Hello everyone. Where do I start?
Well ok, last week was International Stress Awareness Week and although my Wildlife Wednesday blog from last week was completely unrelated, I felt the need to show my support for this week’s Alcohol Awareness campaign (I think it ties in nicely). Let me explain.
This year, Alcohol Awareness Week is this week (11-17 November). It’s a chance for everyone in the UK to get thinking about the consequences of drinking alcohol and how it could affect us and our loved ones — you know, a chance for change!
Stress exists in everyday situations — moving to a student hall of residence, increase in financial obligations such as student fees and debt, losing a part-time job which is subsidising your studies while you’re at university or just the rising pressures of life, which could lead to depression or anxiety.
Sometimes, these stressful situations can cause a lot of people to turn to alcohol. Whether we realise it or not, alcohol itself can cause more stress on our bodies.
I think there’s already a silent perception that students (young and free-spirited) consume large quantities of alcohol and for some of us, let’s admit it, it might just be true. But for others, drinking isn’t too much of a problem while we’re at university, it doesn’t consume us and we don’t consume it.
Every student needs an outlet, right? To release some of the growing tension that this student life puts on us?
My thing is, I have a great big sweet tooth and sometimes, I just love to wrap my mouth around biscuits and cookies, cakes and all those naughty snacks that we’d try to dissuade children from eating — heheee. For some people, smoking is their thing, for others, they ‘go hard’ in the gym, comfort eat or binge drink.
While we’re on the subject, is peer pressure still a thing with students?
Apparently, some students drink alcohol just to fit in with their peers/social groups but the way I see it is, there is absolutely no point in spending a whole lot of money in student fees, only to throw it all away because of mindless drinking habits.
Fellow students, I know there are times when we might think about how important our reputation is, how much we want to be accepted by friends, how unsure we might be about who we are or where we’re heading in life, how insecure we might feel and how low our self-esteem might be — the list could go on.
Alcohol acts as a sedative and yes, it might seem to temporarily ease the stresses and give a relaxed feeling but as the effects wear off, there’s a danger of wanting more and relying on it.
So, if alcohol is a problem for you, don’t delay, do something about it straight away!
As a UCB student, you can access FREE help from Help4Addiction, an independent addiction service throughout the UK.
The Health and Wellbeing service at UCB have compiled a useful list of helpful support resources that you can access online.
I hope this has helped someone to become more alcohol aware today.
Have a great weekend and until the next post, ciao for now.
SBS