Vol. 35 The Social Anxiety Drinking Loop
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, social anxiety affects 15 million adults in the U.S.—that’s about 7.1% of the population.
What’s more, 1 in 5 of those who struggle with social anxiety also wrestle with problem drinking.
The connection seems almost intuitive:
After all, alcohol has long been thought of as a “social lubricant.”
If you’ve ever had a drink or two at a party or gathering, chances are you’ve noticed alcohol’s so-called “anxiety relief” effect.
I often see this play out in my practice.
Take John, for example—a fictionalized client based on real situations.
One session, after a social gathering that ended in a blackout, John told me:
“The urge just took over me, and before I knew it, I was on my third drink.”
He looked ashamed as he described the compulsion he felt in the moment.
“Do you think I’m an addict?” he asked.
Only after we slowed the event down did John realize the anxiety that washed over him when he first walked in and didn’t know anyone. The feeling of being ill-equipped to make small talk, paired with the thought “If I just have a drink, I’ll loosen up and feel less awkward,” drove him to reach for that first drink.
You see, like John, most of us don’t have a drinking problem.
We have a drinking solution.
More soon,
Jeanette
