Category: Inhibitions

The inspiration for this short article comes from my son’s fine sermon (6/14/21) titled Spiritual Sobriety. Early in the lesson he spoke of the reasons why people today drink alcohol. One of the main reasons is that alcohol lowers inhibitions. Alcohol is a depressant to the body. It slows you down (your reflexes and brain). It also clouds judgment and lowers self-control. It slows down the pre-frontal cortex which acts as the command center for executive function, impulse control, and long-term consequence planning. It also alters neurotransmitters further relaxing the brain and reducing restraint, making rational decision-making much more difficult.

Sounds bad, doesn’t it. And yet people love to drink! Why? These effects feel good! People fell less stressed, often have more (though misplaced) confidence, and because they feel “loose” laugh and interact more easily. Later on, they may regret what they say or how they interact, but in the moment they feel good. Continue reading “Heightened Inhibitions” →