Holiday overwhelm isn’t about being weak, it’s about carrying more emotional weight with fewer internal resources. In this episode, I walk you through simple ways to stay regulated when the pressure builds. You’ll learn how to reduce emotional overload, recover faster from overstimulation, and navigate challenging environments and people.

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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 holidays create the perfect storm for stress and emotional reactivity in sobriety. Your reward system may still be healing, your stress circuitry is more sensitive, your routine is disrupted, and old family roles and comparisons drain your patience fast. Most importantly, I teach you how to regulate before the stress hits so you’re not constantly trying to recover from emotional overload. This is the foundation of real stress resilience in sobriety.

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

Family interactions can trigger the relapse mindset long before cravings show up. You’ll learn how old emotional roles, deep shame pathways, and the brain’s threat-prediction system pull you back into survival mode and why alcohol becomes the remembered shortcut for relief. I break down seven internal permission slips that fuel relapse thinking and the emotional chain reaction behind them. This episode teaches you how to interrupt the pattern early, before the thought of drinking even enters the picture. 

What to listen to next: E241: 6 Theories of Alcohol Cravings E223: 6 Common Triggers for Drinking and How to Avoid Them

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

This fear hits so many people between 6–18 months sober. In this episode, we’ll look at the deeper roots of this thought: identity lag, internalized criticism, perfectionism, shame, and the brain’s inability to feel progress early on. I break down why everything feels slow, and why “being behind” is almost never about sobriety itself. This episode helps you understand what’s really going on underneath that pressure and how to interpret it without spiraling or beating yourself up.

E270: Cravings Increase After Quitting Drinking and Peak Around 60 Days Sober and 6 Months Sober

E302: Feeling Like a Normal Person Again After 8-10 Months E252: How Many Attempts Does it Take to Quit Drinking for Good

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

Non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails are very popular, but are they good for your sobriety? In this episode I’ll explain both sides of the argument- how they can be helpful for your sobriety and how they can be triggering, cause cravings, or hold you back. You’ll learn if 0.5% non-alcoholic drinks are okay to drink and why you may get the feeling of a fake buzz when you consume alcohol-free drinks.

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

A lot of clients will tell me that they feel like a normal person again. This isn’t a random occurrence, there are 4 very real changes that are happening to the brain during the healing process that allow you to feel normal eventually. In this episode I’ll describe this milestone and 4 changes that make it possible.

If you enjoy learning about timelines, then there is a detailed timeline of healing and what to expect inside my community or as a client resource.

What to listen to next:

E300: how problem drinking develops and escalates

E296: the science of why we drink

E295: the feeling of lost time

E289: emotional tunnel vision: when little problems are a big deal

E283: alcohol shortens your perception of time

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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 think you’re a loser and a failure, then you’re going to behave in ways that confirm these beliefs. We all have beliefs about our inherent worth and what we deserve, and when life starts getting too good, we’ll self-sabotage to bring ourselves back down. In this episode, I’ll explain the self-worth ceiling and where this comes from so you can get some insight on your own motivations behind your behavior.

What to listen to next:

E269: autopilot

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

• Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

How do you know if you’re someone who needs to get sober for good or if you’re just going through a phase? In this episode, I’ll share about how my drinking progressed over the years and a lot of research about how drinking motives differ in problem drinkers vs take it or leave it drinkers, how being sober curious progresses problematic drinking, and how putting your brain through multiple cycles of withdrawal makes it more difficult to get out of the cycle. 

What to listen to next:

E267: resources vs support: are you setting yourself up for success?

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

• Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

Social drinking feels harmless. Everyone does it right? There’s a difference between using alcohol to socialize and using it to force fitting in and feeling comfortable. In this episode you’ll learn more about the motive of drinking to socialize, how this makes it difficult to quit drinking, and some shifts you can make in sobriety to make socializing easier.

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

• Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free

Courses:

• The non-negotiable mindset https://www.soberpowered.com/mindset-course

• Don’t try harder, try different  https://www.soberpowered.com/willpower

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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

One of the first things I learned about drinking was that when adults are stressed, they drink, and the stress goes away. As a high stress person, it made perfect sense to me to start drinking every day to manage my stress. This is coping drinking in action. Drinking didn’t help me manage anything. It delayed my problems and allowed them to get worse. In this episode you’ll learn why alcohol is so effective for coping, how long term coping drinking impacts the brain, and what to expect when you first quit drinking.

What to listen to next:

E201: stress

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

• Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free

Courses:

• The non-negotiable mindset https://www.soberpowered.com/mindset-course

• Don’t try harder, try different  https://www.soberpowered.com/willpower

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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 think about quitting drinking one of the first things we think about is the loss of fun, socializing, and drinking on vacation. Drinking to enhance is all about using alcohol to feel more or to make the good vibes last longer. In this episode, I’ll explain why we use alcohol as an enhancer, how the brain adapts, and why this makes regular life feel dull when we try to stay sober. You’ll learn some mindset shifts and things to consider about if alcohol was really as rewarding as you think.

Companion guide in the community: navigating the "fun now" urge in sobriety and understanding where your need for constant stimulation and excitement comes from

What to listen to next:

E211: the anticipation of a drink

E265: rewiring the reward system

E269: autopilot mode

Work with me:

• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

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

 Weekly email:

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

• Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free

Courses:

• The non-negotiable mindset https://www.soberpowered.com/mindset-course

• Don’t try harder, try different  https://www.soberpowered.com/willpower

Support the show:

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

• Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

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