Why can some people stop at 1 or 2 drinks and others can't?

Do some people just have an addictive personality and others don’t? What is it that makes it so some people can turn off their desire to drink and others can’t?

During a recent live, virtual event, Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind and The Alcohol Experiment, shared some of the science behind how the brain responds to alcohol under different circumstances.

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[bkraft]

I’ve always been the drink 1 beer and I’m done guy. I’ve been that way for 30 yrs. I usually just have a beer with dinner 1-2 times per week. I enjoy the flavor. And it helps me relax after a hard day. I always wondered why I’m not an alcoholic and never had the urge to drink more. I have a friend who IS an alcoholic and I feel so bad for him. So I wondered what the difference was between us.

I found your video, and now I know. He drinks to self medicate. I drink for the flavor and to wash my dinner down.

My heart goes out to all suffering from this addiction.

[floz]

What I could never understand - to this day - is why some people would even want to drink only one or two drinks... it just doesn't make sense to me. I either want to feel the effects of alcohol ie get hammered or don't drink at all. Why would I poisen myself with two or three drinks, whose positive effects (getting drunk), I can barely feel and in the process get the negative effects? I barely feel drunk from two or three beers but at 34 years old, I can certainly feel those beers the next day because I sleep worse, so why should I drink them if I won't really get tipsy from the drinks? I can understand having only one beer "for the taste" (I pretty much never drink just one either though) but 2 or 3 are simply stupid in my mind, I much rather don't drink anything at all...
I'm certainly one of those people who have problems to stop after 2-3 drinks but I also don't really want to be one of those people who can since I don't think it's desireable to be able to have two or three drinks, since; What's the point in that? If you only drink it for the taste/feel, why not just drink something non alcoholic that doesn't poison you?

[MindBodyCoachTheresa]

I believe this is about several factors: early childhood neural development/bonding security and the subsequent polyvagal system, safety/not safe neural conditioning moving forward, as well as conditioning through SUGAR ingestion early in life to medicate trauma (refined sugar is the real gateway drug), as well as genetic predisposition to use alcohol to mediate unresolved trauma in the nervous system. A lot of this, the use of alcohol to self medicate and the unresolved trauma, is epigenetic. But this is the million dollar question because it points to healing resources. I believe the polyvagal theory holds a lot of the answers.

[oscar]

I'm drinking out of habit and loneliness, boredom

[insanelyinsensitive]

I remember exactly the day I started drinking at home, realised then that I loved alcohol and it could make me feel better and de stress from the bad relationship I was in....but even though the relationship ended my drinking never did, it just got worse, once it's got you ITS GOT YOU, I am on day 8, feel very tired and craving a drink and it's 6.30 am, I never used to drink until about 4pm, going to be a tough day....

[magdalenadavalji]

It was my problem when i was in addiction. How i envied all these people who drink one, two or three units and then continue day like nothing happening 😢 for me it was impossible to process, how can anyone do like that. Why don't they want to enjoy the booze that comes after binge drinking for me it was like missing the potential of alcohol. Since 10 years i don't drink but this feeling is still with me.

[gracefoster]

Thank you so much for this. Now I have a better understanding of what is going on with me.

[drewbaughman]

That was a really great question, but I really didn't hear the answer. Why can some people stop after 1-2 drinks and others can't? I did not hear the answer to this questions.

[nicklongstaff]

Just came to this after doing 2 weeks without a drink and feel like I self destruct when drunk. Lot of it relates to military deployments and not feeling like I should have a happy life. Started therapy and dealing with PTSD and accepting that I should be able to have a good life.

[miguelrobb]

That’s why I can’t keep cases of drinks at home because knowing me, I’m going to try to drink it all if I’m bored. It’s a shame because Costco has good deals on alcohol. I wait until 3pm and I’ll head to a gas station and buy 2 tall boy singles beer and I’ll call it a day. Not the best method but it’s working for me so far. No hangovers either. Whenever I try to “quit” I end up falling back really hard so it was better for me to stick with the 2 drinks limit

[skitz-oh]

I have BPD and everytime im like "ok im just gonna have 2 cans tonight(so 1ltr) then, depemdimg on how muxh i have, will drink 2 or 3 litres.. idk whay fl oz that is but its like a big bottle of coke or whatever, every night.. is that a sign of alcoholism? I feel like it is but also kinda in denial ( im kinda very self aware but need others opinions to get a solid idea)

[karenhassett]

And what about the allergic reaction that AA explains very well ? Once we have that 1st drink it triggers the chemical that set's off the mental obsession with having more & more & also the physical phenomenan of craving.

[zeke]

Back when I drank, if I could only have 2 - I would rather drink water

[flesh]

I drank more when I was bored in company. So I avoid boring company now.

[Ruthie]

The ones who can't stop should not be castigated, and assuming they "can't" stop is presumptuous. these videos are simplistic and drinking alcohol is pretty complicated. It shouldn't be but it is. There is so much involved, it is a substance that is "accepted" and when you have an issue with it you are the problem. Being an alcoholic isn't even talked about anymore. It's passe it's fentanyl now and marijuana is legal what a world

[RodSherwood]

Because some people have self control and some do not. If you are an adult without a mental handicap, you can control yourself. Is it difficult in some situations, of course it is but you can do it and there are no legit excuses why you cannot control your urges.