December 5, 2024 • 22 mins
In this episode, Amy’s talking about alcohol—how it impacts us physically, mentally and emotionally. She discusses hangxiety (that next-day anxiety after drinking) and how to avoid feeling ‘blah’ after a drink. Amy also shares what she’s learned about drinking through conversations with her kids, her own life experiences, and even what Al-Anon meetings have done for her overall well-being. Plus, she offers tips for smarter drinking, the best and worst drinks for hangxiety, and some non-alcoholic options she’s discovered. Whether you’re navigating holiday parties or just rethinking your relationship with alcohol, this chat is for you. Oh, and Amy closes with 4 things she’s grateful for—because gratitude is always a good idea!!
Shop cute things & support Haiti HERE (use code AMY20 for 20% off)
For the ‘unbooze’ pills that Ray told Amy about click HERE (use his code SZN23 for a discount)
HOST: Amy Brown // RadioAmy.com // @RadioAmy
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Cats up thing little food for yourself life.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh it's pretty bad. Hey, it's pretty beautiful. Beautiful that
for a little more exciting, said he. You're kicking with
four with Amy.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Brown, Happy Thursday.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Four Things Amy here, and today we're talking about alcohol
and it's impact on us. Now.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's not all serious, though.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I have tips and tricks for feeling good after you
drink so that you don't have to deal with things
like anxiety, which if you've never heard of that, I
just looked it up after an article that I read
about it, and it's just the anxiety and unease that
some people feel after drinking alcohol. And alcohol has been
in my mind a lot lately, I think for a
(01:02):
few reasons. For one, it just hits differently for me
in my forties, like one cocktail and then the next
day I just feel so blah, which I'll share some
reasons why that is, and then things that you can
do to help avoid the blah later on, because you know, hey,
sometimes a drink with your girlfriends is fun. And this
(01:24):
episode isn't a total want want on alcohol situation, just
kind of a little bit want want Now. Another reason
the alcohol is on my mind lately is because of
my kids. They are getting older, my daughter's seventeen and
my son's fourteen, so I know for sure that they're
exposed to it. So I'm talking about alcohol with them
more and more. I just try to be as honest
(01:46):
as possible with them about it, and I don't shy
away from any of their questions or asking about what
they're seeing or hearing from friends. And you know, my mom,
she always called wine purple coffee with her girlfriend and
she would drink it out of a coffee mug, acting
like it wasn't something they were allowed to have and
they weren't supposed to be doing it. And while I
(02:07):
have no idea why she felt she needed to do that,
I don't want to act like alcohol is so terrible
and I have to hide it from my kids. I mean,
it certainly can be bad, but I want them to
be informed, not naive. And alcohol is just something that
has impacted my life for years and years. I just
didn't know it, maybe because of my ignorance, but I
(02:30):
definitely drink in high school. Don't recommend that I drank
in college way too much. And even in my adult life,
there have been times where I've used alcohol to try
to feel better, but I never had a severe problem
with it, Like I could stop drinking if I wanted to,
and I know that that is not the case for everyone,
Like some people may want to stop and they can't.
(02:53):
And that's an entirely different episode than what I want
for today's chat. So I don't want to derail this,
but something I will say is that alcohol has impacted
my life in many ways. I just never realized it
until I started going to alan On, which is another
thing that keeps alcohol in my brain now if you're
not familiar, alan On is a support group for people
(03:14):
that have been affected by someone else's drinking, and for me,
it's been a huge help in working on my own stuff,
not my own drinking, since that's not my problem, but
a lot of other problems that I have in my
life and problems that I am the only one responsible for,
like my own behaviors and triggers and issues, and the
(03:35):
meetings allow me to see the areas where I need
to work on myself and what I need to take
responsibility for when it comes to my own growth, and
I try to go to meetings weekly. They help me
find peace and support for myself. Whether the people in
my life are still drinking or not. I'm responsible for
that piece, and the meetings help me.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So there you have it.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Those are a few reasons why drinking is on my
brain a lot. And then a few days ago, I
decided that I wanted to do an episode on this
because I had two drinks on a date last weekend
and I woke up feeling awful and full of anxiety.
And with holiday parties coming up, I know some of
you might be drinking a little bit more, and I
(04:19):
like to enjoy drinks, and I just don't want to
wake up feeling like I did last weekend, especially the
anxiety part. Now, I didn't immediately attribute my anxiety to
the alcohol that I consumed. Now I knew the other
feelings of law that came from the alcohol, but not
the anxiety. I kept thinking that has to be from
something else in my life, like what is going on?
(04:40):
But I couldn't pinpoint it. And then I came across
an article in the New York Post about anxiety and
the best and worst drinks for it.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I was very curious, so I clicked.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
On it to read more, and it turns out that
alcohol was definitely the cause of my anxious feelings. Last weekend,
I went to Harvard Health to find out why the
anxiety was showing up, especially when it doesn't always appear
for me after drinking, and after I go over the
whys that I found, I'll tell you what the New
(05:11):
York Post said about what specific drinks are best and
worst for anxiety, and I'll share some other tips to
avoid it. So here are the five reasons behind anxiety. Again,
this is from Harvard Health. First reason, alcohol initially boosts
the production of gabba, a neurotransmitter that helps you feel
relaxed and suppresses glutamate, which increases brain activity. In fact,
(05:36):
gaba's a supplement that I have taken before, Like my
therapist told me to take it because it would help
me feel more relaxed. Well, alcohol boosts this. That's why
in the beginning you're like, oh, it feels so relaxed.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
It feels good.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
However, when the alcohol wears off, your body works to
rebalance the chemicals and then it overcompensates, and then this
leads to increased glutamate activeivity, which makes you feel restless, jittery,
and anxious.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
There you go. That's reason number one.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Reason number two, alcohol can interfere with the quality of
your sleep. You know, we hear about this a lot.
I used to think, Oh, I really enjoy a glass
of wine before bed.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
It helps me sleep well.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You might think that, but the quality of sleep you're
getting is not great, particularly your rim sleep, which is
crucial for emotional regulation. So poor sleep is going to
leave you mentally and physically drained, which increases that feeling
of anxiety. The third why alcohol can cause spikes and
(06:38):
crashes in your blood sugar, which may leave you feeling irritable, shaky,
or anxious the day after drinking. The fourth why alcohol
dehydrates you and causes inflammation in your body, both of
which can lead to discomfort, and that will lead to
increase feelings of anxiety. And then the final reason, the
fifth one here for you is alcohol lowers in it ambitions,
(07:01):
which might lead to behaviors or decisions that you maybe
necessarily wouldn't have made if you were sober, and then
you start overthinking at all, and then you have regret,
which fuels anxiety. So those are the five whys from
Harvard Health, so they definitely know what they're talking about.
And if you want some tips to avoid anxiety. It
(07:23):
also said to limit your alcohol intake. Easier said than
done at times, especially during the holiday season, but the
less alcohol you consume, the less likely you are to
experience the side effects.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Also, we need to be hydrating. You hear this all
the time.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Just a good reminder to drink water before, during, and
after alcohol so you reduce the dehydration situation. Eat before drinking.
I know I mentioned in college or drink a lot,
but in college we'd be like, oh, let's not eat
because we're gonna drink. Big mistake. Huge Eat before you drink.
(07:59):
Food slows down alcohol absorption and it'll help stabilize your
blood sugar levels. And then another tip is quality sleep,
which I mean, if you're gonna have the alcohol, you
know you already might not get quality sleep. But if
you at least try to go to bed at a
proper time and aim for as much rest as possible,
that'll be in your favor. And then the final tip.
If anxiety is a recurring problem, then you may want
(08:21):
to consider non alcoholic alternatives or taking a break from
drinking overall, and then see how you feel mentally your
overall well being, which I'll tell you. I keep seeing
ads for non alcoholic things on Instagram and TikTok or
people posting about it or talking about it and be like, oh,
this is so good. And I got an ad the
(08:42):
other day that finally convinced me to buy a tequila substitute.
It's non alcoholic, but in case you still want real alcohol,
let me go over the best and worst drinks for
anxiety that the New York Post article talked about, and
then I'll tell you about the tequila subsiduy that I got,
which I'm recording this right now on the Bobby Bone
(09:03):
Show studio. And I feel like Eddie's making some faces
like tequila substitute, non alcoholic.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
That sounds terrible. No, it's not, Eddie. I'm gonna get
you some for Christmas. Okay, do you put in a margarite?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I saw? Okay, yeah, I know, but your face when
I said non alcoholic tequila substitute. So I just put
it over ice with a little bit of lime water.
But you can make it with a margarite. I've had
a couple different ways, but my friends have tried it
too and they like it.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Okay, Paloma, Oh, so.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
This company I saw they make a paloma, and I
think I might order more. I mean I might order
more of the plumba. They have a ploma already mixed
in the can. Yeah, but what I ordered was just
like a like a handle a fake.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
It looks like alcohol but it is not.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
So Yeah, anyway, more on that in a minute. First,
I want to go over what real alcohols you can
have or the ones you may want to stay away
from again if you're trying to avoid the anxiety. First,
(10:15):
I want to go over what real alcohols you can
have or the ones you may want to stay away
from again if you're trying to avoid the anxiety. Apparently,
dark liquors like whiskey, prosecco, champagne, and red wine are
the worst. They have chemicals that worsen hangovers and anxiety.
Sugary cocktails are also a no go, which after I
(10:37):
read this, I was like, Oh, okay, my drinks the
other night on my date YEP, had prosecco mixed in
a sugary concoction, So damn.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
That was likely my problem.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
The high sugar, which leads to a sugar spike and
then a sugar crash, which then will increase my anxiety.
My irritability. And then also I had no idea about this,
but the bubbles in prosecco and champagne they speed up
the absorption of alcohol in our bloodstream, which lead to
a quicker and more intense effect. So at the time,
(11:08):
it's feeling really good and it's all enjoyable and you're like, oh,
I feel great, this is fun, which might lead you
to order more, and then the after effects of that anxiety,
which I was also surprised to see red wine on
the worst list. I mean, the whiskey, the sugary drinks,
I get that was easy for me to understand, but
red wine was a little confusing. But I guess it's
(11:30):
a sugar and chemical thing, and I am bummed to
see prosecco on there. And keep that in mind though,
with New Year's Eve coming up, prosecco, champagne, a lot
of that is served, and maybe you want to avoid
that this time of year and see if you feel
better the next morning. Now, as for the best drinks
to have to decrease your anxiety, the article said to
stick to clear liquors like vodka, gin or tequila with soap.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Tequila is a little when are you listening. I was
sitting back here and I was like, man, I can't
wait to hit this.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
When she says tequila, okay, that's Scuba Steve, I had
no idea he was even listening to this. He's back
in his glass production room.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Tequila.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
You can have vodka, gin or tequila with soda, water
or fresh citrus. Those are easier on your system. And
then again, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, don't forget water between drinks.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
It can make a huge difference. And we know this.
I know this.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
We don't always do it, but just make a deal
with yourself, make smarter choices, and then you'll have less anxiety. Now,
Ray speaking of the glass room where Scuba works. He
is one of our producers on the Bobby Bone Show,
and he was actually just making fun of me this
morning for being sold that I can't even handle one drink.
Ray likes to drink, but mostly I would say, now
(12:57):
it's during brunch on Saturdays. That's his time to go out.
And he's the one that got me on unboos a
while back, which is a supplement that helps you feel
better after drinking. And I will say it has helped me,
but sometimes I run out or other times I just
forget to take it. And last weekend, you know, I
had those drinks, but I was out of Unboozed, So
(13:19):
I do need to order more. And I will shout
out Ray because he has a code Sison twenty three.
But I think his handle on Instagram is like Sisin
Ray Mundo, but Sisin is like for season but s
z N twenty three, And that'll get you a discount
if you're curious about Unbooze, and I'll link it in
the show notes. But in addition to taking something like
(13:39):
Unbooze that may help you out. Another option might be
non alcoholic spirits. Now. I came across that brand recently,
like I told you, thanks to that Instagram ad, and
what I ordered specifically was from Little Saints. It's a
whole non alcoholic brand, so there's nothing confusing about it.
You don't go to the website and you're like, wait,
which one's the alcohol, which one's not, because they all
(14:01):
look like alcohol but nothing is. And I was most
intrigued by their drink that mimics tequila. I thought it
would come in handy for when I want a margarita
something like that. When I got the bottle and the mail.
I saw that the company is also founded by a woman,
which I love, and my overall review is four point
(14:23):
five out of five. I really liked it so much
so that, yeah, I may order more stuff from the site.
Like I was saying to Eddie, maybe I'll order some
gifts for people. I know. There's a lot of NA
brands out there. This is just the only one that
I've tried and really enjoyed so far. And this one
is infused with lines Made, which is a functional mushroom.
(14:45):
It's an adaptogen that's good for brain health, mood support,
gut health, and a lot of other things. I've always
loved Lines Made, so to have it in my mocktail
it's it's like a bonus. I don't know if it's
just me or if y'all are all so getting more
non alcoholic type ads, but I do think that drinking
(15:06):
is on the decline drinking alcohol. People are drinking less,
which I guess is good and probably why some brands
have increased marketing because they want to capitalize on the
fact that people are drinking less, or they are curious
about drinking less.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
And speaking of.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Curiosity, I decided to do a little research because I
was like, Okay, what are the statistics on this, like,
is drinking actually going down? And I found that on average,
this is from NC Solutions, Americans are drinking three drinks
per week and that's down from four to five drinks
in twenty twenty three. Millennials in particular are drinking less,
(15:44):
like forty percent less this year than last year, with
an average of three drinks per week, which is crazy
to think about if we were going from five drinks
to three, and with dry January coming up next month
might be the highest year of participation yet because this
last January was up ten percent from the year before,
(16:07):
so it's just in one year and ten percent jump,
But that is a lot of people. And the top
reasons Americans are drinking less include while we want to
improve our physical health, we want to save money. Although
I will say the non alcoholic drinks they might be
more expensive than the alcohol ones, so maybe they're saving
money and just not drinking anything, not even the fake version.
(16:28):
And overall we just want to make lifestyle changes. You know,
I was talking about Little Saints a second ago, and
I wanted to remember more about the woman that founded
it because I want to give you those details, and
again I want to have it up on my browser
so I remember to order more things. So I'm just
going to read to you something straight from the website
(16:50):
so you can know more about it. But the founder
is Megan Klein. She started the brand in twenty twenty
one because she loved cocktails but hated the hangovers. During
the pandemic, she realized alcohol hall wasn't great for her
mental or physical health, but she wanted something that felt
like a fun, good cocktail. She ended up creating these
non alcoholic drinks with no sugar and ingredients like mushrooms
(17:11):
to give you that feel.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Good vibe without the booze.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
So I love that, and I'll keep y'all posted on
the other drinks that I order from there see if
I like them as much, or if y'all know of
brands and drinks that we need to try or recipes,
y'all can send those to me. Four Things with Amy
Brown at gmail dot com, and I guess I'll wrap
up real quick with four Things gratitude, sharing with you
(17:36):
four things that I'm currently thankful for, and I encourage
you to take time to practice gratitude today when you
can as well. Now. The first thing for me, since
I mentioned it earlier and I have a meeting today,
will be alan on. Just very very thankful for that
second thing my sister. I haven't seen her in a while,
(17:56):
and I just booked our flights to Colorado for Christmas.
I'll wait for that. I'll be staying with her. And
my third thing sort of tied to that, it would
be my co parenting relationship with Ben. Because speaking of Colorado,
Ben's also going to be there with his family, So
the kids and I gain will be at my sister's house,
but they'll be there with me the first half of
(18:18):
the trip, and then they'll go stay with Ben just
down the road from my sister's house for the second
half of the trip.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
And Ben and I went over all of the flights together.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
The kids are going to fly down there with me,
and then they'll fly home with Ben. So yeah, I'm
just very thankful for the way we co parent. I mean,
it's definitely not lost on me for one second that
some of you listening right now don't have a similar
divorce situation. It may look a lot different than what
(18:49):
Ben and I have, and my heart hurts for you.
If that's the case, that cannot be fun at all.
So sending hugs. I mean, Ben and I have definitely
had to work hard, and we have had our days,
but I know we both want it to be easy,
and I know for some of you you want it
and you will put in the work to make it amicable.
But if the person that you were married to is difficult,
(19:11):
or the father or the mother of your children is difficult,
and they're not willing to put in the work, then
that can be really hard, and that can be exhausting.
And I just encourage you to do what you can
for yourself, to stay thoughtful and kind and stay on your.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Side of the street as much as possible.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
They're going to want to have to make the change
for themselves, so just do what you can for you.
And then finally, the fourth thing that I'm thankful for
is a discount code for twenty percent off certain things
from the shop Forward that support Haiti. Now, all proceeds
are still going to Haiti, but the code Amy twenty
is twenty percent off for you to enjoy as you
(19:52):
do your Christmas shopping.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
So it's a little gift to you supporting Haiti.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
And then a gift will be sent to Haiti, so
it's like a win win win situation. I will link
the page it's called Amy's Picks in the show notes,
or you can also just go to the shop four
dot com slash Amy and that'll get you to Amy's Picks.
You can shop any of those items. There's four Things
Gratitude journals up there, two different covers. They're both super
(20:19):
cute to choose from. Those make great gifts, so if
you can't decide, maybe you get both. If you have
puzzle lovers in your life. We have an awesome four
Things puzzle my dot Cara, my cat Maggie even have
little cameos on it. And for the puzzle with the
code Amy twenty, the puzzle actually ends up being.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Fifty percent off.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
And then there are four Things tote options, four Things pouches,
a really cute Navy espo pullover which a spla means
hope in Haitian creole. There's cool mom stuff, cat mom,
dog mom born here again. All proceeds are going to Haiti,
specifically the orphanage where my kids went. So if you
want to take advantage of supporting Haiti, getting a gift
(21:01):
that gives back and a twenty percent discount. Don't forget
Amy twenty is your code and you can shop those
items all right again. Link that in the show notes,
and now it's your turn. What four things are you
thankful for? You can just say them out loud to
yourself right now, or think them over in your head,
or even journal them down. Which if you're like I
(21:24):
don't have a journal, I just told you, hint, hint,
you can go grab a four Things gratitude journal. If
you're going there to get it as a gift for
somebody else, get one for yourself too. I know journaling
can be intimidating if you've never done it before, but
when we created the four Things Gratitude journals, we made
them very simple. You just jot down four things, or
you can take up more space and write paragraphs, do
(21:46):
a full page. There's stickers in the back for the
days you don't have words, there's journal prompts, there's encouraging
gratitude type quotes on every single page. They really are
very cute and would make a thoughtful gift for someone.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Else or for yourself. So there you go, have the
day that you need to have.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
I am at Radio Amy on socials and I will
see you on Saturday for outweigh BYEE.
Cats up thing little food for yourself life.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Oh it's pretty bad. Hey, it's pretty beautiful. Beautiful that
for a little more exciting, said he. You're kicking with
four with Amy.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Brown, Happy Thursday.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Four Things Amy here, and today we're talking about alcohol
and it's impact on us. Now.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
It's not all serious, though.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I have tips and tricks for feeling good after you
drink so that you don't have to deal with things
like anxiety, which if you've never heard of that, I
just looked it up after an article that I read
about it, and it's just the anxiety and unease that
some people feel after drinking alcohol. And alcohol has been
in my mind a lot lately, I think for a
(01:02):
few reasons. For one, it just hits differently for me
in my forties, like one cocktail and then the next
day I just feel so blah, which I'll share some
reasons why that is, and then things that you can
do to help avoid the blah later on, because you know, hey,
sometimes a drink with your girlfriends is fun. And this
(01:24):
episode isn't a total want want on alcohol situation, just
kind of a little bit want want Now. Another reason
the alcohol is on my mind lately is because of
my kids. They are getting older, my daughter's seventeen and
my son's fourteen, so I know for sure that they're
exposed to it. So I'm talking about alcohol with them
more and more. I just try to be as honest
(01:46):
as possible with them about it, and I don't shy
away from any of their questions or asking about what
they're seeing or hearing from friends. And you know, my mom,
she always called wine purple coffee with her girlfriend and
she would drink it out of a coffee mug, acting
like it wasn't something they were allowed to have and
they weren't supposed to be doing it. And while I
(02:07):
have no idea why she felt she needed to do that,
I don't want to act like alcohol is so terrible
and I have to hide it from my kids. I mean,
it certainly can be bad, but I want them to
be informed, not naive. And alcohol is just something that
has impacted my life for years and years. I just
didn't know it, maybe because of my ignorance, but I
(02:30):
definitely drink in high school. Don't recommend that I drank
in college way too much. And even in my adult life,
there have been times where I've used alcohol to try
to feel better, but I never had a severe problem
with it, Like I could stop drinking if I wanted to,
and I know that that is not the case for everyone,
Like some people may want to stop and they can't.
(02:53):
And that's an entirely different episode than what I want
for today's chat. So I don't want to derail this,
but something I will say is that alcohol has impacted
my life in many ways. I just never realized it
until I started going to alan On, which is another
thing that keeps alcohol in my brain now if you're
not familiar, alan On is a support group for people
(03:14):
that have been affected by someone else's drinking, and for me,
it's been a huge help in working on my own stuff,
not my own drinking, since that's not my problem, but
a lot of other problems that I have in my
life and problems that I am the only one responsible for,
like my own behaviors and triggers and issues, and the
(03:35):
meetings allow me to see the areas where I need
to work on myself and what I need to take
responsibility for when it comes to my own growth, and
I try to go to meetings weekly. They help me
find peace and support for myself. Whether the people in
my life are still drinking or not. I'm responsible for
that piece, and the meetings help me.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So there you have it.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Those are a few reasons why drinking is on my
brain a lot. And then a few days ago, I
decided that I wanted to do an episode on this
because I had two drinks on a date last weekend
and I woke up feeling awful and full of anxiety.
And with holiday parties coming up, I know some of
you might be drinking a little bit more, and I
(04:19):
like to enjoy drinks, and I just don't want to
wake up feeling like I did last weekend, especially the
anxiety part. Now, I didn't immediately attribute my anxiety to
the alcohol that I consumed. Now I knew the other
feelings of law that came from the alcohol, but not
the anxiety. I kept thinking that has to be from
something else in my life, like what is going on?
(04:40):
But I couldn't pinpoint it. And then I came across
an article in the New York Post about anxiety and
the best and worst drinks for it.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
I was very curious, so I clicked.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
On it to read more, and it turns out that
alcohol was definitely the cause of my anxious feelings. Last weekend,
I went to Harvard Health to find out why the
anxiety was showing up, especially when it doesn't always appear
for me after drinking, and after I go over the
whys that I found, I'll tell you what the New
(05:11):
York Post said about what specific drinks are best and
worst for anxiety, and I'll share some other tips to
avoid it. So here are the five reasons behind anxiety. Again,
this is from Harvard Health. First reason, alcohol initially boosts
the production of gabba, a neurotransmitter that helps you feel
relaxed and suppresses glutamate, which increases brain activity. In fact,
(05:36):
gaba's a supplement that I have taken before, Like my
therapist told me to take it because it would help
me feel more relaxed. Well, alcohol boosts this. That's why
in the beginning you're like, oh, it feels so relaxed.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
It feels good.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
However, when the alcohol wears off, your body works to
rebalance the chemicals and then it overcompensates, and then this
leads to increased glutamate activeivity, which makes you feel restless, jittery,
and anxious.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
There you go. That's reason number one.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Reason number two, alcohol can interfere with the quality of
your sleep. You know, we hear about this a lot.
I used to think, Oh, I really enjoy a glass
of wine before bed.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
It helps me sleep well.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You might think that, but the quality of sleep you're
getting is not great, particularly your rim sleep, which is
crucial for emotional regulation. So poor sleep is going to
leave you mentally and physically drained, which increases that feeling
of anxiety. The third why alcohol can cause spikes and
(06:38):
crashes in your blood sugar, which may leave you feeling irritable, shaky,
or anxious the day after drinking. The fourth why alcohol
dehydrates you and causes inflammation in your body, both of
which can lead to discomfort, and that will lead to
increase feelings of anxiety. And then the final reason, the
fifth one here for you is alcohol lowers in it ambitions,
(07:01):
which might lead to behaviors or decisions that you maybe
necessarily wouldn't have made if you were sober, and then
you start overthinking at all, and then you have regret,
which fuels anxiety. So those are the five whys from
Harvard Health, so they definitely know what they're talking about.
And if you want some tips to avoid anxiety. It
(07:23):
also said to limit your alcohol intake. Easier said than
done at times, especially during the holiday season, but the
less alcohol you consume, the less likely you are to
experience the side effects.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Also, we need to be hydrating. You hear this all
the time.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Just a good reminder to drink water before, during, and
after alcohol so you reduce the dehydration situation. Eat before drinking.
I know I mentioned in college or drink a lot,
but in college we'd be like, oh, let's not eat
because we're gonna drink. Big mistake. Huge Eat before you drink.
(07:59):
Food slows down alcohol absorption and it'll help stabilize your
blood sugar levels. And then another tip is quality sleep,
which I mean, if you're gonna have the alcohol, you
know you already might not get quality sleep. But if
you at least try to go to bed at a
proper time and aim for as much rest as possible,
that'll be in your favor. And then the final tip.
If anxiety is a recurring problem, then you may want
(08:21):
to consider non alcoholic alternatives or taking a break from
drinking overall, and then see how you feel mentally your
overall well being, which I'll tell you. I keep seeing
ads for non alcoholic things on Instagram and TikTok or
people posting about it or talking about it and be like, oh,
this is so good. And I got an ad the
(08:42):
other day that finally convinced me to buy a tequila substitute.
It's non alcoholic, but in case you still want real alcohol,
let me go over the best and worst drinks for
anxiety that the New York Post article talked about, and
then I'll tell you about the tequila subsiduy that I got,
which I'm recording this right now on the Bobby Bone
(09:03):
Show studio. And I feel like Eddie's making some faces
like tequila substitute, non alcoholic.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
That sounds terrible. No, it's not, Eddie. I'm gonna get
you some for Christmas. Okay, do you put in a margarite?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I saw? Okay, yeah, I know, but your face when
I said non alcoholic tequila substitute. So I just put
it over ice with a little bit of lime water.
But you can make it with a margarite. I've had
a couple different ways, but my friends have tried it
too and they like it.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Okay, Paloma, Oh, so.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
This company I saw they make a paloma, and I
think I might order more. I mean I might order
more of the plumba. They have a ploma already mixed
in the can. Yeah, but what I ordered was just
like a like a handle a fake.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
It looks like alcohol but it is not.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
So Yeah, anyway, more on that in a minute. First,
I want to go over what real alcohols you can
have or the ones you may want to stay away
from again if you're trying to avoid the anxiety. First,
(10:15):
I want to go over what real alcohols you can
have or the ones you may want to stay away
from again if you're trying to avoid the anxiety. Apparently,
dark liquors like whiskey, prosecco, champagne, and red wine are
the worst. They have chemicals that worsen hangovers and anxiety.
Sugary cocktails are also a no go, which after I
(10:37):
read this, I was like, Oh, okay, my drinks the
other night on my date YEP, had prosecco mixed in
a sugary concoction, So damn.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
That was likely my problem.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
The high sugar, which leads to a sugar spike and
then a sugar crash, which then will increase my anxiety.
My irritability. And then also I had no idea about this,
but the bubbles in prosecco and champagne they speed up
the absorption of alcohol in our bloodstream, which lead to
a quicker and more intense effect. So at the time,
(11:08):
it's feeling really good and it's all enjoyable and you're like, oh,
I feel great, this is fun, which might lead you
to order more, and then the after effects of that anxiety,
which I was also surprised to see red wine on
the worst list. I mean, the whiskey, the sugary drinks,
I get that was easy for me to understand, but
red wine was a little confusing. But I guess it's
(11:30):
a sugar and chemical thing, and I am bummed to
see prosecco on there. And keep that in mind though,
with New Year's Eve coming up, prosecco, champagne, a lot
of that is served, and maybe you want to avoid
that this time of year and see if you feel
better the next morning. Now, as for the best drinks
to have to decrease your anxiety, the article said to
stick to clear liquors like vodka, gin or tequila with soap.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
Tequila is a little when are you listening. I was
sitting back here and I was like, man, I can't
wait to hit this.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
When she says tequila, okay, that's Scuba Steve, I had
no idea he was even listening to this. He's back
in his glass production room.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Tequila.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
You can have vodka, gin or tequila with soda, water
or fresh citrus. Those are easier on your system. And
then again, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, don't forget water between drinks.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
It can make a huge difference. And we know this.
I know this.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
We don't always do it, but just make a deal
with yourself, make smarter choices, and then you'll have less anxiety. Now,
Ray speaking of the glass room where Scuba works. He
is one of our producers on the Bobby Bone Show,
and he was actually just making fun of me this
morning for being sold that I can't even handle one drink.
Ray likes to drink, but mostly I would say, now
(12:57):
it's during brunch on Saturdays. That's his time to go out.
And he's the one that got me on unboos a
while back, which is a supplement that helps you feel
better after drinking. And I will say it has helped me,
but sometimes I run out or other times I just
forget to take it. And last weekend, you know, I
had those drinks, but I was out of Unboozed, So
(13:19):
I do need to order more. And I will shout
out Ray because he has a code Sison twenty three.
But I think his handle on Instagram is like Sisin
Ray Mundo, but Sisin is like for season but s
z N twenty three, And that'll get you a discount
if you're curious about Unbooze, and I'll link it in
the show notes. But in addition to taking something like
(13:39):
Unbooze that may help you out. Another option might be
non alcoholic spirits. Now. I came across that brand recently,
like I told you, thanks to that Instagram ad, and
what I ordered specifically was from Little Saints. It's a
whole non alcoholic brand, so there's nothing confusing about it.
You don't go to the website and you're like, wait,
which one's the alcohol, which one's not, because they all
(14:01):
look like alcohol but nothing is. And I was most
intrigued by their drink that mimics tequila. I thought it
would come in handy for when I want a margarita
something like that. When I got the bottle and the mail.
I saw that the company is also founded by a woman,
which I love, and my overall review is four point
(14:23):
five out of five. I really liked it so much
so that, yeah, I may order more stuff from the site.
Like I was saying to Eddie, maybe I'll order some
gifts for people. I know. There's a lot of NA
brands out there. This is just the only one that
I've tried and really enjoyed so far. And this one
is infused with lines Made, which is a functional mushroom.
(14:45):
It's an adaptogen that's good for brain health, mood support,
gut health, and a lot of other things. I've always
loved Lines Made, so to have it in my mocktail
it's it's like a bonus. I don't know if it's
just me or if y'all are all so getting more
non alcoholic type ads, but I do think that drinking
(15:06):
is on the decline drinking alcohol. People are drinking less,
which I guess is good and probably why some brands
have increased marketing because they want to capitalize on the
fact that people are drinking less, or they are curious
about drinking less.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
And speaking of.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Curiosity, I decided to do a little research because I
was like, Okay, what are the statistics on this, like,
is drinking actually going down? And I found that on average,
this is from NC Solutions, Americans are drinking three drinks
per week and that's down from four to five drinks
in twenty twenty three. Millennials in particular are drinking less,
(15:44):
like forty percent less this year than last year, with
an average of three drinks per week, which is crazy
to think about if we were going from five drinks
to three, and with dry January coming up next month
might be the highest year of participation yet because this
last January was up ten percent from the year before,
(16:07):
so it's just in one year and ten percent jump,
But that is a lot of people. And the top
reasons Americans are drinking less include while we want to
improve our physical health, we want to save money. Although
I will say the non alcoholic drinks they might be
more expensive than the alcohol ones, so maybe they're saving
money and just not drinking anything, not even the fake version.
(16:28):
And overall we just want to make lifestyle changes. You know,
I was talking about Little Saints a second ago, and
I wanted to remember more about the woman that founded
it because I want to give you those details, and
again I want to have it up on my browser
so I remember to order more things. So I'm just
going to read to you something straight from the website
(16:50):
so you can know more about it. But the founder
is Megan Klein. She started the brand in twenty twenty
one because she loved cocktails but hated the hangovers. During
the pandemic, she realized alcohol hall wasn't great for her
mental or physical health, but she wanted something that felt
like a fun, good cocktail. She ended up creating these
non alcoholic drinks with no sugar and ingredients like mushrooms
(17:11):
to give you that feel.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Good vibe without the booze.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
So I love that, and I'll keep y'all posted on
the other drinks that I order from there see if
I like them as much, or if y'all know of
brands and drinks that we need to try or recipes,
y'all can send those to me. Four Things with Amy
Brown at gmail dot com, and I guess I'll wrap
up real quick with four Things gratitude, sharing with you
(17:36):
four things that I'm currently thankful for, and I encourage
you to take time to practice gratitude today when you
can as well. Now. The first thing for me, since
I mentioned it earlier and I have a meeting today,
will be alan on. Just very very thankful for that
second thing my sister. I haven't seen her in a while,
(17:56):
and I just booked our flights to Colorado for Christmas.
I'll wait for that. I'll be staying with her. And
my third thing sort of tied to that, it would
be my co parenting relationship with Ben. Because speaking of Colorado,
Ben's also going to be there with his family, So
the kids and I gain will be at my sister's house,
but they'll be there with me the first half of
(18:18):
the trip, and then they'll go stay with Ben just
down the road from my sister's house for the second
half of the trip.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
And Ben and I went over all of the flights together.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
The kids are going to fly down there with me,
and then they'll fly home with Ben. So yeah, I'm
just very thankful for the way we co parent. I mean,
it's definitely not lost on me for one second that
some of you listening right now don't have a similar
divorce situation. It may look a lot different than what
(18:49):
Ben and I have, and my heart hurts for you.
If that's the case, that cannot be fun at all.
So sending hugs. I mean, Ben and I have definitely
had to work hard, and we have had our days,
but I know we both want it to be easy,
and I know for some of you you want it
and you will put in the work to make it amicable.
But if the person that you were married to is difficult,
(19:11):
or the father or the mother of your children is difficult,
and they're not willing to put in the work, then
that can be really hard, and that can be exhausting.
And I just encourage you to do what you can
for yourself, to stay thoughtful and kind and stay on your.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
Side of the street as much as possible.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
They're going to want to have to make the change
for themselves, so just do what you can for you.
And then finally, the fourth thing that I'm thankful for
is a discount code for twenty percent off certain things
from the shop Forward that support Haiti. Now, all proceeds
are still going to Haiti, but the code Amy twenty
is twenty percent off for you to enjoy as you
(19:52):
do your Christmas shopping.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
So it's a little gift to you supporting Haiti.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
And then a gift will be sent to Haiti, so
it's like a win win win situation. I will link
the page it's called Amy's Picks in the show notes,
or you can also just go to the shop four
dot com slash Amy and that'll get you to Amy's Picks.
You can shop any of those items. There's four Things
Gratitude journals up there, two different covers. They're both super
(20:19):
cute to choose from. Those make great gifts, so if
you can't decide, maybe you get both. If you have
puzzle lovers in your life. We have an awesome four
Things puzzle my dot Cara, my cat Maggie even have
little cameos on it. And for the puzzle with the
code Amy twenty, the puzzle actually ends up being.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Fifty percent off.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
And then there are four Things tote options, four Things pouches,
a really cute Navy espo pullover which a spla means
hope in Haitian creole. There's cool mom stuff, cat mom,
dog mom born here again. All proceeds are going to Haiti,
specifically the orphanage where my kids went. So if you
want to take advantage of supporting Haiti, getting a gift
(21:01):
that gives back and a twenty percent discount. Don't forget
Amy twenty is your code and you can shop those
items all right again. Link that in the show notes,
and now it's your turn. What four things are you
thankful for? You can just say them out loud to
yourself right now, or think them over in your head,
or even journal them down. Which if you're like I
(21:24):
don't have a journal, I just told you, hint, hint,
you can go grab a four Things gratitude journal. If
you're going there to get it as a gift for
somebody else, get one for yourself too. I know journaling
can be intimidating if you've never done it before, but
when we created the four Things Gratitude journals, we made
them very simple. You just jot down four things, or
you can take up more space and write paragraphs, do
(21:46):
a full page. There's stickers in the back for the
days you don't have words, there's journal prompts, there's encouraging
gratitude type quotes on every single page. They really are
very cute and would make a thoughtful gift for someone.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Else or for yourself. So there you go, have the
day that you need to have.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
I am at Radio Amy on socials and I will
see you on Saturday for outweigh BYEE.
4 Things with Amy Brown News
Host
Amy Brown
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