Recently, wine spectator shared an article on Instagram about how moderate, daily wine drinking helped you not get covid. Most people see that post and think, “great, I knew I was doing something right!” and very few people actually go read the article. In this episode, Gill discusses science funded by the alcohol industry, how that ends up influencing the results, and how you can know the difference between biased, exaggerated claims and the truth. She walks you through a few different studies that support how alcohol is healthy, shows you the holes in these studies, and what the truth is. By the end of the episode you'll be able to spot biased science and you'll learn a bit more about how pervasive the alcohol industry is in scientific research today.

Wine Spectator Study

https://www.winespectator.com/articles/new-study-suggests-red-wine-reduces-covid-infection-rates

What to listen to next:

E80: Benefits of a Dry Month

E79: Why We Romanticize Alcohol

E76: Learning the Truth About Your Drinking with Dr. Anna Lembke, Author of Dopamine Nation

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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.

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Gill discusses if alcohol actually tastes good and feels good for us. You’ll learn about why we perceive alcohol as pleasurable, a bit about taste genetics, and how the way alcohol tastes for you can influence how much you drink. She has an interesting study to share with you about how the pleasure you feel from alcohol affects how much you drink, and if we develop a tolerance to pleasure making us require more alcohol to get the same effect.

What to listen to next:

E76: Learning the Truth About Your Drinking with Dr. Anna Lembke, Author of Dopamine Nation

E11: Why Alcohol Feels Good (Endorphins and Opioid Receptors)

E62: Dopamine and Addiction

E28: Is it a Bad Habit or a Problem?

E77: Why are Non-Alcoholic Drinks Triggering?

E48: Is Addiction Genetic or a Learned Behavior?

What to watch next:

Thoughts on deserving a drink

https://youtu.be/a-9rL2kOjPY

What to do when you're romanticizing alcohol

https://youtu.be/0HfSNOTNFDU

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill discusses heightened emotions in the first 90 days of sobriety, but really this can apply to whatever stage you’re at. Big emotions and mood swings are very common, so in this episode you’ll learn how your emotions change when you stop drinking, how to manage this without turning to another self-destructive coping mechanism, and what to expect emotionally during withdrawal, early sobriety, and up to 90 days of sobriety.

What to listen to next:

E9: From chronic day ones to forever sobriety

E38: What causes withdrawal symptoms?

E67: How alcohol impacts cortisol and causes cravings

E40: Why are we so angry?

What to watch next:

5 walks to help your sobriety (the rage walk)

https://youtu.be/AJy10StaHa4

I quit drinking on my own, but what does that mean for you?

https://youtu.be/3ZYSWpc-YY0

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill welcomes Amanda E. White to the podcast. Amanda is a licensed therapist and the author of the book “Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating A Sober Life You Love.” Not drinking is just the beginning of improving our lives. We also have to learn things like how to deal with emotions, how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, and how to take care of ourselves. This episode is your guide to moving forward without alcohol.

 In this episode you’ll learn:

Amanda is the founder and owner of the group therapy practice, Therapy for Women Center, based in Philadelphia serving clients across the country. In her clinical work, she specializes in working with individuals with substance use disorders and eating disorders. She has been featured in notable publications such as Forbes, Washington Post, Shape, Women’s Health Magazine, and more. 

Connect with Amanda:

Where to get her book amandaewhite.com

Her practice's website therapyforwomencenter.com

Instagram www.instagram.com/therapyforwomen

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

 Gill discusses why we drink. Our motivation for drinking matters and a recent study found that why we drink coincides with the development of alcohol use disorder. She covers the main reasons why people drink: to cope with mental health and negative emotions, to unwind after work and deal with stress, to socialize, and to cope with stress from parenting. She found some interesting studies to share with you about why people drink, and one study at the end of the episode about why mom’s drink.

What to listen to next:

E55: How to Power Through When You Want to Give Up

E63: Why Alcohol Causes Depression and Suicidal Thoughts

E79: Why We Romanticize Alcohol

E54: Neuroplasticity and Using Alcohol to Escape or Numb Out

E43: Drinking to Cope

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill discusses Dry January and how a month-long challenge can help you. You’ll learn the physical and mental health benefits of giving up alcohol for 30 days, a bit of the history of Dry January and how popular it is, and how giving up alcohol for a month can greatly improve your self-efficacy or your belief in yourself. She never did a month-long challenge, but she shares a bit about her experience giving up alcohol for 90 days and what she learned from that break.

What to listen to next:

E23 What your blood can reveal about your liver health

E9 From chronic day ones to forever sobriety

E16 Signs I was a problem drinker

E38 What causes withdrawal symptoms?

E60 How alcohol affects our cognitive abilities

E36 Your sober pal tell us what AA is like

E59 What to expect when you stop drinking

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill discusses romanticizing alcohol. You’ll learn why we selectively remember the positive memories of our drinking, why the negative memories fade away, and how this can lead us to drink again. She found a very cool study to tell you about too, that looked at how quickly negative memories fade for moderate drinkers versus heavy drinkers. And if you struggle with romanticizing alcohol, then she provides some tips at the end of this episode for dealing with these thoughts.

What to listen to next:

E25: Staying Sober During the Holidays

E28: Is it a Bad Habit or a Problem?

E32: A Conversation with my Husband

E61: How Alcohol Memories are Triggered in Sobriety

E62: Dopamine and Addiction

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill welcomes Nikki Eisenhauer to the podcast. Nikki is a licensed psychotherapist, life coach, and the host of the Emotional Badass Podcast. If you struggle with alcohol, then it's highly likely that you also struggle with handling emotions in a healthy way. Gill loves the way that Nikki discusses emotions in her podcast, and knew her expertise would be the perfect addition to Sober Powered.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill discusses non-alcoholic drinks. Some people love them, and some people think they ruin your sobriety. In this episode she explains why non-alcoholic drinks can be so triggering and how they activate the reward center. You’ll learn if it’s safe to consume drinks that have a tiny bit of alcohol in them, why you might get a fake buzz from non-alcoholic options, and how drinks that mimic the real thing can lead someone down the path to relapse or they could just be a great tool for someone else’s recovery.

What to listen to next:

E31: If Alcohol is Toxic, Why Can We Drink it?

E61: How Alcohol Memories are Triggered in Sobriety

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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

Gill welcomes Dr. Anna Lembke to the podcast. Dr. Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021), an instant New York Times bestseller, explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world.

In this episode, you'll learn:

In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It’s So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), which was highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018). Dr. Lembke appeared on the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives.

Get your copy of Dopamine Nation here

What to listen to next:

E62: Dopamine and Addiction

Resources I offer:

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 my work 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