It’s OK, I haven’t got work tomorrow

So, it’s the beginning of these crazy times we call “lockdown”. Day 1 –“ooh I think I’ll have a cheeky glass of wine tonight – I know it’s a Monday, but I don’t have work tomorrow”. 

 

Tuesday comes – “well I only had one glass last night and the bottle is open now, so I’ll have a little glass tonight too I think. Anyway, I don’t have work tomorrow…”. 

 

And so it goes on until the bottle is empty – maybe in a few days, maybe by the end of the week – and then it’s the weekend, so another bottle gets opened. 

 

Did you know, it takes only 21 days to create a habit – I don’t know about you, but a few people we’ve been speaking to have said that they’ve found themselves drinking a bit more than they used to – partly because they can; they’re not driving, they’re not at work, and why not… 

 

However, that 1st week has turned into 6 now, so for some people, it’s become a bit more than a ‘now and then’ thing, and has well and truly turned into a habit. They’ve noticed there are far too many bottles in the garage/recycling bin – in fact they’ve started to stack up. 

 

Some people are using alcohol as a habit to pass away the time; some are using it as a coping mechanism; some are just fed up and “why not?”. However, for some people, they’ve noticed that it’s just a bit more than they should be drinking – maybe they’ve started to put on weight too, and perhaps they’ve tried to have a night off and found it hard, because that little habit is starting to take more of a hold – and they really would like to nip it in the bud. 

 

Alcohol is a depressant and it dehydrates you. Our brain is 75% water – it needs to keep hydrated to work properly. A plant withers without water – our brain is the same, so having more alcohol than usual, is likely adding to feelings of tiredness, worry and self doubt, so not good – especially in the current climate, when our mental health is being challenged more than ever. 

 

This article appeared in the Guardian recently, recognising this has become more of a ‘norm’ around the country – https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/03/problem-drinking-soars-under-uk-lockdown-say-addiction-experts 

 

If it only takes 21 days to create a habit, then it can take 21 days to develop a NEW, more healthy habit… 

 

We can help – at SanaMente we’ve recognised this may be more than a one-off challenge for quite a few people. We want to help those people who’ve noticed this has become a habit and want to manage better. Our “Success Strategies Programme” is designed to help people break the habit, build good healthy coping strategies so you can return to using alcohol for enjoyment and to socialise. 

 

These sessions are available online, using Zoom, in a group setting – safely and securely and of course confidentially. 

 

We help people build their personal resources, make the changes important to them, and then help them to maintain it. 

 

We also offer individual sessions that are designed to fit your individual needs. 

 

If you’d like to know more, about how we could help you, please contact us at SanaMente Hypnotherapy on 0116 340 0630.