You want NOTHING to do with Alcohol

Ok listen, I know this sounds like doom and gloom and we should NEVER drink alcohol.

That is what I’m saying, but I can only bring awareness. I cannot enforce it on anybody except myself. And yes, I do drink alcohol occasionally, I even had a few drinks when I was on a date last night. But the awareness is the key factor in all of this. If this post gets you to binge drink one less time a month, then I’ve done my job. I feel like we just do things without understanding the consequences of our actions. But after reading this, if it has simply brought awareness of what it does to you, I guess I’m happy. Anyways let me explain GABA to you.

(I wrote this as my last paragraph, but I think it’s more effective at the beginning)

Alcohol and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).

One of the ways alcohol affects the body is by altering the function of the neurotransmitter GABA. GABA is responsible for slowing down brain activity, and alcohol enhances its effects by increasing the number of GABA receptors it activates. This leads to a decrease in brain activity, causing feelings of relaxation and sedation which we all know. Over time, the

frequent activation of GABA receptors by alcohol can lead to a tolerance, which leads to more drinking which leads to addiction. But having GABA withdrawal can lead to anxiety, which is what I’m more interested in.

GABA is supposed to regulate the body’s neurotransmitters, which means it help everything flow naturally, decreasing anxiety and other mental health symptoms. When you disrupt GABA production, you’re disrupting how your brain regulates itself.

Now that we know the science behind alcohol and what it does to the brain. Let’s look at what it does to your body now.

HANGOVERS

I always think about why people would put themselves in such an awful scenario of having a bad hangover. Binge drinking or getting drunk is the single most un-productive thing I can think of. Let me break it down for you.

First, you’re spending your hard-earned money on alcohol, which in turn destroys your brain and body for the night, and then you need at least a day to fully recover from the destruction caused. Let’s not forget that sleeping while drunk severely reduces sleep quality and acts as if you’re not getting any effective sleep because of the missed cycles. So now we’re also behind on a night of sleep. And now we’ve slightly damaged our brain’s ability to regulate itself. Someone please find me a positive in being drunk.

When I put it in these words, is that not eye-opening to you? Let me show you some points that people have made in why they drink.

Common Arguments

1. I drink because it calms me down.

If you drink because it calms you down, you need to learn how to do this without alcohol. This is what leads to an alcohol addiction.

2. I’m young and just having fun.

You’re destroying the present and using “I’m young” as an excuse to make stupid decisions. The quicker you grow out of this the earlier you will find success in your life.

3. It allows me to be more social.

Although this is true, I think deep down we have it in ourselves to be social without alcohol, and the sooner we learn how to be social without alcohol the more successful we can be in our social lives. If we can only be social when drinking alcohol, what does that mean about the other 95% of our lives? It means that it needs work.

Interesting note

I’ve met quite a few people in my life that have major personality changes even when they have a sip of alcohol. I can only attribute this how the alcohol binds to the GABA receptors in the brain, and maybe for some people, alcohol has a much greater effect. I’ve found it astounding that these personality changes are so major that I would even write a note about it. It’s almost like they’re possessed by someone else. I don’t want to get too deep into this but just thought it was interesting.

Final thoughts

That's it

I'm looking for feedback on this, if you guys are up for it please message me on Instagram @o2isosman or @illustrationsbyos!