āDude, what just happened, I just talked to that girl, and that guy over there completely fine without any social anxiety.ā
- Me, Drunk at a College Party in 2015
I realized for the first time in my entire life I faced social anxiety and had no idea until I got drunk at a college party for the first time š All of a sudden I was like...
How does pouring a chemical down my body all of a sudden make me feel like I'm more free and able to talk? What I didnāt know back then was alcohol shuts down the part of your brain that processes judgment in social settings.
Next thing I knew, I was over drinking, overeating, over-consuming, over judging, and over in my head. For the first time in my life, I became obese, seriously depressed and my lifelong social anxiety turned into social isolation. I always just thought I was awkward or stupid or forever stuck being extremely shy...
I realized I can't use alcohol to be myself. It's fine to celebrate but to use it as a medicine is dangerous and degrading. It was this substance-induced moment that started my first ever moment of awareness of social anxiety. Which eventually led me to learn more about social anxiety, my brain, mental health, and how to be myself without needing to drink or be shy...
A priceless investment I started 6 years ago and get the honor of helping people in my situation every day as my job and role on this earth š
Note: It is worth mentioning aside from some addiction to sugar, I have never experienced a legitimate physical addiction. If you need help please call your doctor or another professional healthcare practitioner. Thereās no point in trying to hide the shame and thinking you can beat an addictive compound and potentially getting hurt over just going to see professional help.
Here are 3 different views on why you should reconsider alcohol and alternativesā¦
PS. Before we get started, check out my full complete training program on how to rewire social anxiety and decrease stress & nervousness -Ā here.
1. Short Term Enjoyment = Long Term Struggle
You go to an event or social gathering. Your nervous so you head to the bar or down a few drinks outside to pre-game, which is truly about controlling your nervous system, not about enjoying or celebrating a drink with friends.
You get to the party, you feel a bit less socially anxious, but itās still thereā¦
So, you order another drink to try to take the edge off even more. Next thing you know, itās another drink, and then another one. You feel a bit lighter and more able to socially communicate and be yourself, but thereās also an uneasy feeling as well.
Whatās happening inside of your head and brain chemistry?
Your brain is borrowing serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, which are all very important neurotransmitters that help you be social, be happy, and feel connected to others from tomorrow, to give it to you now.
What happens?
You wake up the next day. You overthink and replay all the social situations and scenarios that happened the day before, and the social anxiety is worse because you feel like crap or donāt have the energy or confidence to be you because your brain is depleted from those neurotransmitters.
What I wish I could tell someone isā¦
Focus on creating a foundation and plan of action for your brain and heal your mind, you will not need a drink to trigger a neurotransmitter response to feel a certain way...
You can create the right balance to feel like that, drink or no drink in hand.
Additionally, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) notes that 20 percent of people dealing with social anxiety disorder suffer from some form of alcohol abuse or dependence. In fact, a twin study done by the Depression & Anxiety Association of America found some pretty phenomenal results.
Social anxiety had the strongest association with alcohol use disorder out of all of the other anxiety disorders. They even found that if you want to tackle alcoholism you might want to tackle handling your social anxiety first.
2. Creating the Pattern of Needing Something to Be Yourself
Every time you drink alcohol and it changes your state of mind & feelings and masks social anxietyā¦
You implicitly send a message to your mind of:
Ifā¦thenā¦
If I am nervous to be myselfā¦..then I drink alcohol.
If you do it once or twice or rarely, itās not a big deal. But if itās your usual, unfortunately, you make it harder to be yourself when youāre not drunk.
Itās important to note that according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse estimates that 88,0005 people (more men than women) die from alcohol-related causes annually, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. The first is tobacco, and the second is poor diet and physical inactivity, source.
Drinking frequently sets your nervous system up for physical dependence and teaches your mind to only be calm with an external substance like alcohol.
The real danger with alcohol is that itās everywhere, just like sugar.
Again, I donāt think thereās anything wrong with enjoying a drink with some buddies. But there IS something wrong with after your work shift, you routinely hit up the bar and drink to shut your brain off so you donāt have to think about your life.
If you have been drinking every single day and have tried quitting before, I highly recommend going to AA and get some help. Alcohol is a serious drug and there are people who have been there done that and can help you slowly wean off and not be dependent.
3. Believe it or not, Healthier Alternatives Exist
1. CBD Based Drink
According to a study from the University of Washington they found:
CBD appears to decrease anxiety at all doses that have been tested. (Non-psychoactive component of cannabis that does not make you high and is correlated with many potential health benefits).
There are individual differences in responses to different parts of cannabis that are affected by a variety of factors and has been shown when it comes to THC tolerance develops over a short period of time with regular use, and is not recommended.
2. Adaptogen Based Drink
Kin EuphoricsĀ is a new kind of non-alcoholic drink made with adaptogens such as Rhodiola and nootropics, GABA, plus caffeine to give you a buzz.
If you didnāt know, Adaptogens are natural substances considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes. A well-known example is ginseng and turmeric.
Research, there are many companies & drinks similar that already exist on the market.
3. Raw Cacao Based Drink
Raw cacao is packed with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, phytochemicals, and more that make cacao a superfood especially when it comes to socializing.
Additionally, raw cacao trigger 3 neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine - associated with euphoria, energy, stimulation, and overall well-being.
Thereās also a correlation between cacao and helping open up your heart in social situations. Ancient cultures have used raw cacao to help bond, and connect with one other due to its powerful compounds that trigger us to feel social & connected.
Note: Itās important to make sure none of these drinks contain sugar or processed chemicals alongside and always check with your doctor or healthcare professional.
PS. Check out my full complete training program on how to rewire social anxiety and decrease stress & nervousness -Ā here.
Conclusion
Iām not saying to never drink alcohol again.
All Iām saying is maybe reconsider your relationship with the substance that most people in America drink without thinking about, harming physical, mental & spiritual health. If you have a serious problem with this, please seek help.
Check out some healthier alternatives to help you bridge the gap.
Can I help?
Over the last several years Iāve devoted my life to helping introverted, shy, socially anxious creators, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and professionals move these mental health obstacles out of their life so they can get busy being their real selves in front of anyone.
If you are interested in potentially inquiring about my services for yourself or someone else, please fill out this form below.
Next steps clickĀ here.
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