Relationship with Your Nervous System: When "I Fancy an Alcohol" Becomes "I Want to Forget and Avoid What I Feel Right Now"
- Sophie Le Reste
- Jan 22
- 2 min read
It is now turning 3 years since I decided that my mental and emotional well-being deserved better. Some of us gets interesting effects from drinking alcohol. No need to drink much, just having some kind of alcohol in our bodies seem to change the way we think and behave without us always consciously noticing. What I have noticed recently is the couple of times I wondered about having a drink...and then realising what I wanted was an escape, a moment without having to be "on top of it" (i.e all!)
Let's understand... what happens in the body and nervous system when we drink alcohol...
Alcohol slips into our systems swiftly, crossing from stomach to bloodstream and touching every cell, yet its embrace on the brain is where the real story unfolds: a temporary dopamine surge in the reward pathways that whispers euphoria before tolerance sets in, dulling natural joy. The body bears the burden too: dehydration steals vitality from skin and muscles, the liver swells with fatty strain, sleep fractures into unrestful fragments, and over time, inflammation creeps toward heart and cognition.
Beyond the initial buzz, alcohol disrupts emotional regulation by hijacking the prefrontal cortex—the brain's conductor for impulse control and nuanced feelings—leaving us more reactive, anxious, or numb in its wake. What starts as a social lubricant often amplifies avoidance patterns, numbing vulnerability just when mindful presence could foster genuine bonds, and over time, it heightens mood swings, depression risks, and that lingering emotional fog long after the glass empties.
In your wellness journey,
You don't have to stop drinking if you still want to have the occasional drink or three. If you are looking to regulate your nervous system, then you might want to consider reducing intakes. One way could be by alternating one alcohol drink with one non-alcoholic to see how it goes when you reduce your intake to half. Coupling this witth breathwork or journaling can be powerful to reclaim steady, sober clarity - where true emotional freedom resides.
Mindful Moments equips you with gentle, neuroscience-backed tools to navigate alcohol's emotional haze, starting with a simple 4-7-8 breath—inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8—to restore prefrontal clarity and dial down reactivity before reaching for a drink. In those tempting social scenes, drop into a quick body scan: notice tension in your chest or jaw, then reframe the urge with a mantra like "I choose presence over numbness," interrupting the reward hijack and fostering authentic connections instead. Regular practice rewires neural pathways for resilient regulation, turning avoidance into empowered choice.
Ready to swap haze for clarity? Join my uniquely crafted online mindfulness sessions and make sober presence your effortless default.
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