A Few Drinks Is A Totally Legit Way To Deal With Stress According To A Real Doctor!

There's a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world right now and it can all get to be a little much to deal with. Unless you have a glass of wine. That tends to make things feel a lot better.

But that can't be good, right? Surely, if you asked a doctor what to do in times of stress, the last thing they'd recommend was to get some booze in you.

Wrong! According to cardiologist, Dr. Kevin R. Campbell, alcohol is a legit way to handle stress.

Awesome! Let's pop a cork, drink straight from the bottle and go nuts!

Well, maybe that's taking it a little too far. But having one or two drinks with friends or coworkers after a stressful day can be an efficient way to reduce stress levels and relax.

Thrillist interviewed Dr. Campbell about his surprising advice. He stresses the importance of drinking with friends rather than drinking alone. If you're being social, the one glass of wine is perfectly fine. If you're drinking three or four at home by yourself, it veers into becoming a problematic addiction.

Before you start inviting friends over every night so you're not drinking alone, Dr. Campbell warns that alcohol in excess can contribute to stress. If you drink too much at night, you'll feel bad the next day at work, which stresses you out more, so you drink more, and on and on. So, if you're having stress relieving drinks five days in a row, you might want to cut back.

The doctor also states that drinking should not be your only coping mechanism. Make sure you try to incorporate exercise, eating well and sleeping more to keep your stress levels low. But if you're doing all that, a glass of vino won't hurt.

When asked how much is too much, Dr. Campbell couldn't give an exact answer. In Greece, they drink wine every day and are healthy, but that might not work for a person with a history of alcoholism in their family. 

Generally though, he suggested that 2-3 drinks a week for women is fine.

Oof! You had me at 2-3 then lost me again at week. Though we may wish the suggestion was closer to 2-3 a day, it's still nice to know that the occasional night out to relax isn't harming your health.

So drink up! In moderation....with friends...not very often.