1440 Explores Alcohol: Why We Drink and What It Does to Us
32 snips
Oct 9, 2025 
David Nutt, a psychiatrist and professor at Imperial College London, delves into the intricate relationship between humans and alcohol. He reveals how alcohol affects the brain's neurotransmitters, creating buzz and hangovers. Edward Slingerland, a philosophy professor, discusses alcohol's historical role in civilization and social dynamics. They explore how early agriculture may have been driven by brewing needs and the potential of alcohol to lower social anxiety. The conversation balances alcohol's social benefits with its physical harms, urging listeners to reflect on their drinking choices.
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How Alcohol Tricks The Brain
- Alcohol is a small molecule that crosses the blood-brain barrier and alters many neurotransmitters, producing both calming and stimulating effects.
- Pleasure arises as GABA, dopamine, and endorphins activate in sequence, explaining relaxation, sociability, and craving.
Three Neurochemical Phases Of Drinking
- Drinking first enhances GABA to reduce anxiety, then releases dopamine and endorphins to increase reward and sociability.
- At higher levels alcohol blocks glutamate, impairing memory and causing blackouts and hangover hyperexcitability.
Why Hangovers Feel Terrible
- Hangovers reflect rebound glutamate overactivity, dehydration from disrupted vasopressin, and poor sleep quality.
- These combined effects cause headache, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, and cognitive fog the next day.
