As someone in recovery my fav is getting weekly promos from DoorDash & Uber offering deals on booze w/20 min delivery. During covid lockdowns I couldn’t go to an in person AA meet but I could sure as shit order booze at my door in 20 min if I wanted! (At least in Los Angeles). Disappointed to hear that about Pitt too & yes have read that possibly JLo booze venture caused some tension in her marriage as well (shocker).
I love this. Making the switch from blaming myself and assuming I was defective to realizing alcohol was actually the bad guy was such a key part of my journey. (Now 18 months sober!) Also totally resonate with the message that booze is addictive, to at least some point, for everyone, and how harmful the idea that you're either an alcoholic or fine (instead of it being a spectrum) can be.
One of these days I'll make a list of how many things have improved since I stopped drinking. It'll be an extremely long list (and way longer than I ever expected it might be).
Congratulations on 18 months of sobriety Patrick! Fantastic. I love your idea to write a list of everything sobriety has given you. Mine would be so long too! So many little things as well as big things.
And yes, it was exactly the same for me - when I switched to realising alcohol was the bad guy, not me, that was what enabled me to get sober. Before that, for over 10 years, I was hiding in shame, believing there was something wrong with me - and I was never able to quit drinking with that belief.
Ah brilliant! The book changed my life. I also listened to her podcast every day, and did the 30 Day Alcohol Experiment twice. Took me 20 months to get sober but I got there in the end! And now have no desire to drink and feel truly free. I so wish the same for you Nate. If you ever want any advice or support in any way, please do reach out. I'm rooting for you x
Hi. Just wanted to check in and tell you I can’t thank you enough for writing about “This Naked Mind”. Truly a game changer for me. Completing Day 9 AF as I type this. A long way to go, obviously, but it’s been decades (literally) since I’ve gotten this far. Thank you so much!
This warms my heart Nate - I’m so glad I can share Annie’s amazing work with people. Her approach is so radical and, as you say, a game changer! Thank you so much for checking in and please do let me know how your journey continues. And remember: once you know this stuff, there’s no going back - even if the path isn’t linear (and it usually isn’t) you are now headed in a totally new direction and you can absolutely get to where you want to be x
I’m already reading the book and started the Experiment yesterday. One day completed. Now to see if I can successfully manage the work & kid activities while attempting this. Thank you again, Ellie.
I think most of us know, from the way our bodies respond the first time we get drunk, alcohol is poison. Period. It makes us sick. And, because we develop a physiological dependence to alcohol, unlike many other drugs of abuse, without medical attention, we can die from withdrawal.
Doesn't sound so safe now, does it.
It is also clear to me that, although I drank for the fun of it for years, I crossed the invisible line into alcoholism when I began to drink to avoid what I was feeling. I know, for me, if it wasn't alcohol, it would have been something else, some other distraction from my emotional experience. In that sense, alcohol was a symptom of the problem.
Once I got sober, the job was to deal with the things I used alcohol to avoid.
This Naked Mind was such a compelling read and left me unable to unsee all of the bad about booze. I appreciate this piece so much and relate to it. Thanks!
Such an important post Ellie. It actually makes me so angry that these companies and brands are knowingly harming people for the sake of financial gain. Another sad part of our current world that also makes me worry for our children. Xxx
I've just seen that Annie Grace has actually created a book for teenagers about what alcohol does to the brain! An amazing resource, and means young people can be fully informed before they make the decision to drink, and when they do drink, they understand what is happening https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buzz-Buzzkill-Alcohol-Dopamine-Brain/dp/0996715053
I know - and once you see it, you can't unsee it. I was so shocked when I found out that the Drink Aware/ 'drink responsibly' campaign was created by the alcohol industry. Putting all the responsiblity on individuals, blaming the people who get addicted to their addictive substance! We can have these conversations with our kids and help them to think critically about it all, rather than absorbing all these unconscious messages that alcohol is the route to fun and connection xxx
I never thought about how when one drinks they are deepening neural pathways...I spent a lot of time deepening those grooves in a relationship with alcohol where I drank to a very intoxicated state. Even when I stopped drink as often, when I did drink, I felt I had no control and always ended up having my old amount of drinks. This is also why I feel I will never be able to have a moderate relationship with alcohol, I do not know one. Thank you for this, I am excited to collaborate on this topic with you.
Yes, that was me too Emma! I either had to have no drink, or ALL the drinks. But you know - although some people struggle with this more than others - making you want more after that first drink is literally how alcohol works. That first drink knocks your body out of whack - and your body desperately tries to get back to a sense of homeostasis and balance. So it releases something call dynorphin which makes you feel worse than before you had that first drink. So then you want to have another drink to feel better. And then you feel even worse and want another and so on - all the while feeling worse and worse than when you started. Often it's imperceptible and the desire to have another drink takes place in our unconscious mind. But if you've ever drunk a lot and then sobered up during the day, you know how utterly awful that feels. And we basically experience a little bit of that every time the positive effects of a drink where off - which is after about 20 minutes.
It's why SO many people say 'oh I'll just have one' and then find themselves having another and another. Also the more you drink, the more your decision making is impaired.
I am reading Holly Whitaker’s book “Quit like a Woman” which is the first time I’ve heard these truths pointed out. Such a true and powerful message. So glad I’m seeing this being discussed more openly!
Beautiful and thought-provoking point of view. From a medical provider perspective, I recently did a post talking about how to support the brain naturally when ingesting alcohol. Understanding life is not always black or white around this topic, but areas of beige and gray, especially individuals with potential undiagnosed inflammation that can worsen brain health
Thank you Umu, and I just read your post - a really interesting in-depth look at how alcohol affects brain health and therefore mental health. I think it's so important that people have information like this, and all the other ways alcohol affects the body, so they can make informed decisions around whether they want to consume alcohol at all.
The same can be said about your wonderful post. Different voices and perspectives matter, adding richness to the conversation. Thanks for reading my post.
That not only made me laugh, but it seems the perfect 'got ya' to the alcohol industry.
Hey I know you're going to yoga class tonight but please, make sure you yoga responsibly. I don't want you going to detox and rehab again to get you off that mind-body-soul connection that's unequivocally good for you.
Thanks for sharing this message, Ellie. The collective justifications and selective ignorance around alcohol are wild.
As someone in recovery my fav is getting weekly promos from DoorDash & Uber offering deals on booze w/20 min delivery. During covid lockdowns I couldn’t go to an in person AA meet but I could sure as shit order booze at my door in 20 min if I wanted! (At least in Los Angeles). Disappointed to hear that about Pitt too & yes have read that possibly JLo booze venture caused some tension in her marriage as well (shocker).
I love this. Making the switch from blaming myself and assuming I was defective to realizing alcohol was actually the bad guy was such a key part of my journey. (Now 18 months sober!) Also totally resonate with the message that booze is addictive, to at least some point, for everyone, and how harmful the idea that you're either an alcoholic or fine (instead of it being a spectrum) can be.
One of these days I'll make a list of how many things have improved since I stopped drinking. It'll be an extremely long list (and way longer than I ever expected it might be).
Congratulations on 18 months of sobriety Patrick! Fantastic. I love your idea to write a list of everything sobriety has given you. Mine would be so long too! So many little things as well as big things.
And yes, it was exactly the same for me - when I switched to realising alcohol was the bad guy, not me, that was what enabled me to get sober. Before that, for over 10 years, I was hiding in shame, believing there was something wrong with me - and I was never able to quit drinking with that belief.
Yeah exactly. Hardest part for me was coming to terms with the massive amount of shame I felt. (And first realizing that shame was even there!)
Thank you for this. It really hits home with me and my current situation (sadly).
You’re so welcome Nate, and I’m glad it resonated with you. Wishing you so much strength and compassion for yourself wherever you are on your journey.
Diving into This Naked Mind. We’ll see where it leads. Hopefully to sobriety.
Ah brilliant! The book changed my life. I also listened to her podcast every day, and did the 30 Day Alcohol Experiment twice. Took me 20 months to get sober but I got there in the end! And now have no desire to drink and feel truly free. I so wish the same for you Nate. If you ever want any advice or support in any way, please do reach out. I'm rooting for you x
Hi. Just wanted to check in and tell you I can’t thank you enough for writing about “This Naked Mind”. Truly a game changer for me. Completing Day 9 AF as I type this. A long way to go, obviously, but it’s been decades (literally) since I’ve gotten this far. Thank you so much!
This warms my heart Nate - I’m so glad I can share Annie’s amazing work with people. Her approach is so radical and, as you say, a game changer! Thank you so much for checking in and please do let me know how your journey continues. And remember: once you know this stuff, there’s no going back - even if the path isn’t linear (and it usually isn’t) you are now headed in a totally new direction and you can absolutely get to where you want to be x
I’m already reading the book and started the Experiment yesterday. One day completed. Now to see if I can successfully manage the work & kid activities while attempting this. Thank you again, Ellie.
I think most of us know, from the way our bodies respond the first time we get drunk, alcohol is poison. Period. It makes us sick. And, because we develop a physiological dependence to alcohol, unlike many other drugs of abuse, without medical attention, we can die from withdrawal.
Doesn't sound so safe now, does it.
It is also clear to me that, although I drank for the fun of it for years, I crossed the invisible line into alcoholism when I began to drink to avoid what I was feeling. I know, for me, if it wasn't alcohol, it would have been something else, some other distraction from my emotional experience. In that sense, alcohol was a symptom of the problem.
Once I got sober, the job was to deal with the things I used alcohol to avoid.
This Naked Mind was such a compelling read and left me unable to unsee all of the bad about booze. I appreciate this piece so much and relate to it. Thanks!
You’re so welcome Kelly x
Such an important post Ellie. It actually makes me so angry that these companies and brands are knowingly harming people for the sake of financial gain. Another sad part of our current world that also makes me worry for our children. Xxx
I've just seen that Annie Grace has actually created a book for teenagers about what alcohol does to the brain! An amazing resource, and means young people can be fully informed before they make the decision to drink, and when they do drink, they understand what is happening https://www.amazon.co.uk/Buzz-Buzzkill-Alcohol-Dopamine-Brain/dp/0996715053
Amazing thank you lovely. xx
I know - and once you see it, you can't unsee it. I was so shocked when I found out that the Drink Aware/ 'drink responsibly' campaign was created by the alcohol industry. Putting all the responsiblity on individuals, blaming the people who get addicted to their addictive substance! We can have these conversations with our kids and help them to think critically about it all, rather than absorbing all these unconscious messages that alcohol is the route to fun and connection xxx
I never thought about how when one drinks they are deepening neural pathways...I spent a lot of time deepening those grooves in a relationship with alcohol where I drank to a very intoxicated state. Even when I stopped drink as often, when I did drink, I felt I had no control and always ended up having my old amount of drinks. This is also why I feel I will never be able to have a moderate relationship with alcohol, I do not know one. Thank you for this, I am excited to collaborate on this topic with you.
Yes, that was me too Emma! I either had to have no drink, or ALL the drinks. But you know - although some people struggle with this more than others - making you want more after that first drink is literally how alcohol works. That first drink knocks your body out of whack - and your body desperately tries to get back to a sense of homeostasis and balance. So it releases something call dynorphin which makes you feel worse than before you had that first drink. So then you want to have another drink to feel better. And then you feel even worse and want another and so on - all the while feeling worse and worse than when you started. Often it's imperceptible and the desire to have another drink takes place in our unconscious mind. But if you've ever drunk a lot and then sobered up during the day, you know how utterly awful that feels. And we basically experience a little bit of that every time the positive effects of a drink where off - which is after about 20 minutes.
It's why SO many people say 'oh I'll just have one' and then find themselves having another and another. Also the more you drink, the more your decision making is impaired.
Wow, I did not know that but it makes a ton of sense. Fascinating.
I am reading Holly Whitaker’s book “Quit like a Woman” which is the first time I’ve heard these truths pointed out. Such a true and powerful message. So glad I’m seeing this being discussed more openly!
Ah, I’m right there with you Jennifer! Holly’s book is fantastic.
Beautiful and thought-provoking point of view. From a medical provider perspective, I recently did a post talking about how to support the brain naturally when ingesting alcohol. Understanding life is not always black or white around this topic, but areas of beige and gray, especially individuals with potential undiagnosed inflammation that can worsen brain health
Thank you Umu, and I just read your post - a really interesting in-depth look at how alcohol affects brain health and therefore mental health. I think it's so important that people have information like this, and all the other ways alcohol affects the body, so they can make informed decisions around whether they want to consume alcohol at all.
The same can be said about your wonderful post. Different voices and perspectives matter, adding richness to the conversation. Thanks for reading my post.
Thanks for sharing an important viewpoint, Ellie.
"Do you need to moderate your yoga use?"
That not only made me laugh, but it seems the perfect 'got ya' to the alcohol industry.
Hey I know you're going to yoga class tonight but please, make sure you yoga responsibly. I don't want you going to detox and rehab again to get you off that mind-body-soul connection that's unequivocally good for you.
Ha ha exactly!!