Why FOMO Keeps You Drinking More Than You Want To

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Low risk drinking guidelines from the NIAAA:

Healthy men under 65:

No more than 4 drinks in one day and no more than 14 drinks per week.

Healthy women (all ages) and healthy men 65 and older: No more than 3 drinks in one day and no more than 7 drinks per week.

One drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. So remember that a mixed drink or full glass of wine are probably more than one drink.

Abstinence from alcohol Abstinence from alcohol is the best choice for people who take medication(s) that interact with alcohol, have health conditions that could be exacerbated by alcohol (e.g. liver disease), are pregnant or may become pregnant or have had a problem with alcohol or another substance in the past.

Benefits of “low-risk” drinking Following these guidelines reduces the risk of health problems such as cancer, liver disease, reduced immunity, ulcers, sleep problems, complications of existing conditions, and more. It also reduces the risk of depression, social problems, and difficulties at school or work.

This week on the podcast I'm talking about FOMO and why it keeps us drinking more than we want to.

When I use the acronym FOMO what do you think of?

Do you think of comparing yourself to others? Definitely this is the genesis of FOMO and even though it’s become a trendy, Meme-producing word these days it’s actually nothing new.

I actually explain it in my book, here’s what I said: “ The fear about what other people think is actually rooted in another survival instinct in our primitive brains. Our primitive brains evolved to associate our emotions with necessary actions for the survival of our species. Generally speaking this means avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. For our archaic ancestors, the Neanderthals, being a member of the tribe was literally a matter of life or death and as humans evolved we have become more socially connected.

"Mammals are more socially connected than reptiles, primates

more than other mammals, and humans more than other

primates. What this suggests is that becoming more socially

connected is essential to our survival. In a sense, evolution has

made bets at each step that the best way to make us more

successful is to make us more social."

Here’s the thing...we’re no longer living in a primitive world right, so living in a tribe isn’t necessary for day-to-day life over death. But that doesn’t mean being connected to people isn’t still important and necessary for humans...Unfortunately we’ve swung like a pendulum in the other direction with FOMO.

Our obsession and non-stop consumption of social media has created an unrealistic scale.

To Combat FOMO you need to think in complete thoughts, rather than incomplete thoughts. Challenge yourself to tell the WHOLE truth instead of continuing to talk yourself into incomplete truths that feel good for a moment.

FOMO is fueled by a perspective of scarcity. You come into a situation choosing to think that what you have right now isn’t enough. You associate loss with not getting more. You convince yourself that it isn’t enough to enjoy a night out with your friends. You need drinks, you need alcohol to make it better.

When you don’t redirect your thinking and you don’t challenge your FOMO thoughts...it leads to feelings that aren’t going to help you take the actions that will create the results you want in your life. You will keep doing what you’re doing and not changing because your thoughts are fueling the feelings of desire as well as the feeling of anticipated deprivation of not drinking.

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