Increased Your Alcohol Consumption?
Have you turned to alcohol due to boredom or to help relax?
Did you stockpile wine and beer? Did you post memes to Facebook with humorous quotes about using ‘alcohol to get through this?’
Has your behaviour towards alcohol changed – since the pandemic or before?
COVID-19 has meant a huge shift to the way we live our lives and it’s understandable to feel stressed and anxious. It can be tempting to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with this stress. However, it has been proven that alcohol not only weakens the immune system, it can also worsen the quality of our sleep and worsen our mental health.
Are you part of the percentage of people who have increased alcohol consumption over the last few months to help deal with stress and anxiety?
All of these examples can show a shift in mindset to do with alcohol which in some cases can show a growth in dependence which can cause problems if not dealt with.
Most of us either saw the queues at liquor stores on the news or stood in the long lines spiraling through the streets once liquor stores were deemed essential during lock down. And over the world people have been turning to alcohol during the COVID-19 Pandemic to help with boredom, stress, anxiety and to help relax.
Are you concerned about your increase in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic? Are your friends and family concerned? Do you need help to change?
In New Zealand there has been a massive demand in the online sale of alcohol during lock down. To help warn the effects of this, this May the World Health Organisation released a factsheet that warns that heavy alcohol consumption can actually increase the risk of respiratory failure, which is one of the most severe complications of COVID-19. To add to this, alcohol was sold as an essential item during level 4 lockdown. But we also need to keep in mind that New Zealand already has a problem with heavy and binge drinking. Almost half the alcohol in New Zealand is drunk in heavy and binge drinking sessions.
Over the western world, namely in the U.S.A governors have termed alcohol an essential business! Evidence has shown that Americans in general are buying more and in larger quantities. And in the UK alcohol sales in supermarkets and corner shops lept by 22% in March.
However, excessive drinking during a crisis can have long term effects. “A study of the impact of the SARS outbreak on Beijing hospital employees in 2003 found greater likelihood of alcohol abuse or dependence symptoms three years later associated with quarantine or working in high-risk settings such as wards dedicated to treating patients with the respiratory illness.”
And there are more examples of this after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
According to this article people are putting in place patterns of heavier drinking that show up in future higher rates of alcohol use disorders.
We need to support one another during a crisis – and a binge drinking session is not the best way of doing so.
It’s important to stay clear headed in times of crisis. Especially if you are looking after children or elderly family members. That’s why we have developed a programme with tools and techniques to help you reduce your need and intake of alcohol.
This programme aims to help increase self esteem and help you feel more in control of your actions.
It aims to help stop negative thought patterns which can lead you to turn to alcohol to feel better.
And with the effects of increased alcohol intake in a crisis causing long term effects, what better time to start than now.
If we all do our part to discourage unhealthy drinking habits, this can greatly help us all to get through this together.
We can help you do this through Hypnotherapy.
We Can Help You Get Off This Treadmill!
When people get stressed they can turn to alcohol, smoking, drugs, or even gambling to cope with it. All of these may start off as just a distraction but can become addictive, causing even more difficulties, and even more stress. Sometimes this can even lead to violence and abuse.
Have you found yourself on this ‘treadmill’ and can’t see a way off? Have you ever asked yourself what you can do to help yourself? How can you manage stress more effectively?
Take advantage of our FREE, 30 minute, no obligation, consultation.
Talk with Roger Saxelby, discuss what you want to achieve, get your questions answered and discover how Hypnotherapy can help you.
Call us now on 09 – 8377877 or complete the form >>
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