Though no two people are the same, and no two paths to cutting back are the same, we do know that we experience many similarities as we try to change our relationships with alcohol. Yesterday we touched on some tools to take with you to drink less, so today, let’s discuss common roadblocks that come up for folks changing the way they think and drink. To be certain, these are simplified touch points on topics we’ll dive into much greater depth in the coming weeks, but let’s get a bird’s eye view of what we’re up against, first.

We’re all battling with triggers. Like we said previously, “trigger” simply means anything that signals to our brains that we want to drink—they can be extremely subtle and don’t need to be as dramatic as the kind of thing you see in the movies. Triggers, of course, are the umbrella for all of these roadblocks that may present challenges. On a more granular level, though, we know that some common triggers for alcohol use are stress, boredom, social gatherings, overstimulation, and events associated with alcohol.

Let’s dive in.

Stress

A personal favorite subject of mine, stress is something that has an immense impact on our distress tolerance. When we’re stressed (and we mean both emotionally and physically), we have less capacity to think with our rational, thinking brain. Instead, our more animalistic brain structures are driving the bus, seeking instant gratification and pleasure. When we take active measures to reduce our stress, we preserve more energy to live in alignment with our values. (Which are often at odds with that animal brain that wants sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.)

Boredom

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the data tells us that boredom is actually a really substantial trigger for alcohol use. This is rooted in the concept of “rapid state change,” or our desire to go from one state (bored) to another (not-bored), as soon as possible. Alcohol is a vehicle for rapid state change, until it changes our state so much that we lose our keys and text our exes. Filling our boredom with other, more adaptive, things (exercise, fun, connection, etc.) reduces our risk of reaching for booze to entertain ourselves.