Why Alcohol Makes Us Lazy (It’s All About Dopamine)
Alcohol makes us lazy. Fact.
The simple explanation is this: We are getting a huge dopamine hit simply from sitting on the sofa drinking our wine and watching TV. That hit lights up the reward centre in our brains. We start to relax and get a bit of a buzz - without having to do anything.
We are training our brains to rely on that easy hit and evidence actually show that our brain comes to expect it so we don’t even begin to look at other ways to feel good. We just become more and more reliant on our evening drink.
This is also why when we are bored, it’s a huge trigger to drink. We haven’t got into the habit of actively looking for and creating a more interesting or fulfilling evening activity because we haven’t needed to.
And to add to this, Alcohol slows down our brain and makes boring things seem more interesting. The solution? We need to replace that dopamine hit with something else. We need smaller, effort-based dopamine hits.
Effort-based dopamine hits – and how to get them
So how do we go about getting smaller and regular dopamine hits? Start by thinking about what lights you up, what makes you laugh and what makes you feel joyful (and note; it’s the little things, not the big things). The small things are what I call “dopamine tickles”.
Examples might be heading to the beach for a walk by the ocean and watching sunrise/sunset, watching a comedy show with a loved one and sharing a laugh, exercising (my go-to for dopamine tickles), connection, gardening, learning, reading, a hot bath with a favourite book, a cuddle with the dog. These are dopamine tickles. Rather than a big PUNCH of dopamine that a glass of wine gives you.
Let’s take a closer look at my top 5 ways to get dopamine tickles (that all add up) away from the bottle…
1. Go walking with a friend
The combination of a friend, exercise and time in the outdoors will give you a solid dopamine tickle. Countless studies have proven nature has a positive effect on your mental health. This includes symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychosomatic illnesses like irritability, tension headaches, insomnia, and indigestion. Add exercise and laughter with a friend to nature and the dopamine tickles FLOW.
2. Infrared sauna
It’s been proven that sauna exposure causes a significant release of dopamine and beta-endorphin, a neuropeptide hormone. These substances cause a sense of euphoria and a boost to mood, energy, a sense of calm and pain tolerance.
Why does a sauna feel so good afterwards? Simply – saunas can be quite stressful on the body, so your brain produces and releases more euphoric hormones to deal with it. That’s why it feels so good! Add in an ice bath after and you will be feeling amazing for a good few hours!
3. A live show, or TV show that makes you laugh
Laughter swaps the cortisol in our bloodstream with highly sought-after chemicals– dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins. Laughter also enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles. So yep, it’s time to sit down and watch Friends with your kids. Or take yourself to a comedy festival. Or just hit YouTube for some laughs.
4. Dancing in the kitchen
Dance has been scientifically proven to reduce the cortisol (stress hormone) caused by day-to-day life pressures. It causes the brain to release dopamine. The exercise of dancing (even if it’s sweaty and hard) helps you RELAX!
Now, who has time for a dance class? If you’re busy like me just turn up the volume on your favourite dance music and dance in the kitchen with your family. Combining movement with music really helps us feel the dopamine tickles!
5. Cuddle your kids and pets
Cuddling releases the feel-good hormones dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. Once the hormones are released with a big cuddle, we experience feelings of happiness, relaxation, improved mood, and lower levels of depression.
Try all 5 of these in one week and feel those dopamine tickles add up!
P.S. If you’re curious about creating more dopamine without alcohol, join my Rediscovering Me program in February. It’s 8 weeks of self-discovery, support, friendship and loads of information on re-designing your alcohol-free life from the inside out. You can sign up HERE!
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