How to Drink Less

Avsnitt

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  78. Tell Yourself the Whole Story about That Drink 24.09.2026 11min

  Have you ever noticed that when you really want a drink, your brain shows you the best 30 seconds of the experience and conveniently leaves out everything that comes next? You picture the first sip, the relaxation, the buzz. But you don’t picture the second or third drink, the 3 a.m. wake-up, the foggy morning, or the disappointment and regret you might feel the next day. In this episode, you’ll learn: why cravings tend to focus on the immediate reward of drinking while editing out what...
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  77. Want to Drink Less? Make a Better Plan. 17.09.2026 15min

  Do you keep promising yourself you won’t drink tonight—only to change your mind when 5 p.m. rolls around? The problem may not be your willpower. The problem is that “I’m not going to drink tonight” is an intention, not a plan. If the situations that usually derail you are predictable, you can prepare for them before they happen. In this episode, you’ll learn: how to identify the specific situations that are most likely to make you change your mind about drinking;how to anticipate the predicta...
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  76. Do You Want to Feel Better or Do You Want to Get Better? 10.09.2026 14min

  If you’ve ever reached for a drink when you're stressed or sad or frustrated because you just wanted to feel better, this episode is for you. Because sometimes the thing that makes you feel better right now is the exact opposite of what will help you get better in the long run. Alcohol offers fast relief from anxiety, boredom, loneliness, and other uncomfortable feelings. But if you want to feel genuinely in control around alcohol, you also need opportunities to practice handling those moment...
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  75. Stop Telling Yourself You Can't Drink 03.09.2026 12min

  What if telling yourself “I can’t drink” is actually making alcohol more desirable? When alcohol feels forbidden, not drinking can start to feel like deprivation. But the truth is, you can drink. The more useful question is whether you actually want everything that comes with that choice. In this episode, you’ll learn: why “I can’t drink” can make you feel restricted and deprived; how to shift from “I can’t drink” to “I can drink, but I’m choosing not to”; how to stop fo...
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  74. What Are You Practicing When You Drink? 27.08.2026 11min

  Every time you drink, you're practicing something. Drink after a stressful day—you're practicing using alcohol to escape stress. Drink because everyone else is drinking—you're practicing letting the group influence your decision. Drink whenever you're bored, anxious, or celebrating—you're reinforcing the association between those experiences and alcohol. But here's the good news: Every time you choose not to drink, you're practicing something too. In this episode, I offer you one simple...
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  73. Do This to Stay Sober Tonight 20.08.2026 14min

  Are you trying not to drink tonight? Don't make it harder by worrying about whether you'll drink at Christmas, on your next vacation, or for the rest of your life. Your only job right now is to figure out tonight. In this practical episode, I walk you through a simple plan for getting from the end of the workday to bedtime without drinking—without white-knuckling your way through the evening or getting sucked into an exhausting debate with yourself. You'll learn: why thinking too ...
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  72. You Don't Actually Want Alcohol 13.08.2026 13min

  What if the craving you're feeling isn't actually for alcohol? In this episode, I challenge one of the biggest assumptions we make about drinking: that when we think "I need a drink," what we really want is alcohol. That's not really true. Alcohol is simply the strategy your brain has learned to use to get something else—relaxation, confidence, connection, relief, belonging, or a break from the noise in your head. Once you understand what you actually need, you stop fighting the drink a...
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  71. "Why Can't I Stop at One Drink?" [Listener Q&A] 06.08.2026 13min

  Have you ever promised yourself you'd only have one drink... and then found yourself pouring a second, a third, or finishing the whole bottle? You're not alone. In this episode, I explain why stopping at one drink is so much harder than it seems—and why it has far less to do with willpower than you might think. We'll explore what alcohol does to your brain after the first drink, why one drink creates the desire for another, and why it's often easier to have no drinks at all than to stop...
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  70. Make It Easy to Say No to the Drink 30.07.2026 13min

  Do you ever feel like you're relying on sheer willpower to get through the evening without drinking? What if the problem isn't that you need more self-control... but that you're making the decision much harder than it needs to be? In this episode, I share simple, practical ways to change your environment so that saying no to alcohol becomes the easier choice. Because successful habit change isn't about constantly resisting temptation—it's about stacking the odds in your favor. In this episode...
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  69. Nonalcoholic Drinks: Helpful Replacement or Slippery Slope? 23.07.2026 19min

  Are nonalcoholic drinks keeping you hooked, or can they actually help you stay sober? In this episode, I answer one of the questions I get asked constantly: Are non-alcoholic drinks okay to rely on or are they just perpetuating the dependence? I break down why I think they're one of the most useful tools available to you, how to choose what to drink, and the thing worth watching for as you look for replacements for your old alcoholic favorites. You'll learn: why so much of drinking was ...
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  68. How to Break the “I’ll Start Tomorrow” Cycle [Listener Q&A] 16.07.2026 12min

  Do you wake up determined not to drink... only to reach 6 p.m. and think, "I'll just have a drink tonight, but I definitely won't drink tomorrow"? If that cycle feels painfully familiar, this episode is for you. Today I'm answering a listener question about one of the biggest lies our brains tell us when we're trying to change our drinking: that tomorrow will somehow be easier. In this episode, we'll explore: why "tomorrow" is such a tempting promise; the hidden beliefs under...
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  67. Why Sobriety Feels So Hard (At First) 09.07.2026 13min

  Why does sobriety feel so awkward at first? Because you're a beginner. In this episode, we're talking about one of the biggest mistakes people make when they try to cut back or quit drinking: expecting themselves to feel comfortable saying no to alcohol from day one. The truth is, you're not just learning how to stop drinking. You're learning how to relax, celebrate, socialize, travel, cope with stress, and enjoy ordinary life in a completely new way. In this episode, you'll learn: why awkwar...
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  66. Whose Voice Are You Listening to When You Drink? 02.07.2026 9min

  Do you hate being told what to do? If so, this episode is for you. So many people tell me they resist cutting back on alcohol simply because they don't like rules—even rules they make for themselves. But what if drinking isn't actually the rebellious choice? In this episode, we're exploring a powerful question: Whose voice are you listening to when you choose to drink? We'll talk about how our beliefs about alcohol are shaped by family, friends, culture, advertising, and years of repetition—a...
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  65. How Alcohol Affects Your Sleep 25.06.2026 16min

  If you've ever said, "Alcohol helps me fall asleep," this episode is for you. Today we're talking about why alcohol seems to help you fall asleep, what it's actually doing to your brain and nervous system, and why so many people wake up at 3 a.m. feeling anxious, restless, and wide awake after drinking. You'll learn: the difference between sedation and restorative sleep;how alcohol affects your sleep cycles, especially REM sleep;why drinking can increase anxiety and exhaustion over time;what ...
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  64. 2,000 Hangovers I Never Had 18.06.2026 16min

  Today marks 2,000 sober days for me. That's 2,000 hangovers I never had. 2,000 mornings I woke up with a clear head. 2,000 opportunities to show up for my life. When I first started trying to change my drinking, I thought sobriety would give me more energy, fewer regrets, and maybe help me lose a little weight. What I got instead was so much more. In this episode, I reflect on the unexpected gifts of sobriety, including: getting my time and mental bandwidth back;learning how to experience joy...
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  63. What Is Alcohol Helping You Tolerate? 11.06.2026 16min

  What if alcohol isn't helping you cope with your problems? What if it's helping you tolerate them? In this episode, I explore the idea that alcohol keeps us settling for lives that are smaller, harder, and less fulfilling than they could be. I talk about how drinking becomes a shortcut to temporary relief, why alcohol feels like it's helping in the moment, and how it can quietly keep you stuck in situations that aren't working—whether that's a stressful job, a lonely relationship, burnout, pe...
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  62. How to Manage Cravings without Willpower 04.06.2026 16min

  If you're trying to drink less or quit completely, cravings can feel like the hardest part. One minute you're fine. The next, your brain is telling you that a drink sounds like the best idea you've ever had. But what if cravings aren't a sign that you're failing? In this episode, I explain what alcohol cravings actually are, where they come from, and why most people make them much harder than they need to be. You'll learn: what is actually happening in your brain when a craving appears;why tr...
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  61. You Already Know How to Quit Drinking 28.05.2026 14min

  What if the problem isn’t that you can’t quit drinking… but that you keep telling yourself you can’t? In this episode, I’m challenging the belief that sobriety is something other people know how to do but you somehow don’t. We’ll talk about: the difference between “I can’t” and “I haven’t yet”;why your self-talk matters more than you think;how to break down moderation and sobriety into a set of learnable skills;and how to stop using your past as evidence for your future.Because you don't need...
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  60. How Alcohol Affects Hunger, Cravings, and Overeating 21.05.2026 36min

  Ever wonder how alcohol affects your hunger, and why overeating and overdrinking so often go hand in hand? In this episode, you'll learn: why one drink often turns into many (and what’s really happening in your brain);how alcohol impacts hunger, cravings, and binge eating;what to do if you’re turning to alcohol when you’re hungry;what you actually need in those moments when your brain says you “need a drink.”This episode originally aired on binge eating coach Amber Abila's podcast...
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  59. What Are You Saying Yes to When You Say No to Alcohol? 14.05.2026 8min

  What if focusing on what you’re “giving up” is the very thing making it harder to change your drinking? In this episode, I’ll help you shift out of deprivation and into possibility by asking one powerful question: What are you saying yes to when you say no to alcohol? We’ll talk about: • why your brain fixates on alcohol as a “loss”; • the psychology behind FOMO and deprivation; • how drinking becomes automatic and reactive; • why choosing not to drink is an intentiona...