I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to alcohol.
Its gotten worse since the coronavirus started. Yesterday I drank 3 bottles of wine.
I really want to give up, but as soon as any sign of stress shows up, I reach for the bottle again.
Everyone is laughing and joking about drinking, saying its what will get them through isolation and home schooling, so it kind of makes it ok to drink.
I am going to start having alcohol counselling next week, but in the mean time, I want to try and give up now.
If anyone has any strategies to help me cope with stress without drinking I would be so thankful.
How to get over alcohol when it's your stress reliever
How to get over alcohol when it's your stress reliever
Posted in:
Health & Wellbeing
3 Replies
Get rid of any alcohol in the house - can't drink it if you don't have it.
Find something to replace it with - when I was quitting smoking I'd go sit on my porch (my smoking spot) and have a piece of gum. It was more the 5 minutes alone that I craved rather than the cigarette.
Find new ways to manage stress - just a few examples:
Breathing exercises.
Meditation.
A punching bag.
Stress balls
It's also helpful to remember what your motivation is, eg:
I will feel better.
I will be improving my health.
Get medical advice before going cold turkey. Going cold turkey can lead to withdrawals and seizures.
Medically it’s better to cut back slowly. My advice would be to have less alcohol in the house, Whatever your norm is have access to less than that today.
Find a new emotional outlet, that might be exercise, journaling, having a shower, it can take some time and practice for your knew thing to work for you.
I hung a 100lb heavy bag In the basement - when I get stressed I put on my headphones with some good music, put on my gloves and punch the crap out of it. Sometimes I kick it.
Really fast walking works for me too.
There are also stress relief audio recordings you can try.
Yoga style slow deep breathing helps to trick your body into thinking you’re not stressed
I agree with another poster tho- I would not go cold turkey- cut back.
Have wine spritzers - fill the glass half with soda water first then add wine. You’ll fill up on liquid faster -
add a twist of lemon. Lemon is a great liver detox.
Use a small wine glass instead of a full size one.
Only drink standing up at the stove in the kitchen- don’t get comfortable
And try journaling to find the source of your stress. Keep track of what sets you off. Are you really stressed or just addicted and the “stress” you feel in really your body craving the alcohol.
It’s a tough time to be battling this but you can do it!