After a tough day at the laptop, or eight hours of childcare, a stiff gin and tonic doesn’t feel like a treat, but a God-given right.
This isn’t surprising, since the connection between alcohol and reward runs deep in our culture. Thousands of years ago our ancestors would drink scratch whiskey to celebrate getting through another cold, damp winter – and today booze ads with strap lines like “Earn it” encourage us to see our daily slog in similar terms.
Fair enough. But if you're trying to radically cut back on alcohol – this booze/reward link is going to need to be broken.
Club Soda founder member Matt Chittock shares his internal dialogue at the end of a stressful day, how he has had to reassess the way he uses alcohol as a reward, and what does he does instead ...
Read more, after the jump!