27/08/2025
Self-medicating to relieve stress or anxiety is not unusual, but the truth is that self-medication is not dealing with the underlying issue and can lead to long-term mental and physical health issues.
We may reassure ourselves we use substances to help with certain things like a difficult day at work or a social situation, but by doing so we ignore the red flags.
Here's some red flags:
๐ฉ Alcohol is a mood depressant. The first drink may soothe and give you a buzz through the increase of the motivational chemical, dopamine, in our brains, but the dopamine surge quickly fades away leaving us feeling lower in mood.
๐ฉ To***co increases our levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, causing us to feel agitated rather than relaxed.
๐ฉ Sleep is affected by alcohol, ni****ne, and other drugs. Disrupted sleep is linked to low mood.
๐ฉ Weight increase is often associated with alcohol intake.
๐ฉ Certain drugs can induce psychosis or mood disturbance.
If you know what it feels like to self-medicate, you may be interested in my blog on 'How to Stop Self-Medicating' - https://www.tamsindenbightherapy.com/post/how-to-stop-self-medicating
If you'd like to stop self-medicating, I'm here to support you via 1:1 sessions or online sessions.
