anyone else drink to escape social phobias?

[Willow13]

Hi my names Willow and i drink to avoid my social phobias.
not a lot, but i do it to avoid getting so freaked out in social situations.
i feel like sometimes its the only way to avoid the blushing ect (although i do understand its just me imagining it)
but im becoming more and more reliant on alcohol to solve my problems and its a little worrying :/
anyone else ever felt like this? i want to stop. i want to know some ways to bring up my confidence. anyone got any tips, ideas?
thanks a lot x

 

[Whychosis]

I know where you're coming from. When my wife has her friends over (I have none lol) I offer them a drink a lot. It makes the atmosphere more comfortable and I'm not as nervous when they're over. Sober I would stare at the TV and count the minutes til they leave. I drink a lot by myself too, which is worse. When I quit smoking weed it became my drug of choice because I'm not on any meds at this time.

This is not to say drinking is a good thing. I use it as a dependent, which isn't good. I know what I need to do, it's doing it that's the hard part.

 

[Rembrandt Broam]

Hi my names Willow and i drink to avoid my social phobias.
not a lot, but i do it to avoid getting so freaked out in social situations.
i feel like sometimes its the only way to avoid the blushing ect (although i do understand its just me imagining it)
but im becoming more and more reliant on alcohol to solve my problems and its a little worrying :/
anyone else ever felt like this? i want to stop. i want to know some ways to bring up my confidence. anyone got any tips, ideas?
thanks a lot x

I don't think that having a drink in a social situation to help relax you is a problem. It's the main reason that people do drink in those situations, and not just those people with social anxiety. I suppose it becomes a problem when you feel you need to do it, or when you do it in situations where drinking wouldn't normally be seen as appropriate.

Rather than stopping altogether, perhaps you could just start to reduce the amount you drink, so that each time it's a little more of you and a little less of the alcohol that's coping with the social situation. Obviously if you feel you already have a serious problem with alcohol that you can't tackle alone, you should seek outside help from AA.