"The first time I discovered the social lubricant magic of alcohol was at a high school party. The music was loud, and I was anxious. A friend handed me a beer, told me it would help me loosen up. And it did. From then on, I learned to turn to alcohol for a little confidence boost every time the discomfort of social anxiety rises."
"I am far from the first one who discovered alcohol's "confidence boost" effect. The fermented juice has long been thought of as a social lubricant for a reason. Acting as a central nervous system depressant, alcohol temporarily eases anxiety by slowing down brain activity, boosting GABA release to prompt calming effects, and shutting off glutamate to lower inhibition. To put it simply, the depressant effect of alcohol does calm the nerves and make socializing seem smoother in the moment."
"Like a high-interest debt, alcohol offers us the immediate reward with delayed interest. When it comes to its "anxiety relief" effect, the delayed interest is an intensified anxiety cycle over time. Using alcohol to cope with anxiety is essentially a form of avoidance. Numbing up mentally allows us to avoid facing what scares us. While the anxious thoughts magically dissipate, we are left with an unfortunate confirmation that whatever we just avoided-making small talk with a colleague-is indeed dangerous."
Personal use of alcohol can create an immediate reduction in social anxiety and enable easier conversation and laughter. Alcohol acts as a central nervous system depressant, slowing brain activity, increasing GABA release, and inhibiting glutamate, which produces temporary calming and reduced inhibition. That temporary relief often functions as avoidance of feared social situations, preventing exposure to the fear and reinforcing beliefs that social encounters are dangerous. Over time, relying on alcohol produces an intensified anxiety cycle and delayed costs. Cognitive behavioral therapy terms avoidance behaviors as 'anxiety fuel' because they deny the chance to test safety and learn tolerance for discomfort.
Read at Psychology Today
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