I'm a hydro user, not a drinker, but I used to feel like when people annoyed me or there was a major task I had to do, that I was getting permission to take my pills. I'm day 6 sober so I have yet to determine a replacement for that annoyance but I figure we do it because we don't know how to face adversity. We are dulling our reaction to the affects our mental absence to the situation is having. By not being there to manage The kids, or the annoying coworker, we aren't creating a situation to prevent them from being annoying in the future. We are allowing status quo, which we've admitted annoys us. Maybe forcing ourselves to be present in the situation will allow us to have an outcome less annoying next time?