While it may be true that someone under stress may have a tendency to seek a good stiff drink; it is just as true that the chronic consumption of alcohol can cause stress. Moderate consumption of alcohol can actually have some beneficial effects on one's health. The problem lies when the alcohol consumption is heavy and becomes more and more frequent as a reason to relieve stress. This type of compulsive behavior over time will actually worsen the stress in one's life.

Heavy alcohol consumption stimulates the hypothalamus, the pituitary, and the adrenal glands. A side effect of this is an increase in the amount of cortisol and adrenaline produced. Although both of these to chemicals alone don't cause stress directly, it is believed they play a role in the symptoms.

As you may have experienced, stress makes it more difficult to concentrate and focus. These are also effects that accompany alcohol consumption. So you can see from the math that someone who is feeling the effects of stress and is under the influence of alcohol is getting a heavy does of concentration inhibition... probably at a time when they need clear thinking the most.

Exercise is known as one of the best tools and defenses against stress. Unfortunately consumption of alcohol doesn't lend itself to motivating one to go have a workout. So, the more frequently the drinking the less frequently it is found that people engage in healthy activity.

In addition, heavy consumption of alcohol suppresses one's appetite. Yet at the same time, alcohol is not calorie free. So again, someone who has the propensity to consume alcohol is getting a double dip by decreasing their motivation to maintain a healthy while consuming non nutritional calories provided in alcoholic beverages.

Along with everything else in the spiral of excessive alcohol consumption and stress, comes the fact that alcohol debilitates one's mental faculties, thus making it even more difficult for the drinker to think rationally. In this state, more mistakes are made, important tasks and dates are missed or mis-timed which only heightens the stress that is already surrounding this person. In an alcoholic state, the person can literally not even think their way out of their predicament... again causing yet more stress.

As you can see, this is a perilous cycle a person get into... the stress encourages drinking and the drinking creates scenarios that produce more stress. Although the results of alcohol and stress vary from person to person, the lesson learned is that teaching yourself to have a drink to relieve stress is not a solution or a habit to get into.

If a person finds themselves engaged in this endless loop of self destruction, the key is to break the cycle. It is imperative that this person first finds an alternative for dealing with the stress in their life. By doing this, the individual will immediately relieve the alcohol induced stress and thus immediately reduce a significant portion of the overall stress right there.

In many cases something as simple as proper diet and beginning an exercise program or other physical activities are an excellent starting point.