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E203: Why You Still Want Alcohol Even When You Hate It (It’s Dopamine!)
Manage episode 408892135 series 2815261
Drinking stops being fun and enjoyable, but we continue to do it anyway. Why is this? We know it makes us miserable and we want to stop, but by 4pm or after a few days or weeks of sober time we talk ourselves back into it. In this episode you’ll learn about the adaptations that happen in the brain as we drink heavily and how this leads to compulsive drinking despite the consequences. I’ll explain how alcohol changes our dopamine system to increase cravings, prevent us from stopping once we’ve started, and keep us hooked on alcohol long after it’s stopped being fun. We’ll end by discussing why we continue to drink at this point and how this recovers in sobriety.
What to listen to next:
E22: why you think alcohol helps your anxiety
E125: why you can't stop drinking once you start
E170: why the first year of sobriety is so hard
E128: why cravings are so powerful
E201: your dysregulated stress response
E33: why does drinking make us feel energized?
E157: brain fog and fatigue
Get Support:
- Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
- Sober Group Coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching
- Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger
- Weekly emails on Thursdays with the sober tip of the week, announcements, interviews, and more. https://www.soberpowered.com/email
- Quiz: what is causing your alcohol cravings? https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/65db8de55d674c92e333e001
- Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free
Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:
https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors
If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered
Sources are posted on my website
Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
259 episodes
Manage episode 408892135 series 2815261
Drinking stops being fun and enjoyable, but we continue to do it anyway. Why is this? We know it makes us miserable and we want to stop, but by 4pm or after a few days or weeks of sober time we talk ourselves back into it. In this episode you’ll learn about the adaptations that happen in the brain as we drink heavily and how this leads to compulsive drinking despite the consequences. I’ll explain how alcohol changes our dopamine system to increase cravings, prevent us from stopping once we’ve started, and keep us hooked on alcohol long after it’s stopped being fun. We’ll end by discussing why we continue to drink at this point and how this recovers in sobriety.
What to listen to next:
E22: why you think alcohol helps your anxiety
E125: why you can't stop drinking once you start
E170: why the first year of sobriety is so hard
E128: why cravings are so powerful
E201: your dysregulated stress response
E33: why does drinking make us feel energized?
E157: brain fog and fatigue
Get Support:
- Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
- Sober Group Coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching
- Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger
- Weekly emails on Thursdays with the sober tip of the week, announcements, interviews, and more. https://www.soberpowered.com/email
- Quiz: what is causing your alcohol cravings? https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/65db8de55d674c92e333e001
- Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free
Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:
https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors
If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered
Sources are posted on my website
Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
259 episodes
All episodes
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