Why alcohol is making you anxious(and how to spot the signs)
If you’ve suspected alcohol is making you anxious – you’d be right.
The link between alcohol and anxiety is undeniable. For so many women, it’s difficult to know what came first… Did you use alcohol to take the edge off feeling anxious? Or is alcohol making you anxious?
Woman use alcohol to cope with stress
Studies show 1 in 5 women with anxiety report using alcohol to cope with stress and 20% of women diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder suffer from anxiety or a mood disorder. The link between women, alcohol and anxiety has never been stronger. Alcohol can exacerbate an existing anxiety disorder while untreated anxiety can lead women to use alcohol to “medicate” their symptoms.
Why we find ourselves in a vicious cycle
We often think of self-care as a glass of wine to “relax”. Drinking allows us to “switch off” and stop feeling so tense. The bad news is the source of the tension doesn’t change, and alcohol makes those tense feelings worse the next day. And on it goes. We are less able to cope with stress and we feel more exhausted and irritable. We end up in a vicious cycle of trying to take the edge off anxiety while actually adding to our anxiety with alcohol. We are feeding the problem.
Spot the signs alcohol may be triggering anxiety:
You wake up feeling more stressed than when you drank the night before to “take the edge off’.
Your ‘hangxiety’ is crippling. It takes you days to recover not just physically but emotionally and mentally from a hangover.
You are drinking more and more to numb your emotions and avoid uncomfortable feelings.
Let’s talk about “hangxiety”…
Ever woken up from a night of drinking with a plunging feeling of doom and shame? You feel physically panicked about what you may have said and your mind is racing. If you can’t remember parts of the night, you feel the deepest regret and self-loathing. This is sometimes referred to as “hangxiety” – a hangover of anxiety caused by alcohol. Some women feel this so acutely the shame and anxiety makes them want to drink more in order to escape these feelings.
Why it might be time to quit drinking - for your mental health:
You’ll sleep better. Alcohol interferes with sleep cycles and disrupts REM sleep – the deepest sleep stage. A lack of sleep can have a huge impact on your mood. Sleep 7 – 9 hours sleep every night and you’ll feel the enormous mental health benefits of quality sleep.
Studies show drinking regularly makes it more difficult to cope with stress. Alcohol masks stress in the short-term but in the long run can make stress worse. Quitting alcohol forces you to face issues in a real way and process emotions properly.
No hangovers. Bounding out of bed on a Sunday morning gives you extra time with loved ones. It gives you extra time simply ENJOY your life feeling energised and vital. Your self-esteem is boosted along with your confidence.
Much love,
Sarah xx
Download my Free Guide - Guide To Taking a Break From Booze
If you haven’t already, come and download my FREE Guide, it’s packed with great information to help you take the first step to taking a break from alcohol.