EP 276: Reader Question - Why do I crave a drink when I'm calm and relaxed?

This Naked Mind Podcast

Annie Grace

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

4.7 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2020

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why, when we feel calm and relaxed and comfortable and completely at ease, do we desire alcohol? We know we’re not stressed or anxious or upset, yet somehow we still want a drink. It doesn’t make sense. How do the cravings show up when we already have the feeling we will get from drinking? And, what can we do to make it stop? Annie Grace explains.

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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.
0:20.2	Hey, it's Annie Grace and I am answering readers questions today.
0:32.2	And today I have a question.
0:34.2	It says, hi, any quick question.
0:35.2	I listened to your podcast often and I'm not sure if you've answered this question yet.
0:39.8	Why would a calm feel good feeling cause me to want to drink?
0:44.0	I found that what I'm feeling relaxed and comfortable, I tend to crave a drink.
0:47.6	I do an awesome job of just noticing this feeling, but I'm wondering if you had any insights
0:52.2	into why this is.
0:53.6	So this is such a good question because this happens to us not just for being calm and
0:58.0	relaxed, but it can also absolutely happen to us for things like, oh, but I feel so good.
1:03.8	I'm so happy right now and why do I want to drink when I'm so happy or in other instances
1:10.4	where we honestly just feel better.
1:14.3	And then we still want to drink like, why is that that makes no sense?
1:18.0	I don't get it at all.
1:19.3	So one of the thing that happens is that the brain, alcohol and any addictive substance,
1:25.1	they're one of the reasons they're addicted to this because they artificially release high
1:28.7	levels of dopamine in the brain.
1:30.3	If you've heard anything I said, he probably heard me say this a lot of times.
1:34.2	And dopamine is the learning molecule.
1:37.0	It says, hey, that thing you just did do that thing again.
	...

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