Alcohol has a central place in our society today. New job? Let’s drink. Birthday? Let’s drink. The weekend? Let’s drink. Your favorite TV show? Let’s drink. Drinking has become the sidekick, if not the main attraction, to so many of life’s little events. It is not healthy and one area that people have become more dependant on alcohol in their lives is stress, anxiety, and depression. Too often when things go wrong or we have had a hard day we turn to alcohol. The problem is one for both men and women and it is slowly killing both the health and fabric of our society.

I know from my own experience and chatting to my friends that when Friday rolls around and I have had a tough week at work I do one of two things. I either go to the bar with my friends to drink and unwind or I go home with a bottle of wine and curl up on the sofa to destress. On some occasions, this is perfectly fine. A small amount of alcohol lowers your inhibitions and relaxes you. It takes your mind off your worries. However, if this is becoming a habit, if this is becoming something you rely on, then it is the start of a problem that can become serious very quickly.
Many more people are dependent on alcohol than they realize. They don’t know because they have never tried to stop. If you are reading this article right now and rolling your eyes. If you think you enjoy a drink to relax but are in no way dependent, then prove it. Take a break and show yourself how easy it is for you. If you find it difficult then you needed the break more than you realized. If you find it easy then you had a welcome detox. Take a 30-day break from alcohol and see how you feel after. Try and replace the habit with something positive like exercise so that you don’t miss alcohol too much and instead may find a new healthy addiction.