Trust Your Gut?

"Have you ever ignored a gut feeling and regretted it? Almost everyone has.

 Gut Feeling: Reconnecting with Intuition

Last Tuesday night, I went to a live talk by the incredible Dr. Gabor Maté. If you haven’t heard of him, he is a physician who has a special interest in how certain diseases, neurodiversity, and addictions can often be explained by examining childhood development and trauma.

One of the points he made seemed especially pertinent to my personal experiences and those of others I know who have removed alcohol—the ability to reconnect with gut feeling and intuition.

The Head, Heart, Gut Connection

At one point during the session, we were asked, "Has anyone ever ignored a gut feeling and wished they hadn’t?" Almost everyone raised their hand. I certainly have, in jobs and with certain people ignoring my gut ended up making me sick!

Modern neuroscience has confirmed that we don’t just “think” with our brains. The heart and the gut also have their own neural networks, meaning they play a key role in how we make decisions and manage our feelings.

A gut feel is something I used to rely on when I was younger. I was closely connected to the signals and signs coming from my body, and even when my mind was calling me to be logical and practical, I could access a more subtle kind of intelligence. Following these signals never let me down, but as I got older and started drinking more, I lost this connection to myself. I spent most of my time confused, in conflict, and often beating myself up.

I now understand that this ‘inner wisdom’ is more than just a hunch. It’s the result of a complex communication network between the brain, heart, and gut, which can get scrambled because of drinking.

The Head Brain

The head brain is useful for rational thought, reasoning, and problem-solving. It processes data inputs from our environment, analyses situations, and then offers suggestions on what to do. However, we are limited when we try to rely solely on the head brain because it only references past experiences to provide the suggested course of action. This is how we can get stuck in repeated patterns of behaviour.

When we try to change our patterns, we find ourselves confused and can end up overthinking, analysing, and procrastinating. This is because we are in a battle with the often-conflicting messages coming from our head, heart, and gut, and we don’t know what to trust.

The Heart Brain

The heart contains around 40,000 neurons. Research shows that the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. This means that our emotions and values deeply influence our decision-making, often before we are even aware of their impact.

The heart brain helps us process our feelings and, when we’re in balance and connected to its signals, it can help guide us toward choices that align with our deepest values.

The Gut Brain

The gut is home to the enteric nervous system (ENS), often called the "second brain." It has over 100 million neurons and produces 90% of the body's serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for mood and well-being, which is boosted when we drink but depleted afterward).

The gut communicates with the brain through the vagus nerve, the major highway of information in the body. This influences everything from how we manage our emotions to the decisions we make.

When we receive signals from the gut, like unease or excitement, it is often processing information that the head brain hasn’t fully grasped yet. This is our gut feel or intuition.

How Alcohol Blocks Our Natural Intelligence

My own experience led me to a point where I didn’t fully trust myself anymore. I couldn’t discern between the messages I was receiving and spent most of my time stuck in confusion, wondering what was the ‘right’ thing to do. Alcohol was scrambling the signals and throwing everything off balance.

How Alcohol Affects Our Three Brains

1. It Clouds the Brain’s Ability to Process Information
   Alcohol makes it difficult to clearly analyse situations and recognize patterns. This results in impulsive decisions, self-doubt, and regret over choices made under the influence. When alcohol consistently interferes with this system, you may find yourself feeling lost, unsure of your own judgment, and disconnected from your sense of self.

1. It Disrupts the Heart’s Emotional Messages
   Because alcohol alters brain chemistry and suppresses our emotional responses, it can create a false sense of confidence while numbing vulnerability and uncomfortable emotions. Over time, this makes it harder to trust feelings and to pay attention when something is out of alignment with your values.

1. It Numbs the Gut’s Intuition
   Alcohol dulls the vagus nerve connection, making it harder to feel gut instincts—the ones that guide you toward (or away from) certain situations. Instead of sensing what’s right for you, you may feel numb, confused, and distrusting of your intuition.

Rebuilding Trust in Your Gut Without Alcohol

If you want to regain clarity and confidence in yourself and your decision-making, you need to strengthen the connection between your head, heart, and gut—without alcohol getting in the way.

Here’s how:

1. Tune Into Your Body’s Signals
   Pay attention to how your body reacts to different people, situations, and choices. Do you feel tense or relaxed? Energized or drained? These physical sensations are clues from your gut and heart.
2. Reflection & Presence
   Writing in a journal or simply taking quiet moments throughout the day can help you reconnect with your intuition. Try doing a simple chore like washing the dishes or hanging laundry with complete focus on being present. The more you practice being in the moment, the stronger your inner guidance becomes.

1. Strengthen Your Gut Health
   Since the gut plays a major role in emotional regulation, prioritizing gut health will improve clarity and well-being. Focus on whole foods, hydration, and reducing or eliminating inflammatory substances like alcohol.

1. Listen to Your Heart
   Instead of pushing emotions aside or numbing them with alcohol, allow yourself to fully feel them. Ask yourself, “Does this decision align with what truly matters to me?” When you are clear and present, your heart will always lead you toward your values. If you feel resistance, it’s likely your mind trying to stick with what it already knows.

1. Trust Yourself Without Outside Validation
   Many people turn to alcohol in social situations to boost confidence or avoid discomfort. But the more you practice making decisions without alcohol, the more you’ll realize that you don’t need it to trust yourself. In fact, you can’t fully trust yourself with it.

Final Thoughts

Your intuition is one of your most powerful tools for navigating life, but alcohol interferes with the natural intelligence of your head, heart, and gut. Over time, drinking can weaken self-trust, cloud judgment, and create a disconnect between what you truly want and the choices you make.

By stepping away from alcohol, you will strengthen your inner connection and gain the ability to make decisions that align with your highest self. When you trust your gut—without interference—decision-making becomes a beautiful process of listening to your deepest wisdom and acting accordingly, without the inner battle.

Love and gratitude,
Sarah x