Eli5: How exactly does alcohol give us courage? What’s the logical process?
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It does not give us courage. It lowers inhibitions, causes euphoria, lessens anxiety, slows cognitive and motor functions and increases sociability.
The chemicals in alcohol react with the chemicals in your brain to cause all of these effects. Courage is a result of the lessened inhibitions and anxiety.
Alcohol affects several areas of the brain that impact our behaviour in a way that may be seen as giving us “courage” but is actually just removing some of the logic and reason that would usually prevent us from doing something. These areas of the brain include the Cerebral Cortex (in control of judgement and reasoning) and the Amygdela (regulates social behaviour).
It doesn’t exactly give you courage.
What it can do is inhibit the part of the logic centers of the brain. People do stupid things because they aren’t thinking of the consequences of doing that stupid thing.
This is often why someone who is drunk feels less stress when they try to do something. Inhibitions stop us from doing things will find stressful. If I tell you to speak to a group of 100 your level of stress will rise and you either not to the speech or do it poorly. Drunk people won’t feel as much stress as sober people thus they will do the speech even if they would have been afraid.
It just numbs your brain, it’s that simple.
Also, demonic spirits can enter you, when you drink.
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