Wisdom says that when money is tight people will cut back on non essential expenditure like alcohol. This may make sense, but ask any bartender or liquor shop owner and they will tell you something quite different. It’s an established fact, with figures to prove it, that when the economy is bad people drink more. There are many reasons for this, most of them justifications for something that we know we should not be doing.

If the economic situation has hurt you and you are drinking (forget about more or less), ask yourself if you’re using any of the following or similar reasons:

• I need to relax
• Why should I give up on what I have been doing all my life?
• It’s a chance to connect with others and network
• If I stop going to the bar I’ll look like a loser
• Everyone does it
• There’s no harm in it
• I feel better after a drink
• It’s the only way to relieve the stress

Any or all of these reasons may be true, and if you are not becoming intoxicated, having adverse consequences, and not spending more than you should (or can afford to) there may be no harm. But is the economy “making you” drink in a way that is undermining your relationships, work, or health?

It’s not so easy to be sure you are drinking appropriately, and it’s also very easy to fool yourself. Drinking more does not mean getting blind drunk every night. It does not even mean just waking up with a hangover. An increase in your alcohol consumption may be slow and almost imperceptible; you may not even realize what the liquor is doing to you. How do you know if you are drinking in response to stress? Ask yourself the following questions and be honest in your answers.

• Have your liquor bills gone up?
• Have you changed to less expensive types of liquor to cut costs?
• Have you switched to a cheaper brand of the same drink?
• Are you finding it more difficult to wait to start drinking (moving up happy hour)?
• Are you spending more time in bars than you used too?
• Are you drinking more at home because the bar bills were getting too expensive?
• Have your drinking habits changed in any way since the recession hit?

If your answer to any of these or similar questions is yes, then it’s likely that you are drinking more in response to stress.

If you are completely honest with yourself you will accept that none of the justifications for drinking given above are valid. And if you answered yes to any of the questions – you may be falling into the trap of using alcohol to ease stress.

If you become dependent on alcohol to ease stress or change your feelings, you are at risk of becoming dependent. There are many other healthier ways to relieve stress:

• Take a brisk walk
• Take up yoga or meditation
• Talk to friends and family
• Get counseling

Dependency on alcohol or other substances will slow your recovery from the recession by undermining your ability to think straight and effectively manage your life and career. Alcohol is one of the least effective stress managers and can become the actual source of stress if abused over time.