The euphoric feeling after clocking out of a shift ranging from 8 to 12 hours is something that deserves to be celebrated. What is more celebratory than winding down to drink alcohol? Why not crack open a Miller Lite or a glass of Moscato?
While there is nothing wrong with one to two cans or glasses of that liquid remedy, sometimes it can lead to a substance dependency with permanent effects because of temporary relief.
This article will entail the potential risks that appear when you drink alcohol, what happens to the brain and body when alcohol is consumed, and how to direct that urge to drink alcohol into healthier and creative alternatives.
Why Do You Drink Alcohol After Work?
The simple answer to why you want to drink alcohol after work is that you want to relax and unwind after an exhausting and unfulfilling day at work.
It is very easy to fall into the continuing loop of a 9-5 with indulgent customers and unnecessary back-breaking labor. On top of all that, you are underpaid and overworked.
However, it is the end of a taxing work week, and you and your friends decide to go out. According to various studies, societal pressures can determine how much you can drink.
The power of friendship is more impacting than one expects. We, as humans, long to be liked and included, especially in social settings. Thus, when friends, coworkers, or associates say it makes you cool to drink alcohol, it influences you. In addition, family can have motivation for you to drink alcohol. Whether it is wanting to fit in with the “cool” cousins or you are trying to numb down the everyday dysfunction when you get home, the infamous “liquid courage” prompts an escape from your problems.
Regardless, just because alcohol provides an escape does not mean it is freedom. What seems like fun on the outside turns out to be a different story on the inside.
What Happens to the Brain and Body When You Drink Alcohol?
When you drink alcohol, the first thing your body does is metabolize. The faster you drink, the quicker it will get into your bloodstream. That is because of the chemical name for alcohol, ethanol, a small molecule that travels rapidly through the body.
Once the ethanol is in your bloodstream, you start to feel lighter. The chaotic atmosphere of the bar starts to give you a buzz. For those who deem themselves lightweights, this can happen as soon as having a single drink or a shot. What goes on in the body is that alcohol starts to act as a vasodilator, where your blood vessels start to expand, hence the feeling of warmth. However, your body simultaneously loses heat more quickly, which is why those who drink can start to feel cold.
Also, those alcohol molecules continue the home tour of your body, impacting organs such as the stomach, intestines, and especially the brain. They get settled in the small intestine and get absorbed in the finger-like storage unit for nutrients called the villi. Afterward, they get acquainted with the portal vein and shoot their way to the liver. Nonetheless, the liver can only detox a certain amount of ethanol molecules at a given time, so when it can’t keep up, the cycle continues for as long as you are drinking.
In addition, some risks have been studied, occurring over time when you drink even the smallest amount of alcohol.
Long-Term Effects of Drinking Alcohol
The body is a temple, and with every drink, it begins to crumble over time. Some risks include health problems, relationship problems, and early stages of alcoholic dementia. Those individuals who drink alcohol as a social lubricant can ironically worsen their social or general anxiety over time.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, it says, “Over time, how much and how often a person drinks influences not only acute risks but also chronic health problems, including liver disease and alcohol use disorder (AUD), and social harms such as relationship problems.”
When you have an addiction such as alcohol, it negatively affects your decision-making and influences you to make poor judgment, leading to what neuroscientists call decision fatigue.
The Role Decision Fatigue Plays in Addiction
Decision fatigue is defined as when the quality of decisions starts to decline over time. This topic in neuroscience is a fairly new subject amongst neuroscientists and is continuing to develop. The two consequences of decision fatigue are decision avoidance and default decision-making.
Dr. Sean Watson says, “You can feel wide awake and have decision fatigue or feel very tired…The first consequence of decision fatigue is decision avoidance [which is] when your brain says I’ve made too many decisions today…The second one is more sinister…this is when your brain starts to take your decision-making away from the conscious mind to the unconscious…”
Ways to Redirect Your Energy When You Want to Drink Alcohol
The urge to drink alcohol sometimes succeeds with your true desires, but what if you shifted that demanding energy into something more productive? Many famous painters and artists were alcoholics. Regardless, they were able to create world-renowned art that continues to outlive them.
Many relaxation techniques are beneficial, such as autogenic relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization. StatPearls also highlights the goal of these techniques is to help release physical/psychological tension and anxiety.
How You Can Find Help
Renaissance Ranch has many classes and treatments that can assist you on your road to recovery. At Renaissance Ranch, there are on-site treatment and rehab options that can train your brain to relax positively.
It can be difficult to overcome alcohol addiction because not only does it inhibit growth for yourself but also for your surrounding loved ones. There are other ways to express your response to the ups and downs in life. Invest in yourself and get creative without the need to pick up a bottle because you are worth it. Everyone has greatness in them even if circumstances try to deter you. There is more to life than the bottom of glasses, cans, or bottles. Instead of refilling yourself with more poison for your body, refill yourself with what can benefit you in the long run. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, please call (801) 308-8898.