This Is Why Drinking Counts As Self Care
It may seem counterproductive to turn to drinking when you are in desperate need of self-care, but having a few glasses of wine while sitting in a warm bath won’t deter you from receiving the love your body deserves. Drinking has its consequences, but when done right and appropriately, it can actually be beneficial to your self-care routine.
Warning: Please keep in mind that those who have problems with drinking, or have been diagnosed with alcoholism, should turn to other forms of self-care.
Drinking releases tension and stress.
Obviously, drinking an enormous amount of alcohol is going to make you practically forget all of your problems in the moment. That’s not the aim here. In self-care, it’s all about taking a break from these problems, so that you can have a clear mind when going back to solving them. Having a few sips here and there can help you take that break. Self-care is all about taking a moment for yourself and sometimes our sober minds just don’t allow us to do that.
Drinking a couple beers or martinis can help to release unwanted tension and thoughts that are distracting from enjoying a your time of relaxation. When you have a lot of goals, planning or achievements that need to be made—it’s hard to just sit back and not stress about it all. Our bodies don’t need to be in constant anxiety over the next thing we need to do. Drinking can help lower our inhibitions to feel more comfortable in allowing ourselves to release that tension and finally breathe.
Drinking can allow unexpressed thoughts and feelings to be released.
Not only will it help deter your mind from stressful thoughts, but it has the ability to bring up ones you have yet to come up with while sober. It’s ability to lower your inhibitions suddenly makes it easier to be more confident in unexpressed feelings. Self-care is also about confronting the things you have been avoiding while running around and stressing through life. Self-care is about coming to terms with who you really are and loving every part of that.
Drinking, every once in a while, can spark up new ideas and creativity while you’re in the midst of a relaxing day. Everyday life stressors have the tendency to distract us from our creative selves, and the selves that we so desperately try to run away from. When sitting with yourself and opening up your mind with a couple drinks, you suddenly come face to face with goals you may have never thought of before. Remember, it’s not the drinking that creates these. You have always had these ideas. They were just hidden in the deepest parts of you that sometimes a little alcohol can help you push out.
Drinking can help you to become more social.
Self-care doesn’t have to be done alone. Sometimes, drinking wine with your best friend is what you need to wind down from the stress of life. All of these new ideas and sparks of creativity can be talked about at your dining table while pouring your glasses of cabernet. It can even be used for moments of celebrations, achievements or make is easier to have honest conversations with those around you.
We drink sometimes to connect and feel comfortable around others. Instead of seeing this as a negative trait, see how you can use it to your advantage in expressing yourself. There’s no need to be negative in the ways you socialize. Some of us need a couple glasses before really opening up in a new surrounding and that’s a way of learning about who you are and maybe what type of people make you feel most comfortable to be around.
Drinking is a good way to let loose.
Alcohol is a drug and just like any others it can be detrimental when used improperly. It just happens to be legal. The thing is, humans have always craved a way to escape reality or to lower or inhibitions through different substances. Drinking is not for everyone and you shouldn’t drink if you have issues controlling it.
For those who can responsibly drink and have the tolerance for it, alcohol can be used as a form of self-care and shouldn’t be completely rejected as so. There’s a reason people enjoy drinking. It’s fun to let loose once in a while. It’s fun to forget the stress of work and indulge in long conversations with good people over wine. It’s fun to go to a club and dance like no one is watching, because those vodka cranberries finally kicked in. Drinking is a great way to let loose and have fun, as long as you remember to drink responsibly.
