¶ Introduction to Stop Drinking Podcast
Welcome to the Stop Drinking Podcast , where we help you make stopping drinking a simple , logical and easy decision . We help you with tips , tools and strategies to start living your best life when alcohol-free . If you want to learn more about stop drinking coaching , then head over to wwwsoberclearcom .
Alcohol is a potent anxiety-reducing drug . Reducing drug can have a heroin-like effect , which facilitates the sense of social belonging . The consequence for me was I would misbehave when I was drinking in ways that made me remorseful the next day . Alcohol doesn't bring out the best in people's characters . Alcohol almost universally makes people less than they are .
It's fun because it eradicates your concern for future consequences . People find themselves too timid to do anything , and so , instead of admitting their lack of courage to themselves , they put a moral gloss on it and say that the reason they're timorous is because they're good .
Jordan Peterson brings up some absolutely phenomenal points in this little segment , and there are really six key themes that he's identified and we're going to unpack all six of them now because these ideas are absolutely spot on .
Alcohol is a potent anxiety reducing drug can have a heroin-like effect which facilitates the sense of social belonging .
The first thing he says is that it creates this heroin-like effect which creates this feeling of social belonging . Now , this is true , but he does kind of get into it a little bit deeper in the video . But let's just unpack this first point right now . So when we start drinking alcohol , we do feel a sense of social belonging .
Think about an 18-year-old or , in America , a 21-year-old . When I was 18 in England , I remember going on my 18th birthday and that was the thing I was excited to do , right . So I go to a pub that's what we call them pubs . I guess in America it would be a bar .
And on my 18th birthday I remember going to this pub and it was like the evening before I turned 18 . So I was like 17 and at midnight I was 18 . I was trying to persuade the landlord to give me my first pint and he's like no , not a chance . Anyway , I waited until midnight .
I went to another bar because I thought I'm not having my first beer from you , I'm going somewhere else . So I went to this other bar and I remember getting my first legal beer and I did it on the dot the moment I turned 18 , I went and did this because at the time I felt a sense of social belonging .
I felt like I was now finally an adult , I fit in , I could drink the grown up drinks , and this happens to so many of us . We feel like we now fit in . But it is kind of ludicrous Because think about it for a second .
Okay , we might get this moment where we feel like we socially belong , but then what actually happens to somebody that drinks and their social relationships over the long term ? Well , they break down . You know , I've worked with people in my company , soberclearcom . I've seen people's marriages get destroyed . I've seen people whose kids won't talk to them .
I've seen friends not talk to people . I've seen alcohol damage so many relationships . In my own life it's damaged relationships . I've got family members that I don't talk to because of drugs and alcohol . So he brings up a great point . It sucks you in because it has this effect to make you feel this social belonging .
But then when you go a little bit deeper , you actually realise that it doesn't help us socially in any way . Maybe for a split second it might , but he starts talking about this later , about the courage stuff which we'll get to in a minute . But that's how it sucks you .
In All of a sudden , you feel like you're an adult , that you're one of us , and it almost creates like this us versus them . We're the grownups that drink and you're the kids that don't . It's a very , very interesting phenomenon .
The consequence for me was I would misbehave when I was drinking in ways that made me remorseful the next day .
The next thing that he brings up is he talks about how he usually would misbehave . He'd make bad decisions and then the next day he'd wake up regretting it . And this is actually something called alcohol myopia . And this is where we have no regard for future consequences .
And we're so in the moment , when we're drinking , that all we want to do is get the next immediate bit of pleasure . And this is why people do things like drink drive when they literally live five minutes down the road .
It would cost 15 bucks for a taxi , but they choose to drink drive because the thought of the taxi and all of that stuff they can't rationalize it . It's why people start eating bad foods when they drink . It's why they go and have unprotected sex with a prostitute . I mean , all sorts of things happen when people drink .
Think about the violence , think about the murders . There's data out there that proves that most murders were done under the . I can't remember if it's most or like a super high percentage of murders , but they were done under the influence of alcohol . And this is what he's talking about .
I'm not saying that you're going to murder somebody if you drink , but it's very hard for us to think long term when we're drinking , we just think , ok , where's that immediate bit of pleasure that I can get ? And you wake up the next morning thinking , why did I even do that ? Why did I send that text to that person ? Why did I drive my car home ?
What have I done ? So many of us can relate to this . So he brings very , very good point here .
Alcohol doesn't bring out the best in people's characters .
Now the next point he makes is a bitter pill to swallow . He says that alcohol doesn't bring out the best in one's character . So I've not drank myself now for almost seven years , and I drank for 10 years . And the 10 years that I drank for listen .
I know that I wasn't the kind of person that I wanted to be , and I know exactly what he means by the way , that alcohol doesn't bring out the best in somebody's character . When I drank , I was more self-centered . I'd put alcohol before my relationships . I didn't really think about how I can help other people and add value in the world .
What I was really focused on was the short term . But then there were other things that I did as well when I was drinking that I don't even want to go into . But he brings out a very good point that it doesn't bring out the best in someone's character . It can't because it lowers your inhibitions .
And I don't know about you , but have you ever spoke to a drunk person ? It's the most boring thing ever when they're slurring their words and talking about politics , this and that , this problem and that problem , and they're not really making much sense . But you know , a lot of people might hear this right now and think , no , no , no . When I drink I'm fine .
And hey , listen , and a lot of people might be hearing this thinking when I drink I'm fine . But after not drinking myself for seven years , I promise you that if you do drink and you do think that you are being the best version of yourself , you're in for a surprise .
If you stop drinking alcohol , you will find a version of you that you didn't even know existed .
Alcohol almost universally makes people less than they are .
The fourth thing he says is absolutely savage , but it's absolutely true . And he says that alcohol makes people less than they are . And boy , oh boy . That's me in a nutshell . When I drank , I was a totally different person to who I am now . I'm now more disciplined , I'm more healthy , I'm fitter , I'm more productive , I have more money .
Everything got better as a result of stopping drinking . Everything no exaggeration , it was the like . Think about decisions , right ? The only thing that I could have done that probably had a higher leverage return on a singular decision was buying Bitcoin when it was $1 .
That's probably the only thing I can think of , and in fact , even that , sure , I'd have a load of money , but if I was still drinking , guess what ? Who knows what would have happened ?
So I still believe that that was the highest leverage decision that I could ever make , Better than any business decision , any investment decision , any decision For me in my personal life . Stopping drinking alcohol made me so much better .
It's fun because it eradicates your concern for future consequences .
Again . The fifth thing he starts talking about is that we have this no worry for future consequences , so then we can go and kind of have this bravado .
but he then starts to unpack something so deep People find themselves too timid to do anything , and so , instead of admitting their lack of courage to themselves , they put a moral gloss on it and say that the reason they're timorous is because they're good .
He says , rather than people admit to themselves that they actually have a lack of courage , they drink and then they go and behave the way they want to behave . Oh man , like it's , it's . I've never heard it put like that before , but he nails it . We think that alcohol gives us courage . Right , you've heard it before Dutch courage .
But I don't know if you've read Stop Drinking Books before , but I remember reading this in a book and it said that what alcohol does is it removes fear . So what ends up happening when you drink is you no longer need courage .
So let's say you know that there's a girl that you it's a bad example , right , because , listen , you're probably not in the dating market , but like an example would be is like you know there's that girl that you've always wanted to speak to , and then you go and have the shot of alcohol and then all of a sudden , you know the thoughts go and then you go
and talk to the girl , right , but that's not acting courageously , that's actually doing the opposite . That's just removing fear through drinking alcohol . And I remember hearing that in some stop drinking literature . I think I've read it multiple times .
I think I've read every stop drinking book out there over the past seven years and doing sober clear and helping people stop drinking . But it's so true . But Jordan Peterson just delivers it with absolute savagery . He's just like rather than you admitting to yourself that you have no courage , is you just say that you're a good person ?
I'm thinking my gosh , this guy just he is brutal .
But I just think this short segment , I think he absolutely nails it and I just love to see people with so much influence and so much relevance actually going and talking about this topic , because there are so many people that are quietly struggling and I think the more that we open up these conversations , the better things go . So credit to Jordan Peterson .
Thanks for checking out the Stop Drinking podcast by Sober Clear . If you want to learn more about how we work with people to help them stop drinking effortlessly , then make sure to visit wwwsoberclearcom .