Confused about the effects of alcohol on the human body

[vger]

Alright - hopefully we can keep this from turning into a moral argument. I'm mostly curious about a few things.

I've discovered that when I drink, I experience practically the opposite of what I'm supposed to.

For one, my brain functions BETTER. Or at least, the functions that are important to me. I feel more creative. My cognitive functions seem to improve, to the point that I can solve problems that I can't when sober. Even my ability to recall past events improves. And this doesn't seem to be limited to my ability to contemplate. Even my reflexes improve. I've experimented with this while playing twitch games. The kind of shoot-em-ups that have a bajillion bullets flying around at the same time. I survive far longer after I've had a few drinks.

I don't know what to think of it. It doesn't make me think I'm Superman or anything, but it's eyebrow-raising. It makes me think there's something wrong instead of something right. Has anyone else experienced anything like this, or have any ideas from a scientific standpoint? I feel more 'optimized' when I'm mildly inebriated, so obviously it's a state that I want to be in at all times, but I don't want to have to rely on alcohol to accomplish it.

And for anyone who wants to bring up doctors, yeah. I know, I should probably be talking to a shrink about this. But I'm more comfortable asking for input from people who give it willfully, rather than someone on a payroll looking for any excuse to get a commission by selling me Prozac.

Edited October 5, 2015 by vger

[baggers]

A brain is a very complex component. Especially in the chemical balance.

Your story is not really surprising. I already have heard of some mens that can be more brillant with alcohol than sober. Some artists were well know for that ^^. Alcohol can be (and in fact, was) considered as a doping, and prohibited in certain cases. (sports, or other activities)

http://www.doping-prevention.sp.tum.de/doping-in-general/history-of-doping.html

The Kaffir tribe in Africa named a primitive alcoholic drink which was used in religious ceremonies as a stimulant with the phrase “dopâ€Â. Other reports describe Zulu warriors using “dopâ€Â, an alcoholic drink made of grape skins and cola beverage. In West Africa, the use of Cola accuminata and Cola nitida was also common during competition in walking or running. Consecutively, the Dutch colonists used the term “dop†to describe any stimulant beverage and hence the term was spread worldwide. Eventually, the term was adopted to a wider range of substances and in sports, using those substances was furtheron described as “dopingâ€Â, first appearing in an English dictionary in 1889.

As a very old doping product, alcohol has well know side effects, especially in the mid-long tems. You know what will hurt you.

- - - Updated - - -

I must say: I don't think you can "correct what is wrong" in your brain for feeling permanently "optimized": the brain chemicals balances is too complex for our actual knowledge of it. You're f*cked, bro.

[Jovus]

Just checking: have you tested whether or not you really are better at things while drunk by examining yourself after sobering up? 'cause otherwise this might easily be explained as beer goggles.

[softweir]

Alcohol acts as an inhibitor of brain function, but one of its first effects is to inhibit the areas of the brain responsible for self-inhibition. The major effect of moderate alcohol consumption is to reduce excessive self-critical inhibition, which frees up creative processes from the over-strict Quality Control that many people suffer from when they try to create. In other words, you stop worrying about how good your work is, and are free to create.

The same goes for games. The self-critical areas of the brain are the most recent addition to the neocortex and are the least well-tuned and are the slowest to work: they slow the entire person down. Alcohol damps those areas down, so the older, less sophisticated areas of the brain are able to get on with the high-speed decision-making.

The problem with using alcohol to assist creativity as that the effect diminishes the more one uses it, and one needs to take a higher dose to get the same "feel". As doses get larger they start to suppress coordination and the skills needed to create, and a point can be reached where the creative person needs the alcohol to create, but is too discoordinated or emotional to exercise their skills. The gamer at the same point feels he is performing as well as ever, but his mates may start to accuse him of being "too slow".

A different way to lower those inhibitions is to develop one's skills and self-confidence. Musicians jam - they play together for fun, which exercises their skills and boosts their self-confidence, but does so outside of the rigours of routine practice that can create excess self-doubt. Artists doodle and sketch - they draw odd little things for fun, so they don't care whether they are good or not, but still those doodles and sketches exercise their skills and improve their self-confidence. Writers do silly little short stories or poems for fun.

BTW, what sort of creativity are you involved in?

Edited October 5, 2015 by softweir

[Red Iron Crown]

Clearly more experimentation is required.

[GeneralVeers]

I've discovered that when I drink, I experience practically the opposite of what I'm supposed to.

Generally, alcohol is a (mild) sedative; when you're sober, are you a stressy/twitchy/hyperactive person? Do you feel wired or uptight about stuff when sober?

It could be the booze is simply dialing your system down to the correct speed....

[Randazzo]

The difference between poison and medicine is often the dose.

Just the right amount usually improves my Pool (as in Billiards) game, as it stops me from overthinking the shots. It's a razor-fine line though, as too much on the other side and it's directly impairing my accuracy.

Whatever else it may do for you, it impairs your judgement, which means it's highly probable feelings of "improvement" are only in ones imagination.

[RainDreamer]

Clearly more experimentation is required.

Experiment on self is always an interesting aspect of science. Especially when it related to things like this.

Though I thought this is adult stuff...

[justidutch]

I can attest to the fact that alcohol does indeed "boost" creativity, or at least allows me to think in ways I wouldn't normally. But this is at a cost of less technical prowess, and not being able to pull of the technical feats needed to realize these new creative thoughts is kind of pointless. So, not always the best choice when playing music live. Writing music, when you have all the time in the world to lay down those ideas is a different story. Having the option of being able to think outside one's normal box is nice, but obviously there are many dangers involved so by no means am I endorsing the use of alcohol or other substances.

[InterCity]

sorry, couldn't resist...

Anyway, after a bit of a totally deliberate and purposeful experimentation on yesterday's wedding party of one of my colleagues, this seems to be true after about two beers for me. The results were satisfactory, with me and the groom discussing artificial intelligence, with a lot of creative problem solving and no general rubbish. Any more beer (or in this case whiskey) than that has resulted with me being... well... tipsy. Will repeat the experiment on next party, which is scheduled for my birthday in November.

Edited October 5, 2015 by InterCity

[Bill Phil]

I guess you're part Irish.

Just kidding, but I did know a guy who could drive better when slightly drunk. Maybe that "peak" is real and is different for everybody.

[vger]

Just checking: have you tested whether or not you really are better at things while drunk by examining yourself after sobering up? 'cause otherwise this might easily be explained as beer goggles.

Well, the video game results are pretty elementary.

Drunk: "Whoa, I've never been to this level before. Or this one. Or this one.

Sober: "Why can't I get to that level again?"

Rinse, repeat.

Answering more with the next question at the same time...

BTW, what sort of creativity are you involved in?

A little writing, a little graphic design, a little game development - some for my own projects and others to pseudo-GM for MMO players. The results are staggering at times. Eureeka! moments. Like having a plot hole that I can't find a way to fix after wracking my brain for months. But then I think about it under the influence and then suddenly this unbelievably awesome thing shows up that connects 10 different arcs and even accomplishes more than I needed it to. My words tend to have a smoother poetic element too if I write in that state - and generally I'm terrible at poetry and always feel like I'm typing up a thesis.

Alcohol acts as an inhibitor of brain function, but one of its first effects is to inhibit the areas of the brain responsible for self-inhibition. The major effect of moderate alcohol consumption is to reduce excessive self-critical inhibition, which frees up creative processes from the over-strict Quality Control that many people suffer from when they try to create. In other words, you stop worrying about how good your work is, and are free to create.

The same goes for games. The self-critical areas of the brain are the most recent addition to the neocortex and are the least well-tuned and are the slowest to work: they slow the entire person down. Alcohol damps those areas down, so the older, less sophisticated areas of the brain are able to get on with the high-speed decision-making.

Heh, the "Green Faerie" of Bohemian fame crossed my mind a few times with this. Your assessment certainly explains a lot.

@Jebkerboom After that Ballmer Peak cartoon, I actually stumbled upon an article suggesting that we may see alcohol become more acceptable in the workplace, provided that consumption can be regulated.

The men who drank the vodka performed better than those who didn't on a standard "Remote Associates Test," in which participants are shown a set of words and asked to identify a word that's related. ""We think being too focused can blind you to novel possibilities, and a broader, more diffuse or more flexible attentional state may be needed for creative solutions to emerge," says Jenny Wiley, one of the authors of the study."

http://www.businessinsider.com/having-a-drink-or-two-at-work-could-boost-your-productivity-2012-3

Edited October 6, 2015 by vger

[Nuke]

this is my kind of science. im going to need a case of tequila.

[PakledHostage]

this is my kind of science. im going to need a case of tequila.

Most alcohol just puts me to sleep. Tequila, on the other hand, is an effective emetic.

[vger]

Most alcohol just puts me to sleep. Tequila, on the other hand, is an effective emetic.

I've had unusual results with different kinds as well. I'll NEVER touch Jack Daniels again. For some bizarre reason, it brings me to an "I feel like I'm possessed by a demon" level of anger. Things were irritating me that even when I thought back on it, couldn't figure out why they were irritating. All other drinks just enhance my normal personality. Jack turns me into a completely different person, a person that I never wish to meet again.

[Cirocco]

as mentioned a few times already: alcohol is an inhibitor: it will lower your critical thinking and self-doubt. If you're the type of person to over-think problems and be very critical of yourself (and in my experience, artists are always super self-critical, they don't like any of their own art), then alcohol will lower those self-doubts.

Something that tends to happen to me is that I also constantly second-guess myself and instinctively check almost all my actions to the question "what would happen if I'm wrong?". Doing this is usually a good thing: it prevents me from doing stupid stuff. However, it can also be a detriment when I'm actually right about a certain complex issue, but I'm second-guessing and re-checking myself so much that it takes too long and becomes so complicated that I can't solve the issue. This is something that caused me a TON of stress and probably a couple grades when I was taking exams at university.

now, sometimes and for some people, if you are slightly intoxicated, that little voice that is constantly in the back of your head going "what if you're wrong? did you double-check that part of the problem? Are you sure about your data? Did you double-check your criteria? Why was that guy looking funny when you said that bit? Is it wrong? re-think it, quickly! etc." gets quite a bit quieter if not silent. So suddenly you're going through problems a lot quicker and with a lot more self-confidence. You're not double-checking as much, but it might not be necessary. Basically, you will take more risks, but if the risks are small compared to the possible gain, you will feel that your brain is "optimized". Your brain is actually not optimized, in fact it probably took a small hit to the reasoning part, but the time and simplicity gained from the increased risk-taking behavior could outweigh it by far. Couple this with the increased self-confidence and people think that their brain suddenly works better when they've had a drink or two.

big caveat here: while certain creative cognitive processes might come easier when you're slightly inebriated (note: easier, not necessarily better. Alcohol adds nothing, it just takes away some things), just about everything else takes a hit. I know that there are people who think their driving actually improves after a drink or two, that's just straight up wrong. Coordination, reaction time, everything that requires physical actions is worse. If you're a writer, your storytelling might go smoother, but your typos will increase. If you're a painter, your inspiration will come easier, but your ideas will become harder to be perfectly translated to canvas, etc.

note that this is based on personal experience, observation of other people, my personal limited knowledge of human psychology and simple deduction on my part. Don't take this for a scientific response, but it seems the most logical explanation to me.

And yeah, remember that part of this post where I said I have this tendency to constantly ask myself "but what if you're WRONG?!" in everything I do? My previous statement (as well as my signature) are direct consequences of that

Edited October 6, 2015 by Cirocco

[benzman]

Most alcohol just puts me to sleep. Tequila, on the other hand, is an effective emetic.

My experience precisely!

[Mr Shifty]

Most alcohol just puts me to sleep.

I find this to be true more and more as well. It used to make me a little more socially 'slippery' (where I'd let things 'slip out' that I wouldn't have sober), but anymore, I just get sleepy and quiet, which is a nice effect after dinner or right before an afternoon snooze.

I will submit, contrary to the self-perception of increased creativity and intelligence, that when I am sober there is no one I know whose company I prefer drunk -- or even tipsy -- to sober. My perception is that people generally get more stupid and/or boisterous and/or mean. I'm fairly certain that my IQ generally falls as my BAC rises.

[peadar1987]

Once I tried to work on my MATLAB code after 7 pints. It took me a week to repair the damage I did!

On the contrary, a can or two can often help me relax, and give me a different perspective. My brain definitely isn't as sharp, but sometimes just rewiring things a little helps me solve a problem by looking at it from a slightly new angle.

[Vanamonde]

This thread is somewhat of a borderline case, guys. Remember that "adult content" such as the use of intoxicants is off-limits for our forum (2.2.c), and please restrict the discussion here to the physiology. This is Science Labs, after all.

[adsii1970]

On a serious note, as a veteran of the U.S. Army, I use the Veterans Administration health care for my service connected disabilities. About ten years ago, one of my pain management medications was changed because of a "refresh" of its chemical composition so the drug company could renew its patent. The recombination actually triggered an even worse reaction which made it harder for me to fall asleep.

The V.A. doctor I was assigned at the time told me that he would recommend a shot of whiskey about thirty minutes before I go to bed as a means to cause my neck muscles to relax, relieving some of the pressure on my head... I've been doing that now and believe it or not, it works. Although he no longer works for the V.A., I still follow his advice.

[Yasmy]

I don't doubt that some people see some improvement for some activities with alcohol use, as stated earlier, because of how alcohol interferes with normal processes. I severely doubt it improves any motor function or thought processes in anyone.

There are quite a few studies^{[citations needed]} that show that no amount of alcohol in any of the test subjects improved either response time or muscle coordination/acuity. You may play pool better after a drink, but it's not because your mind or body functions better as a result of alcohol. As for the drunk driver, I suggest you never get in his car and step up and talk to him about the damage he could do to others and himself.

And let's not forget that your ability to judge your performance is impaired by alcohol. That improvement you think you have under the influence may not actually be real.

And finally, I'm not a doctor. So don't take my word. Speak to your doctor. You definitely don't want to be taking this kind of advice from the internets.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Yasmy

[Cirocco]

I don't doubt that some people see some improvement for some activities with alcohol use, as stated earlier, because of how alcohol interferes with normal processes. I severely doubt it improves any motor function or thought processes in anyone.

well it certainly never improves quality. Pretty much any amount of alcohol at all will always lower the quality of your physical and mental processes. But it also increases risk-taking behavior so you'll also tend to go through said processes quicker because you're willing to forego mental checks and take shortcuts.

Basically for mental processes: you'll arrive at the end quicker, but there's a bigger chance that whatever you're trying to do will either be wrong or of inferior quality. For physical actions: there is no improvement to be found anywhere, in any case, ever.

again though: personal experience and deduction based on my education as a bio-engineer. I'm no doctor, take this post with a grain of salt.

also, repeating this here because it's important. Thanks for the reminder Vanamonde!

This thread is somewhat of a borderline case, guys. Remember that "adult content" such as the use of intoxicants is off-limits for our forum (2.2.c), and please restrict the discussion here to the physiology. This is Science Labs, after all.

[peadar1987]

Yes, drunk driving. Never never never never never do it! This is from first-hand experience of being in a car with a drunk person. It was terrifying, stupid and dangerous.

[K^2]

I don't doubt that some people see some improvement for some activities with alcohol use, as stated earlier, because of how alcohol interferes with normal processes. I severely doubt it improves any motor function or thought processes in anyone.

If the bottleneck in motor response is you being distracted, alcohol can still help. Whether you want to call it improving motor function or not is splitting hairs. Yes, research with things like fMRI will show the distinction, but it is results we are after.

The bottom line is, no matter the activity, there are people out there who will perform it better with some quantity of alcohol. Not that I would recommend it as a regular way to improve performance.