Self-care series 8: drinking, numbing out and the Sunday dread

Part eight of the HHSS self-care series. Nobody starts out planning to drink their way through a bad year. It just becomes the quickest way to stop thinking for a few hours.

Numbing works — that's the problem

Drink, weed, gambling, all-night scrolling: they take the edge off immediately, which is exactly why they stick. The cost arrives later, usually as worse sleep, sharper anxiety the next morning, and the Sunday dread that's become normal.

Honest questions

No judgement, just worth answering truthfully.

• Am I doing this to enjoy it, or to stop feeling something?
• Would I be uncomfortable if someone saw how much or how often?
• Has anyone close to me mentioned it, even as a joke?
• What happens on a day I can't do it?

Small swaps beat big vows

Going cold turkey on everything usually lasts a week. Pick one: two dry nights a week, a walk before the first drink, or moving the phone charger out of the bedroom. Then keep it for a month.

Replace it with something physical if you can. Cold air and movement do more for a churning head than any amount of willpower.

Where to get help

If drink or drugs have got bigger than you want them to be, your GP can refer you, and free UK services like Drinkaware and local drug and alcohol teams exist for exactly this. For the mental health side, Samaritans is on 116 123 and CALM on 0800 58 58 58.