Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health

In this episode, I talk about the social side of drinking less, and the fear that changing your drinking might change how you show up with other people. Will I still be fun? Will the night feel different? Will people notice? And do I have to change everything just because I'm changing this one thing? I also share a story from Thanksgiving that helped me see how a night can still feel full without letting it turn into a morning I regret.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• How Naltrexone Can Change Your Approach to Social Drinking
• Why Isn't Naltrexone Prescribed More Often?
• What a New Stanford Study Reveals About Alcohol and Brain Health

CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

My guest is Dr. Josh McConkie. He's an emergency physician and a military veteran, and he flew medevac missions in Iraq. We get into the moment when toughing it out stopped working for him, and what it was like to come home after that. We also talk about why alcohol becomes the go-to coping mechanism for so many high performers, and why shame keeps people stuck while ownership moves them forward. This one ranges a little wider than usual. But if you've ever told yourself, I can handle it, this episode is for you.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

In this episode, I’m talking about the moment most moderation advice skips: what happens after the first drink. For many people, the first drink is a decision. But the second drink is momentum. Once alcohol starts creating that feeling of relief, connection, confidence, or release, the next drink can start to feel less like a choice and more like a way to protect the feeling. We’ll look at why alcohol can feel different early on than it does later, how the first drink can change your decision-making, and why “I’ll just decide later” often falls apart in the exact moment you need it most. This is not about pretending alcohol never feels good. It’s about learning how to enjoy the feeling without needing to keep chasing it. You’ll learn how to decide the second drink before the first, create a pause between drinks, and practice letting the feeling fade without turning one drink into a night you didn’t plan.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Darcy Sterling, relationship expert, licensed clinical social worker, and host of We Need to Talk. We talk about what happens when one person in a relationship starts drinking less, especially when alcohol has become part of how a couple connects. For many couples, drinking is woven into date night, vacations, and reconnecting at the end of the day. So when one person starts wanting less of it, the other partner may feel judged, confused, or afraid the relationship is changing. Dr. Darcy explains why alcohol can sometimes become like a third person in the relationship, how to bring up drinking less without creating defensiveness, why support can turn into policing, and how couples can build new ways to stay close. This is a practical conversation about communication, resentment, support, and what it looks like to grow without leaving your partner behind.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

In this episode, I’m digging into alcohol cravings and one of the biggest traps people fall into when they’re trying to cut back: negotiating with the urge. Maybe just one. Maybe only tonight. Maybe I’ll reset tomorrow. We’ll look at why cravings can feel so convincing in the moment, what’s happening in the brain and body when the urge to drink shows up, and how a simple practice that can help you pause without fighting yourself. This isn’t about being perfect or forcing yourself into an all-or-nothing approach. It’s about building the skill of noticing a craving, riding it out, and making a more mindful choice that actually supports your goals.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

Most people trying to drink less focus on the drink. But for a lot of high-functioning people, that's only half the pattern. There's a whole cycle underneath it. You overdo it, you feel off, you recommit, you clean things up, you get that "I'm back" feeling. Then slowly, without really noticing, it starts again. And because life isn't falling apart - you're still working, still parenting, still showing up - it's easy to miss. You're not in crisis. You're just spending a lot of energy recovering from the same thing over and over. In this episode I want to talk about why the reset can feel so rewarding, how the comeback itself can become part of what keeps you stuck, and how to start making the swings smaller without needing everything to be perfect. The goal isn't to get better at starting over. It's to build something you don't have to keep starting over from.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

A lot of people think the hardest part about changing their drinking is the alcohol itself. But honestly, for a lot of people, the real exhaustion comes from the constant mental negotiation around it. Should I quit drinking completely? Can I moderate? Am I overthinking this? Why does it feel so hard to “figure out” alcohol when everyone else seems fine?

In this episode, I explore why our brains become obsessed with finding a perfect, permanent answer around drinking, and how that search for certainty can actually keep us stuck. I talk about the psychology behind all-or-nothing thinking, why the idea of “forever” creates so much pressure, and how a harm reduction approach can create more clarity, self-trust, and lasting change. If you’ve ever felt mentally exhausted trying to figure out your relationship with alcohol, I think this episode will feel very familiar.

We also discuss:

•  mindful drinking 
•  alcohol moderation 
•  gray area drinking 
•  overthinking and alcohol 
•  all-or-nothing thinking 
•  sobriety anxiety 
•  harm reduction 
•  alcohol and mental health 
•  changing your relationship with alcohol 
•  the pressure to quit drinking forever 

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE:

Listen to the Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/joinsunnyside
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:

Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink more mindfully without shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Members use Sunnyside to reduce drinking, improve sleep, increase energy, lose weight, save money, and build a healthier relationship with alcohol.

We know an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone. That’s why we focus on helping people set personalized goals, build awareness around their habits, and create sustainable change through accountability, coaching, tracking, and community support. As a result, 96.7% of members reduce their drinking within 90 days.

We also offer Sunnyside Med, a program that provides access to compounded naltrexone for eligible members. Naltrexone is a medication that may help reduce alcohol cravings and support people who want additional clinical tools alongside behavior change, coaching, education, and community support.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not medical advice, and the views expressed by guests may not reflect the views of Sunnyside. If you have concerns about your health or alcohol use, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

In part two, Sunnyside co-founder and CEO Nick Allen continues his conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Egler, Chief Medical Officer at Noom, with a deeper focus on behavior change. They get into why willpower usually fails, how systems and structure make habits easier to sustain, and why tracking, micro habits, community, and even medication can help create momentum. If you’ve ever struggled to make healthier choices stick, this episode offers a more practical way to think about lasting change.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

In this episode, we dig into the strange grief that can show up when you start drinking less. Not regret. Not a craving exactly. More like the quiet feeling of missing something you’re genuinely glad you changed. We’ll look at why alcohol can become woven into your rituals, identity, stress relief, celebrations, and even the future you quietly imagined for yourself. And why feeling some sadness along the way doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means something real is changing.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

In this episode, Mike digs into what anthropologists found after studying altered states across 400+ societies, why your brain can start moving toward relief before you even pour a drink, and how to tell the difference between a habit that enhances your life and one that has quietly become a requirement. From music and movement to the five o’clock pull toward a drink, this episode offers a different way to understand what you’re actually looking for when the urge hits.

RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:

CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE:

• Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3
• Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/
• Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnyside
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside

ABOUT SUNNYSIDE:
 
Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.

We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you’re concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.