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Sunday Not so Fun Day? Your Brain on Booze Excerpt…

It’s Sunday which can mean many reading this are a bit hung over. Here is an excerpt from my upcoming book about how alcohol affects your brain and what you can do to feel better…

We’ve often hear alcohol is a depressant, to which most say “well than why do I dance on the tables till dawn?”

Many folks don’t get headaches or any aches from drinking they simply get neurologically “messed up”. The next day this can be as subtle as a a little fatigue, feeling depressed with brain fog & irritation, to full on depression, anxiety and or anger and all of it’s fun colors.

Because alcohol affects the neurotransmitters in our brain, including those oh ‘so important for proper social behavior’ “inhibitory” neurotransmitters.

In the brain there are inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that is affected by alcohol, because alcohol suppresses the release of Glutamate, which normally makes our brain active and energized. Alcohol also increases release of Gaba, which is inhibitory, calming and (similar to Xanax) even sedating. BUT some say IT ALSO RELEASES DOPAMINE, the Pleasure neurotransmitter IN OUR BRAINS “REWARD CENTER”, which I say is what makes it so much fun!

The area called the reward center is affected by things like love, exercise, the start of a vacation, or any activities considered pleasurable including cocaine and alcohol.

By releasing dopamine immediately you feel better but dopamine is tricky and wears off, so you keep drinking to get the “dopamine release”. At the same time the inhibitory effects accumulate.

This chapter goes into detail on all the different Neurotransmitters affected by alcohol, but for the cliff notes on what you can do today to help regenerate important neurotransmitters to feel better now, here are some quick tips…

Take Amino Acids to replace your depleted neurotransmitters…

I recommend starting with a combo of 500mg each of Tyrosine, DL Phenylalanine and Glutamine.

Tyrosine & Phenylalanine increase your Dopamine and Glutamine will boost your Glutamate.

You must take theses without protein as protein “competes” with your amino’s for entry into the cells. Taking your amino’s separate from food, in the right dose, causes them to cross the blood brain barrier and act like mini anti-depressants.