Hidden Mechanisms - Part 1 of 5
Part 1: Mild Withdrawals ← you’re here
Part 2: The Mental Shortcut: Why We Avoid Internal Conflict
Part 3: Overloaded Thinking: When Drinking Thoughts Take Over
Part 4: Why Alcohol Memories Can Trigger Cravings
Part 5: The Social Scam: How We Were Conditioned to Drink
Recap: Hidden Mechanisms That Keep Us Drinking (Recap)
We wake up anxious, sweaty, shaky or feeling like something is wrong. Maybe we slept badly. Our stomach is unsettled, our heart is racing or we can’t get comfortable. We call it a hangover, stress or the result of a bad night.
Then the first drink makes us feel better. So alcohol looks like the thing that fixed us. But it could also be mild alcohol withdrawal.
And the next drink didn’t solve the problem. It eased it for a while and kept the same cycle going.
Mild can still feel uncomfortable
When we hear alcohol withdrawal, we might picture the severe end of it. But for many of us, the first signs are much quieter: feeling restless, irritable, anxious, foggy or just not quite right. We can still go to work, answer messages and get through the day.
And because we can still function, we might put it down to stress and not realise alcohol is part of it. The discomfort is real, but it isn't proof that alcohol is helping us. Another drink might take the discomfort away for a while, but only by starting the same process again.
What it can feel like
Withdrawal doesn't feel exactly the same for everyone. It can include anxiety, irritability, sweating, tremors, nausea, poor sleep, a racing heart or a general feeling that we’re not right. Some of us notice it first thing in the morning. For others, it starts during the night or as the day goes on.
The symptoms can also be mixed in with a hangover, lack of sleep, dehydration and worry about what happened while we were drinking. That makes it very easy to misread what is going on.
Why another drink seems to work
If alcohol is causing withdrawal symptoms, another drink might ease them quickly. The shakiness eases. The anxiety drops. We feel more like ourselves. And because another drink changes the feeling quickly, we can start believing alcohol is the answer.
But the relief is temporary. As that drink leaves our system, we can end up feeling the same way again. Then we could drink earlier, drink more or keep alcohol nearby because we’re frightened of feeling that way again.
And over time, we can become more physically dependent on alcohol.
How it gets mistaken for a craving
We often think a craving means we really want alcohol. Sometimes our body just feels uncomfortable and the thought of a drink comes up because that’s what used to change the feeling quickly. The thought “I need a drink” comes up, and we assume it came from desire.
But it might have come from the discomfort. So wanting the discomfort to stop doesn’t mean we suddenly want alcohol again. It might mean our body has adapted to regular drinking and is reacting when alcohol isn’t there.
Withdrawal can feed the whole drinking cycle
And it doesn’t stop with the physical feeling. We feel anxious and start worrying about our health. We regret drinking, get frustrated with ourselves and promise we’ll do better. Then the discomfort builds and another drink looks like the quickest way out of all of it.
So withdrawal can feed the Cycle of WARF and one difficult morning can lead straight into the next drinking session. And if it keeps happening, feeling off can quickly bring up the thought of a drink.
Know which stopping plan applies to us
Alcohol withdrawal isn't the same for everyone. Some people have fairly mild symptoms, while others can be at risk of serious withdrawal. If we've been drinking heavily or regularly and start getting symptoms when alcohol wears off, it's worth getting medical advice before stopping suddenly.
That doesn't mean every uncomfortable feeling is an emergency. It means we need to know whether it's safe for us to stop on our own.
Confusion, hallucinations, seizures or severe withdrawal symptoms need urgent medical help. With milder symptoms, the important thing is to recognise that alcohol could be part of what we're feeling and get the right advice rather than using another drink to keep the cycle going.
What to notice
It helps to notice when the symptoms appear and what happens after we drink. Maybe we start feeling worse the further we get from the last drink. Maybe the first drink makes us feel normal again rather than giving us much of a buzz. Or we might notice that we're drinking earlier because we don't want the discomfort to start. Those changes might also be happening alongside a rising alcohol tolerance.
If that sounds familiar, the pull towards the next drink isn't random. Our body might be reacting because it has got used to alcohol being there. Seeing that can help us understand why the next drink feels so convincing and why stopping the cycle matters.
The next article looks at the mental shortcut we might use to end the argument in our head.
— Brent
Next up: The Mental Shortcut: Why We Avoid Internal Conflict