Stress And Alcohol
Moderate alcohol intake can have beneficial effects to the body. Research suggests that small amounts can even improve mental functioning and increase performance in problem solving while stressed. But consuming large quantities for long periods will actually worsens stress.
Large alcohol consumption stimulates the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. One result is an increase in the amount of cortisol produced within the body. Another is an increase in adrenaline. Both those, while they don’t alone cause stress, play a large role in the symptoms.
Exercise is known to help relieve the symptoms of stress. Unfortunately, one of the additional results of excessive alcohol consumption is decreased exercise.
Similarly, high alcohol intake suppresses appetite. Thus, at the same time alcoholic drinks pour in the calories, they decrease the incentive to maintain a healthy diet.
In all these cases there is a vicious cycle established. Stress encourages heavy drinking, which makes it more difficult to deal with the internal and external factors that led to stress in the first place.
The key to breaking this vicious cycle is to seek alternative methods for dealing with stress. Proper exercise and diet is a good beginning. A realistic attitude about life’s inherent challenges can go a long way, as well. But as with any psychological problem, admitting it exists is the first necessary step.
