Is YOUR DRINK going to dictate how to feel, or YOU will?

I wrote an article about feeling less depressed and anxious by incorporating the right nutrition, supplements and lifestyle (here).

I used the word "reliable" there. Twice. With references to coffee and wine. 

What I meant (and I hope it was clear) was that these two beverages promise something, yet not always deliver. In fact, they work in unpredictable ways. 

How many times you wanted your glass of wine (or a bottle) to work miracles in your life - at least help you forget about something or someone, and it made it worse? How many times you wanted your glass (or a bottle ) of wine to do its magic for you and have you sleeping soundly until the morning, if only you didn't wake up 4 hours later with a massive headache unable to go back to sleep? And I know that sometimes it did what you asked for, I know. But always? Let's not be kidding .

Have you ever wanted caffeine desperately to work before your presentation or just during a really busy day, and it made you weary and scattered-brained? 

Were you thinking about going to bed the whole time you were running around caffeinated but on empty batteries? And then your morning cuppa all of a sudden started working around midnight... 

But sometimes it made you sharper - I am sure it did.

Why are those stimulants unreliable when we most need them?

I believe it's because they over-stimulate the brain and all the nerves which we've got all tender already. Additionally, it is just the resveratol that helps reduce brain inflammation caused by stress*, not the ethanol. Likewise, the compounds of coffee might not be as helpful as the types in tea which also contain polyphenols and GABA amino acids to assist with altering your state.

Alcohol and caffeine alter our moods, our perceptions, sometimes they speed us up, and sometimes they slow us down. They work with what we momentarily got. Either way, playing with those nerve endings by means of external fluids is not our natural process of functioning - the nerves get triggered by external circumstances and people anyway! Just wait for it.

Daily drinking of wine and coffee is an unsustainable practice for a long-term wellbeing - a short-term quick fix not solving the deeper issue. I had depression and anxiety (here I go again reminding you all), and I - just as well many other people - got it under control by detoxing from alcohol, caffeine, and refined sugar. Moreover, by leaving all antidepressants alone - just deciding to be stronger than that. Self-discipline is key. Once you start seeing improvements during your sobriety (you are more alert, more sensitive to little joys, and you sleep better), you will naturally want to keep going. Mind you, it will take 2 - 3 weeks. 

You don’t have the time for this?

I think you've got all the time in the world for trying this out.

Be stronger than the withdrawal symptoms. 

I am down to having those stimulants perhaps on average once a month - and it is best if in a good company and in a positive spirit for it to be 'working'. 

Yesterday I achieved this bliss and immense gratitude out of nowhere without having anything ‘at works’. It just happened because I DECLARED that I would not be having any wine to feel less frustrated about not being where I wanted to be. In a short time I broke free and I felt joyous (no, that was not my crazy day - they look similar but feel different!)

I just knew that I already had my share of drinking down my stress, fears, frustrations and grief all on my own in the past, but it never helped me MOVE FORWARD in my life.

(* https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2015/06/red-wine-could-help-fight-depression/
Catchy title, but no word about ethanol.)

I commented on this blog post by another blog post on Friday, December 9th, 2016. -
We find reasons for doing what we do. Why not questioning them?