Dr Jeevan on what the evidence shows when we look at our beliefs about alcohol more carefully.
Most of us have built up a set of beliefs about what alcohol does for us over many years. “It helps me relax”. “It makes social situations easier”. “It takes the edge off a hard day”. These beliefs feel personal and true. But a lot of research has looked at how accurate they actually are, and the findings are often surprising.
Scientific studies have shown that the feelings people get after drinking alcohol is largely because of how we expect alcohol to affect us, rather than the alcohol itself.
These studies split people into two groups. One group was given alcohol but the other was given a drink that tasted the same but didn’t contain alcohol (the placebo). Both groups were told they had been given alcohol to drink. Both groups reported feeling more relaxed, more sociable and more at ease - even the group that didn’t actually drink alcohol! They felt this way because they thought they had drunk alcohol. This showed that our expectations have a big impact on how we feel.
This doesn’t mean that alcohol has no real effects. It clearly does. But it does show us that we have the ability to be relaxed and more sociable when we believe we can, without alcohol. It shows us that if we believe something will make us feel positive, that may cause it to do exactly that. So no matter what is in your glass, it can have the same effect.
Many people drink because they expect it to reduce anxiety because it “takes the edge off”. In the short term, it often does. Alcohol slows down your brain, so your overthinking can slow down too. But over time, regular drinking is associated with higher baseline anxiety, not lower. The brain adjusts to the regular presence of alcohol, so when it is not there, the anxiety can actually feel worse than it would have without any drinking at all. So alcohol doesn’t take the edge off, it actually puts you more on edge.
Don’t blame yourself for the beliefs you have held about alcohol. Unfortunately many people hold these incorrect beliefs, because they have heard them from other people or all the decades of marketing that promote alcohol use.
Now you know what science says about alcohol, and you can see the full picture. Don’t let outdated ideas hold you back from achieving your future goals. What you believe drives how you feel. Now it’s up to you to choose. You can choose the right beliefs for your progress, or the old beliefs you’ve always had.
