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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Stop Drinking Podcast, where we help
you make stopping drinking asimple, logical and easy
decision.
We help you with tips, toolsand strategies to start living
your best life when alcohol-free.
If you want to learn more aboutstop drinking coaching, then
head over to wwwsoberclearcom.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Alcohol is a potent anxiety-reducing drug.
Reducing drug can have aheroin-like effect, which
facilitates the sense of socialbelonging.
The consequence for me was Iwould misbehave when I was
drinking in ways that made meremorseful the next day.
Alcohol doesn't bring out thebest in people's characters.
Alcohol almost universallymakes people less than they are.
(00:43):
It's fun because it eradicatesyour concern for future
consequences.
People find themselves tootimid to do anything, and so,
instead of admitting their lackof courage to themselves, they
put a moral gloss on it and saythat the reason they're timorous
is because they're good.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Jordan Peterson brings up some absolutely
phenomenal points in this littlesegment, and there are really
six key themes that he'sidentified and we're going to
unpack all six of them nowbecause these ideas are
absolutely spot on.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Alcohol is a potent anxiety reducing drug can have a
heroin-like effect whichfacilitates the sense of social
belonging.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
The first thing he says is that it creates this
heroin-like effect which createsthis feeling of social
belonging.
Now, this is true, but he doeskind of get into it a little bit
deeper in the video.
But let's just unpack thisfirst point right now.
So when we start drinkingalcohol, we do feel a sense of
social belonging.
Think about an 18-year-old or,in America, a 21-year-old.
When I was 18 in England, Iremember going on my 18th
(01:44):
birthday and that was the thingI was excited to do, right.
So I go to a pub that's what wecall them pubs.
I guess in America it would bea bar.
And on my 18th birthday Iremember going to this pub and
it was like the evening before Iturned 18.
So I was like 17 and atmidnight I was 18.
I was trying to persuade thelandlord to give me my first
(02:07):
pint and he's like no, not achance.
Anyway, I waited until midnight.
I went to another bar because Ithought I'm not having my first
beer from you, I'm goingsomewhere else.
So I went to this other bar andI remember getting my first
legal beer and I did it on thedot the moment I turned 18, I
went and did this because at thetime I felt a sense of social
belonging.
I felt like I was now finallyan adult, I fit in, I could
drink the grown up drinks, andthis happens to so many of us.
We feel like we now fit in.
But it is kind of ludicrousBecause think about it for a
(02:28):
second.
Okay, we might get this momentwhere we feel like we socially
belong, but then what actuallyhappens to somebody that drinks
and their social relationshipsover the long term?
Well, they break down.
You know, I've worked withpeople in my company,
soberclearcom.
I've seen people's marriagesget destroyed.
I've seen people whose kidswon't talk to them.
I've seen friends not talk topeople.
I've seen alcohol damage somany relationships.
(02:49):
In my own life it's damagedrelationships.
I've got family members that Idon't talk to because of drugs
and alcohol.
So he brings up a great point.
It sucks you in because it hasthis effect to make you feel
this social belonging.
But then when you go a littlebit deeper, you actually realise
that it doesn't help ussocially in any way.
Maybe for a split second itmight, but he starts talking
about this later, about thecourage stuff which we'll get to
(03:10):
in a minute.
But that's how it sucks you.
In All of a sudden, you feellike you're an adult, that
you're one of us, and it almostcreates like this us versus them
.
We're the grownups that drinkand you're the kids that don't.
It's a very, very interestingphenomenon.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
The consequence for me was I would misbehave when I
was drinking in ways that mademe remorseful the next day.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
The next thing that he brings up is he talks about
how he usually would misbehave.
He'd make bad decisions andthen the next day he'd wake up
regretting it.
And this is actually somethingcalled alcohol myopia.
And this is where we have noregard for future consequences.
And we're so in the moment,when we're drinking, that all we
want to do is get the nextimmediate bit of pleasure.
And this is why people dothings like drink drive when
(03:51):
they literally live five minutesdown the road.
It would cost 15 bucks for ataxi, but they choose to drink
drive because the thought of thetaxi and all of that stuff they
can't rationalize it.
It's why people start eatingbad foods when they drink.
It's why they go and haveunprotected sex with a
prostitute.
I mean, all sorts of thingshappen when people drink.
Think about the violence, thinkabout the murders.
There's data out there thatproves that most murders were
(04:12):
done under the.
I can't remember if it's mostor like a super high percentage
of murders, but they were doneunder the influence of alcohol.
And this is what he's talkingabout.
I'm not saying that you'regoing to murder somebody if you
drink, but it's very hard for usto think long term when we're
drinking, we just think, ok,where's that immediate bit of
pleasure that I can get?
And you wake up the nextmorning thinking, why did I even
do that?
Why did I send that text tothat person?
(04:32):
Why did I drive my car home?
What have I done?
So many of us can relate tothis.
So he brings very, very goodpoint here.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Alcohol doesn't bring out the best in people's
characters.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Now the next point he makes is a bitter pill to
swallow.
He says that alcohol doesn'tbring out the best in one's
character.
So I've not drank myself nowfor almost seven years, and I
drank for 10 years.
And the 10 years that I drankfor listen.
I know that I wasn't the kindof person that I wanted to be,
and I know exactly what he meansby the way, that alcohol
doesn't bring out the best insomebody's character.
When I drank, I was moreself-centered.
(05:01):
I'd put alcohol before myrelationships.
I didn't really think about howI can help other people and add
value in the world.
What I was really focused onwas the short term.
But then there were otherthings that I did as well when I
was drinking that I don't evenwant to go into.
But he brings out a very goodpoint that it doesn't bring out
the best in someone's character.
It can't because it lowers yourinhibitions.
And I don't know about you, buthave you ever spoke to a drunk
(05:21):
person?
It's the most boring thing everwhen they're slurring their
words and talking about politics, this and that, this problem
and that problem, and they'renot really making much sense.
But you know, a lot of peoplemight hear this right now and
think, no, no, no.
When I drink I'm fine.
And hey, listen, and a lot ofpeople might be hearing this
thinking when I drink I'm fine.
But after not drinking myselffor seven years, I promise you
that if you do drink and you dothink that you are being the
(05:44):
best version of yourself, you'rein for a surprise.
If you stop drinking alcohol,you will find a version of you
that you didn't even knowexisted.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Alcohol almost universally makes people less
than they are.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
The fourth thing he says is absolutely savage, but
it's absolutely true.
And he says that alcohol makespeople less than they are.
And boy, oh boy.
That's me in a nutshell.
When I drank, I was a totallydifferent person to who I am now
.
I'm now more disciplined, I'mmore healthy, I'm fitter, I'm
more productive, I have moremoney.
Everything got better as aresult of stopping drinking.
Everything no exaggeration, itwas the like.
(06:18):
Think about decisions, right?
The only thing that I couldhave done that probably had a
higher leverage return on asingular decision was buying
Bitcoin when it was $1.
That's probably the only thingI can think of, and in fact,
even that, sure, I'd have a loadof money, but if I was still
drinking, guess what?
Who knows what would havehappened?
So I still believe that thatwas the highest leverage
decision that I could ever make,Better than any business
decision, any investmentdecision, any decision For me in
(06:39):
my personal life.
Stopping drinking alcohol mademe so much better.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
It's fun because it eradicates your concern for
future consequences.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Again.
The fifth thing he startstalking about is that we have
this no worry for futureconsequences, so then we can go
and kind of have this bravado.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
but he then starts to unpack something so deep People
find themselves too timid to doanything, and so, instead of
admitting their lack of courageto themselves, they put a moral
gloss on it and say that thereason they're timorous is
because they're good.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
He says, rather than people admit to themselves that
they actually have a lack ofcourage, they drink and then
they go and behave the way theywant to behave.
Oh man, like it's, it's.
I've never heard it put likethat before, but he nails it.
We think that alcohol gives uscourage.
Right, you've heard it beforeDutch courage.
But I don't know if you've readStop Drinking Books before, but
I remember reading this in abook and it said that what
alcohol does is it removes fear.
(07:30):
So what ends up happening whenyou drink is you no longer need
courage.
So let's say you know thatthere's a girl that you it's a
bad example, right, because,listen, you're probably not in
the dating market, but like anexample would be is like you
know there's that girl thatyou've always wanted to speak to
, and then you go and have theshot of alcohol and then all of
a sudden, you know the thoughtsgo and then you go and talk to
(07:50):
the girl, right, but that's notacting courageously, that's
actually doing the opposite.
That's just removing fearthrough drinking alcohol.
And I remember hearing that insome stop drinking literature.
I think I've read it multipletimes.
I think I've read every stopdrinking book out there over the
past seven years and doingsober clear and helping people
stop drinking.
But it's so true.
But Jordan Peterson justdelivers it with absolute
savagery.
He's just like rather than youadmitting to yourself that you
(08:12):
have no courage, is you just saythat you're a good person?
I'm thinking my gosh, this guyjust he is brutal.
But I just think this shortsegment, I think he absolutely
nails it and I just love to seepeople with so much influence
and so much relevance actuallygoing and talking about this
topic, because there are so manypeople that are quietly
struggling and I think the morethat we open up these
conversations, the better thingsgo.
So credit to Jordan Peterson.
(08:33):
Thanks for checking out theStop Drinking podcast by Sober
Clear.
If you want to learn more abouthow we work with people to help
them stop drinking effortlessly, then make sure to visit
wwwsoberclearcom.
Welcome to the Stop Drinking Podcast, where we help
you make stopping drinking asimple, logical and easy
decision.
We help you with tips, toolsand strategies to start living
your best life when alcohol-free.
If you want to learn more aboutstop drinking coaching, then
head over to wwwsoberclearcom.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Alcohol is a potent anxiety-reducing drug.
Reducing drug can have aheroin-like effect, which
facilitates the sense of socialbelonging.
The consequence for me was Iwould misbehave when I was
drinking in ways that made meremorseful the next day.
Alcohol doesn't bring out thebest in people's characters.
Alcohol almost universallymakes people less than they are.
(00:43):
It's fun because it eradicatesyour concern for future
consequences.
People find themselves tootimid to do anything, and so,
instead of admitting their lackof courage to themselves, they
put a moral gloss on it and saythat the reason they're timorous
is because they're good.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Jordan Peterson brings up some absolutely
phenomenal points in this littlesegment, and there are really
six key themes that he'sidentified and we're going to
unpack all six of them nowbecause these ideas are
absolutely spot on.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Alcohol is a potent anxiety reducing drug can have a
heroin-like effect whichfacilitates the sense of social
belonging.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
The first thing he says is that it creates this
heroin-like effect which createsthis feeling of social
belonging.
Now, this is true, but he doeskind of get into it a little bit
deeper in the video.
But let's just unpack thisfirst point right now.
So when we start drinkingalcohol, we do feel a sense of
social belonging.
Think about an 18-year-old or,in America, a 21-year-old.
When I was 18 in England, Iremember going on my 18th
(01:44):
birthday and that was the thingI was excited to do, right.
So I go to a pub that's what wecall them pubs.
I guess in America it would bea bar.
And on my 18th birthday Iremember going to this pub and
it was like the evening before Iturned 18.
So I was like 17 and atmidnight I was 18.
I was trying to persuade thelandlord to give me my first
(02:07):
pint and he's like no, not achance.
Anyway, I waited until midnight.
I went to another bar because Ithought I'm not having my first
beer from you, I'm goingsomewhere else.
So I went to this other bar andI remember getting my first
legal beer and I did it on thedot the moment I turned 18, I
went and did this because at thetime I felt a sense of social
belonging.
I felt like I was now finallyan adult, I fit in, I could
drink the grown up drinks, andthis happens to so many of us.
We feel like we now fit in.
But it is kind of ludicrousBecause think about it for a
(02:28):
second.
Okay, we might get this momentwhere we feel like we socially
belong, but then what actuallyhappens to somebody that drinks
and their social relationshipsover the long term?
Well, they break down.
You know, I've worked withpeople in my company,
soberclearcom.
I've seen people's marriagesget destroyed.
I've seen people whose kidswon't talk to them.
I've seen friends not talk topeople.
I've seen alcohol damage somany relationships.
(02:49):
In my own life it's damagedrelationships.
I've got family members that Idon't talk to because of drugs
and alcohol.
So he brings up a great point.
It sucks you in because it hasthis effect to make you feel
this social belonging.
But then when you go a littlebit deeper, you actually realise
that it doesn't help ussocially in any way.
Maybe for a split second itmight, but he starts talking
about this later, about thecourage stuff which we'll get to
(03:10):
in a minute.
But that's how it sucks you.
In All of a sudden, you feellike you're an adult, that
you're one of us, and it almostcreates like this us versus them
.
We're the grownups that drinkand you're the kids that don't.
It's a very, very interestingphenomenon.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
The consequence for me was I would misbehave when I
was drinking in ways that mademe remorseful the next day.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
The next thing that he brings up is he talks about
how he usually would misbehave.
He'd make bad decisions andthen the next day he'd wake up
regretting it.
And this is actually somethingcalled alcohol myopia.
And this is where we have noregard for future consequences.
And we're so in the moment,when we're drinking, that all we
want to do is get the nextimmediate bit of pleasure.
And this is why people dothings like drink drive when
(03:51):
they literally live five minutesdown the road.
It would cost 15 bucks for ataxi, but they choose to drink
drive because the thought of thetaxi and all of that stuff they
can't rationalize it.
It's why people start eatingbad foods when they drink.
It's why they go and haveunprotected sex with a
prostitute.
I mean, all sorts of thingshappen when people drink.
Think about the violence, thinkabout the murders.
There's data out there thatproves that most murders were
(04:12):
done under the.
I can't remember if it's mostor like a super high percentage
of murders, but they were doneunder the influence of alcohol.
And this is what he's talkingabout.
I'm not saying that you'regoing to murder somebody if you
drink, but it's very hard for usto think long term when we're
drinking, we just think, ok,where's that immediate bit of
pleasure that I can get?
And you wake up the nextmorning thinking, why did I even
do that?
Why did I send that text tothat person?
(04:32):
Why did I drive my car home?
What have I done?
So many of us can relate tothis.
So he brings very, very goodpoint here.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Alcohol doesn't bring out the best in people's
characters.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Now the next point he makes is a bitter pill to
swallow.
He says that alcohol doesn'tbring out the best in one's
character.
So I've not drank myself nowfor almost seven years, and I
drank for 10 years.
And the 10 years that I drankfor listen.
I know that I wasn't the kindof person that I wanted to be,
and I know exactly what he meansby the way, that alcohol
doesn't bring out the best insomebody's character.
When I drank, I was moreself-centered.
(05:01):
I'd put alcohol before myrelationships.
I didn't really think about howI can help other people and add
value in the world.
What I was really focused onwas the short term.
But then there were otherthings that I did as well when I
was drinking that I don't evenwant to go into.
But he brings out a very goodpoint that it doesn't bring out
the best in someone's character.
It can't because it lowers yourinhibitions.
And I don't know about you, buthave you ever spoke to a drunk
(05:21):
person?
It's the most boring thing everwhen they're slurring their
words and talking about politics, this and that, this problem
and that problem, and they'renot really making much sense.
But you know, a lot of peoplemight hear this right now and
think, no, no, no.
When I drink I'm fine.
And hey, listen, and a lot ofpeople might be hearing this
thinking when I drink I'm fine.
But after not drinking myselffor seven years, I promise you
that if you do drink and you dothink that you are being the
(05:44):
best version of yourself, you'rein for a surprise.
If you stop drinking alcohol,you will find a version of you
that you didn't even knowexisted.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Alcohol almost universally makes people less
than they are.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
The fourth thing he says is absolutely savage, but
it's absolutely true.
And he says that alcohol makespeople less than they are.
And boy, oh boy.
That's me in a nutshell.
When I drank, I was a totallydifferent person to who I am now
.
I'm now more disciplined, I'mmore healthy, I'm fitter, I'm
more productive, I have moremoney.
Everything got better as aresult of stopping drinking.
Everything no exaggeration, itwas the like.
(06:18):
Think about decisions, right?
The only thing that I couldhave done that probably had a
higher leverage return on asingular decision was buying
Bitcoin when it was $1.
That's probably the only thingI can think of, and in fact,
even that, sure, I'd have a loadof money, but if I was still
drinking, guess what?
Who knows what would havehappened?
So I still believe that thatwas the highest leverage
decision that I could ever make,Better than any business
decision, any investmentdecision, any decision For me in
(06:39):
my personal life.
Stopping drinking alcohol mademe so much better.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
It's fun because it eradicates your concern for
future consequences.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Again.
The fifth thing he startstalking about is that we have
this no worry for futureconsequences, so then we can go
and kind of have this bravado.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
but he then starts to unpack something so deep People
find themselves too timid to doanything, and so, instead of
admitting their lack of courageto themselves, they put a moral
gloss on it and say that thereason they're timorous is
because they're good.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
He says, rather than people admit to themselves that
they actually have a lack ofcourage, they drink and then
they go and behave the way theywant to behave.
Oh man, like it's, it's.
I've never heard it put likethat before, but he nails it.
We think that alcohol gives uscourage.
Right, you've heard it beforeDutch courage.
But I don't know if you've readStop Drinking Books before, but
I remember reading this in abook and it said that what
alcohol does is it removes fear.
(07:30):
So what ends up happening whenyou drink is you no longer need
courage.
So let's say you know thatthere's a girl that you it's a
bad example, right, because,listen, you're probably not in
the dating market, but like anexample would be is like you
know there's that girl thatyou've always wanted to speak to
, and then you go and have theshot of alcohol and then all of
a sudden, you know the thoughtsgo and then you go and talk to
(07:50):
the girl, right, but that's notacting courageously, that's
actually doing the opposite.
That's just removing fearthrough drinking alcohol.
And I remember hearing that insome stop drinking literature.
I think I've read it multipletimes.
I think I've read every stopdrinking book out there over the
past seven years and doingsober clear and helping people
stop drinking.
But it's so true.
But Jordan Peterson justdelivers it with absolute
savagery.
He's just like rather than youadmitting to yourself that you
(08:12):
have no courage, is you just saythat you're a good person?
I'm thinking my gosh, this guyjust he is brutal.
But I just think this shortsegment, I think he absolutely
nails it and I just love to seepeople with so much influence
and so much relevance actuallygoing and talking about this
topic, because there are so manypeople that are quietly
struggling and I think the morethat we open up these
conversations, the better thingsgo.
So credit to Jordan Peterson.
(08:33):
Thanks for checking out theStop Drinking podcast by Sober
Clear.
If you want to learn more abouthow we work with people to help
them stop drinking effortlessly, then make sure to visit
wwwsoberclearcom.
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