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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781910453858 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | RedDoor Publishing |
| Publication date: | 01/11/2018 |
| Sold by: | INDEPENDENT PUB GROUP - EPUB - EBKS |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 208 |
| File size: | 297 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
THE SOFTWARE OF YOUR MIND
What I love about the special work I do to help people drink less is the science behind it.
Many years ago when I first became a specialist in alcohol reduction, my approach was seen as being a bit out there. I struggled to get it accepted. I am pleased to inform you that my methods are now backed up by many neuroscientists around the world.
I believe that your drinking, irrespective of your personal history, is a habit. A habit that you can unlearn.
I respect that there are people out there who have had alcoholic tendencies and may be alcoholics. There are people who have been labelled as alcoholics and believe this to be true. I am not here to advise you who fits the alcoholic criteria, although, I might add, there are many clients who thought they did, and were relieved to know that they were not alcoholics.
This book is not for alcoholics. This book is for people who know they need to drink less but just don't know how.
Sounds too simple?
The way the brain functions is the problem when it comes to drinking too much in unhealthy ways. I can confidently say I know that this part of the mind is very good at maintaining a drinking problem. It's not because your brain wants to be unhelpful but rather the opposite. It thinks it is being really helpful when it comes to your drinking behaviour.
Why?
Your brain has learned to think how you drink is normal. It doesn't make your drinking right or wrong; the mind just takes what is familiar to be correct.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WILLPOWER
The mind is a powerful tool and can appear to work against your best-laid plans. In my opinion, willpower doesn't exist. It's just a way to keep you on the hamster wheel of regular frustration as to why you can't seem to get out of this unhelpful drinking cycle.
THE AMYGDALA
We have two choices when it comes to how we respond to life. They are positive and negative. These responses have a direct correlation to what emotions we are feeling at any given time.
What neuroscientists have known for some time is that when someone feels scared a particular part of the brain called the amygdala lights up. The amygdala is made up of two almond-shaped nerve tissues located on either side of the brain. This is responsible for emotions; in particular, fear and being in survival mode. Equally, it is the part of the brain that deals with the perception of anger, sadness and aggression. One of its most important roles is to verify these emotions in similar situations that may arise in the future.
A great example of how the amygdala works in relationship to alcohol is to think about when you have felt scared, lonely or unsafe and you have instantly thought of drinking alcohol.
It could be that you have an important meeting or have to deal with a personal situation that causes you to feel stressed. In a nanosecond your brain will go to the amygdala, which sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus triggering stress chemicals such as cortisol and adrenaline. Your brain and body don't like this feeling. Here, your mind has to make a decision to stay stressed and deal with it or find a quick solution to move you out of this scary space. This is often called the fight or flight syndrome.
If it is the appropriate time for you to drink, you may choose to drink. Flying away with alcohol works so well because it instantly shuts down the amygdala and the brain says 'thank you' for calming you down. What is interesting is this feeling of being unsafe works on memory.
There are many drinkers out there who feel ashamed and full of guilt about their relationship with alcohol. They don't understand why they just can't drink less. However, I can assure you if your brain has trained itself to use alcohol to shut down the amygdala, it will be very difficult to change this mechanism with willpower alone. This is because turning to alcohol in order to feel better quickly has become habit or, to put it another way, a brilliant protective mechanism that takes you away from the amygdala. Your brain thinks it is working really well to keep you feeling safe. So if you are feeling trapped and frustrated, as well as angry at yourself about your drinking, remember the amygdala! I can assure you that you are not a hopeless case.
When you feel bad you are instantly firing off the amygdala and then, without even thinking, you have triggered the desire to drink when you know you don't want to.
Alcohol shuts down the amygdala very quickly, so it is no surprise that the first alcoholic drink you consume is fast and furious, because your brain is demanding you calm yourself down now!
The first glass is often medicinal. The demand from the amygdala is so unconscious that you may not even be aware of it. So, as much as you may try to change this behaviour (which is why this book is so important), consciously it will be difficult to do.
The trigger doesn't have to be a big, stressful situation; it could simply be that you are bored or tired and alcohol gives you some energy. It could be that you are feeling socially shy and need a quick drink to calm your anxiety down. There are many reasons why we drink when we don't want to. I want to help you change this chicken and egg problem.
My drink less in seven days approach gives you an opportunity to create a new, healthier communication with a different part of the brain.
Like yin and yang, like night and day, even the most guilt-ridden and anxious drinker has the potential to trigger a thinking process that embodies calm and logic without the use of alcohol.
The brain and body cannot live life permanently with the amygdala running the show. Of course, for someone who has extreme high levels of anxiety, this can be true. Even so, the brain and body can at some stage learn how to extinguish this uncomfortable response.
THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX
The prefrontal cortex is the executive decision-maker of the brain and works in conjunction with the amygdala. When the amygdala triggers a perceived threat, the prefrontal cortex will decide how this should be handled. Generally, the prefrontal cortex regulates decisions, but if someone is exposed to high levels of anxiety or regular bouts of fear, an imbalance in logical thinking can occur.
This is when alcohol becomes a player in calming the brain and body down.
As soon as alcohol is consumed, it starts to affect the brain chemistry by affecting our neurotransmitters. These are the chemical messengers that transmit signals throughout the body.
Alcohol affects both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Glutamate, the excitatory neurotransmitter, normally increases brain activity and energy levels, but alcohol has the opposite effect of slowing down this transmitter. GABA, the inhibitory neurotransmitter that is normally responsible for calming you down and reducing energy, is increased by alcohol intake. Alcohol stimulates the GABA brain receptors, very much like the effect of taking drugs such as Valium and other tranquillizers, resulting in a feeling of being relaxed. As GABA increases we start to chill out more and don't care so much about the stresses and strains of life. The increase in GABA means speech and physical movements slow down, hence the staggering around and falling over that can occur as alcohol consumption continues.
What also increases when you drink alcohol is dopamine, the chemical that is located in the 'reward' area of your brain. If alcohol is something you use to dampen the stresses and strains of life, dopamine is a great way to escape. After a period of time your brain gets used to it and welcomes the extra dopamine and the GABA transmitters too. Before you know it, the brain demands this chemical reaction when you have any stirrings of feeling vulnerable. Your brain becomes familiar with this brain transaction, which is when the habit of drinking to deal with life starts to cement itself.
Over a period of time the sensations that dopamine creates diminishes, which is why people then need more alcohol to experience the same feeling. The alcohol consumption goes up as the tolerance to more alcohol becomes noted by the brain.
The goal of this book, in conjunction with the Hypnosis Hub recordings, is to keep your brain focused in the prefrontal cortex before you drink and when you drink. The longer you stay in the prefrontal cortex part of your brain, the more in control you are of your drinking in positive ways. It remains the master of your logical ship, steering you away from unhelpful over-drinking.
When someone feels safe, logical and trusting in their drinking relationship they drink slowly because the prefrontal cortex remains at the helm. Their mind doesn't demand the GABA and dopamine hit because they have learned another way to produce those chemicals during the day before they have their first drink.
THE THIRD EYE
For those who lead a spiritual life, you may be familiar with the concept of the third eye. For centuries sages have suggested this part of our minds as the key to feeling more centred, calm and grounded. It is exactly where the prefrontal cortex is located.
In the past, there have been many people who brushed this off as mumbo jumbo; however, it has now been confirmed that this area of the brain is exactly where we are when we are intuitive and make rational decisions.
Keeping the prefrontal cortex present is key when it comes to how you react to your life. Without it, high levels of anxiety can occur, which can lead to alcohol dependency.
The prefrontal cortex is instrumental in keeping you in a safe place and this is why the Hypnosis Hub recordings are so important. It is fully available to anyone, including you as a drinker! Can you imagine a life where your brain and body are more present in the prefrontal cortex rather than the amygdala?
Your drinking history is a habit you can change.
Your brain and body need to develop new coping strategies that reflect not being so emotionally present in the space of the amygdala, but rather in balance with the prefrontal cortex, so that this part of the brain can regulate reality versus unhelpful thinking.
Yes, it does take practice, but the recordings will help your mind and body learn healthier coping strategies that go straight to the prefrontal cortex rather than to your favourite alcoholic tipple.
The aim is to get your brain and body in a good space before your first sip of alcohol. Then you won't have this urgency to drink to calm yourself down. Your whole entire sense of self-worth will increase. Your mind will know that alcohol is something to enjoy rather than to gulp in the mad moments of stress, anger or whatever you are feeling.
We know how you respond to your life is key. If someone is nervous and fearful about life (glass half-empty) they will often catastrophise the situation, playing out unhelpful scenes in their minds, which is driven by the amygdala. Whereas someone who is in the prefrontal cortex sees the situation as something to be dealt with as best as can be and can distinguish the truth from the drama (glass half-full).
One of the goals of this book is to retrain your mind and body to be more present in your daily life, with the prefrontal cortex running the show. That way you will experience a sense of emotional wellbeing even through challenging times.
This means your amygdala won't be firing off so much and the pressure to drink quickly and as often won't be there.
UNCONSCIOUS DRINKING
I am not suggesting if you win the lottery tonight that you shouldn't drink a little bit too much champagne. That is a different sort of drinking. That is called fun and happy drinking. What I am talking about is the regular, habitual drinking that stops you from feeling good about you.
It's your regular automated drinking that horrifies you when you realise half a bottle of wine has been consumed while you are chopping the vegetables. Or that fourth bottle of beer seems to have gone down rather quickly as you mow the lawn or while you are doing your accounting at the end of the day.
FELICITY'S DRINKING STORY
Felicity finally realised how much she was drinking but just couldn't get herself out of the habit. Her drinking wasn't necessarily related to high levels of stress but rather it had become a way of life that was getting a little out of control.
Her day was demanding but she thrived on it too, and her way to stop her 'busy brain' was to come home and cook. Her ritual was to come in the door, get the kids' meals ready, while having one large glass of wine. She would then get her kids ready for bed, while another glass hovered. By the time she and her husband came home, she was back in the kitchen preparing a meal for the two of them with another glass of wine.
By this stage it was 8.15 p.m. and almost a whole bottle of wine had been consumed. Felicity knew it was too much and felt guilty that by the time her and her husband sat down she was ready to open another bottle.
I hear this kind of story so often. People are bored and tired of this sort of habitual drinking but just can't seem to stop doing it.
Felicity wasn't necessarily stressed but her demanding job keeps her adrenaline going, which means her amygdala was still firing off to a certain level into the evening. Felicity didn't know that her brain was demanding she drink as a way to relax her.
Felicity started listening to one of my recordings about training her mind and body to be calmer before she walked in the door. Just this one technique adjusted her drinking from nearly two bottles of wine a night to just under one. Her habitual drinking changed to a healthier habit of alternating one wine for one big glass of water, and this then became her normal evening ritual.
It's the ritualistic drinking that is so often the problem, which is why it can go unnoticed for such a long time. This is because it is classed as not being problem drinking.
People become acclimatised to a certain amount of alcohol. As explained before the tolerance goes up, a bit like when someone's appetite increases, because the brain gets used to the dopamine. So it's no surprise that one glass of alcohol over a period of time doesn't do the job and more alcohol needs to be consumed to relax and unwind.
EMOTIONAL CONDITIONING
Many people seek my help because, unlike Felicity, they are going through a very traumatic time and are using alcohol as their emotional crutch.
They may not normally be a big drinker but higher levels of stress and life's challenges drive them to drink. This is because the amygdala scans their history and the history of others who have been through trauma to locate a quick solution to bring some sort of homeostasis to the situation. If that person's mind brings up alcohol, it will demand it for some respite.
TOM'S STORY
Tom wife's had been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. He had a daily ritual of saying goodnight to his wife, then sitting down with some stiff whiskys. He said it was his time to be just by himself and what I call having a 'solo party'. Tom had not been a big drinker before her diagnosis. He said he had the occasional hangover but since his wife had been ill he was drinking a lot of whisky, mainly on his own after his wife had gone to bed.
I think we would all agree that Tom's drinking was utterly understandable; there is nothing wrong with drinking on your own and this time was important to him after a busy day looking after his wife's needs. And yet, Tom felt his drinking was affecting the precious time he had left with his wife, as he was often under par when she woke in the morning.
By the time Tom came to see me he was emotionally exhausted. I often ask this question of my clients: 'Who looks after you?' They look stunned. Then I ask them again, 'Who really looks after you?' Usually the answer is 'no one' and in Tom's case, this was also true.
He was a beaten man, faced with the truth that he was going to lose his precious wife, which is why he felt so guilty about his drinking. He said to me, 'Georgia, I get so angry with myself that I sit up night after night on my own drinking. I know full well when I wake in the morning my quality of time with my wife is important. So why would I want to sabotage it by drinking too much and waking feeling awful? Logically I know I don't need those two extra whiskies and yet I keep doing it night after night.'
My heart goes out to anybody who is in a similar situation because, from my perspective, Tom needs his own space. However, it was getting a little out of hand.
Tom agreed that he would listen to one of my recordings that helps people to take time out of their emotionally demanding life and just be in the moment.
This recording was instrumental in Tom's time out from the amygdala. While he listened he was helping his mind and body have time in the prefrontal cortex rather than relying on alcohol to achieve this quiet zone. Over a period of two weeks he started to notice that he didn't need those two extra whiskies. His mind now knew there was another way to find some space without a glass in his hand.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Drink Less in 7 Days"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Georgia Foster.
Excerpted by permission of Red Door Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION,
CHAPTER 1: THE SOFTWARE OF YOUR MIND,
CHAPTER 2: THE RADIO-CRAZY SYNDROME,
CHAPTER 3: THE PLEASER,
CHAPTER 4: THE PERFECTIONIST,
CHAPTER 5: THE INNER CHILD,
CHAPTER 6: THE EMOTIONAL SPECTRUM OF A DRINKER'S LIFE,
CHAPTER 7: YOUR PRESENT AND YOUR FUTURE,
HOW TO USE THE RECORDINGS,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR,