You must have heard people talk about their sadness and pain when drunk. Well, this is a natural behavior when someone drinks as a way to cope with their mental and physical imbalances. When this habit continues, the individual has only one option-alcohol when in pain or sadness. This is how they further develop an addiction to alcohol.
Let’s read more about how alcohol becomes a resort to sadness and how can you imply other healthy habits to cope with negative feelings.
Identifying Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism
Here are a few questions that you can ask yourselves to understand your drinking habits:
- Do I drink to relieve stress?
- Do I need a drink to overcome sadness, shame, or regret?
- Do I also need a drink to reduce my social anxiety?
- Am I drinking to sleep better?
- Do I drink to reduce my anxiety?
- Is my drinking reducing boredom?
- Am I drinking to overcome painful memories?
If the answer to a majority of these questions is a yes, then you are drinking to cope with the negative emotions. In such cases, you need to visit a professional who can help you overcome these negativities and alcohol addiction.
Choose Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Who doesn’t go through lows in life? Nearly everyone has problems and difficulties in life but choosing alcohol as a way to overcome these problems is not healthy. Instead, you can choose some of these healthy ways to cope with your atrocities:
- Write a journal
- Dance
- Eat healthily
- Read
- Spend time with your pet
- Join a support group
- Talk to a friend, loved one, or a therapist
- Go for a walk or a run
- Meditate
- Do yoga
All of these activities might not interest you but you can surely find your favorite hobby and engage yourselves in it. Once you have a new interest at hand, it will surely help you divert yourselves from alcohol and other substances.You can also join our support groups and talk to our therapists at Skyward Treatment for professional help. Contact us now to book an appointment.