Alcohol Explained

by William Porter

craving which, when combined with the subconscious triggers, really explains why it is so difficult for some people to stop or control their drinking.

The former happens fairly regularly, while the latter never happens! Another explanation which is certainly true of some occasions is that when we feel slightly nervous we often don’t know what to do with our hands, so we are constantly trying to do something with them. If we have a drink in them, we are likely to be constantly sipping it. So for example, in a situation where we are standing socialising with people we may not know well (possibly business contacts) and we have a drink in our hands and nowhere to put it down, we will tend to keep sipping it.

keep sipping when hands drink

I remember on one occasion I stopped for several months. I hadn’t decided to stop for good, but just to have a break for a bit. When I started again I was really looking forward to a drink, but when I had one it did virtually nothing other than made me feel a bit dulled.

Now assume you have drunk exactly the same amount of alcohol and are in exactly the same physical and mental state, only this time you didn’t leave the house. You wake up in bed, unadorned with bodily fluids. Not only did you not leave the house, but you were home alone, made no phone calls, no social media posts, sent no text messages, your keys, phone, and wallet are exactly where they should be, and you even have a vague recollection of taking all the empties out to a nearby local bin so you don’t even have them to deal with. You have the next week off work with no social engagements, the house is clean and tidy, and you’ve just remembered you didn’t get round to checking that lottery ticket. When you do so, you find out that you are the sole winner of the £160,000,000 jackpot.