Drinking stops being fun and enjoyable, but we continue to do it anyway. Why is this? We know it makes us miserable and we want to stop, but by 4pm or after a few days or weeks of sober time we talk ourselves back into it. In this episode you’ll learn about the adaptations that happen in the brain as we drink heavily and how this leads to compulsive drinking despite the consequences. I’ll explain how alcohol changes our dopamine system to increase cravings, prevent us from stopping once we’ve started, and keep us hooked on alcohol long after it’s stopped being fun. We’ll end by discussing why we continue to drink at this point and how this recovers in sobriety.What to listen to next:E22: why you think alcohol helps your anxietyE125: why you can't stop drinking once you startE170: why the first year of sobriety is so hardE128: why cravings are so powerfulE201: your dysregulated stress responseE33: why does drinking make us feel energized?E157: brain fog and fatigue

Get Support:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

Sober Group Coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching

Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger

Weekly emails on Thursdays with the sober tip of the week, announcements, interviews, and more. https://www.soberpowered.com/email

Quiz: what is causing your alcohol cravings? https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/65db8de55d674c92e333e001

Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free

 Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpoweredSources are posted on my websiteDisclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices