Don’t Rely on Alcohol to Stay Calm

Can you relate? You get home from a stressful day at work...your boss is riding you hard about several deadlines looming. At home, your spouse tells you one of your kids is not doing well in school. You also find out that your utility bills are costing more. You pour yourself a nice glass of wine to try and forget about all these problems...to escape the reality for a few moments.

Having a glass of wine on occasion is nice. It can be a way to relax people. Too often, however, it turns into more frequently than on occasion. The habit starts to grow. You have one glass every night. That turns into three glasses over time. Next thing you know, you are drinking a full bottle of wine all by yourself.

For others, a glass of wine just doesn't do the trick. They feel that hard alcohol gets the job done much quicker. Like wine, this too starts out small, with one or two glasses per night. However, it’s too easy to fall into a trap and increase your alcohol intake. It can happen without you noticing.

There is a positive feedback loop with alcohol as it relates to relaxation or calmness. One glass of alcohol will relax you so why not take two or three for more relaxation? There are several problems with this thinking. The first is too much alcohol can damage your internal organs. You increase the risk of kidney and liver disease. 

Alcohol tends to cause sleeplessness, which seems counter intuitive...that is until you realize that when you fall asleep in an alcohol-induced state, you go into a deep sleep. You sleep harder than you would without the alcohol. Then, you typically will start to wake up in the middle of the night and find it difficult to go back to sleep. Your circadian rhythm gets messed up and a pattern of insomnia develops.  

Take notice of your patterns of alcohol consumption over the years. Do you drink more now than you did five years ago? If so, try to scale back or give it up completely. Make a decision to live intentionally...choose if and when you'll drink.

Some people may suggest that you give up drinking for a month to prove that you can do it. However, many alcoholics will accept this challenge only to show others they can do it. When they go back to drinking the next day after the challenge, they can use the fact they accomplished the challenge as an excuse to keep drinking.

When you go back to drinking, it doesn't take long before you're back to the same patterns of behaviors...and that hamster wheel, which seems to be going at an increased speed.

Be mindful. Be intentional. Be accountable.

If you need help, reach out and get it. There are support groups and programs that can support you in making and keeping you free of addiction.

Until next time...

Lisa

P.S. If you'd like to learn more about my monthly lifestyle coaching program, A Pilgrimage to Self, start here: https://www.lisamcgrath.me/thank-you-for-your-interest-in-a-pilgrimage-to-self