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Alcohol as a Stress Reliever: Faking Relaxation
- High Sobriety Club
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 11
Stress keeps us alert, a survival response to real threats. Once it was predators; today, it’s deadlines, meetings, toddlers, media, and digital overload. Our bodies react the same way, but now we reach for a drink instead of real relief.
Alcohol feels like a shortcut to relaxation. But here’s what it actually does:
1. Disrupts Emotional Regulation
Alcohol dulls the prefrontal cortex, which manages emotions and decision-making.
It weakens communication between brain regions responsible for assessing social and emotional cues.
Judgment drops, inhibitions lower, and stressors don’t actually disappear; they only get temporarily blurred
2. Triggers a Stress Response
Alcohol messes with cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone.
At first, it spikes cortisol levels, mimicking stress rather than easing it.
Over time, it deregulates the entire stress system, making you more prone to anxiety and tension.
Long-term drinkers have chronically high cortisol, reinforcing a cycle of stress and dependence.
3. Throws Brain Chemistry Off Balance
Alcohol shifts the balance of neurotransmitters that control mood.
It increases GABA (a calming neurotransmitter), but depletes it with continued use, leading to heightened anxiety.
As alcohol leaves the body, cortisol rebounds, intensifying stress. Anxiety spikes, leading to what’s often called “hangxiety.”
The brain scrambles to restore balance, reinforcing a cycle where the solution appears to be more drinking.
Alcohol numbs stress in the moment, but at a cost. It alters brain chemistry, fuels long-term anxiety, and makes real relaxation harder to reach.
There are better ways to unwind that don’t come with the side effects of more stress and disrupted sleep. Here’s what you can do:
Instead of numbing stress, it helps to understand when and why the urge to drink kicks in. Write down the moments when stress pushes you toward alcohol: after work, before bed, during work trips. Notice the patterns. Are certain people, environments, or situations linked to it?
Once you see the triggers, disrupt the habit. Replace the automatic drink with something that actually lowers stress:
Move: walk, run, swim…any movement helps release endorphins and ease tension.
Breathe: slow, deep breathing calms the nervous system and lowers stress.
Connect: Have at least one supportive friend or sober coach who knows you’re avoiding alcohol and keeps you accountable.
Let it out: journal, voice-record, scribble, sing, just get the thoughts out.
Plan Ahead: work with a professional to create a custom strategy for handling high-risk moments before they happen.
Stress isn’t going anywhere, but how you handle it can change. Stress isn’t the enemy. Alcohol just makes it worse.
Did you know:
The term "hangxiety" is now recognized by many researchers as a legitimate phenomenon where alcohol withdrawal produces heightened anxiety, particularly in shy or introverted people.
The "alcohol expectancy effect" demonstrates that people often experience relaxation effects from alcohol before it has time to affect their bloodstream, simply because they expect to feel relaxed.
"Holiday heart syndrome" is a medical condition where binge drinking during stressful holiday periods can trigger irregular heartbeats, even in people without pre-existing heart conditions.
Studies show that moderate drinkers who abstain from alcohol for just 30 days often report improved sleep quality, better mental clarity, and lower self-reported anxiety levels.
Stay sober and cool,
Your High Sobriety Club
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