Are you afraid of the Cliff?

The problem with alcohol is like getting too close to the edge of a cliff.  Do you ever get worried that the higher you get, the further there is to fall?

The human brain is wired for pleasure.  Every time we find something that is interesting or pleasurable, the brain is stimulated with dopamine.  The reason we are so stimulated to find new items of interest or new shiny objects is because the brain receives a hit of dopamine whenever we find that new or interesting tit bit.

The pleasure center within the brain is wired to seek new and pleasurable sensations to such a large extent that we do not associate the finding something as much as we crave for another hit of dopamine.

And here is the problem with alcohol, and other addictive substances.  The pleasure center in the brain is stimulated not by the addition of alcohol, but by the creation of extra dopamine.  We get extra dopamine when we are tricked into drinking too much alcohol.  So the brain is tricked into stimulating the pleasure center with additional dopamine.  In reality, the stimulation is not due to natural triggers, but by an artificial and mind altering chemical.

The Problem with Alcohol is that the higher we get, the further we fall

And the problem with alcohol is that it causes artificial stimulation of the pleasure center of the brain.  It does this until we have no control over our desire to seek more of the pleasurable sensation.  Therefore, we tend to drink too much alcohol, or take more drugs.  We have no control over the urges in our brain to tell us when to stop drinking too much.  There is no mechanism in the pleasure center of the brain to stop seeking more pleasure. All we are left with is the ongoing craving and urge to drink too much alcohol.

The problem with alcohol and other drugs is that we just want to keep drinking or smoking or whatever, until our body rejects the foreign matter.  This will happen eventually, but only after the pleasure center of the brain has been overstimulated.  Even after we have a bad experience with drinking too much alcohol, and we all know how bad that can make us feel, the pleasure center of the brain will crave more of the pleasurable sensation, no matter how bad the hangover.

Look out for the Cliff

Do you remember your first hangover?  Do you remember how bad you felt the first time you got sick from drinking too much alcohol?  Then why do we continue to drink alcohol?  The human body is extremely adaptable, no matter how alcohol makes us feel bad.  Our brain is able to convince us that the perceived benefits are better than the risk of more pain.  This is flawed logic, because there are no benefits from drinking alcohol.  Even though we have previous experience with how alcohol makes us feel bad.  The problem with alcohol is that too often we go ahead and drink too much alcohol anyway.

Not only is our brain able to convince us to risk the pain from drinking too much alcohol, but we also grow accustomed to the feelings of pleasure that we get from drinking alcohol.  Over time, our brain becomes accustomed to the level of dopamine that is released after drinking.  Eventually we need more and more of the dopamine hit in order to achieve the same level of dopamine hit.

Happiness is good, but more is better!

There are many examples in life when we humans adapt very quickly to a changed circumstance.  Take a pay rise for example; which will no doubt create a dramatic increase in happiness for many of us.  However, the short term happiness is quickly replaced by the craving for more increase in order to maintain the high levels of happiness.

The adaptability of the human brain is a very important trait that has helped with the rapid evolution of humans as species.  But it can also be considered as a problem in the continual search for increased happiness.  No matter how good our life is right now, we just seem to grow accustomed to that level of satisfaction, and then crave to move to the next level of satisfaction.

Beware the Alcohol Cravings

Alcohol cravings are a bit like the need to climb higher and higher.  And this is the problem with alcohol, as our body becomes accustomed to the level of intoxication.  We need more to get the same high.  When our brain becomes accustomed the pleasurable sensation, we crave more and more of the pleasurable sensation.  Eventually this leads to an ascending level of risky behavior.

Even though we know that we taking risks with our behavior, we are not always aware of the danger.  And we are not always aware that because we become accustomed to the risk, we no longer perceive how dangerous it has become.

How will you stop before the edge of the cliff?

We are all aware of when we are doing something dangerous.  We all know that feeling of dread when we get too close to the edge, or that feeling of excitement when we are trying something for the first time.  These are basic human emotions, and are deeply seated in our subconscious mind.  It is the same with drinking too much alcohol, even though we know that it if we drink too much it will make us feel bad.

Don’t be afraid to ask for Help

But because the human brain is so adaptable, it has learnt to ignore the warnings about the dangers of drinking too much.  One of our great strengths of the brain is to learn new things, but this very same skill has caused a problem when the brain is tricked into drinking too much alcohol. No matter how good things are, more is always better, and therefore we ignore the warning signs.

If you want to learn how to avoid the danger and the problem with alcohol, click here for help to stop drinking before it is too late.

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