The Alcohol Reset by Cloud9

Can losing just one hour of sleep actually change how much you drink?

Daylight saving time might seem like a small adjustment, but shifting the clocks can disrupt your sleep, affect your mood, and even influence your daily habits. Could feeling more tired or stressed make that evening glass of wine or beer a little more tempting?

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

• How daylight saving time disrupts your body's internal clock
• Why losing sleep can affect your mood, cravings, and decision-making
• How alcohol can make sleep problems even worse
• Why darker evenings and changing routines may influence drinking habits
• Simple ways to protect your sleep and stay mindful of your drinking

🎧 Tune in to discover how a one-hour clock change might influence your drinking habits, and why better sleep could make all the difference.

Ever plan to have just two drinks at a Halloween party, only to realize you've had way more than you intended?

From spooky cocktails and oversized party cups to costumes, social pressure, and the excitement of the night, Halloween can subtly influence how much alcohol you drink—often without you realizing it.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

• How Halloween costumes and party environments can influence drinking behavior
• Why seeing everyone else drink can make you want another round
• How sweet, themed cocktails can disguise how much alcohol you're consuming
• Why oversized cups and constant refills make it harder to track your drinks
• How alcohol affects your judgment and makes sticking to your original limits more difficult

🎧 Tune in to uncover the hidden psychology behind Halloween drinking—and how to enjoy the spooky celebrations without getting tricked into drinking more than you planned.

Why does a bottle say 40% alcohol and 80 proof—and why do we need two numbers for the exact same drink?

Alcohol proof sounds complicated, but once you understand the surprisingly simple math—and the strange history behind it—it becomes much easier to know how much alcohol is actually in your glass.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

• What alcohol proof actually means and how to calculate it
• The bizarre history behind the word “proof”
• Why higher proof doesn’t always mean you’re consuming more alcohol
• How beer, wine, and spirits can contain similar amounts of pure alcohol
• Why cocktails and overproof spirits can make tracking your intake tricky
• What really determines how strongly a drink affects you

🎧 Tune in to decode alcohol proof, discover the strange story behind the number, and learn what actually matters when figuring out how much alcohol you’re drinking.

Ever wonder why some people can have several drinks and barely seem affected, while others feel it almost immediately?

Alcohol tolerance can increase over time—but that doesn’t necessarily mean your body is getting better at processing alcohol. In many cases, your brain is simply adapting to repeated exposure, allowing you to feel less affected even when alcohol is still impacting your body.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

• What alcohol tolerance actually means
• Why feeling less drunk doesn’t mean your BAC is lower
• How your brain and liver adapt to repeated drinking
• Why eating, hydration, and drinking speed change how alcohol feels
• What happens to tolerance when you take a break
• Why needing more alcohol for the same effect may be worth paying attention to

🎧 Tune in to discover whether you can really train your body to “handle” alcohol—and why needing less might actually be the better goal.

Ever notice two people can be the exact same age, drink similar amounts, yet seem to be aging completely differently?

Alcohol doesn't affect everyone equally. Genetics, sleep, drinking patterns, nutrition, and overall health can all influence how alcohol shows up in your body—from your skin and energy to your heart, brain, and recovery.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

Why genetics can change how your body processes alcohol
How alcohol may influence sleep, skin, inflammation, and oxidative stress
What research says about alcohol and biological aging
Why looking young doesn't necessarily mean alcohol isn't affecting you internally
How Vitamin B1 and NAC support systems involved in recovery

🎧 Tune in to discover why alcohol may affect the aging process differently for everyone—and what your own response could be telling you.

Remember when a few drinks barely slowed you down? Now the same night out can take an entire day to recover from.

Alcohol itself hasn't changed, but your body has. Changes in sleep, body composition, hormones, stress, and recovery can all influence why drinking feels so different in your 40s compared with your 20s.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

• Why the same number of drinks can hit differently as you age
• How changing body composition affects alcohol concentration
• Why alcohol-related sleep disruption becomes harder to bounce back from
• The role of hormones, stress, nutrition, and medications
• Why tolerance doesn't necessarily mean you're processing alcohol better
• How Vitamin B1 and NAC fit into the body's recovery systems

You don't have to drink like your 20-year-old self to enjoy alcohol today. Understanding how your body has changed can help you find what actually works for you now.

🎧 Listen in to learn why alcohol hits differently with age and how to adjust without giving it up entirely.

Why can some people drink a few beers and feel fine, while others feel awful after just one glass?

The answer isn't just tolerance or body size. Your genes, liver, nutrition, and even your gut all influence how your body processes alcohol—and why everyone's experience is so different.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

Why some people get flushed or sick after just one drink
The surprising role of your genes in alcohol metabolism
How your liver, gut, and nutrition affect alcohol tolerance
Why Vitamin B1 and NAC play important roles in recovery
What your body's reaction to alcohol may be trying to tell you

🎧 Tune in to discover why alcohol affects everyone differently—and how understanding your biology can help you make smarter drinking decisions.

Think your vision is fine after a couple of drinks? Your eyes—and your brain—might disagree.

Even before you feel intoxicated, alcohol can make headlights seem brighter, reduce your ability to see contrast, and slow how quickly your eyes adjust to the dark. These subtle changes can make nighttime driving and other low-light activities much more challenging.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

•  Why alcohol makes night vision worse 
•  How glare from headlights becomes more intense 
•  The surprising role of contrast sensitivity in low-light vision 
•  Why your brain processes visual information more slowly after drinking 
•  How Vitamin B1 and NAC support your body's recovery after alcohol 

🎧 Tune in to discover the hidden ways alcohol affects your vision after dark—and why those subtle changes matter more than you might think.

Ever wonder why pizza, fries, and snacks seem impossible to resist after a few drinks?

It’s not just a lack of willpower. Alcohol can change how your brain processes taste, smell, hunger, and reward—making food genuinely seem more appealing than it normally would.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

•  Why food tastes different after drinking 
•  How alcohol changes your sense of smell and flavor perception 
•  The connection between alcohol, hunger hormones, and cravings 
•  Why fullness signals become easier to ignore 
•  How sleep disruption can fuel next-day food cravings 

🎧 Tune in and discover why your favorite late-night foods suddenly become irresistible after a few drinks.

Got a cut, bruise, injury, or recovering from surgery? Alcohol may be affecting more than you think.

Healing isn't just about what happens at the wound—it's a full-body process involving your immune system, sleep, hydration, and nutrient levels.

Research suggests alcohol can interfere with several of these systems, potentially slowing recovery.

In this episode, Mike Hardenbrook breaks down:

•  How alcohol affects the body's natural healing process 
•  The connection between alcohol, inflammation, and immune function 
•  Why sleep quality plays a major role in recovery 
•  How dehydration can slow the delivery of oxygen and nutrients 
•  The role of Vitamin B1 and NAC in supporting recovery pathways 

🎧 Tune in and learn what your body needs to heal—and how alcohol may be getting in the way.