🍹 The Science Behind Bad Decisions 🍹

"I would never do that sober." – Every drunk person, ever.

Alcohol slows down activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for judgment and impulse control. This means:

• ✅ You feel bolder and more confident.
• ✅ You care less about what people think.
• ✅ Your inner monologue that says, "Maybe this is a bad idea" takes a little nap.

Real-Life Example: Ever found yourself singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" in front of a bar full of strangers? That's your prefrontal cortex waving a white flag.

"If they're doing it, I should do it too!"

Humans are wired to follow the crowd—it's an evolutionary survival tactic. When you're surrounded by people making wild choices, your brain thinks:

• ✅ "Well, if everyone else is jumping off the metaphorical cliff, it must be fun!"
• ✅ You're more likely to take risks because you feel supported (or challenged) by the group.
• ✅ The "fear of missing out" (FOMO) overrides rational thinking.

Real-Life Example: One person orders a round of shots. Suddenly, the entire table is in. Nobody wants to be the buzzkill who says no.

"YOLO, baby!"

Alcohol messes with dopamine, the brain's reward chemical. Your brain gets flooded with dopamine, making everything seem like an amazing idea in the moment. But the long-term consequences? Your brain conveniently forgets about those.

• ✅ Your impulse control goes out the window.
• ✅ You focus only on the short-term fun, not the long-term regret.
• ✅ Consequences are a problem for Future You (and Future You is going to be pissed).

Real-Life Example: Saying "shots, shots, shots!" at 1 AM. Saying "never again" at 10 AM.

"I got this." – The most dangerous phrase ever spoken.

Alcohol tricks your brain into believing you're more skilled, attractive, and talented than you actually are. Suddenly, you think:

• ✅ You can dance like Beyoncé.
• ✅ You're an expert negotiator (even if it's just convincing a bouncer to let you back in).
• ✅ That risky bar bet? You're totally winning it.

Real-Life Example: Challenging a stranger to an arm-wrestling match and putting $100 on it… only to wake up broke and sore.

"Screw it, let's do another round."

Once you make one bad decision, your brain goes into full send mode. Psychologists call this the What the Hell Effect—once you cross a line, your brain stops trying to hold you back.

• ✅ You've already messed up, so why stop now?
• ✅ Each new bad decision seems smaller compared to the last one.
• ✅ Your night turns into a beautiful, chaotic mess.

Real-Life Example: "Well, I already drunk-texted my ex... might as well DM my high school crush too."

"If I don't remember it, did it even happen?"

Drinking too much disrupts the hippocampus, the part of your brain responsible for creating memories. The result?

• ✅ Your brain stops recording details.
• ✅ You wake up with a Swiss cheese memory of the night.
• ✅ Your friends become the keepers of your past (which is never a good thing).

Real-Life Example: Checking your phone in the morning to see texts from people you don't remember talking to.