Alcohol makes me feel depressed

[WhiteOwl]

As the title says: Alcohol almost always puts me in a sort of depressed state the day after. Yesterday i had 3 beers, wasn't drunk obviously and came home and drank lots of water and took good care of myself, still felt it a little bit in the morning. But that is not the problem. Why can't i be happy even though i feel a little hungover? Many people i know have no problem with that whatsoever and just don't care that much. I feel very fragile if nothing more than a few beers can put me down. 

Is it my beliefs about alcohol being bad? 

And i am not asking for advice to stop drinking even though thats obviously best, i do it sometimes but i don't want to stay away from it completely at this point.

[Mandy]

How were you feeling before and during the drinking? 

 

Alcohol is a preservative, it's a way of keeping things from spoiling, it used to be very important before refrigeration and indoor plumbing. It's not conducive to the flow of life force in your body, it stops, slows, depresses, dehydrates. Especially if you reach for it when you're already feeling off, it's going to delay any real vibrational emotional improvement, slow the flow of energy until the effects wear off. 

 

11 minutes ago, WhiteOwl said:

I feel very fragile if nothing more than a few beers can put me down. 

Just because people consider it normal doesn't mean that it's desirable for you and your body at this time. You want to be sensitive to the way things affect you, just not obsessive or too rigid about it. 

[Joseph Maynor]

I remember when I came back from a trip to Athens, Greece for 2 weeks in 2014.  I hadn't smoked weed that whole time because I didn't want to mess around bringing it there.  I remember fantasizing the whole time I was there about smoking weed when I returned.  The funny thing was when I came back I smoked weed and realized right away that it took something away from me.  It put me in a kind of prison that I didn't want to be in.  An emotional prison that's hard to explain.  It set up all kinds of anxieties that only come when you're high on weed.  I can talk for ages on alcohol.  These substances have pros and cons -- it's a complex discussion.  There's a nuance with any drug.  Alcohol definitely has pros and cons to it.  Most people will not have a reasonable discussion on this I find.  It's just one of those forbidden things although most people drink alcohol.  I have a love-hate relationship with alcohol.  I'll admit that.  I aim to stop the BS about this stuff.  It's time to get real about drugs other than psychedelics.  I have a lot of experience in this area.  I've lived in San Francisco for 45 years.  I won't say I did it all, but I kinda have.  But I want to be careful how I convey that so you don't experience the cons of these things like I did.  I have a lot of personal information on drugs or better or worse.  it's not a simple answer I can tell you that.   A lot of this is taboo and is not going to be expressible in normal avenues of communication.  I definitely have a nuanced and complicated perspective regarding drugs that I'm more comfortable talking about in person to be honest.  But I'll allude to things here to say you're not alone dude.  It's ok.  There are pros and cons to everything in life.  I'm an explorer type, so my lifestyle is not appropriate for everyone.   Just keep your head about you.  

Edited March 24, 2023 by Joseph Maynor

[Jonas Long]

Alcohol is a depressant.  

[Phil]

Another mystery solved. 

[Orb]

2 minutes ago, DMT Elf said:

Fuck alcohol. Just smoke weed. 

I find alcohol is more fun in large social gatherings, weed is more fun with a small amount of good friends. But I know it's different for everyone, I find it insane that some people get high asf and go to large social gatherings with no issues. I'd be freaking out lol

[Jonas Long]

4 minutes ago, DMT Elf said:

Fuck alcohol. Just smoke weed. 

Booze is nice though sometimes 

[Phil]

6 hours ago, WhiteOwl said:

As the title says: Alcohol almost always puts me in a sort of depressed state the day after. Yesterday i had 3 beers, wasn't drunk obviously and came home and drank lots of water and took good care of myself, still felt it a little bit in the morning. But that is not the problem. Why can't i be happy even though i feel a little hungover? Many people i know have no problem with that whatsoever and just don't care that much. I feel very fragile if nothing more than a few beers can put me down. 

Is it my beliefs about alcohol being bad? 

And i am not asking for advice to stop drinking even though thats obviously best, i do it sometimes but i don't want to stay away from it completely at this point.

It’s the belief in states. “Alcohol puts me in a”. 

No it doesn’t. 

[Jonas Long]

1 minute ago, DMT Elf said:

I’ve enjoyed drinking in the past, but I stopped for a reason.

Ive stopped for reasons, and started again for reasons.  

[Jonas Long]

4 minutes ago, DMT Elf said:

It’s been a year and a half and I still feel no desire to drink. 

I quit for about 3 years, and I never felt a desire to drink.  But eventually I realized that drinking wasn't the problem I had to begin with, because the problem I was hoping to solve didn't go away. But I'm not an alcoholic, I get that people are.

[Mandy]

4 hours ago, Jonas Long said:

But I'm not an alcoholic, I get that people are.

I suspect that alcohol is mainly (ab)used for pain management, physical, emotional, doesn't matter. 

[Jonas Long]

5 minutes ago, Mandy said:

I suspect that alcohol is mainly (ab)used for pain management, physical, emotional, doesn't matter. 

Also social lube lol

[Mandy]

@Jonas Long That's still the same idea though. 

[WhiteOwl]

12 hours ago, Mandy said:

How were you feeling before and during the drinking? 

 

Anxious, fluctuating up and down. It was a group of new people or people i don't see often. Lots of things happening "inside". Judgements, insecurity, unpleasant thoughts, also some good moments. Overall was pretty good. Still thinking through most sentences i say before i say them and holding myself back, which is unpleasant. Afraid to appear stupid or awkvard, or to be disliked. 

 

I surely use it as a means to feeling more at ease, otherwise i wouldn't do it. I also don't like the judgements of not drinking sometimes. I feel like i need something in situations like that to find the right energy. A beer in my hand just makes it easier even though its an escape. 

 

The ideal would be to be completely at ease without it, enjoying just conversating without fear.. how though. 

[WhiteOwl]

8 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

I definitely have a nuanced and complicated perspective regarding drugs that I'm more comfortable talking about in person to be honest. 

Thanks for your reply. If you mean experimenting with your substances, i did that as well. I prefer ketamine if i go clubbing. no hangover and way better for the purpose i want, dancing, enjoying music etc. But that doesn't work in a setting like the described one. sometimes i will run into situations where i want to drink to enjoy the company.. most people around me don't do anything without alcohol involved.

 

6 hours ago, DMT Elf said:

Fuck alcohol. Just smoke weed. 

I don't enjoy like so much currently. Whenever i'm high i don't really enjoy it, and i don't get anything done when i do. If i try to make music while high i get nothing done. Social situations is a no-no also most of the time. You are right on the fuck alcohol part though

 

6 hours ago, Phil said:

It’s the belief in states. “Alcohol puts me in a”. 

No it doesn’t.

So the depressed feeling is just focusing on unwanted?

[ConsciousDreamer666]

On 3/24/2023 at 12:20 PM, WhiteOwl said:

As the title says: Alcohol almost always puts me in a sort of depressed state the day after. Yesterday i had 3 beers, wasn't drunk obviously and came home and drank lots of water and took good care of myself, still felt it a little bit in the morning. But that is not the problem. Why can't i be happy even though i feel a little hungover? Many people i know have no problem with that whatsoever and just don't care that much. I feel very fragile if nothing more than a few beers can put me down. 

Is it my beliefs about alcohol being bad? 

And i am not asking for advice to stop drinking even though thats obviously best, i do it sometimes but i don't want to stay away from it completely at this point.

As others have said, you probably make it worse than it is by you telling yourself all of that.

 

Having said that, alcohol is literally a depressor. So you shouldn't be surprised that it gives you this effects.

 

Honestly alcohol the worst drug in the universe, just do other thing. (Or better don't do anything)

[Phil]

14 hours ago, WhiteOwl said:

So the depressed feeling is just focusing on unwanted?

It’s more of an altogether different framing. The body is pure infinite intelligence. The thoughts, or brain, is like two marbles that occasionally bump into each other and it seemed like something happened. The body is ‘saying’ - I’m not down with this, with this character, with who we’re being here, and I gotta rest & recoup for a bit now cause this shit just ain’t my nature. Put another way, the body does not need ‘your’ (marbles) story. There is no ‘depressed feeling’. Feeling is synonymous with divinity, God, love. God-love is not depressed. God-love is “the body”. The marbles bump into eachother and come up with “states”, and just like that self is conceptualized and the marbles are running the show. The true nature isn’t fragile, but it’s subtle, sensitive beyond belief, and unconditionally allowing. God-love is absolutely free. The hand can always be put on the stove, but the true nature never changes. The burn will always be felt. Alignment is apparently optional, therein, suffering as well. 

 

Birds don’t have the marbles. So they just chirp, quite happily. They don’t know where they’re headed. They fly south, they fly north, and they chirp all along the way. They have song. You have the marbles. Where are you headed? Do you have song? Guidance? 

[Mandy]

The original meaning of the word depression was to describe angles in astronomy, 

depression (n.)

c. 1400 as a term in astronomy, "angular distance of a star below the horizon," from Old French depression (14c.), https://www.etymonline.com/word/depression

I think it's the most BEAUTIFUL example of going back to the original meaning, and seeing how a word has changed in its direct (literally pointing) meaning over time. It points to that you're at some perspective or vantage point that you can't see the light. I was contemplating this the other day and as I walked into the house, and I found my dog standing on the freaking kitchen table just so he could see out the window to the road completely. 😆The synchronicity of it was pretty awesome though.

[Joseph Maynor]

I envy those who can drink but not be an addict about it.  I used to be like that and I distinctly remember when I became addicted to it too.  I don't have any regrets but I definitely lived it and understand it.  It's like a toxic relationship that's good enough that you don't leave.  If anyone wants to talk about struggles with alcohol I can totally relate.  It's complicated.   There's pros and cons to alcohol use.  It is possible to quit but to stay quit is a different thing indeed.  There are people who make a fortune helping people end their relation with alcohol who are alcohol addicts.  It's one of the most addicting drugs I've experienced.  There was a point where it captured me with long claws.  And I know when that was too.  Alcohol can enhance your life and destroy your life in equal measure.  I'm not going to be one of those people who shits on alcohol, but I can't fully defend it either.  It's a tricky thing and has good and bad to it.  Sometimes things aren't black and white simple.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Joseph Maynor

[WhiteOwl]

On 3/25/2023 at 3:15 PM, Phil said:

The body is ‘saying’ - I’m not down with this, with this character, with who we’re being here, and I gotta rest & recoup for a bit now cause this shit just ain’t my nature.

Right. Thank you.🙌

 

On 3/25/2023 at 3:15 PM, Phil said:

Where are you headed? Do you have song? Guidance? 

I think so, most of the time. Hard to stay with good feelings for long, i am often close to finding great momentum and then some period of discord.