The Mental Energy Tapping Theory of Drinking

Alcohol affects you physically after you drink- facts.

We know this.

The poor sleep.

The anxiety.

The low energy.

The sluggish workout.

The foggy morning.

But I think one of alcohol's biggest costs happens long before the first sip.

I call it the Mental Energy Tapping Theory (I went to Maple Syrup Festival one time, just go with me on this).

The idea is simple.

Alcohol doesn't just consume energy.

It repeatedly taps your mental energy throughout the day.

A little here.

A little there.

A little more later.

Not enough to notice in the moment.

Enough to matter over time.

For many gray area drinkers, alcohol is not taking up three hours of the evening.

It is tapping attention all day long.

"Am I drinking tonight?"

"How much should I have?"

"Should I drink there"

"Is it ok to drink now?"

"Should I skip tonight?"

"I drank yesterday."

"I'll start Monday."

"Maybe just one."

Every one of those thoughts is a little tap.

Small.

Brief.

Easy to dismiss.

But they add up.

And eventually you realize alcohol is occupying far more mental space than physical space.

This is one reason so many people find themselves stuck in gray area drinking 

Life looks "fine"- probably is.

Work gets done.

Responsibilities are handled.

Nothing appears broken.

But behind the scenes, alcohol quietly keeps tapping attention throughout the day.

Most people never measure this.

They only measure drinks.

But what if attention is the real cost?

Think about how often alcohol enters the conversation in your own mind.

A stressful meeting.

A Friday afternoon.

A vacation.

A restaurant.

A holiday.

An airport.

A difficult day.

A great day.

That damn thought appears.

Not always because you want alcohol.

Because your brain has learned alcohol is relevant.

And anything the brain considers relevant gets attention.

That attention costs energy.

Over time, many people find themselves living inside a constant cycle of mental negotiation.

A process similar to what happens in The I'll Start Monday Loop: Why Alcohol Creates Perpetual Delayed Self Respect 

Tonight becomes tomorrow.

Tomorrow becomes Monday.

Monday becomes next month.

The decision never fully closes.

It just keeps reopening.

That reopening costs more energy.

One of the most interesting things people report during a break from alcohol is not what disappears.

It is what returns.

Mental quiet.

Mental space.

Mental clarity.

The debate stops.

The negotiations stop.

The constant background calculations stop.

The mental tab finally closes.

That is why many people experience relief before they experience dramatic physical changes.

The relief is not always physical.

It is cognitive.

Their brain suddenly has less to manage.

Less to negotiate.

Less to justify.

Less to think about.

This is especially true for people who constantly ask themselves the kinds of questions right before the cusp of change.

Questions like:

"Would I feel better without alcohol?"

"Why do I think about drinking this much?"

"What would my social life look like without it?"

"Is this the best version of myself?"

Those questions are often evidence that alcohol is already occupying more mental space than people realize.

The Mental Energy Tapping Theory also helps explain something many gray area drinkers find confusing.

They are not drinking all the time.

Yet they are thinking about alcohol all the time.

The physical consumption may be small.

The mental occupation may be large.

This is why some people feel exhausted by alcohol even when they are not drinking excessive amounts.

The exhaustion is not only coming from alcohol.

It is coming from managing alcohol.

Planning.

Negotiating.

Moderating.

Recovering.

Starting over.

Making exceptions.

Changing rules.

Creating new rules.

Breaking those rules.

Repeating the cycle.

Eventually another question emerges.

A difficult one.

What else could I do with that mental energy?

More presence with family.

More focus at work.

More creativity.

More patience.

More attention to health.

More attention to goals.

More attention to becoming the person you want to become.

This is where the Mental Energy Tapping Theory intersects with Comparison Is the Thief of Joy, and Becoming Your Best Self 

Because the important comparison is not between you and someone who drinks more.

The important comparison is between who you are now and who you could become with that energy returned.

The Mental Energy Tapping Theory is not about labels.

It is not about alcoholism.

It is not about rock bottom.

It is about attention.

Because attention is one of your most valuable resources.

And every day, alcohol may be quietly collecting more of it than you realize.

The question is not:

"How much am I drinking?"

The question is:

How much of my mind is alcohol freaking occupying!?

For many gray area drinkers, that is where the real answer begins.

#POSITIVEINFINITY