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
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).
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