Stress and Alcohol

There are many people that believe that an alcoholic beverage is the key to reducing stress. In some ways alcohol does help to loosen a person a bit when they are tightly wound or upset. However, there is a point where alcohol soon becomes a deterrent to the alleviation of stress. In fact, in many cases alcohol can increase stress levels when consumed in large portions. There are many people that may use alcohol as a stress reliever and be doing more harm than good.

However, what they do not realize is that alcohol could be adding to the amount of stress that they experience. This is particularly true for those individuals that are heavy drinkers. For some people, alcohol can change the personality greatly, and for some not in a good manner. This can cause a person to act in ways that can result in more stress for themselves and those dealing with their behavior while under the influence of alcohol. Thus, it is very important to understand how alcohol can affect levels of stress.     

Many people often believe that alcohol is a stress reliever, and there is good reason for this. Alcohol is a sedative that relaxes the central nervous system. Most people are aware that after a few glasses of wine or some other alcoholic beverage they are increasingly mellow. This is the effect of the alcohol on a person’s central nervous system. It is very important to note that people respond to alcohol in different ways. While some people may fall asleep under the influence of alcohol, there are others that may become belligerent or hostile. This type of behavior only increases the levels of stress in a person and causes stress for those that have to deal with this type of behavior.

Alcohol is a suppressant; however, what many people fail to realize is that alcohol also impairs judgment. The amount of alcohol that will impair judgment varies upon individuals as all people have different tolerance levels for alcohol consumption. Thus, the very alcohol that is consumed to encourage relaxation is also the culprit for increasing stress levels when the alcohol has an adverse effect on a person’s cognitive abilities. It can be very stressful for an individual to try to perform regular activities when he or she is under the influence of alcohol. People become frustrated with themselves when they think that they can do simple activities such as walk and find that the alcohol will not allow them to do so in a regular manner.

It is also very important to note that alcohol has a stressful effect on the body as well. People that consume large amounts of alcohol on a consistent basis may find that their bodies will begin to show signs of serious stress. This may take the form of liver disease such as cirrhosis which is a hardening of the liver because of excess alcohol consumption. This is a sign from the body that alcohol consumption is playing a very negative effect on body overall. Ceasing the consumption of alcohol is usually required in order to alleviate these symptoms.

Overall, there are a number of ways in which alcohol and stress are interrelated.