Happy New Year Everyone!
As we head into 2019, think about what type of drinker you want to be. Do you want to be:
– Someone who drinks only on weekends?
– Someone who drinks only when out with friends?
– Someone who drinks just at celebrations, like weddings and vacations?
– Or a non-drinker (you’ve had enough alcohol over your life span)
It is good to have a goal. After all, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are. But, you also need a plan. A plan that will work. And this plan will, at some point, be rejected by your brain. Why? Because the brain doesn’t like change. It likes the status quo. It likes things that are known. Take the example of an abused spouse – why does the abused person stay in that relationship? Yes, fear of the unknown. The brain tells the abused person it is more secure to stay in that relationship (since it is known) than to leave it and start over again (the unknown). The brain loves predictability. The brain interprets predictability as security.
What a lie. A big, fat lie.
So the abused spouse is safer being abused than fleeing the situation? Or that our drinking is safer than not drinking? Do you see the fallacy here?
The brain interprets predictability as security.
Our brains know what to expect from that first drink. The dopamine flood in the brain keeps us coming back for more. And more. This keeps up our over-desire for alcohol. That substance we seek – then curse. For 2019, be intentional about how much alcohol you choose to drink. And when. Make a goal. Then, make a specific plan. Stick to it – even when the brain tells you to give up and it’s a bad idea. If you stick with it, eventually your brain learns to love the new normal – a life without (or much less) alcohol. And the over-desire goes away. Go ahead, crush this goal.
I triple dog dare you. 😉
