PRACTICAL SOBRIETY

GET SOBER 06: DOPAMINE VS DOPAMINE Dopamine is two faced. It has no allegiances other than to whatever it wants the most.... This is good news, because you can and do want different things. If you are reading this, then you clearly don’t want to be drinking. But also, you do want to drink because you do. So we have an interesting conflict arise where the dopamine circuits appear to be in direct competition with one another. Essentially, the winner is determined by whichever one is stronger, although what exactly defines strength in terms of dopaminergic desires is complex. Time, place, energy levels, environment, people… it’s difficult to know exhaustively the factors in play. Observation of yourself, your behaviour, and the machinations of these competing desires will help you to understand how they operate. Awareness is the first step toward change, and just like a muscle, you can exercise and strengthen the desires that are healthy, and leave the undesirable ones to atrophy. The part of your “want” mode that wants to stop is already on the ascendancy. You really want to stop, and the dopamine is what’s compelling you to keep reading. And it will continue to propel you forward because you want it. From here, you just need to accumulate enough knowledge and experience to overcome the other desire. -THE TWO CIRCUITS Before we move on to look at the conscious and subconscious minds, it’s crucial to understand that the dopamine circuit comprises two sequential, but different circuits. Each of these circuits performs a different role in the act of getting something. Understanding this structure helps us to weaponise the dopamine system against itself and puts us in a position of strength moving forward. The first of the two circuits is called the dopamine desire circuit. The desire circuit is the portion of the dopamine system that involuntarily fires in response to some kind of stimuli. (We will consider this circuit a subset of involuntary behaviour the subconscious mind.) When the desire circuit activates, the associated dopamine draws your attention, focuses the mind, and produces desire for a particular object or outcome. It has no plan about how to get whatever it has set its eyes on: it just stimulates pure desire for whatever it is. In terms of competing desires, a weighing process takes place. The relative weight of conflicting desires at any one point depends on the wider context and a variety of factors as discussed previously. One of the two desires out competes the other, and the scales tip in favour of that particular desire. The winning desire is then fed to the second circuit. The second circuit is known as the dopamine control circuit. Once the desire has been stimulated, the job of the control circuit—again powered by dopamine—is to work out how to get results, how to maximise those results, whether it’s worth it in the first place, and if so, what is it worth to get there. It thinks, identifies obstacles and accomplices, strategises, plans, and implements whatever it deems to be the best course of action. (We will consider this circuit a subset of voluntary behaviour or the conscious mind.) The following image illustrates this process: the dominant desire circuit decides what it wants and instructs the subservient control circuit to go and do its bidding. You can think of the desire circuit like a child who sees a new toy advertised on TV. They identify it as something they simply must have, even though it costs a fortune. They are going to keep pestering their parents relentlessly to try and get what they want. The parents (the control circuit) not wanting to upset the child because they have been well behaved recently, will look into whether they can afford it, where they can get it cheapest, whether there are any discount codes available, and so on. If they can make it happen then they’ll execute and get the toy. If the cost is too high, or the sacrifice elsewhere is too great, they’ll back out and deal with the child nagging. A nagging child is easier to deal with than Child Protection Services knocking at your door to find out why you are sending your child to school with no shoes. If the desire circuit decides that it wants to drink more than not, the control circuit goes to work to make it happen: Where can I buy alcohol? Do I need money? How can I get there? And so on. If the desire circuit decides it doesn’t want to drink more than it does, it goes to work to make that happen instead: Where can I get help? What excuse can I give not to go to my best friend’s birthday party? How do I get to sleep without a drink? And so on. So, that's basically what's happening. And for now that's all... But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up. Marky #sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober06 #dopamine

GET SOBER 05: DOPAMINE MADE ME DO IT Dopamine does what it likes. But do you like what dopamine does? The answer depends on what you get. Let me explain... Now remember, the dopamine circuit is a survival-orientated system, whose entire purpose is it to keep you alive and reproduce. The behaviour required for survival doesn’t necessarily align with what you like, especially in the long term. The system makes you want whatever it deems necessary to fulfil its survival requirements. Obvious examples are fat and sugar. Until relatively recently, these were rare sources of energy; your dopamine system drives you to binge on these substances because they are scarce, novel in whatever form you find them, and you may not have access to them again any time in the near future. Of course, today there is an abundance of both of these, so there is no survival advantage by binging on them. Quite the opposite, it’s unhealthy. When you eat too much, you start to gain weight and increase various health related risks. The dopamine system cares not and makes us want it now whether we need it or not. The outcomes from doing so eventually become noticeable, undesirable, and in conflict with the immediate priorities of the dopamine circuits. Do you like being a bit chubby? Probably not. And so the difference between “want” and “like” becomes obvious. The same dynamic is in play with alcohol: even when the effects of drinking are clearly ruining us, the wanting does not subside. Unfortunately, the dopamine system is not voluntary. It is completely reactionary, and whenever it fires, you are in it for the ride whether you like it or not. You go through the motions until you get what you want, or the dopamine burns itself out and gives up. In a healthy functioning system, when the dopamine system shuts off, we are left with the fruits of our dopamine-fuelled behaviour as we transition back to the “have” state. If we enter back into this state, and the outcome of this behaviour matches the promises of possibility that drove our behaviour in the first place, then we get real satisfaction. Eventually, most people reach a threshold, enough is enough, the dopamine stops flowing, and we stop. The bad news for the addicted is that the dopamine just keeps on coming. The system doesn’t recognise enough, never shuts down, and we get stuck in the “want” mode. By definition of the mode of operation, it is not and cannot be satisfied. And because the dopamine never stops, away we go. It can only end when it’s no longer possible to get what we want (by passing out or running out of money, for example), and even then we are left with cravings. What you wake up with is deep dissatisfaction. When we are forcibly returned to the “have” mode, the outcome is misaligned with the dopamine promises; it was never physically or mentally healthy to be wanting and doing what we did. We never needed or desired the outcome, only wanted it. The gap between just one drink and waking up after passing out is filled with promises of “just one more won’t hurt.” By exposing the brain to such extreme levels of inebriation, normal brain function is thrown into a state of imbalance. The brain and body barely have the time and rest necessary to recalibrate before the whole cycle is fired into motion again, taking you further and further away from a state of balance necessary for well-being. The relentless consumption and accompanying dopamine take place with increasing frequency until it’s associated with almost everything: every circumstance, feeling, person, mood, emotion, food, activity, and so on. My suspicion is that because substances like alcohol provide an artificial sense of connection and acceptance, the dopamine system can’t tell the difference and makes you want it in an attempt to meet these survival needs. But because it is artificial, it’s not getting the real substance. If it were substantive, the system would recognise it as such and power down. Instead, the system is trying to compensate for the inauthenticity of it all and gets stuck in perpetual motion. This may or may not be the case, but at the very least, in the beginning, drinking does lower inhibition and greases the wheels of social acceptance. You become conditioned to associate drinking with improved chances of group acceptance. When dependency ultimately moves you toward isolation, the conditioned response is a hollow substitute for group acceptance whether there is anyone there to belong with or not. The good news it that you also want to not want. And herein lies the battle of dopamine. A topic for next time... But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up. Marky #sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober05 #dopamine

GET SOBER 04: MODE HAVE MODE WANT An individual’s state and possessions at any moment can be broken down using a very simple paradigm: the things that you have and the things that you don’t. It follows, then, that the brain has evolved two modes to operate for the purpose either of these conditions. They are literally different neural pathways: one mode operates in concern of the things you have, the other in concern of things you want. This extends beyond the physical, too. You might want to know or be able to do something, for example. For simplicity, we’ll call these two modes “have” and “want.” In the following illustration, everything that falls inside the circle of the armspan is “have” mode, and anything outside is “want” mode. And so by definition, the things you have are in the “now,” here in the present, whereas the things you want can only ever exist in the future. Only when it is the present can you finally have what you want, which consequently extinguishes the original desire. (In the meantime, you have to get up and make things happen.) Your brain and behaviour are therefore constantly switching between these modes in a delicate balancing act. For the alcohol dependent, you’ve fallen off both ends. The see-saw may have been rigged from the start, or it’s been damaged by daily use, but either way, you’re going to have to supervise until you can restore some kind of balance. -A NEVER ENDING CYCLE As a mental model, it’s easier to understand the process as a never-ending cycle. That’s how it is supposed to function, anyway. Sometimes there’s a glitch in the cycle, which is actually the crux of our problem, But let’s understand it as a functioning system first. At any point in the cycle, we can only ever be operating in the “want” of “have” mode, and we continue to do so until the conditions arise to send us back into the other. And so we continue, going around in circles, flipping from one to the other. -HAVE MODE The “have” mode operates when we are engaged in the “here and now” with what we have. It is overseen by neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and endorphins, and what are known as endocannabinoids. (The details are not particularly important, rather the overall concept.) Because this mode of operation is configured for the present moment, the pathways and neurotransmitters facilitate a feeling of contentment and satisfaction, states which oppose mental projection into either the past of future. Examples of such might include being engaged in a good conversation or listening to a song that makes you forget yourself and time. -WANT MODE The “want” mode is very different and seemingly more complex. First and foremost, when this mode activates, it draws us out of the present and thrusts us mentally into a future projection of possibility. The “have” mode is stood down. This mode is fuelled instead by the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine has the exact opposite function to the apparatus of the “have” mode: it makes us dissatisfied with the “here and now,” and propels us toward a future outcome. For evolutionary purposes, this system gets us the resources we need for survival: food, reproduction, and so on. The resources we need, or perceive we need, in modern societies are, of course, much more complex. Activation of this mode (release of dopamine) occurs when an element of novelty or deviation from the expected is identified in our physical or metal environment. Our subconscious continuously scans and maps our environment, and as soon as it identifies a contrast between the known and the unknown, a flag goes up. When we encounter something new or unexpected, it signifies possibility: the potential of resources directly, or the means to obtain or maximise resources indirectly. This is, of course, advantageous, and such circumstances set in motion the dopamine-driven functioning of the cycle. From here, alert and motivated, you investigate, strategise, and extract, where possible, what you can. Once you have exhausted all possibility, and the new becomes the normal, the dopamine has done its job, the dopamine circuits shut down, and you’re returned to the “have” mode. Here you stay until you encounter the next deviation from the normal and are thrust into “want” mode again. Imagine being lost in the desert, and you catch a glimmer of the sun’s reflection in what looks like water in the distance. Despite being tired and exhausted, you sprint as fast as you ever have and jump into crystal clear water when you arrive. You drink till your heart’s content and you can drink no more. The dopamine has done it’s job and you’ve secured a new resource. You know where it is now, and while you might need it gain, you’ll never sprint toward it like your life depends on it. That was the dopamine. So how exactly is all this relevant to our situation? Well, as eluded to earlier, the system goes off the rails and we are the lucky ones who get stuck in "want" mode. A topic for next time... But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up. Marky #sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober04 #dopamine

Karma can cause the best laid plans of mice and men to go awry.

Concentration increases the amplitude of vibration. Bob Proctor

GET SOBER 03: WHY CAN'T I STAY SOBER? Addiction is so much more than the act of consuming; most people can will-power themselves sober and stop drinking for a few days or weeks, or until that wedding you've got coming up in the calendar, or whatever the thing is (there's always, always a thing... damn those things!). But staying sober long term is completely different, and the reason it's a different is because long-term behaviour is almost entirely and totally dictated by the subconscious mind. It has a total stranglehold on everything you do, and without convincing your subconscious mind that you are going to quit, it's just not going to happen. You can consciously think to yourself "right, this is the last time I wake up in a random place. I'm quitting forever and I really mean it..." or "from now on, I'm only going to have one drink in the evenings, honest..." or "I'm only going to drink on weekends..." but the subconscious cares not unless it has been aligned with this behaviour. It eventually takes over and returns you to the misery that it knows and feels safe with, even if it is destroying you in the long term. What your conscious mind can do though, is decide to, and begin, the process of reprogramming the subconscious. And that essentially is the key to recovery. First stop in the process is to fully understand what exactly is going with the two minds, which we'll begin next time. But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up. Marky #sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober03 #subconscious

GET SOBER 02: PHASES OF ADDICTION & RECOVERY So, you've admitted to yourself you're a boozehound. Progress... Now what? Well, it's a good time to get your bearings. Let's begin by mapping out the complete timeline of addiction (how we got here) and recovery (where we're going). As illustrated below, the phases of addiction and recovery have distinct stages which overlap in the middle. We can identify and characterise each of these stages to help you figure out exactly where you are and how you got there. This is important because what you might want to focus on—and what will be most beneficial—changes depending on how far along you are, how far along you have been, and where you're most likely to relapse. -ADDICTION PHASE The addiction phase consists of four main stages: --FORMATION Formation is the stage where you encounter alcohol, think "mmm, this is nice", and it becomes embedded in your habitual behaviour. Social licencing normalises this process. (I have mad beef with social normalisation of lots of things but I won't go there right now.) --AWARENESS Awareness is the stage where the negative consequences begin seep into your awareness. You may or may not associate these negative outcomes with drinking. For example, it becomes obvious that your life is a disorganised mess, you may be overly emotional in one way or another, etc. --REALISATION Realisation is the stage where negative effects are fully manifest and obviously linked to your drinking. You've reached a tipping point and you can't reasonably deny that you have a problem. --COMMITMENT Commitment is the stage where you have accepted the reality of your situation and orient yourself toward sorting it out. If you are reading this, then you've almost certainly reached this stage. (Well done by the way.) -RECOVERY PHASE The recovery phase, in brief, consists of the following stages: --SHORT-TERM Short-term recovery includes the first few days and weeks after you stop drinking. Relapse happens and isn't particularly unexpected. The focus here is just to stop consuming alcohol and make yourself as comfortable as possible. --MID-TERM With alcohol out of your system and no more consumed, mid-term recovery begins after a month or two. The focus here is to maintain sobriety and start to repair mainly the physical damage done by drinking. Relapse is less likely than in short-term recovery. --LONG-TERM After regaining physical health, your attention turns to working on emotional and psychological well-being. You are making real progress towards a better life, which at this point is self-evident. Relapse becomes less likely as you don't want to give up everything that you have achieved. --SELF-ACTUALISATION Self-actualisation is the stage where the person you were meant to be without this little detour is fully recovered. It is the highest level of psychological development, where personal potential is fully realised. And that's where we're going. Sounds nice... So that's how it goes. And for now, that is all... But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up. Marky #sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober02

GET SOBER 01: INTRODUCTION Hello! My name is Marky and I'm starting out on a career as a sober coach. I'm also mad excited about NOSTR, so I'm going to be using it to share, archive, and structure my thoughts on the topic of sobriety. In this post, I just wanted to get a quick introduction down in writing and get started. So, if sobriety is something you're interested in, read on. I hope that by sharing my experiences of a long drawn out process, I can offer you a shortcut to a better place. In the run up to 2019 my life was a total mess. The long running problems that I had been having with alcohol were exploding in my face; continuing was simply no longer an option. I'd known that something wasn't right as early as 2005, if not before, but it wasn't until maybe 2010 that I began to understand that I had a serious problem. It was at this point that my intentions to cut down or drink only at weekends just did not happen. Not only did they not happen, I'd drink more--more drinks, more often, with more alcohol content. As the decade rolled on, the problem got worse. My attempts to sort it out became more determined and would be accompanied by varying periods of sobriety. After the initial hump, things get good quickly when you stop drinking: you feel better, look better, and your world improves. The problem is, when this happens you inevitably delude yourself into thinking that you can go back and have both. You can't. And thus began the iterative process of sobriety/relapse; I've lost count of how many times I've done this, but it's a lot. But because it's a lot, I've experienced it a lot. And because I've experienced it a lot, I know it well: I know how hopeless it feels, I know how hard it is, I know what to expect, and I know how to make it easier. And this is what I want to share with you through this blog. In 2019, I achieved escape velocity. So much so, that when March 2020 rolled around, I didn't so much as flinch. And now all I want is to help others who are trying to do the same. So that's me. And for now, that is all... But before I go, remember: working on sobriety is an iterative process. We never fail, only learn. Be kind to yourself and never give up. Marky #sobriety #sober #getsober #sobercoach #sobercoaching #sobrietycoach #sobrietycoaching #quitbooze #quitdrinking #stopdrinking #alcohol #alcoholfree #getsober01 #introductions

Hello World!