Consider a missed train (cue). It brings frustration and fatigue (trigger), followed by the thought "I may as well enjoy a drink while I wait" (urge). The drink brings brief relief and next time the link between a disrupted commute and alcohol is a little stronger.

A personalised and confidential, online counselling service for adults across Australia with evidence-based psychological therapies to reduce drinking and rebuild wellbeing.

Neurodivergent individuals can initially turn to alcohol as a form of self-medication. For people with ADHD, alcohol can temporarily quieten a hyperactive mind, ease restlessness, dampen social anxiety or slow racing thoughts at night to assist with sleep. For autistic individuals, alcohol can dampen sensory input in overstimulating environments, reduce social fatigue or lower the effort required for "masking" - the suppression of autistic traits to fit in with neurotypical