Is Alcohol Really Helping You Relax? The Science Says No.

We drink to relax, right?To have fun, take the edge off, or just feel something different.

But what if that nightly glass of wine — the one you swear is your reward — is actually making your stress, anxiety, and low mood worse?

Let’s walk through the real science of what happens in your brain when you drink — and why knowing this might be the mindset shift you’ve been missing.

The Buzz Is Real — But It’s Short

When you take that first drink, your brain gets a boost of dopamine.This is the buzz. That short window of euphoria, connection, warmth.

It lasts about 20 minutes.

But here’s the problem: alcohol is a neurotoxin. While your brain is enjoying that artificially high dopamine spike, it’s also working hard to correct the imbalance.

Enter Dynorphin — The Mood-Crashing Chemical

To bring you back to baseline, your brain releases a neuropeptide called dynorphin.

Dynorphin doesn’t just “level things out.”It actually pulls your mood down below where you started.

So instead of staying relaxed, you start to feel:

• Anxious

• Uneasy

• Low-energy

• Lonely or emotionally flat

This can last for 2–3 hours after that initial buzz wears off.

And Yet… We Reach for Another

Because we don’t recognize the drop, we pour a second drink to bring that feeling back. But your brain has already adapted.

Now, it releases less dopamine with the second drink.But the dynorphin? It keeps working — pulling you lower.

This is the depressant effect in action.Your mood, motivation, and energy dip lower with each round.

Then Come the Stress Hormones

Your body, now depleted and out of balance, activates a stress response.You release cortisol and adrenaline — the same chemicals involved in the fight-or-flight reflex.

This is how alcohol — the thing you thought was helping you unwind — is actually creating:

• Sleepless nights

• Racing thoughts

• Morning anxiety (“hangxiety”)

• Hormonal imbalance

So… Is Drinking Relaxing? Or Just Numbing You?

Once you understand this, it becomes easier to rewrite the belief:

“Alcohol doesn’t help me relax. It creates stress in my body and brain.”

And that one reframe?That’s how real change begins.

What to Do Instead: Rewire, Don’t White-Knuckle

If you’ve ever said:

“I want to stop, but it never sticks…”It’s not your fault. You’ve been working against your brain’s design.

The key is not willpower — it’s understanding your biology and beliefs around alcohol… and using that to build something better.

That’s why I created my free guide:

👉 Breaking Up With Booze — the exact mindset shifts, science, and strategies that helped me go from a nightly gray area drinker to over 4 years alcohol-free (and thriving). Click the link above and I will send it straight to your inbox so you can shift your thinking tonight!

You don’t need more guilt.You need a new path — one built on truth, healing, and a brain that finally feels free.