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YOU'RE NOT DRINKING, YOU'RE PERFORMING
Part One Was About What Alcohol Does To Your Brain
Part Two Was About The Industry That Made Sure You'd Try It
This One Is About The Room
The People In It
The Invisible Agreement That Gets Made Every Time Someone Hands You A Glass
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THE QUESTION NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO ANSWER 🗣️
Try Not Drinking At A Work Event
Watch What Happens
Not The Big Reaction
The Small One
The Slight Pause Before Someone Says Oh Okay
The Follow Up Question That Comes Whether You Want It Or Not
Are You Driving?
Are You Okay?
Are You Pregnant?
You Did Not Order A Drink
You Did Not Ask Anyone To Discuss It
The Room Asked Anyway
This Is Not Rudeness
It Is Conditioning
Most People Have Never Been In A Social Setting
Where Alcohol Was Present And Truly Did Not Notice Or Care Whether You Were Drinking
The Presence Of A Non Drinker Creates A Small Friction In The Social Script
That Most People Do Not Know How To Resolve Without Asking About It
That Friction Is A Measure Of How Far The Norm Has Drifted
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THE ENVIRONMENT WAS DESIGNED FOR THIS 🏗️
A Club Is Not An Accident Of Architecture
The Darkness Lowers Inhibition
This Is Documented In Environmental Psychology Research
Reduced Lighting Slows The Prefrontal Cortex's Ability To Make Accurate Assessments
The Loud Music Eliminates Conversation As A Social Option
When You Cannot Talk, You Drink
When You Drink, You Stay
When You Stay, The Venue Makes Money
The Bar Is At The Center Of The Room
Not The Edge
Every Path Through The Space Runs Past It
There Are No Chairs Because Seated People Order Less
This Was Engineered
The Nightclub, The Bar, The Lounge, The Music Venue
All Of Them Are Systems Designed With One Output In Mind
And The Output Is Not Your Enjoyment
It Is Your Consumption
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THE NEUROSCIENCE OF GOING ALONG WITH IT 🧠
There Is A Region Of The Brain Called The Anterior Cingulate Cortex
It Is Involved In Social Conformity
When A Person Perceives That Their Behavior Differs From The Group Around Them
The Anterior Cingulate Cortex Fires A Signal That Registers As Discomfort
Not Opinion
Discomfort
The Same Neural Pathway That Fires When You Make A Physical Error Or Experience Social Rejection
This Is Why Peer Pressure Does Not Feel Like A Choice
It Feels Like Correction
The Person Handing You A Drink At A Party Is Not Necessarily Trying To Pressure You
Their Brain Is Trying To Resolve The Discomfort Of Your Deviation From The Group Pattern
Your Brain
Detecting The Social Pressure
Fires The Same Signal
Both Of You Are Being Moved By Biology
On Top Of An Already Addictive Substance
WHAT SOBRIETY COSTS YOU IN THE ROOM 🚫
The Person Who Stops Drinking Does Not Just Lose The Drink
They Lose The Social Language Built Around It
The Shared Toast
The After Work Round
The Way A Drink In Your Hand Gives You Something To Do When The Conversation Gets Awkward
Sobriety In A Drinking Environment Requires Active Navigation Of Every Social Cue That Was Previously Automatic
A 2019 Study In The Journal Drug And Alcohol Dependence
Found That Social Settings Were The Most Commonly Cited Trigger For Relapse Among People In Early Recovery
Not Stress
Not Emotional Pain
Social Settings
The Place Where A Drink Was Never Just A Drink Was Also The Place Hardest To Return To Without One
The Party Was Always Doing More Work Than The Alcohol
