Nearly one in three Britons hits the bottle to deal with stress, it has been claimed. A study by The Samaritans says 32% of those asked admitted to drinking to cope with pressures in their lives - compared to just 23% in 2003.
Almost seven in 10 people said they were irritable through stress, and more than half said it kept them awake at night.
One in four said it caused arguments with their partner and 18% said it interfered with their sex life.
Teenagers and those in their 20s seemed to suffer the most, with many 16-24-year-olds saying it made them feel suicidal.
At the same time, the study found the number of people who take no steps to relieve the problem has virtually doubled since 2003.
Samaritans director of service support Joe Ferns said: "The results are worrying - not only because we’re getting more stressed but because it seems we’re getting worse at dealing with that stress.
"Feeling stressed can be a vicious circle. Sometimes, the more people feel stressed, the more they do things which put them under greater pressure.
"It can be hard to find the energy to take a step back, think clearly about what’s happening, and then consider what you can do about it.
"In Japan, the word "karoshi" is used to describe sudden death from overwork. At the moment there is no direct translation to English and let’s hope that remains the case.
"Samaritans is always here to provide people with that necessary time and space to work things through. At the same time, talking honestly to friends and family can also be very helpful."
Via Sky News