5 Reasons You Are Overdrinking
Have you noticed that you’re drinking more often than you’d like? Do you have difficulty getting up in the mornings after overdrinking or bingeing the night before?
If you are overdrinking, you’re not alone. In the world today, alcohol use is embedded in our culture. If you are overdrinking, you may be wondering why? Let’s investigate five of the top reasons why you are overdrinking and look at how to fix it.
1. Emotions
Suppose you tend to grab a glass of wine when faced with uncomfortable emotions. In that case, you may end up overdrinking. Drinking occasionally can sometimes calm you down. However, suppose you start drinking whenever you feel negative or even positive emotions. In that case, you may end up drinking too much too often.
Alcohol use does not make anything go away. It just masks your feelings, and they will come back up for you to deal with sometime later. One of the best ways to cope with emotions healthily is to journal them down or practice mindfulness and meditation. For example, if you face your feelings head-on and release them onto paper, they won’t feel so powerful anymore. Then, you will stop using alcohol to handle emotions and be able to slow down your drinking.
2. Stress
A study found that both women and men admitted to drinking larger amounts of alcohol due to stress. When you are stressed, your body produces a chemical called cortisol. Drinking alcohol can reduce cortisol levels initially and help you feel calm. However, problems arise when you start drinking too much. For example, suppose you consume too much alcohol for too long.
In that case, it can increase your cortisol levels, making you more stressed and anxious. If you drink too much when stressed out, you can learn stress-relieving techniques that are safer to practice. For example, you can exercise or take a long walk outside instead of rushing to get a drink. If you practice natural stress-reducing activities, you can stop using alcohol when stressed and quit overdrinking.
3. Environment
Your environment could be causing you to overdrink. For example, if you have a toxic relationship with someone in your household and arguing is the norm, you may be tempted to drink more. Or let’s say your team goes out for drinks after work to the bar every day for a couple of hours, and you tag along with them. If others are drinking a lot, you may end up overdrinking too.
Our environment plays a significant role in our behaviors. If you are overdrinking because of your environment, it may be time to change it. Seek counseling for your and your partner’s relationship. Stay out of the bar with your coworkers after work. If you change the people, places, and things in your life that may be contributing to your drinking habits, you may be able to cut back on your drinking.
4. Self-medicating
It is incredibly common for people that suffer from mental issues to want to use alcohol to self-medicate. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, you may drink to relieve these negative feelings. However, self-medicating with alcohol can quickly turn into overdrinking.
Self-medicating with alcohol is more prevalent than you may realize. A study found that 60% to 80% of Vietnam Veterans who suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) also have an alcohol use disorder.
The problem with using alcohol to self-medicate is that you are simply masking your fears and issues. Instead, you can seek counseling or coaching to help you work through any issues. If you use alcohol to self-medicate and find that you are overdrinking, it may be time to seek help for both concerns.
5. Overworking
When you are working long hours and then come home to drink a beer to relax, it can quickly lead to overdrinking. You work hard all day, come home, and are still in that “go hard” mode; before you know it, you’re overdrinking.
If you’re overdrinking after overworking, it might be time to scale back your hours. But, if you don’t and the drinking gets too out of control, you may start missing work or even lose your job. So, you must work less if you find that it is causing you to drink more.
Coaching Can Help You Stop Overdrinking
If any of these reasons sound familiar to you, consider getting help. At UnPause Your Life, we have coaches that can help you to stop overdrinking. We can offer you easier ways to handle your life without drinking. So, reach out today, and let us help you stop drinking too much.
