© The Stauros Foundation (known as Stauros) is a Scottish Charity, SC014253
The Problem with Alcohol
Drinking Motives
“Why do people drink too much?” is a question many people ask. In Stauros we asked over 200
people and we found some interesting answers.
The majority of people, almost three quarters (74%), said they drank because all their friends
drank socially, but over two thirds (69%) said they never felt pressurized into drinking.
Drinking was a shared activity among these people, as they wanted to conform to the peer
group they identify with.
Very high percentages of Stauros people drank to over come shyness (79%) and to help them
relate to other people in a social context (87%). Sometimes individuals felt the need for
confidence in a social context. Many Stauros people drank because it made them feel good
(95%), indeed 80% reported they drank because it made them feel better about themselves.
But many also said they drank to take away negative feelings. Over three quarters (76%) said
they drank because their mind was troubled, and even more (82%) because their feelings were
troubled.
Many Stauros people use alcohol as a coping mechanism. Many said they drank to cope with
their insecurities (82%), with stress (71%) or to help them forget the past (68%).
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Pray for people who lack confidence and who drink because it makes them
feel better about themselves.
•
Pray for people who drink because they are unhappy for one reason or
another, that they will find courage to share their problems and be set free
in Christ.
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Pray for those who live in places where drink is the prevalent culture, for
those who find it difficult to escape its influence.
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