Less Alcohol - JANUARY 2021 - One Day At A Time

In case you indulged a bit to much New Years Eve. This may explain why you have HANGXIETY

Why Does Alcohol Cause “Hangover Anxiety?”
The brain’s effort to rebalance itself chemically post-drinking is a major factor in hangxiety. Like many substances, alcohol disrupts neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. Initially, this can cause a short-lived rush of euphoria. But as these “feel-good” chemicals recede, you may remember all the problems you temporarily forgot about, causing you to feel depressed or anxious.

Alcohol also stimulates the production of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter that slows and calms the brain. Often, medication prescribed to reduce anxiety or improve sleep is designed to increase this brain chemical. If you’ve ever felt more relaxed and cheerful after a few drinks, it’s probably the result of GABA.

After a couple more drinks, your brain also begins to block an excitatory neurotransmitter called glutamate, which studies have linked to anxiety. This generally makes you feel even more relaxed, especially if you already struggle with general anxiety or social anxiety. It can feel as though the chatter in your brain has finally quieted. And for a while, this feels wonderful.

But then, your well-meaning brain embarks on a mission to rebalance these chemicals. It begins to block GABA and produce higher levels of glutamate. Sometimes, this prompts a rapid swing from blissful calm to anxiety and dread.

Making matters worse, you may begin to recall embarrassing or unpleasant moments from the night before. Alternatively, you may recall nothing at all, which can also be alarming. The resulting fear or guilt can multiply the anxiety you’re already feeling.

I am seeing some very familiar user names in here. (That really brings a smile to my face.)
Welcome back @CryingBlue and @Tesha231 I totally agree there are designated set up threads to go and spew negativity about touchy subjects. @CryingBlue I think you and I were on the 2018 Less Alcohol thread way back when.
Good week to jump start the year. And if you already have multiple AF days in a row all the more of a celebration.

@mainelylisa I thought for sure I would surely down my 2 drink limit that I set on myself NYE. But that one prosseco had me swirling and I KNEW that if I had number 2 that I would go looking for more, that was not even in the house. Those single serve bottles are my savior instead of a 750ml bottle. I wil definitely check out Girl Walks Out Of A Bar. Thanks for the recommendation.

@globalhiker bravo to your husband for even talking about doing some AF days. Wish he would speak to my husband and convince him to do at least one AF a week. No miracles happening in my house.

Tesha231 wrote: »

Like @Womona, the political hate in social media was killing me so I dropped. Currently 3 weeks AF and going for a dry January. Weird, but an unbelievable resolve to not drink hit me in Dec. Last time I felt this way was 2004 when I quit smoking cold turkey. To this day, I can’t stand the smell of cigarettes. We’ll see where this “dry” spell goes. Happy 2020 all!

I forgot to mention fantastic record for quitting cigs. My late husband was a heavy smoker from the day I met him. We had been together probably 15 years. One weekend he got the flu and it had him flat in bed for three days. When he was well enough to make it into the lvingroom to sit, he lit up a cig took one small drag off and snuffed it out. He quit there and then and never had another.

So huge bravo to you for your 15 plus years of no smoking.