Mental Health: Shyness and Anxiety Can Lead to Alcohol Abuse at Holidays

“So it’s Christmas, and what did you do?” Even the classic Christmas in the voice of singer Simone can seem like a demand for those who don’t feel very well at this time of year.

Frustration for not having met all the planned goals in recent months and the expectation of meeting some family members can generate feelings of anxiety and anguish.

To face these unwanted situations at the parties of this period, some ended up resorting to the use of alcoholic beverages.

“As alcohol initially has an exciting and disinhibiting effect, abuse can provoke anything from a simple euphoria, which we notice due to the louder laughter and greater sociability, to inappropriate behavior of various types”, explains psychologist Ana Carolina Fantin, who is part of of the technical team of a CAPS ad III (Psychosocial Care Centers), focused mainly on disorders resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs.

“It is not uncommon for fights and arguments to arise between people, since, with less critical sense, things that normally would not be said end up being said, and reactions that are generally contained end up happening”, he observes.

Shy people also often resort to drinking to socialize at these events. “The big issue is that alcohol is the only way a person can overcome shyness, because it can become necessary for the party, for the meeting, for the job interview, for the meeting with the team. , the risk of alcoholism appearing is very high. The individual starts not to relate to the world without alcohol as an intermediary”, he says.

The psychologist emphasizes that excessive shyness can be associated with low self-esteem and insecurity. “It is very important that the person seeks to work on these aspects in themselves, with the help of psychotherapy, as a way to overcome shyness.”

To avoid alcohol abuse on these occasions, Fantin says that the ideal is to leave the house with the decision made on the amount to drink.

“It is important to have in advance the schedule of drinking little or not drinking at all and knowing how to map situations that can be stimulating for excessive consumption, such as discomfort with someone at the party or meeting friends who tend to exaggerate and insist on being accompanied in the doses, for example,” he reveals.

A tip to circumvent the effect of the drink is to eat well and drink a glass of water between one dose and another.

For those who have a history of alcoholism and want to avoid a relapse, the psychologist indicates that the night schedule is clearly defined, such as arrival and departure times.

“It’s good to keep in mind specific situations you’d like to avoid and in which you can choose to withdraw, establish with who you feel safer to stay at the party and talk to, agree on who can be a support point if you feel insecure, as well as eating well throughout the event and taking non-alcoholic drinks that are pleasing to the palate or ensuring that they are available at the venue,” he says.

Abusing alcohol only at social events, however, does not necessarily mean that the person is an alcoholic. The psychologist explains that to define the diagnosis of alcoholism, it is necessary to detect some symptoms, such as:

• persistent urge to drink
• impossibility of interrupting use whenever you want
• increasing tolerance to the drink (needs a larger amount to get the same effect)
• presence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome when discontinuing use (such as tremors, irritation and loss of appetite)
• impairment of physical and mental health after consumption
• impairment of social, family and work life

Follow the Mental Health blog on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.