Medication and other drugs

  People under stress are more likely to take drugs to help them combat the stress. When we talk about drugs, most people think about prescription drugs such as tranquillizers. However, much more commonly used and often more damaging are the drugs which we self-prescribe, such as alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. While we tend to think of drug addicts as people hooked on heroine, we do not usually think of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, tea, coffee and cola drinks as an addiction. Yet they are all addictive and can result in physical damage if we use them to excess. Ideally, one should try to do without drugs of any kind for stress related problems and instead try to tackle the root causes of the stress itself. However, in reality some prescribed medication may be helpful and necessary in alleviating symptoms in the short term.

Alcohol

  Drinking alcohol is not all bad and there are lots of positive reasons why people drink. For example, it can be a refreshing, relaxing, social activity and they may enjoy the taste of it. People also drink to celebrate or ‘loosen up’ at a party. Alcohol is a good stress reducing drug, which when used in moderation can have beneficial physical and psychological effects. The recommended safe limits for alcohol intake for men is 21 units a week and no more than 4 units per day. For women it is 14 units a week and no more than 3 units a day. A unit is a standard (75 ml) glass of wine, a single pub measure of spirit or half a pint of an average strength beer, lager or cider. Super strength drinks of course have more units of alcohol in them. Also, it is important to remember that if you are drinking at home, you are more likely to be pouring yourself larger than pub measures.

Drinking more than the recommended safe limit of alcohol on a regular basis can result in potentially harmful physical, psychological and social consequences. Even if you are drinking within safe limits but drink all your weekly units in one go (i.e., binge drinking) it could still be causing you problems in terms of your physical and psychological wellbeing. It can also affect your relationships and behaviour both at work and in your personal life. It is estimated that about 25 per cent of men and 14 per cent of females drink more than the recommended safe limits and it is a growing problem among teenagers. However, many people who have a drink problem either deny it or attempt to minimize the impact that it is having on them. If you find that you are unable to relax, feel confident or mix socially without first having a drink, or use alcohol as a temporary escape from negative mood states, you are likely to be using alcohol as an inappropriate coping strategy. If you find yourself drinking to excess on a regular basis, have neglected your duties or responsibilities, suffered frequent hangovers, been unable to remember what happened the night before, or harmed someone either physically or emotionally after drinking, it is very likely that you have a drink problem. Family, friends or work colleagues may already have commented on this but you may have chosen to ignore what they have said. You may also be having more conflict and arguments with people, or having frequent low moods, which are having a damaging impact on your relationships.

If any of the above applies to you, or you simply feel that you may be drinking too much, this needs tackling. The first task is to establish how much you are actually drinking. You can do this by keeping a ‘drinks diary’, which involves recording the number of units of alcohol you are drinking every day. People are often surprised or even shocked at how much they actually do drink in a week. For example, an individual might say to themselves ‘I only have one or two cans a night at home, so I certainly do not have a drink problem’. However, even drinking two cans of average strength lager each evening adds up to 28 units per week, which is above the safe recommended limit of alcohol intake for a man. If after doing some self-monitoring using a drinks diary you recognize that you need to reduce your alcohol intake, make some rules for yourself around limiting your intake. Below are some tips for controlling your intake of alcohol.