Of all the drugs known to man, there is only one capable of raising five, sometimes six, of the eight neurotransmitters that shape the way we experience life. That drug is alcohol. We in the detoxification profession refer to it as the mother of all drugs or the kick-ass drug. The pharmaceutical industry has never produced a drug as all encompassing in its effect as alcohol. Most drugs will raise one or two neurotransmitters at a time.
Often antidepressant medications will raise serotonin and possibly a little noradrenaline. It is rare to find pharmaceutical agents that will raise two or three neurochemical systems. Wellbutrin (bupropion), the most powerful pharmaceutical agent out there, is an antidepressant medication that will actually raise three in somewhat of a reasonable manner: noradrenaline, dopamine, and acetylcholine.
Alcohol is the ultimate stimulant for the brain. To date, we know of no other agent that comes close to matching its power; alcohol’s effect on the human body is unprecedented. This influential drug is ultra-powerful as a neurotransmitter agonist. It moves the brain’s neurochemicals like no other drug on the planet.
Alcohol raises serotonin, GABA, endocannabinoid, glutamate, and at high dose, increases the release of opiates. It also has a significant end-result effect on dopamine (which is very euphoric), adding up to a total of six neurotransmitters being affected. All this stimulation makes alcohol a powerful anti-depressant (not to mention highly addictive) and an even more powerful depressant once it wears off, causing neurotransmitters to plummet.
When an active alcoholic suddenly stops drinking, they experience severe withdrawal. The GABA drops dramatically, creating a marked imbalance between GABA and glutamate. Glutamate, like race cars in the brain going hundreds of miles an hour with no stop signs, goes higher and higher, causing more and more agitation. This increases the severity of withdrawal symptoms and leads to delirium tremens.
By the second or third day of quitting, the alcoholic starts to experience confusion, agitation, and the shakes. The periphery of the body is a strong indicator of what is happening internally. Tremulousness, shakes, sweaty palms, and hyper-agitation of the body are all symptoms of the elevated glutamate’s effect in the brain.
At the 72-hour mark, the glutamate suddenly stops rising and begins to decrease over time while the GABA levels slowly increase..
Dr. Fredrick Von Stieff - Brain in Balance: Understanding the Genetics and Neurochemistry behind Addiction and Sobriety.
