Why does alchohol make me feel so much better? - Page 2 - Self-Actualization - Actualized.org Forum
Alcohol is too mainstream for folks to be honest about it. It's a billion dollar industry, and is intimately tied with the social culture amongst humans.
I've struggled with alcoholism, and it no laughing matter. We normalize the consumption of alcohol because our identities are tied to it. Alcohol kills so many people, and we still refuse to look at it for what it is...a toxin, a poison.
But who am I to tell anyone how to live their life. I hope the best for all of you!
@Human Mint @hamedsf @Eph75 @Leo Gura @Danioover9000 @ZenBlue @Tim R @Enlightenment @SQAAD @Ghost @eggopm3 @QandC @Waken @Inliytened1
I just wan to sincerely thank you all for your deep felt honest answers.
Honestly, i think a part of me has been crying out for someone to be blunt with me like this. To spells things out.
i will do my very best to cut down and / or illiminate. I know I can do it... I just needed a slap with a cold fish.
@Seed Take care❤️
Kind of hard to focus on anything drunk on alcohol… which is the “benefit”. Relative to having been zoomed in (to any discordant thoughts or perspectives), it’s a reprieve, a zooming out, a break from whatever wasn’t resonating. But get drunk on what’s zooming in & out… and alcohol is experienced quite differently. Inhibits. Get’s in the way. Similar to psychedelics.
@Seed I once watched a presentation of one who studied the effects of alcohol on the brain, and he did thousands of brain scans and found that even with a small quantity in a week, it dehydrates/shrinks your brain.
A couple of months ago I completely gave up alcohol. My mother was an alcoholic and I started seeing signs of a tendency to binge when I would drink, if stressed out I would start getting cravings to drink.
I wondered if it would be too hard and I'd cave, but I was invited out with friends to a dinner two weeks ago. They drank, I didn't and last weekend I was invited on a Bachelorette party bus. I went, although the only one not drinking. During the night one girl was so trashed she fell on her face and was gushing blood from a wound on her nose. She had to get stitches. Another girl was going around at a winery kissing everyone (she's married and it's covid times), she was asked to leave by the manager... I thought, Thank God I'm sober!
It reminds me of when I quit smoking several years ago. When you abstain the cravings go away. It's just no longer an option.
There's the wine kind of good...
Then there's the mushrooms kind of good. Utter amazement and wonder.
Edited September 3 by Akashic
It may be a toxin for Leo, it may be a great awakening medicine for others
@Vladimir No. Alcohol is a toxin, period. And it certainly isn't "great awakening medicine".
Last night I drank about 1/4 of a glass of wine and tonight I will attempt nothing. I am looking forward to the challenge.
I noticed when I was in bed I found it so hard to get to sleep due to being ultra aware! I was aware of all the blood pulsating round my body in every vein, it felt as though I had taken acid or something. It took a very, very long time to switch off and I had a fretful night.
@Nahm Spot on!
On 01/09/2021 at 10:28 PM, Seed said:
It doesn't harm anyone... except you?
If you don't feel like it does, I would guess that that is because you're in your early twenties and your body will put up with whatever crazy shit you want to do for a couple years until your late twenties/early thirties. Doesn't mean it won't make you age faster today already.
If you want another reason that could motivate you: how about being able to feel kinder, happier, more energetic and free spirited during the entire day, not just the evening? Now wouldn't that be cool?
You could do personal growth work to accomplish that, then you don't need wine anymore and you get the benefit for most of the day.
@Seed It doesn't have to feel like a sacrifice. I reckon you could even keep having wine in moderation until you naturally don't feel the need anymore. Provided you are actively doing the work, and your habit is not escalating.
By doing the work, I mean on a very high level that you start with the premise that that kinder, happier, more energetic and free version of you is already inside of you during the day. There's just a bunch of conditioning and unresolved issues on top of it.
So you start pulling at whatever worries/anxieties you have in the top layer, and working with those, until the kinder, happier, more energetic and free version of you starts to shine through.
Alcohol works by increasing the activity of GABA in your brain. It also has dopaminergic effects. If you feel good when you drink, then you probably enjoy the feeling of elevated dopamine and GABA, as many people probably do.
While there is nothing safe that will give you the same degree of neurotransmitter release as alcohol. Some compounds are dopamine/GABA modulatory. Acetyl-L-Carnitine, and Bromantane, for example.
There are other nootropics that can modulate GABA. Lemon Balm-Apigenen-L Theanine- Magnolia Bark.
Food is necessary for a healthy brain. So make sure you are on point with your diet.
Kava is a plant that has been used for thousands of years. It increases GABA activity not by releasing it but by increasing the receptor density, or you could say sensitivity. It really gives you a buzz similar to alcohol. It doesn't produce tolerance nor withdrawal, nor will it cause liver failure.
@flowboy Very inspiring advice! I have stocked the cupboard with cordial and fizzy water and herbal teas.. I've also conviced myself I have strong mind! So.... fingers crossed!
Sadly. I have been working on my personal growth for years and whilst other areas of my life are strong, this is my pathetic area. I also see a therapist fortnightly as well as training to be a counsellor! So I can't escape it.
@Twega Interesting - is there a particular brand you can recommend ?
If you've been doing the same kind of personal growth work for years and you don't feel much progress, it's time to switch it up and try another method Or combine it with something new, to get you a little growth spurt. I'm sure people on here would have more suggestions for you to try. So would I.
Also, be patient with yourself. It's okay to take years and years to grow out of most neuroticisms.
Just make sure not to poison yourself too badly in the process.
But also don't be perfectionistic about it. It's a balance.
Casual drinking is so accepted now that a lot of people aren’t even aware of what’s driving them to drink in this way in the first place. I have friends who want to drink everyday and will get completely trashed on the weekends. The need to do that goes away when you are content with your life. The alcohol is simply being used to mask anxieties and problems in your life. I have yet to meet a healthy, balanced person who drinks every day. Even one glass of wine EVERYDAY is a problem in my eyes. You have to confront what is bothering you on a deeper level, not ignore it.
Edited September 5 by kamwalker