Ep 141: ‘I Need Alcohol To Cope’. Says Who?

What if reaching for a drink when life feels overwhelming isn’t actually helping you cope, but is instead blocking your real resilience? In this solo episode, Anna Donaghey unpacks the powerful belief that “alcohol helps me cope” and why it might be time to rethink it.

Anna walks listeners through how our beliefs drive our thoughts and behaviours, using real-life examples and her own experience during maternity leave, to break down the difference between numbing and coping.

You’ll learn how to identify the underlying beliefs fueling your urge to drink when things get tough, why numbing with alcohol doesn’t actually resolve hard feelings and the cultural scripts and common myths that keep us reaching for alcohol.

If you’ve ever felt like you “need” a drink to get through tough times or want to trust yourself to deal with life’s challenges without alcohol, this episode is for you. Check out the free worksheet and resources mentioned at https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/resources to continue your exploration.

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

01:34 How beliefs drive drinking: breaking down the behaviour-thought-belief chain

02:36 The “alcohol helps me cope” belief and why it’s so fundamental

04:20 Distinguishing between drinking for crisis vs. drinking for everyday discomfort

07:17 Alcohol as the UK’s “favourite coping mechanism”

10:33 Evidence: Alcohol worsens depression, anxiety, and stress over time

12:54 Practical tool: Name the hard thing out loud or write it down