Why, when we drink alcohol, after 2 or 3 drinks we feel the compulsive need to keep drinking? Is it a physical or biological reason?
In: Biology
[removed]
Do most people have that compulsion?
Alcohol increases kidney activity and thus increases the urine output.
The amount of fluids you remove from your body exceeds the volume of fluids taken in with your alcohol-bearing beverage.
As the famous Doctor Karl says: Drink a six pack, pee a eight pack.
[removed]
Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which makes makes you both more vulnerable to peer pressure (to drink more) and being more free with your cash.
The way this works is that it increases your dopamine levels – which is normally your bodies reward system – but now your body is being rewarded no matter what it does.
I really recommend the book Alcohol Explained by William Porter. It really helped me to understand how much alcohol was impacting my life. It isn’t particularly long and isn’t overly science, well worth a read (this first 5 chapters are available for free [here](https://www.alcoholexplained.com).
When you drink alcohol, after the first couple (standard measures) you feel a buzz, you feel happier and your problems seem less important. This buzz only lasts so long, a really short time in fact, so you have another drink to maintain the buzz, and another, and so on.
Over time, your brain becomes conditioned to crave that buzz whether it’s as a way to cope with stress or low mood, or simply because it’s Friday and you’re celebrating the weekend.
Edit: if anyone is concerned about their drinking, or just thinking about cutting down, I really recommend r/stopdrinking; it’s an incredibly supportive place with lots of resources. AA is no longer the only place to seek help (nothing wrong with AA if it helps you, just wasn’t for me).
[removed]
I think the “we” here is misleading. As individuals, we tend to assign our behaviors as the norm and applied to everyone. I for example, and my wife, do not drink more that two or three, ever. That breaks the “we” immediately.
It is common, but not absolute, so saying “we” is a bit misleading and any answers given, without that caveat, will only reinforce the misunderstanding.
Not everyone is a closet alcoholic and alcoholism cannot happen to just “anyone”.
**Please read this entire message**
Your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
ELI5 is not meant for any question that you may have. It is meant for simplifying complex concepts. This includes personal questions, medical questions, legal questions, etc.
If you would like this removal reviewed, please read the [detailed rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/wiki/detailed_rules) first. **If you believe this submission was removed erroneously**, please [use this form](https://old.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fexplainlikeimfive&subject=Please%20review%20my%20thread?&message=Link:%20https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/nc2grd/eli5_why_when_we_drink_alcohol_after_2_or_3/%0A%0APlease%20answer%20the%20following%203%20questions:%0A%0A1.%20The%20concept%20I%20want%20explained:%0A%0A2.%20Link%20to%20the%20search%20you%20did%20to%20look%20for%20past%20posts%20on%20the%20ELI5%20subreddit:%0A%0A3.%20How%20is%20this%20post%20unique:) and we will review your submission.
It could be as simple as not prolonging or enhancing the buzz can be a downer, especially if you have lowered inhibitions. Alcohol can affect your responsible decision making. It is worse for those who are really able to hold their liquor. It can be really blurry to tell if it’s an addiction issue or not, to be honest.
Latest Answers