January 9, 2024
None of my friends or family would say I have a problem with alcohol, but I do. I have a hard time letting go of the nightly 1-2 glasses of wine while cooking and eating dinner. And until this study came out, I was holding on to the idea that my habits were fine, even though public consensus was that someone my size should be at 1 daily alcoholic drink max. I’d ignore the fact that weekends would often include more than 2 per day. But I have been making a concerted effort to curtail my alcohol intake since my stomach started acting up in 2021. I’ll have “good” moments where I ditch the daily use and only drink while going out. Though between October and December 2023, the end of the day “treat” crept back in. UG! I have been doing some reading to help me understand why I’m struggling to kick the daily habit. “This Naked Mind” by Annie Grace was fantastic. It emphasized the fact that we are made to feel bad about ourselves (I’m weak, I’m genetically predisposed, etc) when we can’t resist an extremely addictive product – if we can’t moderate. “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence” by Anna Lembke goes deep into pleasure / pain balance and how products that produce dopamine in our brain are more intense now than ever before. (Think Tiktok, engaging video games, intensely flavored food and of course…the myriad of drugs that our ancestors never had access to.) So far, so good for me in 2024 – only 2 drinking days and it’s 1/9/24. I’ve learned that serotonin is more responsible for joy and satisfaction, whereas dopamine is more related to rewards and motivation. And if you are addicted to something, those chemical can get out of whack and you may find yourself craving more than actually enjoying. I’m pretty proud of myself – I did a social event last weekend without drinking. Because I decided ahead of time, I didn’t waffle (much) when I was there. And OMG I was just fine – enjoyed some friends and the craving was minimal. I’m motivated to drink less because it is dehydrating, inflammatory, harmful to good gut bacteria, and not good for memory. So cheers to a healthier me, a healthier you and finding balance in 2024!
