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Sober Powered

Author: Gillian Tietz, MS, CAMS-I

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I promise you, you're not a weak-willed loser with no self-control because you have to quit drinking. There are a lot of reasons why we can't control the way we drink- trauma, lack of coping skills, stress, anger, anxiety. Plus, as you'll learn in my podcast, alcohol takes advantage of our vulnerabilities to hook us, then it changes our brains to keep us stuck and reliant on alcohol. It's not about willpower. In the Sober Powered Podcast, I use science, psychology, and compassion to help you understand why you use self-destructive coping skills like alcohol, what happens in the brain to make drinking spiral out of control and prevent us from drinking in moderation, and how to develop the coping skills and emotional sobriety you need to quit drinking and stay sober.

About me: I quit drinking on November 9, 2019. I have a master's in biology and I'm a certified anger management specialist, crisis intervention specialist, and professional recovery coach.

Not sure where to start? I recommend 170, 191, 196, 197, 202, 211, 213, 216, 220, 224, 226, or 228.

253 Episodes
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Moderation is impossible. If you can’t moderate, then you’ll never be able to. Some people can moderate with rules and intense focus, but that’s not real moderation. In this episode I’ll explain why we can never be cured, what’s going on in the brain, and hopefully help you accept that you drink the way you drink and that’s it. What to listen to next: E204: can anyone get addicted to alcohol? E150: 15 moderation strategies I tried to control my drinking This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Have you ever felt totally convinced that it was going to be different this time, only to drink and find out it’s still not any different? We can repeat this cycle too many times to count, and maintain the belief that we’ll be able to moderate our drinking someday if only we keep trying. In this episode you’ll learn why you repeat this process even though you have a ton of proof that it won’t be different. I’ll discuss the fading affect bias and how the bad memories fade and the good memories gain power. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
At the end of our drinking, we continue to drink even though it’s not enjoyable and causes a lot of suffering. As addiction progresses it goes from liking alcohol to wanting or needing alcohol. In this episode I’ll explain why alcohol feels pleasurable and enjoyable for us, and how eventually we get a payback and start feeling miserable. You’ll learn a bit about the pleasure pain balance too. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Everyone loves dopamine right now. We know it’s involved in addiction and pleasure, and that it gets depleted when we drink. In this episode, I’m going to explain dopamine’s role in motivation, cravings, and building associations with our drinking. One of the earliest signs of addiction is loss of control, so how dopamine contributes to us being unable to control how much alcohol we drink. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Cancer and cirrhosis. The 2 scary parts of drinking. This is going to be a brutally honest episode about the scary side of how alcohol affects the body. I purposefully split this off from the previous episode in case you don’t want to hear it. In this episode you’ll learn how the body processes alcohol, why women typically have more health related consequences than men, how alcohol causes cancer, how alcohol causes fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and the prognosis for someone with cirrhosis. I will give you a warning before I discuss the prognosis of cirrhosis so if that is information you don’t want to hear then you will be able to turn off the episode. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
There’s so much to say about how alcohol affects the body I could go on for hours, and none of it is good stuff. I’ll explain why alcohol makes you sweaty and red, how it affects sleep, how it impacts the heart and blood pressure, how alcohol impacts skin and aging, how it causes leg cramps, how it initially energizes us before making us horribly exhausted, how it impacts gut and oral health, how alcohol causes inflammation, and how it impacts memory and cognition. This isn’t an episode meant to scare you, just to inform you about all the things you may be experiencing. Often we don’t know that alcohol is the cause. In the next episode I will cover the scary side of how alcohol impacts the body, so if you don’t want to hear that you can skip it. If you enjoyed this episode, I would really appreciate if you'd help me spread the word. We need a comprehensive episode on how alcohol affects the body from the sober community. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Not remembering how we went to bed becomes a normal experience, but it is not normal. We get drunk, eventually end up in bed, only to jolt awake around 3am. After the panic passes, we realize we’ve done it again. We got way too drunk and can’t remember the end of the night. This realization is followed by shame and anxiety, which likely continues into the next day before we repeat the process. The 3am wake up of shame was something I did a few times a week. I would force myself to stay awake until 6 as punishment for drinking too much, so my day could become even worse. There are 3 factors that go into this- how alcohol affects our sleep, how alcohol affects the central nervous system, and how alcohol affects the heart. I will cover all 3. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Withdrawal is pretty obvious, the symptoms that we experience when we quit drinking. There is a lot more to it though. In this episode you’ll learn about why we have withdrawal symptoms and how alcohol impacts the central nervous system. Then I will focus on kindling and how withdrawal can become worse the more cycles we go through, and how returning to drinking during the withdrawal period puts stress on the brain and strengthens the associations we have with alcohol leading to more intense cravings the next time we try to quit. If you are stuck in the back and forth then this is an important episode to listen to. This episode is part of a 9 episode series for Dry July 2024. Make sure to follow my podcast so you don't miss the rest of the series. Dry July Sober Powered Skills Special Dry July Course https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Getting started is the hardest part. What are you supposed to do with your time? How do you get through the first week? In this episode I’ll cover 11 tips to help you succeed in Dry July. E190: NA Drinks: the pros and cons Quit drinking course for Dry July on Sober Powered Skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Our thoughts create our reality. For most of my life I thought that I had bad luck and bad things kept happening to me, but in sobriety I realized I had very toxic thinking. When something happens to us, we assign meaning to it and that meaning can create issues. It’s important to learn how to adjust your perspective. In this episode I will cover 5 mindset shifts that can help you stay sober, and then I’ll discuss why being able to adjust our perspective is so critical. Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
If you’ve stopped drinking, have you noticed that when you walk into a room your eyes immediately go to where the alcohol is? Or how you keep track of how quickly everyone is drinking and what drink they’re on without any effort? Or how you never realized how much people in TV shows and movies drink until now? This is because alcohol can capture and hold our attention, leading to increased cravings that make it difficult to not drink. In this episode you’ll learn what’s going on in the brain to get our attention stuck on alcohol, how this makes it more difficult to quit drinking, what factors increase the ability for alcohol to grab and hold our attention, and how we can overcome this to be successful in sobriety. What to listen to next: E224: alcohol makes your brain stop working E211: the anticipation of a drink E197: making the decision to quit drinking Sober Powered Skills Bonus Episode: 3 Exercises to Increase Top-Down Control of Your Brain https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Let's talk about goal setting and building self-confidence. You've probably heard me mention off and on that I've had this goal to deadlift 200 lbs. I just achieved it. If you can stay put for a short story about my deadlift, then I promise I have a point. I want to get into goal setting, how to determine what your goal should even be, and what this can do for your self-confidence. I'm not talking about a goal to lose weight or drink in moderation. What to listen to next: E188: Wellness Over Weight Loss E216: 4 Types of Impulsivity Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Many of us use alcohol to turn off our brain, escape our problems, or check out, but escapism is actually associated with more intense drinking and lower life satisfaction. In this episode you’ll learn about the different theories behind escapism, why we’re doing this, and how it makes our problems worse. I hope that this episode can help you make some connections so you realize drinking isn’t helping you. I’ll also share a personal story of when I drank to escape and how that went for me. What to listen to next E213: self care is not temporarily turning off your brain E214: self-medication E216: 4 types of impulsivity Sober Powered Skills Bonus Episode: One Cause of Escapism and How to Cope https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
What causes a relapse? How can we recognize it and make changes before we actually relapse? In this episode I’ll discuss the path to relapse and what is going on. Whether you relapsed or want to be vigilant in case you relapse or get weird thoughts, then you’ll learn about denial, low insight, not being ready to quit, and 5 strategies to deal with a relapse.  What to listen to next: E210: Good News, Your Brain Heals A Lot Within 90 Days… Unless You Relapse E191: Going Back and Forth Makes Your Cravings Stronger E212: Why Some People Get Sober and Others Don’t (Resilience and Epigenetics) Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Your brain has to be connected well to be able to work. We beat ourselves up because we know we shouldn’t drink, but then we do, or because we keep convincing ourselves it’ll be different this time, even though it’s never different. It’s easy to think this is because you’re a weak-willed loser with no self-control, but it’s just not true. In this episode I’m explaining how alcohol changes the way our brains are connected to make us continue drinking in an automatic loop while preventing us from using higher-order thinking skills at the same time. We need to be able to use our brain to get out of the back and forth. What to listen to next: E191: Going Back and Forth Makes Your Cravings Stronger E128: Why Cravings are So Powerful (Attentional Bias) E182: Why You Drink Habitually Without Thinking E205: Kindling in Alcohol Withdrawal E220: The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations Sober Powered Skills Episode: Do This Daily to Turn Back On Your Brain https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
There are triggers to drink everywhere, but I’ve seen 6 common ones that mess up people’s attempts to get sober. In this episode I’ll explain what these are and how you can start dealing with them. I’m going to start our discussion with a personal lesson I learned about giving up when things get hard. We also need to learn how to push through discomfort, come out the other side, and build our confidence. What to listen to next E199: frustration tolerance E216: 4 types of impulsivity (giving up quickly) E157: brain fog and fatigue E206: HALT: hungry, angry, lonely, tired Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Glutamate, GABA, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and the whole HPA axis (stress response). These are some of the important systems in your brain that get messed up when you blast your brain with alcohol all the time. Then when we quit drinking, these get even more messed up. In this episode you’ll learn what these 6 do, how alcohol messes them up, how they get more messed up when we quit drinking, and how long it takes for them to recover in sobriety. (TW: link between addiction and suicide when I discuss serotonin) What to listen to next E38: Central Nervous System Depression E75: How Sleep Improves from Actively Drinking to Long Term Sobriety E170: Here’s Why The First Year of Sobriety is So Hard E201: Your Dysregulated Stress Response Sober Powered Skills Episode: Feel Calm, Boost Dopamine, Improve Your Mood, and Reduce Stress https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Alcohol is marketed as a key to relaxation and fun. Ads and movies show us that alcohol is essential for social bonding and carefree moments, signaling us that a drink in hand is your ticket to fun and connection. Then when we start to notice our drinking is problematic and think about how we may have to get sober, one of the first things we panic about is how this means the fun is over. In this episode, I’ll explain why alcohol isn’t fun and 5 ways you can redefine fun after quitting drinking. What to listen to next E170: why the first year of sobriety is so hard E217: Warm Weather: 3 Reasons We Think Alcohol is Required E213: Self-Care is NOT Temporarily Turning Off Your Brain Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
The hippocampus is an important part of the brain, which is unfortunately very vulnerable to alcohol. It is most well-known for its role in blackouts, but damage to the hippocampus from our drinking can cause problems with everyday memory too, like telling someone the same story over and over again. The hippocampus has a lesser known, but very important role in learned associations. Associations are cues in the environment that help us predict an alcohol reward, so they cause cravings to drink. In this episode, I’ll describe how alcohol damages the hippocampus to cause blackouts, impair our memory, and form associations with alcohol. You’ll learn how this damage persists in sobriety and how long it takes for the hippocampus to heal. Sober Powered Skills Bonus Episode: 3 Ways to Improve Hippocampus Function https://www.soberpowered.com/skills What to listen to next E211: the anticipation of a drink E218: in the moment craving vs constant craving E196: how the brain recovers in sobriety E210: the brain heals a lot in 90 days (unless you relapse) E191: going back and forth makes your cravings stronger Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
Our lifestyle can make our sobriety easier or harder. When we quit drinking, things have to change. We can’t keep coming home to the same old routine but just not drink. In this episode I’ll explain 7 lifestyle changes that you can make overtime to support your sobriety and why these changes are helpful.  What to listen to next: E188: wellness over weight loss E213: self-care is NOT temporarily turning off your brain Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Anger Management Program https://www.soberpowered.com/anger Sober Powered Skills (bonus episodes with practical application and coping skills) https://www.soberpowered.com/skills Weekly emails on Thursdays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free   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
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Comments (4)

Lynne Perry

I need to listen to this again. there is so much great information here

Mar 8th
Reply

Melissa Adams

Thank you so much for all the advice. You make it easier to navigate this new way of living!👏

Jul 1st
Reply

Jared Coudrain

thank you so much for everything. I'm on day 2 and I'm glad I found this podcast! you're amazing!

Jun 29th
Reply

Trish James

Wow! I'm definitely going to listen again, with pen and paper at the ready. The analogy of the gremlins was super helpful. I had joy tears Gill listening to you describe your enjoyment of being awake in bed. Great to know that by improving homeostasis, means I'll be able to have more moderate enjoyment, eg bed sheets 🤣, has certainly been my experience. Thanks Gill, love your work

Dec 4th
Reply
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