How Will I Cope?

This episode of 5-minute therapies considers some of the things we do to try to cope as we struggle to juggle the demands of life.

Many of us will have asked the question How Will I cope? of ourselves at some point. Of course, what we most often mean is How Well Will I Cope?

It’s a subtle shift in the language but it speaks of our anxiety about our ability to endure the demands & hardships that life brings to us.

We will all have a different mix of answers to these questions and more often than not it will be a mix of positive & helpful coping strategies & tactics as well as others which are, well… less helpful. Perhaps even self-defeating. So how do we tell the difference?

Well generally speaking a self-defeating coping measure is one that either doesn’t deliver the coping outcome you desire, or one that does but has negative consequences for other areas of your life.

For example: It’s not uncommon to hear people say that they ‘need’ a glass of wine or a drink after a stressful day. This may (or may not) help to relieve the immediate symptoms of stress that you feel but any level of alcohol consumed is ultimately bad for our health – Alcohol is a toxic substance and there is no completely safe amount that you can consume.

In fact, alcohol is such a common self-defeating coping measure that I’m going to focus on its effects specifically in this post.

All types of alcohol are toxic to the human body. That is a fact that is often either unknown or ignored for convenience.

Once consumed alcohol travels through the stomach, a blood vessel rich environment where about 20% of the alcohol consumed is absorbed into the blood stream. It then moves into the small intestine, another blood vessel rich environment where the majority of the remaining alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream. The blood stream then distributes the alcohol fairly evenly throughout the body. However, the greater part of the blood first goes to the brain which can absorb alcohol & so for a while alcohol concentration in the brain can be higher than in the blood stream. It’s the effect of alcohol on the brain that results in intoxication & interferes with our brain chemistry.

In small quantities, perhaps that first socialising drink, the ethanol in alcohol imitates Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), a inhibitory neurotransmitter which calms the receptive cells in the brain, while decreasing the activity of glutamate receptors which are responsible for exciting the nervous system, reducing experiences of stress, anxiety & fear.

As the quantity taken increases it begins to imitate dopamine, the main chemical in the reward centres of the brain, which gives us the ‘feel good’ factor and the loosening of inhibitions. This is thought to be behind the drive to drink more, essentially chasing that feel-good factor. In larger quantities, ethanol starts to block neurotransmitters which can inhibit normal physiological function and in larger quantities still, can block the neurotransmitters that control & regulate essential bodily functions like heartbeat. When quantities are taken at this level, brain chemistry is compromised enough to risk life.

Source: healthline.com

In addition, alcohol use effects the following:

Blood Sugar Levels: Malfunctioning of the pancreas & liver can cause blood sugar levels to drop, effect the production of insulin, resulting in hypoglycemia.

Central Nervous System: Alcohol inhibits communication between the brain & body resulting in slurred speech & poor coordination. Numbness &/or tingling in the hands & feet can also occur, as well as inhibited creation of long term memory and cognitive abilities. Long term excessive consumption can damage the frontal lobe effecting emotional control, memory & decision making abilities.

Dependency: Long term excessive use can result in physical & emotional dependency. Professional help may be needed to treat dependency & addiction, and medical support is recommended to help manage withdrawal which can also result in the following symptoms:
• Anxiety
• Nervousness
• Nausea
• Tremors
• High Blood Pressure
• Irregular Heartbeat
• Heavy Sweating
• Seizures
• Hallucinations
• Delirium

Circulation: Excessive long-term alcohol consumption increases the risk of heart disease and can result in the following:
• High Blood Pressure
• Irregular Heartbeat
• Inhibited Blood Circulation
• Stroke
• Heart Attack
• Heart Disease
• Heart Failure
• Anaemia

Sexual & Reproductive Health:
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Consumption can lower sex hormone production, inhibiting the libido
• Women may stop menstruating, effecting fertility. Use & abuse while pregnant can result in premature birth, miscarriage, stillbirth & fetal Alcohol Syndrome among other conditions.

If you’re concerned about your alcohol use or someone else’s  and would like more information, feel free to get in touch with us at BroadMinds Therapy to see how we can help you. You can contact us discretely by calling 0899420568, emailing help@broadmindstherapy.org or contact us via this web page.

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