You drink alcohol? Perhaps you are one of those abstainers who do not try alcohol for a personal reason, but who have no problem relating to people who do drink. Metiphobia is the fear of alcohol and it is not just about not drinking it, it encompasses much more. We tell you in our dictionary of phobias what methphobia consists of.
What is mephobia
Metiphobia is the fear of alcohol, of drinking it, smelling it, or even seeing people drinking an alcoholic beverage. In the most serious cases, the person with methphobia cannot even go near a bar, so their social life will be considerably reduced . Do you think you suffer from methphobia?
This fear of alcohol is also known as popophobia , but the problem is the same. And it is true that consuming alcohol has certain risks and that its excessive consumption is a real problem in itself. But here we are talking about a phobia, that irrational and excessive fear that magnifies the possible danger implicit in drinks.
Symptoms of methphobia
You have been invited to an event. A dinner with friends, a meeting with your co-workers after the day, a wedding or a birthday. You want to attend, but the situation scares you because you know there will be alcohol . And you already know well the reactions of your body to a situation in which alcohol is present.
Restlessness first and then nervousness. A nervousness that is increasing because you begin to notice that you are short of breath, your heart is going a thousand per hour and your hands have gone to sleep. Sweat runs all over your body and fear paralyzes you. You may even have had a panic attack more than once. And all this thanks to a stimulus as common as alcohol.
The limitations of this alcohol phobia can be perfectly understood . In our society, everything is celebrated around a glass of wine and a good banquet. And there is no meeting of friends in which beer is missing . What if it is a business meeting? On many occasions there is also a drink in business matters.
Causes of methphobia
What can develop fear of alcohol? In this case the origin can be detected more clearly than in other phobias. If your first experience with alcohol was a real drunk in which you ended up vomiting and with a hangover that kept you in bed, for example, that is reason enough for you to develop this phobia. Although it is true that it does not happen to everyone.
As with other phobias, the traumatic experience is the first thing that comes to mind . If in your childhood you lived with an alcoholic person and suffered the devastating effects of this situation, how can you not panic about alcohol? But caution should not be confused with terror, hence the need to treat methphobia.
Treatment of methphobia
Overcoming methphobia won’t make you drink alcohol if you don’t want to. The treatment will ensure that you can participate in social activities in which alcohol is present without suffering the consequences of a phobia. You will not have to avoid more events , you will be able to enjoy them without having to have a drink.
There is no phobia that can be overcome on our own. We need help and also psychological help . The most effective treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy , which helps transform distorted thinking that sees alcohol as a great danger.
And once the thought has been transformed, it can be changed for another more objective and rational, which will lead to a behavior other than avoidance. So if you have methphobia, don’t miss it and put yourself in the hands of professionals as soon as possible.
