Hidden Mechanisms - Part 5 of 5
Part 1: Mild Withdrawals: Why They Mislead Us
Part 2: The Mental Shortcut: Why We Avoid Internal Conflict
Part 3: Overloaded Thinking: When Drinking Thoughts Take Over
Part 4: Dopamine Spikes: Why a Memory Can Trigger a Craving
Part 5: The Social Scam ← you’re here
Recap: Hidden Mechanisms That Keep Us Drinking (Recap)
We Weren’t Born Believing in Alcohol
Not all drinking beliefs came from within us. Some were planted long before we ever picked up a glass.
From the time we were young, we saw alcohol everywhere.
At parties. At weddings. At holidays.
In movies. In commercials. In sitcoms.
In our homes. In our families. In our culture.
We weren’t just exposed to alcohol. We were trained to see it as normal, fun, even necessary.
This is what I call the social scam.
What the Scam Looks Like
It’s not a conspiracy. It’s conditioning.
We were shown the highlight reel:
- Laughing with friends
- Toasting at weddings
- Sipping wine in beautiful settings
And it all looked so casual. So joyful. So adult.
But here’s what we weren’t shown:
- The hangovers
- The regret
- The emotional numbing
- The quiet dependency
- The families struggling behind closed doors
That’s the scam.
Not because alcohol is evil. But because the picture we were sold was incomplete.
How This Shapes Our Beliefs
When a message gets repeated often enough, it stops being a message. It becomes a truth. A script.
So we start to believe things like:
“Drinking is what adults do.”
“It’s how we celebrate.”
“It’s part of a good life.”
Even if we know alcohol is holding us back. Even if we’ve already decided to quit. Those beliefs can still live quietly in the background.
Not because they’re logical. But because they’ve been repeated.
And repetition is how the brain builds weight. Emotional weight.
That weight is what tips the scale when we’re tired, stressed, or caught off guard.
Why It Matters
If we don’t expose these beliefs, they keep running silently. They steer our choices from the shadows.
We don’t question the drink at the wedding. We assume it belongs there.
We don’t pause at the restaurant. We order without thinking.
We don’t challenge the discomfort. We assume it’s normal.
This is how smart, capable people get stuck.
Not because we don’t care. But because the belief system around alcohol was installed before we were old enough to question it.
And once something feels normal, it rarely gets examined.
It Was Never a Neutral Choice
Here’s the truth most of us never got told.
Alcohol isn’t just a drink. It’s a product. A billion-dollar industry spends every day convincing us it means fun, connection, and celebration.
We were trained to see alcohol as normal in the same way people were once trained to see cigarettes as glamorous.
And just like with cigarettes, that narrative is starting to crack. Slowly.
The difference is that with alcohol, the story is still largely unchallenged. Which means if you’re starting to question it, you’re ahead of the curve.
How to Break the Spell
You don’t need to become bitter or cynical. You just need to become clear.
Here’s how:
- Notice the Messaging
Pay attention to where alcohol shows up. In shows. In ads. In casual conversations. Ask yourself: “What is this trying to tell me about alcohol? Is it true, or is it selling me a story?” - Call It Out
When you see alcohol glamorized, name it for what it is. Say to yourself, “That’s conditioning.” It seems simple, but naming it makes it conscious. - Ask Better Questions
Instead of asking, “Why is it so hard to say no?” try asking: “What does alcohol actually do for me?” Not what the ad promises. Not what the culture repeats. What does it really deliver?
Often, when we answer honestly, the mystique falls apart.
Why Awareness Changes Everything
Once you see alcohol for what it is—a marketed product, not a magical elixir—the power dynamic shifts.
You stop feeling like you’re missing out. You start realizing what you’re opting out of.
And suddenly that wedding toast, that restaurant ritual, that backyard beer, doesn’t feel like a symbol of connection. It feels like a script. A script you’re no longer interested in performing.
Breaking the Spell
We didn’t arrive at alcohol with a blank slate. We arrived with stories, scripts, and repetition.
It was never a neutral choice. It was conditioning.
But the good news is simple.
What was conditioned can be unconditioned.
What was rehearsed can be rewritten.
You don’t need to fight culture. You just need to see it clearly, calmly, and without shame.
Because once you do, the spell breaks.
And when it does, you realize something powerful:
You’re not strange for quitting. You’re not weak for questioning.
You’re simply awake.
And that’s where real freedom begins.
— Brent