This episode is everything you need to know about cortisol, stress and alcohol. I’ll explain how our stress system adapts to both chronic stress and chronic heavy drinking, how multiple cycles of withdrawal impacts this adaptation, how this causes more cravings, and what this means for our ability to cope with life. We think alcohol helps take the edge off and reduce our stress levels, but it actually just makes us less resilient. What to listen to next: E191: Going Back and Forth Makes Your Cra...
Mar 19, 2024•18 min•Ep. 201
The moment that should have been my rock bottom, but wasn’t. I never thought I’d share this story, but I realized recently that this story doesn’t have any power over me anymore. Shame was a big problem for me during my drinking and when I got sober. I thought I’d never get over it. I had bad memories play like movies in my head and I had no control over when it happened and I couldn’t make it stop once it started. In this episode I’m telling the full story of my greatest shame and how you can m...
Mar 15, 2024•17 min•Ep. 200
Your ability to tolerate frustration can make your life easier or it can make it harder. For most of my life I made things harder for myself. In this episode I’m explaining what frustration tolerance is, some interesting studies on emotion regulation, how this increases our risk of relapse, and what we need to do to better tolerate discomfort, negative emotions, frustration, and anger. What to listen to next: E149: How Alcohol Affects the Nervous System E161: what to expect emotionally when you ...
Mar 12, 2024•16 min•Ep. 199
I struggled with anger for most of my life. Conveniently, when I began drinking a lot of my anger went away, but when I got sober it came back stronger than ever. I would get overcome with such intense rage that I struggled to function. Learning to understand my anger, see all the things that were connected to it, and developing skills to work with it has changed my life. In this episode I’m explaining 5 ways my life has improved since doing this work. Resources I offer: Community & Meetings...
Mar 08, 2024•16 min•Ep. 198
I cover a lot of research on this podcast, and it’s probably difficult to remember it all. In this episode, I’m sharing my favorite things I learned in February and how you can apply each of them to your life. Episodes covered: 191-196 Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Sober Group Coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays...
Mar 05, 2024•17 min
A lot of us “quit” drinking and we go back and forth for a long time beating ourselves up for being too weak to stick with it. In this episode, I want to discuss how alcohol impacts our ability to make decisions based on our goals, what actually making the decision looks like, and how you can get closer to quitting for good. What to listen to next: E196: how the brain recovers after quitting drinking E164: how taking breaks helped me quit for good E125: why we lose our off switch Resources I off...
Mar 01, 2024•14 min•Ep. 197
Sometimes, we’ll say we don’t want to drink anymore, but what we really mean is we want to drink without the consequences. Your intention matters and if you are carrying around hopes and dreams of drinking again someday, then you’ll drink again. In this episode I want to explain why even when sobriety, your life, your job, and your relationships are a priority for you you still might end up drinking and then later you’re left wondering why you always do this to yourself. This is a replay of one ...
Feb 26, 2024•18 min
Did we blast our brains beyond repair with all of our drinking? What if you drank heavily for decades? Are you doomed? In this episode I’m explaining a ton of different studies on brain recovery in sobriety. You’ll learn what to expect as you get more sober time, if our brains make a full recovery, how long it takes to see improvement, how drinking less impacts your brain, and more about how alcohol damages the brain. What to listen to next: E195: when does sobriety get better E12: why we blacko...
Feb 23, 2024•17 min•Ep. 196
Sobriety is great, but it can also be frustrating. We did the work right? We quit drinking, so when is it going to get easier? When will we start to feel better? When does sobriety become a normal part of our lives and not something that we have to put so much effort into anymore? I’m answering all of these questions in todays episode What to listen to next: E164: how taking breaks helped me stop for good E162: cognitive benefits E170: why the first year is so hard E176: you have to grieve alcoh...
Feb 19, 2024•13 min•Ep. 195
When you’re used to using alcohol to fix all your problems, it’s difficult to know what to do when that’s no longer an option. Drinking prevents us from having to learn coping skills because we use alcohol to control our emotions and feel whatever we want to feel, until the alcohol wears off of course. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 coping skills that you can start practicing to deal with situations and emotions that normally you’d run to alcohol for. What to listen to next: E128: why cravings a...
Feb 16, 2024•16 min•Ep. 194
Did you know that about 30% of adults don’t get enough sleep? Sure, being tired sucks and many of us are busy and have reasons for not getting enough sleep. But did you know that sleep quality has a major impact on our emotions for the day? In this episode, you’ll learn more about sleep research, how sleep impacts your emotional experience during the day, how alcohol affects sleep, and why you have drinking dreams in sobriety. Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered L...
Feb 12, 2024•13 min•Ep. 193
I cover a lot of research on this podcast, and it’s probably difficult to remember it all. In this episode, I’m sharing my favorite things I learned in January and how you can apply each of them to your life. Episodes covered: E186-190 Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Sober Group Coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays...
Feb 09, 2024•19 min
Cravings make it difficult to stay sober. You may not be craving alcohol because you need it though, you may be craving alcohol because you’re not taking good care of yourself. When we’re drinking we live on autopilot mode and we move through life like a ghost always stuck in past shame and regret or fantasizing about being able to moderate in the future. When you get sober, you have to become aware of yourself. In this episode, I’m explaining the role that being hungry has in cravings for alcoh...
Feb 05, 2024•13 min•Ep. 192
Many of us go back and forth while we’re trying to stop drinking. You might get 4 or 5 days in, then drink again and repeat this process many times. Obviously, less drinking days are better for your health, but drinking during the withdrawal stage actually intensifies your cravings making it harder to stop next time. In this episode you’ll learn how withdrawal impacts the associations your brain makes with alcohol and how this keeps us stuck in denial about our drinking. What to listen to next: ...
Feb 02, 2024•14 min•Ep. 191
Non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails are very popular, but are they good for your sobriety? In this episode I’ll explain both sides of the argument- how they can be helpful for your sobriety and how they can be triggering, cause cravings, or hold you back. You’ll learn if 0.5% non-alcoholic drinks are okay to drink and why you may get the feeling of a fake buzz when you consume alcohol-free drinks. What to listen to next: E62: dopamine Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Po...
Jan 29, 2024•17 min•Ep. 190
If your mind gets stuck on cravings to drink and you can’t redirect, then you’re more likely to white knuckle it until the craving becomes so intense that you drink. If your mind gets stuck on negative thoughts, jealousy, or unfairness, then you’re going to ruminate until you become more depressed or you retaliate. In this episode, I’m explaining what is going on in the brain to cause our thoughts to become stuck on something, why other people are able to redirect and move on, and what you can d...
Jan 26, 2024•12 min•Ep. 189
A lot of us quit drinking and expect weight loss. We see influencers online sharing before and after pictures and telling us how much weight we can lose when we get sober. Not everyone will lose weight when they quit drinking, and some will even gain before they lose. It's all normal. In this episode, I'm discussing how the more we obsess and try to control our food, the more it backfires and prevents us from reaching our goals. You'll learn a little bit about my story with food and weight and h...
Jan 22, 2024•20 min•Ep. 188
The biggest problem with gray area drinkers is that they don’t have a huge rock bottom. They usually have limited outward consequences or none at all, and this lack of consequences makes it very easy to keep drinking. Most of us think that quitting for good is only for hardcore alcoholics and if you’re not that bad, then you will be able to figure out how to moderate. If you struggle with telling yourself "it's not that bad", then I hope this episode gives you some perspective to move forward. W...
Jan 19, 2024•8 min
There are a lot of people who will quit for about a few days or a week or 2 and then go back to drinking, and they repeat this process over and over again. Withdrawal is stressful for the brain and putting your brain through this stress only to blast it with alcohol again is a lot. In this episode you’ll learn how multiple cycles of detoxing and going back to drinking can impact the brain and impact your experience in recovery. What to listen to next: E162: what to expect cognitively when you qu...
Jan 15, 2024•12 min•Ep. 187
Every time I say I’m an angry person or that I struggled with rage in my first year people always laugh and say that they can’t imagine that. Anger doesn’t have to be outward and explosive, it can also be a deep boiling rage that you stuff down inside and don’t let anyone see. I’ve been triggered to drink a few times in my four years of sobriety, and every time I have one of these big triggers I immediately feel intense anger. I wanted to understand more about anger and how to help people with i...
Jan 12, 2024•18 min•Ep. 186
Dr. Brooke Scheller is back on the show! We’re discussing her new book, How to Eat to Change How You Drink, and focusing on the role nutrition plays in anxiety, alcohol and sugar cravings, blood sugar, gut health, and more. Takeaways: Nutrition plays a significant role in mental health, including anxiety and mood disorders. Blood sugar imbalances can contribute to cravings for alcohol and sugar. Testing nutrient levels can provide valuable insights into deficiencies that may be affecting mental ...
Jan 08, 2024•52 min
For some, sobriety is the best thing ever and the benefits are really exciting. But for others, things may get worse before they get better. In this episode I’m sharing 7 unexpected things that happen in early sobriety like acne, drinking dreams, night sweats, and sugar cravings. Whether you have a pink cloud or not, you’ll experience some of these things. What to listen to next: E75: sleep in sobriety for up to 2 years sober E41: why we crave sugar E165: my 30 day break from sugar E157: brain f...
Jan 05, 2024•14 min•Ep. 185
Dry January is a great time to take a break from drinking after going hard over the holidays, but does it have an impact on your ability to drink less or stay sober? In this episode I’m discussing the research on Dry January participants, the benefits you may see this month, and if Dry January is associated with a reduction in drinking long term. I’ll also explain how you can increase your chances of success this month and my best tips for staying sober. What to listen to next: E164: how taking ...
Jan 01, 2024•18 min•Ep. 184
Happy Dry January! In this episode I'm joined by Casey from the Hello Someday Podcast, Suzanne from The Sober Mom Life Podcast, and Erinn & Michaela from the 2 Sober Girls Podcast to discuss all things Dry Jan. We chatted about our experience with Dry January, what we think about the trend, the benefits we saw in our first month of sobriety, and advice we have for anyone just starting out. Connect with Casey: https://hellosomedaycoaching.com/ https://www.instagram.com/caseymdavidson/ Connect...
Dec 29, 2023•53 min
Christmas is one of those days that we future trip about. We think, how am I going to not have a drink on Christmas?! I was 6 weeks sober for my first sober Christmas, so in this episode, I'm sharing the story of my first sober Christmas, how I felt, and what helped me get through it sober. Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Dry January Group Coaching Program https://www.soberpowered.com/dry-january-coaching (Coming So...
Dec 24, 2023•10 min
Not drinking requires you to exert cognitive control over your impulsive system, but it’s difficult to develop the pause between the urge to drink and drinking. In this episode you’ll learn how your brain makes decisions, how working memory can impact how much you drink, and how this can help you stay sober. You may hear a few meows in this episode hehe. That's Rudy. He wanted to help me record this episode What to listen to next: E162: what to expect cognitively when you quit drinking E163: can...
Dec 22, 2023•13 min•Ep. 183
This is a belief that I see holds a lot of people back from quitting drinking. In this episode I'm discussing why we think everyone drinks like we do and why they actually don't. Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Dry January Group Coaching Program https://www.soberpowered.com/dry-january-coaching (Coming Soon) Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the la...
Dec 19, 2023•8 min
A lot of us refer to our drinking as a bad habit. Something we have to break and then we’ll be okay. Something gets messed up with the way we build, maintain, and break habits and that’s what we’re discussing in this episode. You’ll learn about the different ways your brain determines what action to take, how this impacts cravings, and I’ll analyze a personal story about my experience with automatic drinking without any thought. What to listen to next: E164: how taking breaks helped me quit for ...
Dec 15, 2023•16 min•Ep. 182
I lost friends when I quit drinking. If this is something you worry about or something that you're experiencing, then in this episode I'm explaining my perspective on why our friendships end when one person gets sober and why you may not be invited to things anymore. Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Dry January Group Coaching Program https://www.soberpowered.com/dry-january-coaching (Coming Soon) Anger Management Pro...
Dec 12, 2023•8 min
It takes us a long time to realize that we need to stop drinking. But why does it take us so much longer than the average person to realize we need to make a change? In this episode, I’m explaining how addiction changes the brain to keep us stuck in automatic, habitual behaviors, like drinking alcohol. You’ll learn how problem drinkers differ from healthy controls cognitively, and why we get stuck in bad habits and can’t change. Resources I offer: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered...
Dec 08, 2023•12 min•Ep. 181
