Nigella’s right to cut back on drinking

A STIFF drink might seem like a good way to unwind. But, paradoxically, the way alcohol acts on the brain and body means that it exacerbates low mood and anxiety. Last week, TV chef Nigella Lawson, left, admitted she’d cut back her drinking because although it calmed her nerves at first, it later left her with ‘a horrible tight feeling of worry’. I often hear the same story from patients who find that as soon as they reduce their intake of alcohol and coffee, the mysterious panic that plagues them starts to subside.