4 ms·

That 'alcohol reduces stress' is true short term, its not so much true long term. Think of those nasal sprays that reduce congestion. They absolutely do that, b

That 'alcohol reduces stress' is true short term, its not so much true long term. Think of those nasal sprays that reduce congestion. They absolutely do that, breathe that stuff in and it opens your airway real good, but at the same time it irritates those tissues so when the effect wears off, the airway becomes even more blocked than before because of the inflammation from the irritation. Alcohol does a similar thing for brain chemistry. It artificially slows things down (making you feel calmer), but the body's response is counter that effect so when the alcohol wears off, the stress levels can be higher than they were before - leading people to need another drink to relax.

niyikiza 6y ago
Is there any evidence that alcohol does it that way? Sincere question.
- floor2 6y ago
  There's a lot of research showing that yes, it does. Here's a quote: "Long-term, heavy drinking can actually alter the brain’s chemistry, re-setting what is “normal.” It causes the release of higher amounts of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone. When this hormonal balance is shifted, it impacts the way the body perceives stress and how it responds to it.21,22 For example, a long-term heavy drinker may experience higher levels of anxiety when faced with a stressful situation than someone who never drank or who drank only moderately" from https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA85/AA85.htm https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA85/AA85.htm You can search for alcohol's impact on GABA, cortisol, or just stress in general and find plenty of science showing that there are significant negative impacts to how the body responds to stress or various key hormones due to damage from alcohol.
watwut 6y ago
I did not encountered such sprays. The ones I used worked and once they were not needed I stopped - typically in few days.
- tayo42 6y ago
  You can just look up and verify it then https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/expert-answers/nasal-spray-addiction/faq-20058247 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/exp...

niyikiza 6y ago

Is there any evidence that alcohol does it that way? Sincere question.

floor2 6y ago
There's a lot of research showing that yes, it does. Here's a quote: "Long-term, heavy drinking can actually alter the brain’s chemistry, re-setting what is “normal.” It causes the release of higher amounts of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone. When this hormonal balance is shifted, it impacts the way the body perceives stress and how it responds to it.21,22 For example, a long-term heavy drinker may experience higher levels of anxiety when faced with a stressful situation than someone who never drank or who drank only moderately" from https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA85/AA85.htm https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA85/AA85.htm You can search for alcohol's impact on GABA, cortisol, or just stress in general and find plenty of science showing that there are significant negative impacts to how the body responds to stress or various key hormones due to damage from alcohol.

watwut 6y ago

I did not encountered such sprays. The ones I used worked and once they were not needed I stopped - typically in few days.

tayo42 6y ago
You can just look up and verify it then https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/expert-answers/nasal-spray-addiction/faq-20058247 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/exp...