CATCH NOTHING
by Stacy Leshner
William Porter writes about the subconscious and its link to alcohol addiction. I’ll do my best to summarize it in my own words here (Chapter Three in Alcohol Explained, which you can read for free here). Understanding the role that the subconscious has on alcohol addiction is key, and was a really essential building block in my getting sober. It isn’t really ever discussed when in relation to addiction, and it is unquestionably one of the missing links to understanding your own addiction. I’m paraphrasing here, but the idea is that subconscious behaviors and reactions make up most of how the brain interprets the world around us and how we respond to it. The subconscious reactions are the ones we do automatically without thinking. Porter uses an example to illustrate this; “air braking” when driving. You know when you’re a passenger in a car and the driver needs to brake suddenly, you will do it too even though you obviously don’t have pedals. Subconscious behavior is learned behavior from countless times of actions and results: X happens, I do Y, giving me Z result. Every. Single. Time. So, with the example of driving, we learn through years of repetition that slamming on the brake pedal will stop the car suddenly
in this situation, your subconscious takes over and makes you clench your foot even though it does nothing at all to the car. It takes a huge amount of control and CONSCIOUS thought to counteract and go against what your subconscious is driving you to do. If you had to consciously think about braking in an emergency situation, you would absolutely have an accident every time. How does this relate to alcohol addiction? Alcohol is a sedative/depressant, which means that it calms and slows things down. Your brain is a finely tuned, intricate machine that is always learning, growing, changing, and adapting. It has a delicate equilibrium of chemicals and hormones which keep you functioning and feeling as you should. So, when there is something that enters your brain and disrupts this balance, your brain will try to restore the balance. If you add in something that will slow it down, it will counter it with something to speed up, which is called a stimulant. This is why you can feel a bit hyperactive when you’re drinking – your brain is preparing itself for the sedative you’re about to consume.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker