A Simple Path from Alcohol Misery to Alcohol Mastery PDF EBook Seb Grant Quit Alcohol Formula | Page 24

Part 4
Coping with difficulties
Cope with your emotions
One reason that people give for starting to
drink after a period of non-drinking is not
coping with unpleasant or painful emotions.
Anxiety, boredom, depression, loneliness and
anger are feelings we would rather avoid.
But they are a part of life and we cope with
them. Some people bottle up their feelings,
which can lead to a wild outburst at the
wrong time, and things may be said or done
that are regretted later. Others blot out their
feelings by drinking alcohol or using some
other mind-altering drug. While these numb
your feelings for a short time, they don’t help
to solve the problems. Find better ways of
handling your problems and your feelings.
How can you do this?
Stress and anxiety
Tension, nerves, panic and fear are feelings
of anxiety. These symptoms are the body’s
natural response to stress. Anxiety can be
thought of as an alarm that warns us when
problems are developing. When we’re under
stress, hormones such as adrenalin are
released into the blood.
The blood carries these hormones around
the body, preparing it for action. The heart
and breathing rates increase, and sweating
helps to keep the body cool. At low levels,
this reaction helps us to tackle problems
by making us more alert. At work or playing
sport, it spurs us on to greater things.
But if the level of stress becomes too much,
the brain becomes over-excited and we start
to feel out of control. We may then feel panic,
fear or some other form of distress.
Individual differences
Different people become anxious for different
reasons. Some are terrified of insects while
others keep them as pets. Some hate heights
while others enjoy mountain climbing and
hang-gliding. This shows that it’s not the
event that causes anxiety. It’s what we make
of the event that determines whether we feel
anxious or not.
Although an anxiety reaction might be
expected following a traumatic event such
as bereavement or a physical assault, anxiety
can just as easily develop after a number
of smaller stresses. Someone who is not
sleeping well, is arguing with their partner
and is constantly short of money will probably
feel anxious.