{"id":126395,"date":"2023-04-13T11:19:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T15:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=126395"},"modified":"2025-11-13T16:34:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T21:34:46","slug":"i-drink-because-im-anxious","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-drink-because-im-anxious\/","title":{"rendered":"Bebo porque estoy ansioso."},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>There are things you\u2019re dealing with\u2026that are overwhelming.\u00a0 No one teaches you or is helping you navigate the pressure.<\/p>\n<footer>Bill, Georgia<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s OK to be anxious and <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/anxiety\/\">experience anxiety<\/a> in this life. It\u2019s a common feeling. There are many ways to cope with stress, both healthy and unhealthy.\u00a0 Drinking might seem like a way to take the edge off, but just be aware that it can lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/addiction\/\">addictive behaviors<\/a>. Getting well means being aware of both your anxiety and your drinking habits.<\/p>\n<h2>Why am I anxious?<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/what-anxiety\/\">Anxiety is worrying about things more than we should<\/a>. Sometimes we\u2019re anxious because we grew up always watching around to be safe. Or we feel anxious because as human beings we have to live in survival mode sometimes.<\/p>\n<p>Try to pay attention to both physical and mental experiences of anxiety. Are you sweating a lot, do you feel nauseous, or your stomach hurts, does your body feel tense? Or are your thoughts racing, are you frozen, feel stuck, or don\u2019t know what to say?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/what-causes-anxiety\/\">Think about where and when you feel anxious<\/a>. Is it certain places like school or work? Or around certain people? Here are some questions to ask yourself when you begin to feel anxious:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Am I doubting myself? Or am I worried about being judged by others?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Are there situations like <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/will-i-get-in-trouble-for-drinking-or-using-at-school\/\">school<\/a> o <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/ive-started-drinking-or-using-at-work\/\">work<\/a> that are overwhelming me?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Are there relationships in my life that stress me out?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Anxious feelings have a way of stripping us of our self-confidence. And we may turn to drinking as a quick fix to feel more confident in ourselves. But understanding why you feel anxious and what triggers your anxiety can lead you on the road to healing and recovery. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Why do people treat anxiety with alcohol?<\/h2>\n<blockquote><p>Social anxiety has a physical effect. I drink to calm my nerves.\u00a0 I can\u2019t manage that, so I grab some alcohol to manage an anxiety\/panic attack.<\/p>\n<footer>Robin, California<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>People drink to treat anxiety because it works. Drinking can make you feel better, or cut the edge, at least temporarily.\u00a0 You may see alcohol as a glass of \u201cliquid courage.\u201d When you\u2019re more socially confident or perform well at your job while drinking or using, you might feel it\u2019s working and making you better and stronger.\u00a0 That confidence you feel can translate into not thinking it\u2019s an issue because it helps you cope with overwhelming anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>Using alcohol to treat anxiety temporarily makes both the brain and body feel good. GABA is a neurotransmitter or chemical messenger in the brain that is responsible for sleepiness and relaxation. Alcohol mimics GABA making people feel more relaxed and less anxious. <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/benzodiazepines\/\">Anti-anxiety medications like\u00a0 Xanax, Klonopin and Ativan<\/a> also act in a similar way and treat anxious feelings. This leads to some people using alcohol or misusing anxiety medicines to tamp down feelings of not feeling good enough or treat social anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to get caught up having drinks. If you\u2019re with a group of friends who are drinking, it\u2019s very hard to say no to that beer, shot, or glass of wine.\u00a0 Try to surround yourself with people who practice healthy habits. Coping becomes easier when you\u2019re more aware of your surroundings and behavior.<\/p>\n<h2>Coping with anxiety in other ways<\/h2>\n<p>Look for the warnings that your drinking is becoming a serious problem. <em>Does drinking cause issues for the relationships in your life? Is it affecting your work, school, and life negatively?<\/em> It\u2019s ok to recognize when it\u2019s time to get help and make changes in your life.\u00a0 Finding other ways to lessen your anxiety comes with understanding your triggers, finding other coping skills, or learning to reduce your anxiety. Getting better takes effort and focus but it\u2019s worth it.\u00a0 Here are some good habits you can practice to cope with anxiety:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make a list of things that have calmed you down in the past.<\/strong> Like physical activity, creating art, cooking, sports, <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/how-keep-mental-health-journal\/\">escritura de diario<\/a>, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Crear un <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mhanational.org\/building-your-coping-toolbox\"><strong>coping skills toolbox<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> Cope with overwhelming feelings by using coping strategies\u2014like grounding or meditation\u2014that you can use in the moment you start to feel anxious.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Distract yourself.<\/strong>\u00a0 Take a walk, go to the movies, do a puzzle, meditate.\u00a0 Get into a different headspace that takes your mind off the urge to drink.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Build healthy habits.<\/strong>\u00a0 Building one healthy habit often leads to building others. For example, getting enough sleep,\u00a0 and eating healthier goes a long way in making you feel better. Give yourself the advantage of a strong body and mind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Work on self-motivation.<\/strong> Be your own life coach. Say positive self-affirmations, quotes and prayers that pump you up.\u00a0 Reframe your thoughts and celebrate your healing recovery.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Join your local <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/alcoholics-anonymous\/\">AA<\/a> or other support groups.<\/strong> If you think drinking for anxiety has led to possible addiction issues, connect with a support group, meetings, <a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/what-does-peer-support-look-like\/\">apoyo entre pares<\/a>, or a recovery coach and addiction resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Feeling better takes time. You may have to try lots of different things until you find the coping strategies that are right for you. That\u2019s OK. You own the road to your recovery and you deserve to heal.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Los art\u00edculos sobre adicciones, nuestro programa y las herramientas para autoayuda de MHA han sido posibles gracias a la generosa financiaci\u00f3n de Elevance Health Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-250650 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"65\" srcset=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1.png 2286w, https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1-768x171.png 768w, https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1-1536x343.png 1536w, https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Elevance_Health_Institute_Foundation_horizontal-color-1-2048x457.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are things you\u2019re dealing with\u2026that are overwhelming.\u00a0 No one teaches you or is helping you navigate the pressure. Bill, Georgia It\u2019s OK to be anxious and experience anxiety in this life. It\u2019s a common feeling. There are many ways to cope with stress, both healthy and unhealthy.\u00a0 Drinking might seem like a way to &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-drink-because-im-anxious\/\" class=\"more-link\">Seguir leyendo<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;I drink because I&#8217;m anxious&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":23904,"featured_media":0,"template":"","age_group":[23,100,19],"condition":[90,83],"class_list":["post-126395","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","age_group-11-17","age_group-over-18","age_group-under-11","condition-addiction","condition-anxiety"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>I drink because I&#039;m anxious<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-drink-because-im-anxious\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I drink because I&#039;m anxious\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are things you\u2019re dealing with\u2026that are overwhelming.\u00a0 No one teaches you or is helping you navigate the pressure. Bill, Georgia It\u2019s OK to be anxious and experience anxiety in this life. It\u2019s a common feeling. There are many ways to cope with stress, both healthy and unhealthy.\u00a0 Drinking might seem like a way to &hellip; Continue reading &quot;I drink because I&#8217;m anxious&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/i-drink-because-im-anxious\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mental Health America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mentalhealthamerica\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-13T21:34:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Social-media-share-preview.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"631\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" 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