Getting Into State

[backpacker]

After going out frequently these past few weeks my game has definitely gotten better and small successes are becoming more frequent (numbers, a few K closes, and one F close FTW!!!! haha)

The issue is that Alcohol is what fuels my state and I'm fucking sick of it! If I even drink one beer I feel energetic and ready to party and I get into that sweet sweet zone. A few more beers and I can open anyone (especially with a good wing giving me peer pressure ).

I wan't to get this feeling without alcohol, caffeine, or ANYTHING other than myself. This is all about self-improvement for me as much as getting girls, so I want to work on this.

Give me some advice fellas, how do you guys go from ending a mediocre day at work and then re-frame into a badass, fun loving, energetic, not giving a fuck pussy slayer, when sarging WITHOUT the use of alcohol and chemicals??

[Kool]

Its funny how alcohol can add to our courage when talking to the ladies. I came into this issue once as well. I was tired of drinking all the damn time. And, lets face it, the club and bar scene is where its at for the most part. Girls there are ready to party and they are looking for it. All the girls there are drinking so its hard for you and others not to follow. This is how I handled the drinking at bars/clubs. I would simply ask for a glass of water or a glass of coke. It looked like I was drinking even though I wasn't consuming any alcohol. My mind was clear and alert.

Another thing you can do is to get away from the bar/club scene all together and try day gaming at malls, café, and meet up groups. Try something different.

[crow]

Do the water thing, but tip a buck. You'd be surprised how far that goes with the staff, ggiven that lotsa folks won't even tip on a beer.

As far as state goes, you'd be surprised how little it matters. But take it a step further. Go out when you're sad or angry, try going out sober--state usually comes from positive interactions, not from whatever else

[Structure]

Sing. Sing a song you know and that puts you into state. If you don't have any songs that do this for you, listen to the radio and catch a song you know the words to on, and see how you feel as you sing it. Make a playlist for your phone/mp3 player or a cd with one good song after another, that you know the words to, that will get you into state. Then try that by yourself. Sing a couple of songs and see what it does to your mood.

Movies/shows. Movies get me into state, too. What a movie does for me is clears my mind. It only works, though, when I get complete tunnel vision and focus entirely on the movie.

Anything you can do that will completely empty your head and get your mind focused on an activity instead of your environment will get you into some sort of state.

What state is, is a state of mind :p where the mind is on autopilot. Intuition dominates, you make decisions on habits and solid skills. Light emotions 'float up' and your mind looks for opportunities. Opposite that is the out-of-state state/"aware state"--mind dominates, autopilot is off, senses are at high alert. Fear, nervousness, etc. dominate. Your mind looks for threats.

An in-state mind looks for the one green door in a handful of red ones. An out-of-state mind avoids and (probably feels overwhelmed by) a handful of red doors and focuses primarily on them.

...so goes the theory.

[Structure]

Its funny how alcohol can add to our courage when talking to the ladies.

It is funny. Alcohol does the job well because it interferes with the judgment centers of the brain, the area that focuses on limitations, logical instead of intuitive type details, intuition and solid skills just flow better when your mind is not stuck. Alcohol, just not too much, helps keep you from getting in your own way.

But once you master something, I am not sure alcohol has any effect on it except when you've had too much of it. When you master something, it's easy for you to switch in and out of flow (intuitive vs. analytical processing) with your mind.

[crow]

Well, dadgummit, Structure--that's a waaay better approach to this issue.

Let me rehearse what Structure's saying, but w some keywords he omitted.

GABA is a neurotransmitter that *inhibits* the firing of neurons. Alcohol inhibits the action of GABA. So, it inhibits the inhibitory. That's why, despite it being classed as a depressant, alcohol can give you energy.

There are certain neural disorders that can be effectively treated with alcohol, chiefly anxiety disorders. Alcohol can also be used as a crowbar under emotions. Lastly, alcohol in sufficient quantities can force you into the present moment (that is, for instance, if you're too drunk to stand, any anxiety you have about future career options will be chased off.

Problem is, alcohol has some really bad side-effects: hangovers, dependence, coordination issues, etc.

That said, I'm still onboard with my original thoughts--if you can handle it, a little booze is fine.