If you have a situation that has led you to abusing alcohol and need some ideas to reduce the stress while avoiding using alcohol, Parts One and Two of this article may help.



A little bit of stress is good but too much stress is not. Sometimes we are so stressed out we turn to alcohol and at some point may realize we are having a problem with the overuse of it.

It may be time to think about stress and the effect it is having on you. You may need ways to deal with your stress while staying away from alcohol.

There are many possible problems with long-term stress. Alcohol use can intensify these problems even though the use of alcohol may seem to relax you at first.

The situation becomes difficult and even life-threatening when alcohol is used to an extreme and becomes an addition.

When you are dealing with too much stress you may find that you are having trouble sleeping. You may develop frequent headaches even if they have never been a problem for you before.

Constipation or diarrhea can become daily occurrences and you may also notice that you don't have the concentration you used to have.

A person who is under a lot of stress may experience a greater level of irritability.

Mix this with a moderate or high usage of alcohol and your stress level may become even worse. Your energy may drop off and you may feel sad at times or angry.

The use of alcohol in addition to the stress will not improve the situation.

Eating may become an issue and people often overeat and gain far too much weight or they may not be hungry, eat very little and become too thin.

People who live with too much stress can have high tension levels as well as a higher risk of asthma and arthritis flare-ups.

Depression and anxiety often accompany those who are dealing with too much stress.

When alcohol is used as a way to fix the problem other health issues may arise. Heart problems and high blood pressure can become factors.

Irritable bowel syndrome is another possibility and alcohol consumption certainly does not help this condition.

There are many other ways to handle too much stress. As you can imagine when alcohol is used to alleviate stress the problems may only multiply.

In the second part of this series we will give you healthier ways to handle stress. You can give up alcohol and find ways to make too much stress a thing of the past. You will feel better and be able to live a life free of alcohol.