The relationship between Alcohol and Social Anxiety

When we are bad, we look for ways to stop suffering psychologically, it is a natural impulse. And alcohol is probably the "remedy" par excellence to try to temporarily escape psychological and emotional problems (although, paradoxically, it makes them worse in the long term).

While alcohol can provide temporary relief (it's basically a nervous system depressant, a pain reliever), alcohol is an addictive drug, and has a close relationship with social anxiety.

The link between alcohol use and social anxiety

When we talk about addictive behavior problems, we have to talk about dual pathology. There is a very high comorbidity between addictions and other psychological problems. One of the most common combos is that of alcohol and anxiety or social phobia.

Social relationships and interactions are complex, and as Sartre said “hell is others”. Social events are usually the most terrifying situations in the world for many people. And that is why alcohol consumption is so important (which the vast majority of people start in adolescence and at increasingly younger ages).

The consumption of alcohol can have many functions at the behavioral level, but without a doubt the most important is to appease the symptoms of social anxiety or insecurity (temporarily).

Alcohol is the social drug par excellence, because it makes people quickly forget about the sense of shame, the fear of ridicule or what other people might think. Paradoxically, consuming too much alcohol can lead to the most embarrassing situations in a person's life (of which they would only be aware the next day).

• Related article: "Social phobia: what is it and how to overcome it?"

What is social anxiety?

Social anxiety (also known as social phobia) is a psychological problem characterized by an intense and persistent fear of some social or public situations where.

People with social phobia feel observed by others, and this causes them a lot of distress. They also often experience extreme fear of being humiliated, shamed, or judged by others, which can lead to avoidance of various social situations.

Alcohol as self-medication

Most people are used to using alcohol as a way to "break the ice" and relieve social tensions., as well as the fear of ridicule and awareness about. For people with social anxiety, alcohol may seem like a good solution to calm the symptoms, at least in the short term.

Alcohol can lower inhibitions and give a (false) sense of confidence, temporarily making people forget about their insecurities. However, the relationship between alcohol and social anxiety is complex and often problematic.

For this reason, it is important to understand that the vast majority of people consume alcohol as an attempt to calm the symptoms of social anxiety, and is one of the reasons that alcohol is the most widely used drug in the world.

• You may be interested in: "7 signs that you have a problem with alcohol"

The risks of drinking alcohol to overcome social anxiety

While alcohol may seem to provide temporary relief from social anxiety, the long-term risks and negative consequences far outweigh the temporary benefits.

Drinking alcohol regularly to cope with social anxiety can lead to the development of alcohol dependency. Also, as the body develops a tolerance to alcohol, people often need larger and larger doses. Maybe before they drank a drink and that was enough to feel comfortable at a party, but over time many people take the tendency to drink very quickly, asking several drinks in less than an hour, because they are in such a rush to get to that “point” where they felt confident and do not feel the symptoms of social anxiety.

The most paradoxical thing about alcohol consumption to avoid social anxiety is that tends to put people in situations that cause them much more embarrassment and ridicule than if they had not been drinking alcohol. Many people will be blushing reading this article and remembering all the times they have drunk "too much" and have lost control, fell over, did something ridiculous in public, or even got into more serious trouble or dramatic.

• Related article: "5 tips to enjoy a party without alcohol"

Social skills and alcohol use

Another problem with drinking alcohol to calm social anxiety is that alcohol worsens social skills in the long run. If a person feels somewhat shy or insecure in certain social situations (which is normal and natural and not pathological in itself) and used to drinking alcohol quickly to make that discomfort go away, you miss the opportunity to practice and improve your skills social.

There is a very high comorbidity between problems with alcohol and social anxiety (many investigations speak of 30-40%). On the one hand, people with social phobia are more likely to drink (more) alcohol as an escape route from anxious thoughts and feelings. They don't just use alcohol to "embolden themselves" and dare to talk to other people, dance, feel funnier, etc.

They also use it to forget more quickly about situations in which they consider that they have done the wrong thing. ridiculous, embarrassing themselves, saying something inappropriate, or showing that they were nervous.

The other causal direction of the alcohol-social anxiety correlation is that when a person learns to depending on alcohol to feel comfortable at social events, you miss out on opportunities to improve your skills social. In other words, the more often a person drinks, the more "awkward" they will feel in their interactions if they do not drink alcohol. And you will feel more fear when you see yourself in a social situation without drinking, which will reinforce that dependency and bring you closer and closer to an addiction problem.

And so the behavior of alcohol consumption will be reinforced more and more, by strongly associating it with the reduction of symptoms of social anxiety. And as alcohol consumption increases and becomes more widespread, the chances of ending up developing an addictive behavior problem will also increase.

How to overcome social dependence on alcohol

My name is Luis Miguel Real, and I am a psychologist specializing in addictions. I have helped thousands of people to stop depending on alcohol or other drugs, and to live much happier than ever.

If you want to stop depending on alcohol to feel good (and learn to feel much better), contact me and we will start working as soon as possible.