[iamthepieman]

Part of drinking to cope is dulling the internal self critical monologue. For someone who drinks to cope this includes blocking out the very thought that they ARE drinking to cope. If you are then asked to explicitly think about the choice to drink and how that makes you feel then I would expect exactly the results that the researchers in this study got.

    "Whenever a participant reported having had an alcoholic drink....At various points over the following three hours, they then rated the extent to which they felt the drink had “relieved unpleasant feelings or symptoms”, and also provided updated ratings of their levels of those various negative feelings."

I'd be interested in a study which analyzed participants focus on negative thoughts without explicitly asking them to be self aware about them.

I also wonder if this is applicable to procrastination and self deceptive actions in general. If I'm reading some "candy" novel when I should be sleeping but know that I've got to check in 15 minutes from now about how I feel about bedtime procrastination then I'm not going to enjoy the book. The whole point is to immerse myself in something that distracts me from my depression, anxiety and shame at the very process of distraction.

[lambdaba]

> For someone who drinks to cope this includes blocking out the very thought that they ARE drinking to cope

From Saint-Exupery's Little Prince:

“Why are you drinking? - the little prince asked.

- In order to forget - replied the drunkard.

- To forget what? - inquired the little prince, who was already feeling sorry for him.

- To forget that I am ashamed - the drunkard confessed, hanging his head.

- Ashamed of what? - asked the little prince who wanted to help him.

- Ashamed of drinking! - concluded the drunkard, withdrawing into total silence.

[rektide]

nice quote. it's funny & appropriate. at the same time though i think the surface level tale hides the likelier realer truth.

the drunk isnt just ashamed of his drunkenness, he's ashamed he's not something else entirely, ashamed for all the wishes & dreams he's not. a realler life has past the drunkard by.

to borrow a random quote found a couple comments away, from a german band Die Toten Hosen, "no alcohol is no solution either".

[sjg007]

Procrastination is about managing your emotions effectively.

I imagine anxiety is somewhat related when you get outside of fight or flight.