make your living from one of these professions, you are likely to experience increased stress levels on a daily basis. Arts and entertainment, construction, hospitality, mining, or various trades.
Stress Perceptions
Many people who drink at home alone believe their family, work, and lifestyle are all combining to stress them out. If only it were possible to create a change in at least one aspect of your life, then the stress would be greatly reduced. But this is said to be a small part of the overall scenario.
Why is that? Psychology Today believes it’s often the perception that something external is causing an internal response.
Even though altering the external circ*mstance can help to a certain degree, it’s more the perception of the circ*mstances that’s at fault for you feeling overwhelmed along with your ability to cope, like when you feel as though you are a rubber band that’s being stretched to the breaking point.
So, what do you do? You head home and pour a glass of whiskey.
What You Can do to Eliminate Stress Without Relying on Booze
If you’re feeling overly stressed out, instead of reaching for a drink, try this instead:
Meditation
this involves focusing inwards either with the help of a mantra or without. It is designed to give you a sense of calm and offer you a new perspective on a stressful circ*mstance.
Breathing
If you focus on your breathing by engaging in deep breath techniques, you can help your body gradually ease the emotional and physical changes that stress causes.
When you are sufficiently calmed down, only then can you think out your problems with a clear, rational mind.
Mindfulness
This de-stressing technique is directly related to meditation and breathing. The “5…4…3…2…1 mindfulness technique” is said to ground you in the present or, if you will, the here-and-now, by activating everyone of your senses. Number 5 is what you see. 4 is what you touch. 3 is what you hear. 2 is what you smell. 1 is what you taste. The technique distracts from the stress by focusing on a single moment in time.
Positivity
Positive affirmations such as repeating “I am worthy,” “I will be fine,” or “I’m going to beat this,” is said to assist you in shifting your perceptions and, at the same time, reinforcing your strengths.
In the end, there are many ways to avoid turning to the bottle if you’re stressed out.
You might even consider putting on your workout clothes at the end of a stressful day and spending an hour working up a sweat instead of a buzz.
This is not only good for the body, it’s good for the brain too. Another good idea is to avoid having any alcohol around the home.
