It’s challenging to achieve a healthy work-life balance, especially when juggling career and home commitments.

It can be easy to get into the habit of turning to alcohol to unwind at the end of a long and busy day, using a drink or two as a shortcut to stress relief. However alcohol is actually a depressant, so while it may help to cope with feelings of stress in the short-term, in the longer term it can increase anxiety and low mood. Over time, it’s not uncommon to need increasing amounts of alcohol to achieve the same relief from stress.

This was Karen’s* experience, who realised she had developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

“I was in a high pressure job and felt I deserved to relax with some wine in the evening. It started off innocently enough, switching from work to home life with the help of a glass of wine, but this quickly became two and three and before too long a bottle a night was a regular thing.

“With DrinkCoach I could talk to someone in my own home over Skype and it seemed like a logical choice. I didn’t have to risk being seen and I could book appointments for the evening when I got home from work. I was nervous at first, but my coach was understanding and I found that once I started talking I couldn’t stop.

“Now my evenings after work are different. There is no cracking open the bottle of wine while I cook dinner every night and I try to make time for some light exercise to help me transition from work to home mode.”

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