Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health

Sunnyside
  • 4.8 (145)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Semiweekly

Exploring the science of drinking less, from alcohol cravings and habit change to moderation, naltrexone, and building a healthier relationship with alcohol. Whether you're sober curious, cutting back, or thinking about quitting, this podcast meets you where you are. Journey to the Sunnyside is a top 1% podcast reaching over 500,000 listeners every week. Through expert interviews, neuroscience research, and real stories, we cover what actually works — mindful drinking, behavior change, medication-assisted approaches, harm reduction, and more. Hosted by Mike Hardenbrook, #1 best-selling author and neuroscience enthusiast. Brought to you by Sunnyside, the leading program for changing your relationship with alcohol. Start your free trial at sunnyside.co. Disclaimer: The views expressed in our episodes do not necessarily represent those of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your drinking, please consult a medical professional. This podcast is not medical advice.

  1. 3d ago

    A Neuroscientist Explains Why Your Brain Keeps Asking for a Drink w/ Dr. Jud Brewer

    Why do you keep wanting a drink, even when you’re not enjoying it that much? I’m joined by Dr. Jud Brewer, a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, Brown University professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety. We talk about how your brain learns to want alcohol, why that wanting can outlast the enjoyment, and how curiosity can help you change a habit you’ve struggled to think your way out of. We also get into a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while: Do we actually love the taste of wine and whiskey, or have we learned to love what comes next? CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    A Neuroscientist Explains Why Your Brain Keeps Asking for a Drink w/ Dr. Jud Brewer

  2. 6d ago

    7 Times You’re Most Likely to Drink More Than You Planned

    Most of us have had nights where two drinks somehow became four, or one glass of wine turned into most of the bottle. In this 10-Minute Monday, I break down seven situations where it’s especially easy to drink more than you intended, why they can change the way you drink without you really noticing, and the psychology behind a few of them. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    7 Times You’re Most Likely to Drink More Than You Planned

  3. Sep 21

    The Most Important Drinking Decision Might Not Be the First One

    Having a drink and deciding to keep drinking aren't always the same decision. In this 10-Minute Monday, I look at what starts to change after that first drink, why what you wanted at the beginning of the night can shift as the night goes on, and how planning ahead can help. If you've ever wanted the first couple of drinks but wished you'd skipped the last one, this episode explains why that distinction matters. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    The Most Important Drinking Decision Might Not Be the First One

  4. Sep 14

    The Difference Between Drinking for Fun and Having Fun While Drinking

    Alcohol and fun can become so closely linked that it’s hard to tell what the drink is adding and what was already enjoyable. In this 10-Minute Monday, I explore how that association can follow us into different stages of life, what research reveals about alcohol and social connection, and how understanding the difference can help whether you’re drinking tonight or choosing not to. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    The Difference Between Drinking for Fun and Having Fun While Drinking

  5. Sep 10

    Why Naltrexone Was Rejected for 40 Years w/ Percy Menzies

    Percy Menzies was there at the beginning. A pharmacist by training, he helped launch naltrexone at DuPont in the 1980s and later served as an associate product director when it was approved for alcohol dependence. He believed they had a medication that could change millions of lives. Instead, he watched it run into resistance from doctors, treatment centers, and some of the most powerful organizations in the field. Percy eventually left DuPont and founded the Assisted Recovery Centers of America, where he built his own treatment model around the medication he had spent years trying to get people to accept. This is the surprising firsthand story of how a medication proven to help people struggled to reach those who could benefit from it, who stood in its way, and why, more than 40 years later, Percy believes naltrexone’s moment may finally be here. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    Why Naltrexone Was Rejected for 40 Years w/ Percy Menzies

  6. Sep 8

    Nothing Is Wrong. So Why Am I Drinking This Much?

    What if you like your life, but you’re still drinking more than you want? Nothing has fallen apart. Your family is good, your career is going well, and you’re handling everything that needs to get done. So why does alcohol continue taking up more space than you’d like? In this episode, I explore why this question can be so confusing and why the answer may be more ordinary than you think. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    Nothing Is Wrong. So Why Am I Drinking This Much?

  7. Sep 3

    More Gen Z Adults Are Drinking. Boomers Are Cutting Back. w/ Merrilee Burke, LMFT

    For years, Gen Z has been described as the generation turning away from alcohol. New data tells a more complicated story: more legal-drinking-age Gen Z adults are drinking, while Boomers are drinking less often and having fewer drinks when they do. Licensed marriage and family therapist Merrilee Burke returns to talk through what these shifts might mean, how younger adults may be drinking differently, and why moderation appears to be growing across every generation. Read the IWSR article behind our conversation. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    More Gen Z Adults Are Drinking. Boomers Are Cutting Back. w/ Merrilee Burke, LMFT

  8. Aug 31

    Everyone Looks Fine. Including You.

    Have you ever looked around a room full of successful people drinking and thought, if they’re fine, I must be fine too? But what if some of those same people are looking at you and reaching the exact same conclusion? Today, we’re talking about how we can become each other’s proof and quietly create a version of normal that nobody ever says out loud. CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work. Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

    Everyone Looks Fine. Including You.
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4.8
out of 5
145 Ratings

About

Exploring the science of drinking less, from alcohol cravings and habit change to moderation, naltrexone, and building a healthier relationship with alcohol. Whether you're sober curious, cutting back, or thinking about quitting, this podcast meets you where you are. Journey to the Sunnyside is a top 1% podcast reaching over 500,000 listeners every week. Through expert interviews, neuroscience research, and real stories, we cover what actually works — mindful drinking, behavior change, medication-assisted approaches, harm reduction, and more. Hosted by Mike Hardenbrook, #1 best-selling author and neuroscience enthusiast. Brought to you by Sunnyside, the leading program for changing your relationship with alcohol. Start your free trial at sunnyside.co. Disclaimer: The views expressed in our episodes do not necessarily represent those of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your drinking, please consult a medical professional. This podcast is not medical advice.

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