Stress is a normal human reaction to uncomfortable events, nerves and feeling overwhelmed. It becomes a problem and can be bad for your health when you experience an excess of stress and are unable to lower your stress levels.

Often people when stressed people want to grab an alcoholic drink in order to relax. This is, however, counterintuitive. In fact, one proven way to reduce your stress and anxiety levels is to actually cut down the amount of alcohol you drink.

So how exactly does alcohol affect your stress levels? How can cutting down on the amount you drink help you lead a less stressful life?

How Does Alcohol Affect Your Stress Levels?

Alcohol affects the chemistry and chemicals in your brain. Important things like the neurotransmitters in your brain stop working properly with regular drinking. This can lead to more negative emotions such as anxiety, aggression, stress or depression taking over.

As you drink more to destress you end up depressing your brain and central nervous system. Ultimately this stops you from being able to deal with the stress in your life and perpetuates a downward spiral.

How Does Cutting Down Your Alcohol Consumption Lower Stress?

So if alcohol increases your stress levels, cutting down on your alcohol consumption should help balance your stress levels. And this is exactly what happens. By drinking less and more mindfully you are able to rebalance your brain chemistry and become more resistant to stress.

Here are three ways cutting out drinking helps combat stress.

Levels Out Your Dopamine

Alcohol use overloads the brain with dopamine whilst also reducing its capacity to deal with it. When you quit drinking, although it can take some time, your brain starts to restore the balance of dopamine. This means that the brain will normalise the amounts of dopamine created, but also increase the function of dopamine receptors again.

All in all, with more balanced dopamine levels, you will feel less stressed and depressed and therefore more able to handle the stresses that life throws at you.

Your Brain Is Clearer & Easier To Focus

After quitting or cutting down the amount of alcohol you drink, many people feel like their brain is much clearer and it is easier to focus. This is because your brain chemicals are rebalancing, you are resting better and your body is healthier.

Having a healthier body and a more focused mind gives you a higher resistance to stress. Quite literally your body and brain can just handle more as it has a higher capacity. This means you are less likely to be stressed by the smaller things in life.  

Can Deal In A Healthy Way With Your Stress

Reaching for alcohol in order to de-stress can become a habit that helps you avoid your problems. By cutting down on the amount you drink you are opening up space in your life to deal with stress in a healthier manner.

By finding a healthy way of dealing with stress you stop it lingering and building up in your body, instead dealing with it and de-stressing as soon as it becomes a problem.

Healthier Ways To Destress

If you have somehow ended up stuck in the habit of trying to drink away your stress you might not know other ways of dealing with stress. So here are just a few healthier ways of dealing with stress.

1.  Exercise

Any form of exercise can help reduce your stress levels, and as a side effect increase your fitness. Exercise helps to balance your brain chemistry and releases endorphins, the hormones that make you feel good. So simply choose a form of exercise you like, whether it's running, cycling, gardening, tai chi or any other form, and exercise your stress away.

2. Get Out Into Nature

Numerous studies have found that immersing yourself in nature helps lower your stress levels. A 2019 study from Harvard found that spending just 20 minutes at least three times a week immersed in nature lowered people’s cortisol levels substantially.

So this is your sign to take a walk by the river, sit in the park or enjoy your garden for at least twenty minutes and your stress will start to dissipate.

3. Meditate

There are many different types of meditation, but what they have in common is that any form of meditation can help to reduce your stress levels. There is no right way to meditate to experiment with some different forms of meditation and you will find that by regularly meditating you feel calmer and less stressed.

4. Talk To A Friend Or A Professional 

Sometimes the thing that is stressing you out cannot be dealt with alone. That's why reaching out to friends, family or a professional can be an important method of dealing with stress. A trouble shared is a trouble halved after all.

5. Deal With The Stressor Head On 

And sometimes you can deal with the stressor head-on. If you know the cause of your stress it might be possible that you can talk to someone or make a small change in your life to reduce the impact of the stress. By avoiding alcohol and other distractions you can face your stressor head-on and resolve the issue.

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Each box is mindfully put together to provide you with different alcohol-free cocktail recipes, complete with garnishes and mixers, as well as a range of ready-to-drink beverages and bar snacks. So sign up for a JOMO subscription today and dive into the world of alcohol-free drinks. You’ll soon be sitting back, sipping a delicious drink and living a stress-free existence.