EP 266: Reader Question - Why do we desire alcohol for celebration?

This Naked Mind Podcast

Annie Grace

Mental Health, Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2020

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s episode, Joy asks, “When we’re celebrating and our brain is flooded with happy chemicals, why are we triggered to turn to alcohol, something that will dampen our experience?” It makes sense to use alcohol to numb, right? But, what is it that makes us want alcohol when things already feel so good? Annie Grace explains what’s going on in our brains when this happens and how we can make our brains unlearn old lessons and teach them new ones.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Annie Grace and you're listening to this naked mind podcast where without
0:15.2	judgment, pain or rules, we explore the role of alcohol in our lives and culture.
0:20.4	Hi, this is Annie Grace and I'm answering readers questions and today I have a great question
0:32.4	from Joy. And Joy asked, she said, I wonder if you could explain the answer to this please.
0:37.5	I can easily understand how alcohols and nethesizing effects can get us hooked into its use for
0:43.2	anxiety or stress relief, etc. But I'm really puzzled about why do we feel triggered to
0:48.5	use it for a celebration when the brain is already flooded with happy chemicals. Why do we turn
0:53.6	to alcohol at these moments when it's action is to actually dampen our experience at the moment.
0:58.5	For instance, an exam win win the birth of a baby, a promotion at work or whatever the case for
1:03.8	celebration is. And then you'll be able to explain this in your crystal clear way. Thanks to Joy.
1:10.6	So this is such a great question and joy and it's so true, you know, it can make so much sense.
1:15.3	Like, yes, of course, we want to use alcohol because it's a numbing agent. In fact,
1:20.2	it was such a numbing agent that it was used in surgeries for a very long time until people
1:24.7	realized that it was too toxic and there were much safer things to use for anesthesia.
1:29.5	And so we say, okay, like that makes sense. But then why is it when we're already feeling great?
1:36.2	Why do we want to pour alcohol in the mix? What gives there? How does that make any sense?
1:41.6	Especially by the way, once you've sort of stopped drinking and realized all these incredible
1:46.3	benefits and you're you're really in a good place, you know, you stop drinking for self-medication,
1:51.5	you've done whatever work you need to do, you're in a good, happy place and then all of a sudden,
1:55.3	you're not having cr- you're just good, not having cravings at all on an all of a sudden,
1:58.7	you're in a situation where it's like, boom celebration and you're like, I feel great, I feel happy.
2:03.9	Why do I want to drink right now in this moment? Why does that make sense? How is that possible?
	...

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