Alcohol inhibits your ability to accept difficult things

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djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
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Regarding this thread, and the idea that a couple of drinks will help you 'relax' after a hard day of work. Well, it's not true.

Cognitive dissonance is the stress that results from harboring two opposed cognitions at once. People who hate their job for example, yet continue to go in every day. The reaction to this is to change your attitude, "well the thing is, I hate my job, but since I *do* go in every day, it must be worth it". Studies like this show that alcohol effectively relieves the stress, and therefore reduces the attitudinal change that would otherwise occur.

Basically, a guy who hates his job and continues to do it, and doesn't drink, will evenutally not hate his job (generally). A person who hates his job, and goes home to have a drink, will wake up still hating his job.

The old "I drink to unwind after a hard day in the office" doesn't hold water, it effectively reduces the tendancy to make a bad situation good, and simply keeps the bad situation bad. In other words, life will continue to suck, as long as you "drink your troubles away".

Thoughts?
 
S

Siva

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2001
5,472
0
71
That is probably an oversimplification. Everyone has a habit to help reduce stress after work, from watching TV to masturbation. We all deal with stress in a varieties of way.

Drinking will have more than just one effect on your life. It could make you more social, turn you into an alcoholic, or maybe get you laid. People hate their jobs for a lot of different reasons too, the reason might run deeper than if they have a beer or two after work.
 
vi edit

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,345
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I think that just about anything could be abused in the same manner with similar results.

Exercise, eating, video games, drugs, sex, booze, ect. All with their own downfalls.

Problems don't get fixed by ignoring them (most of the time).

 
Linux23

Linux23

Lifer
Apr 9, 2000
11,374
741
126
The brain associates alcohol with having a bad day at work. Not a good habit to establish.
 
WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
33,399
11,551
136
Originally posted by: djheater
Regarding this thread, and the idea that a couple of drinks will help you 'relax' after a hard day of work. Well, it's not true.

Cognitive dissonance is the stress that results from harboring two opposed cognitions at once. People who hate their job for example, yet continue to go in every day. The reaction to this is to change your attitude, "well the thing is, I hate my job, but since I *do* go in every day, it must be worth it". Studies like this show that alcohol effectively relieves the stress, and therefore reduces the attitudinal change that would otherwise occur.

Basically, a guy who hates his job and continues to do it, and doesn't drink, will evenutally not hate his job (generally). A person who hates his job, and goes home to have a drink, will wake up still hating his job.

The old "I drink to unwind after a hard day in the office" doesn't hold water, it effectively reduces the tendancy to make a bad situation good, and simply keeps the bad situation bad. In other words, life will continue to suck, as long as you "drink your troubles away".

Thoughts?
Click to expand...


Well given that thread was started by me and im really fucking drunk now I'd agree that it reduces the stress.

You can go by your studies or you could ask people who do stressful jobs what they do.

'Bad situations' in my job are bad regardless if I drink afterwards or not, I dont see how not drinking will make them any less stressful :confused:

:wine:
 
WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
33,399
11,551
136
Originally posted by: Linux23
The brain associates alcohol with having a bad day at work. Not a good habit to establish.
Click to expand...

so drink after a good one as well :D
 
S

SlitheryDee

I love my job...and my time at home...which I spend drinking...while imagining hot chicks on a yacht...peddling merrily...in the middle of a vast sea...of fluffy bunnies.

OMG WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE! :sob;
 
WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
33,399
11,551
136
Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
I love my job...and my time at home...which I spend drinking...while imagining hot chicks on a yacht...peddling merrily...in the middle of a vast sea...of fluffy bunnies.

OMG WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE! :sob;
Click to expand...

Oh shit beers run out!!

sends :beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:





 
L

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
1
81
dunno

crappy day

bunch of leffe, nice half a roast chicken, potato souffle at a good belgian restaurant

couple more brooklyns at a bar with friends

just finished my last arturo reverte gran reserva and a g&t, listening to Mermaid Ave Vol 2

life is good right now, and that's all that counts to me, about to go cuddle up with the gf in a warm bed
 
MetalMat

MetalMat

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2004
9,687
36
91
Originally posted by: Doctor Nyse
I'll have a drink after a great day at work
Click to expand...

I am the same way, I dont like to drink when I am down or depressed over something. However, if I have an awesome week I love to celebrate it!
 
D

Dunbar

Platinum Member
Feb 19, 2001
2,041
0
0
Originally posted by: djheater
Basically, a guy who hates his job and continues to do it, and doesn't drink, will evenutally not hate his job (generally). A person who hates his job, and goes home to have a drink, will wake up still hating his job.
Click to expand...

The study seems to state the obvious - the sedative properties of alchohol reduce stress only while drinking. Without studying long term changes in these dissonance thoughts I don't know how they can proclaim moderate drinking better, worse, or no different than not drinking at all. Of course, everybody knows that alcohol abuse not only solves nobody's problems, it creates significant consequences.
 
J

jmmtn4aj

Senior member
Aug 13, 2006
314
1
81
Originally posted by: djheater
Regarding this thread, and the idea that a couple of drinks will help you 'relax' after a hard day of work. Well, it's not true.

Cognitive dissonance is the stress that results from harboring two opposed cognitions at once. People who hate their job for example, yet continue to go in every day. The reaction to this is to change your attitude, "well the thing is, I hate my job, but since I *do* go in every day, it must be worth it". Studies like this show that alcohol effectively relieves the stress, and therefore reduces the attitudinal change that would otherwise occur.

Basically, a guy who hates his job and continues to do it, and doesn't drink, will evenutally not hate his job (generally). A person who hates his job, and goes home to have a drink, will wake up still hating his job.

The old "I drink to unwind after a hard day in the office" doesn't hold water, it effectively reduces the tendancy to make a bad situation good, and simply keeps the bad situation bad. In other words, life will continue to suck, as long as you "drink your troubles away".

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

That.. actually makes sense.
 
D

djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
14,637
2
0
1) I do drink, heavily by many standards.
2) The point of the OP is to point out that when one abstains from drinking (and likely other relaxant, depressive drugs) one will achieve an attitudinal change which does not otherwise occur in most circumstances.

Drinking prevents the change that would otherwise occur, making life harder, essentially.

We don't like to admit, in our individualist culture, that we aren't in control of our cognitions, but there is a lot of experimental data to reinforce the idea that drinking dissipates dissonance that would otherwise cause a change in attitude.

For a hypothetical example WelshBloke, had you not had the drink, you would likely have come to the concusion that even though the experience was miserable, you are doing great good in the world, and that makes it worth it. By drinking you've effectively reduced the need for that attitudinal change... Drinking relaxes you, so you don't need to deal with the internal stress anymore. Next time it happens you'll either change your attitude or have a drink...
 
DangerAardvark

DangerAardvark

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2004
7,559
0
0
Perhaps, but alcohol makes it easier to accept one very important thing: my penis. So drink up ladies.
 
D

djheater

Lifer
Mar 19, 2001
14,637
2
0
Originally posted by: Dunbar
Originally posted by: djheater
Basically, a guy who hates his job and continues to do it, and doesn't drink, will evenutally not hate his job (generally). A person who hates his job, and goes home to have a drink, will wake up still hating his job.
Click to expand...

The study seems to state the obvious - the sedative properties of alchohol reduce stress only while drinking. Without studying long term changes in these dissonance thoughts I don't know how they can proclaim moderate drinking better, worse, or no different than not drinking at all. Of course, everybody knows that alcohol abuse not only solves nobody's problems, it creates significant consequences.
Click to expand...

The study concludes that the attitdinal change (which in other studies is long lasting) does not occur in the alcohol consuming experimental group. The control group did change attitudes.

Incidentally, the researchers found that light drinkers were not meaningful in the study, but for admitted heavy social drinkers, the effect was present regardless of how much they drank. Like an adaptive response, one might posit....

It's just information, don't try and make more out of it than what it is... it's just data.

cognitive dissonance is definately real
alcohol (in numerous studies) alleviates dissonance
It's not irrational to believe that a quiet evening at home drinking tea (after a stressful experience) is better for your long term mental health than having a few drinks is.
 
SacrosanctFiend

SacrosanctFiend

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2004
4,269
0
0
The TRH has been proven ineffective. That's the problem with citing 20+ year-old-sources. Alcohol may reduce stress for some populations, but have no effect of the stress level of others. Thusly the attitudinal changes (or lack there of) would vary from population to population.
 
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Dunbar

Platinum Member
Feb 19, 2001
2,041
0
0
Originally posted by: djheater
It's just information, don't try and make more out of it than what it is... it's just data.

cognitive dissonance is definately real
alcohol (in numerous studies) alleviates dissonance
It's not irrational to believe that a quiet evening at home drinking tea (after a stressful experience) is better for your long term mental health than having a few drinks is.
Click to expand...

Since I can't read the whole study, I don't know what they say. But "heavy social drinkers" (100+ drinks a month) probably includes many alcoholics. "Heavy drinkers", as opposed to light or moderate drinkers, in general probably are not as mentally healthy as the average person (which is why they drink!) If the study is saying that it's not good for one's mental health to get drunk a few days a week than I would agree. That's not the same as having a few drinks after a stressful day every once in a while. Furthermore, moderate alcohol cosumption has actually been shown to have significant health benefits (1 drink a day for women, 2 for men). Also, alcohol's effect is only temporary, there are still many hours in the day for one to face their thoughts of dissonanace.
 
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