Stijn Noorman Profile picture
Feb 10 22 tweets 7 min read Read on X
The biggest scam in the world:

Alcohol.

It's destroying your brain and health.

Here's what alcohol does to you (backed by science): Image
Alcohol is the drug that causes the most harm.

Especially harm to others.

It causes even more harm than heroin and crack. Image
Yet alcohol is extremely normalized.

It's the only drug where people assume you have a problem if you don't take it.

Which is shocking if you look at the health problems it causes:
Alcohol causes a ton of health problems.

Both immediate and long-term.

So let's look at how it does this... Image
Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream.

It reaches the brain within minutes.

It crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases dopamine levels. Image
However, this dopamine increase is temporary.

And it lowers your baseline once the effect wears off.

But this isn't even the worst part, let me explain... Image
Alcohol is a poison.

Your body breaks it down into acetaldehyde—a toxic chemical.

The ‘buzz’ isn’t a benefit. It’s your brain reacting to poison.
Acetaldehyde is toxic and your damages cells.

Your liver breaks it down but this process harms the liver over time.

This is even true for 1-2 drinks per night.
Alcohol stays in your system longer than you think:

• Blood: 1-2h per drink
• Breath: 12–24h
• Urine: 12–24h

With moderate to heavy drinking, some alcohol will still be in your system when you wake up. Image
Frequent drinking leads to more cortisol at baseline.

This is the stress hormone.

This effect makes you more stressed and anxious when you're not drinking.
Alcohol also disrups sleep.

It may feel like you fall asleep quicker.

But science shows that it reduces your sleep quality. Image
Alcohol is also bad for your fitness results.

It increases the conversion of testosterone into estrogen.

This is bad for gaining muscles and it also increases health risks.
Alcohol also gives you empty calories.

There's no nutritive value of the calories it creates.

So if you drink a lot this can increase your weight.
But what about the benefits of drinking?

In terms of health, there aren't any.

It's a myth that red wine is good for you, here's why:
However, some drinks give you less of a hangover.

This is because of the congeners.

Congeners contribute to alcohol's flavor and effects. Image
But the biggest downside of alcohol might not even be your health.

It's the things you do while you drink that you regret the next day.
Luckily, you can reverse most damage by quitting.

The brain starts recovering in weeks but a full reset takes 2–6 months (or longer for heavy users).

Quitting gives you a ton of health benefits: Image
It's up to you what you want to do.

The most important thing is that it works well for you.

If you want to quit or reduce your alcohol intake, these strategies will help: Image
If you quit alcohol, what was your experience?

Let me know below, curious to hear it!
Writing online helped me to quit my bad habits & limit my alcohol intake.

Join 5,100+ digital writers to learn how to build a meaningful business that gives you time freedom:

stijnnoorman.com/newsletter
If you enjoyed this thread:

1) Follow @stijnnoorman
2) RT the post below to help more people learn about alcohol. Thanks!
If you like my tweets, you'll love my free e-book.

Instant access:
stijnnoorman.com/twitter-simpli…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Stijn Noorman

Stijn Noorman Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @stijnnoorman

Feb 6
Do you sit for more than 4 hours a day?

You’re destroying your neck and back if so.

Here's how to fix your posture and pain (backed by science): Image
Sitting for long periods can lead to:

• Poor posture
ª Tight hip flexors
• Back and neck pain

Here's what sitting does to your body:
Your head is like a bowling ball.

So if it's out of position, this causes neck problems. Image
Read 17 tweets
Feb 3
The biggest medical scam:

ADHD.

It’s not a mental disorder, it’s a superpower in disguise.

Here’s how you turn ADHD into hyper-focus (backed by science): Image
1 in 10 children has ADHD.

There's recently also been a rise in ADHD in adults.

But what is ADHD actually?
ADHD is an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

It makes it hard to focus and control impulses.

It's best explained with a short video:
Read 22 tweets
Jan 30
The most misunderstood self-help topic:

Dopamine.

It's why you feel tired, depressed and unmotivated.

Here’s how you control your dopamine for maximum motivation (backed by science): Image
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter.

Most people think it's the pleasure molecule.

But it's actually the molecule of craving and pursuing.

Pleasure is the reward you get for pursuing something worthwhile. Image
Dopamine shows you that you're on the right path.

It's release when you achieve a milestone.

Or when you make progress.
Read 15 tweets
Jan 27
The most valuable skill in the world:

Decision-making.

I studied how Naval and Elon Musk make decisions.

Here's how you make decisions like world-class entrepreneurs: Image
First-Principles Thinking

Focus on the most fundamental truths.

Work your way up from there.

Question everything else.
Goal-Setting

It all starts with the goal.

Without a clear goal, you can't make good decisions.

Get clear on the goal and reverse engineer it.
Read 19 tweets
Jan 23
Andrew Huberman changed my life.

I spent 100+ hours listening to 100+ Huberman podcasts.

Here are the 16 best habits I learned that will change your life: Image
1. Caffeine Use

How to use caffeine properly:

• Don’t take caffeine within 90-120min of waking up
• Don’t take caffeine 10 hours before going to bed
• Don’t take more than 3-4 cups of coffee per day

Use this as guidelines, not rules. Image
2. Sleep Optimization

Sleep is the number 1 productivity hack.

• Avoid screens in the evening
• Get 8 hours of sleep per night
• Have a consistent sleep schedule/rhythm

Sleep well to perform well.
Read 21 tweets
Jan 16
You’ve been lied to.

Stress is actually good for you.

But the wrong stress will ruin your brain.

Here’s how you deal with stress (backed by science): Image
Stress can actually good for you.

But only for short amounts of time.

Here's why:
So short-term stress can be beneficial.

But long-term stress can be damaging.

So let's talk about how you can deal with long-term stress.
Read 17 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(