SIX REASONS WHY DRINKING ALCOHOL IS LIKE POURING GASOLINE ON OUR ANXIETY

Here are SIX REASONS WHY DRINKING ALCOHOL IS LIKE POURING GASOLINE ON OUR ANXIETY.

1. Alcohol decreases the serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that helps elevate our mood—depleted serotonin = depleted mood. 

2. Alcohol is a depressant and a sedative. So it makes sense that many of us believe we can sedate or reduce anxiety by drinking. However, the effects are temporary, and we tend to chase that numbing feeling, increasing our tolerance and dumping more sedatives into our bodies.

3. You were already anxious and then added a hangover. Of course, you'll feel worse- now you have a headache, nausea, dehydration and low blood sugar to fuel the anxiety fire.

4. You're not sleeping properly. We need sleep for our bodies to function properly, and any amount of alcohol disrupts REM sleep. So if you're a regular drinker, like I was, you aren't getting anywhere close to the proper levels of sleep. If you're a regular drinker, there's a good chance you're getting little to no REM sleep because your body can never fall into a proper circadian rhythm. Feeling exhausted all the time is a surefire way to increase feelings of anxiety.

5. Impaired judgement. Scared to look at your phone the next morning?! Drinking means poor choices. We all know this. Poor choices make us feel shame, guilt, and, yep, you guessed it- super anxious. 

6. Increased levels of adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones stick around to make the next several days more difficult than they need to be. 

We drink to relax and relieve anxiety, but we end up making it a heck of a lot worse.