Life is so hard hard that I’m stealing wine from the supermarket to cope

Young woman choosing white wine for a romantic dinner in the supermarket. She’s standing and reading wine label.

DEAR DEIDRE: LIFE has got so hard that I’m stealing bottles of wine from the supermarket to cope.

I drink at least a bottle every night, but I can’t seem to stop – either the drinking or the shoplifting. 

I’m a 38-year-old single woman. My last long-term relationship fell apart a year ago, and since then I’ve been spiralling down and down.

When I wake up in the morning, I feel so anxious and depressed. I lost my job and need to find a new one, but I have no motivation or confidence.

Drinking makes me forget all my problems… at least until the following morning, when I feel worse than ever. 

But my redundancy money has run out and I’m now surviving on benefits. I can barely afford to pay my bills and eat, let alone buy bottles of wine. 

So, a few weeks ago, I stole one. I was sure I’d get caught, but I didn’t. 

Getting away with it made me feel alive for the first time in months. 

Since then, I’ve been going to different shops and nicking bottles. Maybe part of me wants to get caught, so somebody will help me. 

I know I’m in a mess and don’t know how to get out of it. I’m scared and sometimes wonder if it would be better to end my life. 

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DEIDRE SAYS: Asking for help before things get worse, or you get arrested, is courageous. Please believe that you can overcome this.

You’re shoplifting as a way of dealing with your emotional pain. 

Please make an appointment with your GP and tell them about your drinking, and your depression. 

My support packs on Coping With Depression and Anxiety Problems, will help you.

Call Calm, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (thecalmzone.net, tel: 0800 585858), a charity for people finding life too tough. 

Talking to someone in confidence, and telling them what you’ve told me, will help you to start dealing with it.