So, what really happens in your body when you drink alcohol?
Let’s be honest here, alcohol (that first glass of wine or beer) after work or when you are out with your mates does momentarily make you feel good. The alcohol has artificially stimulated the ‘pleasure centre’ in the brain, but since this has been artificially stimulated, your brain seeks to restore balance, so it releases a chemical downer called dynorphin and as the effects of the first glass wears off, your sense of wellbeing drops below what it was before you had your first drink. So what do you do? Reach for another. And the cycle starts over again.
Drinking alcohol is a depressant – our senses are being numbed, we begin to feel detached from reality and we convince ourselves that this is a welcome break from the real world. But as we all know, those problems or that pain we are trying to numb is still right there the next day and so the cycle starts again.
5 things I have learned about my drinking over the last 12 months:
1. There are not only two types of drinkers – those who are alcoholics (think AA meetings) and those who are not. Having a problem with drink does not mean drinking a bottle of wine before breakfast. It can just mean falling into drinking more than you ever wanted to. It can mean that if you stop drinking for a few days you feel deprived. It can mean that you are not being the mum or dad you want to be in the evenings because of that 2nd or 3rd or 4th glass of wine.
2. I can NOT drink in social situations and still have a great time. It scared the heck out of me the first few times I tried this but I quickly realised it really was a non-issue. And you feel bloody great the next morning!
3. I now think drinking alcohol is taking more than it is giving to me.
4. A ‘craft’ tonic water with a wedge of lemon, ice and in a nice glass has the same relaxing indulgent feel that my old favourite G&T did.
5. I look better in togs when I don’t drink!
What 5 things might you learn about your drinking? Remember there is NO judgement here – just humanity. We are all flawed and we all stuff up – I know I will again but success really is getting up one more time than you fall down.
Mockito recipe
We’ve shared it before and it so good it needs to be shared again – here’s the recipe for our ridiculously refreshing Mockito!
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Want to change your behaviour around alcohol? Try the DBT rule.