We’re used to intrusive thoughts about drinking while we’re trying to quit and in the early days, but these thoughts can continue to pop up months or even years later. Does this mean you’re on the path to relapse? In this episode I’ll explain where intrusive thoughts about drinking come from and 3 strategies to deal with them. You’ll learn the 4 most common times when someone thinks about drinking again, my experience with these thoughts, and what to look out for if you’re in early sobriety or long term sobriety.

What to listen to next:

E197: Making the DECISION to Quit Drinking

E190: Non-Alcoholic Drinks: The Pros and Cons

E273: How the Sober Brain Breaks Down Alcohol Associations

E269: Living on Autopilot Mode

Work with me:

 Weekly email:

Courses:

Support the show:

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I thought getting sober was the end of the story. I did it, I succeeded, now life will be amazing forever. But the parade never came. Instead, I started to get uncomfortable and notice patterns in my behavior that I didn’t like, and without alcohol around, I couldn’t unsee it. This is where a lot of people fall off. Their work begins to show up, it gets uncomfortable, and instead of facing it they talk themselves into how drinking is a good idea. In this episode, I’ll explain more about “the work”, my experience with it, and you’ll learn 3 ways you can get started facing your work.

What to listen to next:

E240: Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome

E267: Resources vs Support: Are You Setting Yourself Up for Success?

E245: Want to Stay Sober? You Need to Be Consistent

E248: You Can't Be Comfortable AND Stay Sober

E250: What Does it Mean to "Be Ready" to Get Sober

Work with me:

 Weekly email:

Courses:

Support the show:

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many people experience a noticeable shift in mental clarity around 60 days sober. When it happened to me I felt like I was waking up from a long dream and I could finally use my brain again. This may feel like being present, having patience, better focus and attention, improved memory, and reduced mental clutter. In this episode, I’ll explain how alcohol causes cognitive impairments, why we have mental clarity around 60 days in, and how things like memory, attention, and processing speed recover in early sobriety. You’ll learn a general timeline for cognitive healing and which functions take longer than 60 days to begin to recover.

What to listen to next:

E246: Alcohol and Dementia

E220: The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations

E216: 4 Types of Impulsivity

E254: Why You Can’t Make Good Decisions About Your Drinking (or Anything Else)

E265: E265: Rewiring Your Reward System After Getting Sober

Work with me:

 Weekly email:

• You’ll hear from me on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email

Courses:

Support the show:

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alcohol damages every area of the body, but in this episode we are focusing on the heart. I’ll explain 3 ways that alcohol damages the heart, how the heart heals after we get sober, and 5 things you can do to have good heart health moving forward.

What to listen to next:

E232: The 3am Wake Up

E266: Can You Drink After Taking a Break?

E268: Is Moderate Drinking Healthier? Here’s Why So Many Studies Say Yes

E247: Sober Sleep is the Best Sleep, But Not Right Away

Work with me:

 Weekly email:

• You’ll hear from me on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email

Courses:

Support the show:

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your brain is wired for quick hits of dopamine, or high-reward, low-effort habits that feel good in the moment but sabotage your long-term goals. Over time, this conditions your brain to expect rewards without effort, making real change feel harder than it actually is. In this episode, I’ll explain how these patterns destroy motivation, fuel inconsistent effort, and keep you stuck in the cycle of short bursts of change followed by slinking back to your old ways. You’ll learn how high dopamine, low effort behaviors impact the brain, how this makes us resistant to putting in effort, and 3 ways you may be making being sober feel more difficult for yourself than it needs to be- and how to shift that.

What to listen to next:

E265: Rewiring Your Reward System After Getting Sober

E263: Sugar Cravings After Quitting Drinking

E145: ADHD and Alcohol

Work with me:

 Weekly email:

• You’ll hear from me on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email

Courses:

Support the show:

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We believe alcohol is required for vacations, unwinding, dealing with stress, celebrating, and socializing. We have built up powerful associations in our brains to reinforce these beliefs through dopamine and repetition. After you get sober, facing life without alcohol can feel impossible. Everything reminds you of alcohol. You start to notice how prevalent it is on TV and in movies. In this episode, I’m explaining how the brain builds associations with alcohol, how that gets worse while we stay in the back and forth, and how we break down these associations after getting sober. 

What to listen to next:

E267: Resources vs Support: Are You Setting Yourself Up for Success?

E202: WTF is "The Work"?

E270: Incubation of Craving

Work with me:

 Weekly email:

• You’ll hear from me on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email

Courses:

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we develop a problem with alcohol, it becomes the center of our lives and most or all decisions are made after taking alcohol into consideration. When you remove alcohol, there’s a big empty hole in your life. You can fill this hole with other substances, sex or relationships, gambling or shopping, sitting around sad, or you can make some changes in your life. I’ve slowly made changes over the past 5 years to now have a life where I’m excited to wake up in the morning. In this episode, I’m sharing 6 habits that have improved my quality of life. Maybe this will give you some ideas about where you can start for yourself.

What to listen to next:

E242: The Science of Making Good Habits in Long Term Sobriety

Huberman info:

https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/using-deliberate-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance

https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-susanna-soberg-how-to-use-cold-and-heat-exposure-to-improve-your-health

Sober Support:

 Work with me:

• Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching

Courses:

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I function just fine, it’s not like I’m missing work”, I said until I started missing work. “I have a masters degree, I couldn’t have gotten this far if I was an alcoholic.” Have you ever thought things like this to yourself? Most drinkers are able to function. Most will never reach the stereotypical alcoholic that we think of. High functioning doesn’t mean not a problem, and in this episode we’ll discuss drinking to cope with career stress, when drinking feels like it’s a part of the job, and the identity shift that is required when we link our self-worth to external things like career success. You’ll learn about 2 models for alcohol and the workplace: the culture/availability model and the alienation/stress model.

What to listen to next:

E204: Can Anyone Get Addicted to Alcohol?

Sober Support:

 Work with me:

• Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching

Courses:

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably expect that the more sober time you have, the less you crave alcohol. That’s true for some people, but others experience an effect called incubation of craving. This is where cravings build up over time and peak around 60 days, then again around 6 months sober. In this episode, I’ll explain the research on incubation of craving, what you might experience, why this happens, and what you can do to stay sober.

What to listen to next:

E231: Everything You Need to Know About Alcohol Withdrawal

E247: Sober Sleep is the Best Sleep, But Not Right Away

E249: Alcohol and Cortisol: Increased Stress and Cravings

E265: Rewiring Your Reward System After Getting Sober

E266: What Happens After Dry January?

Sober Support:

 Work with me:

• Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching

Courses:

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Regular drinking and early sobriety often feel like living on autopilot, where we are repeating the same routines without conscious awareness. Alcohol changes the brain to increase mindless activity, which can lead to rumination, excessive self-focus, anxiety, and addiction-related thought loops. In this episode, you’ll learn about how alcohol affects the brain and puts us on autopilot, how this keeps us stuck, and when this recovers in sobriety. Many people mistake life stress as the main source of overwhelm, but a lot of it actually comes from how alcohol disrupts brain function. 

What to listen to next:

E220: The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations

E191: Going Back and Forth Makes Your Cravings Stronger

E238: Why Moderation Doesn't Work

Sober Support:

 Work with me:

• Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching

Courses:

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

Sources are posted on my website

Disclaimer: all of the information described in this podcast is my interpretation of the research combined with my opinion. This is not medical advice. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices