228 episodes
Sober Powered Gillian Tietz, MS, CAMS-I
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- Health & Fitness
I promise you, you're not a weak-willed loser with no self-control. 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 and crisis intervention specialist.
Not sure where to start? My most popular episodes are 99, 150, 170, 177, 180, 186, 191, 194, 196, 197 and 202.
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E212: Why Some People Get Sober and Others Don’t (Resilience and Epigenetics)
It’s frustrating if you keep trying to stop drinking, but aren’t succeeding. We’ve discussed the brain changes that make it more difficult in a few recent episodes, but there are other factors as well. In this episode we’ll discuss the difference in how people handle the same life circumstances and stressors, and what determines whether you will be resilient in the face of stress and hardship. You’ll learn about epigenetic changes that make it more difficult to be resilient and how your family, friends and support system plays a role.
Sober Powered Skills bonus episode: 3 Skills to Practice to Improve Your Resilience
https://www.soberpowered.com/skills
What to listen to next
E149: alcohol and the nervous system
E210: good news, your brain heals A Lot within 90 days… unless you relapse
E204: why some people get addicted and others don't
Bullying story:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/38-sober-powered-a-coffee-with-gillian-tietz/id1653657536?i=1000623771932
https://www.recoveryelevator.com/re-461-wait-you-drink-poison/
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 -
E211: The Anticipation of the Drink
Anticipation of the reward from alcohol is one of the main reasons we stay stuck in the back and forth cycle. We believe alcohol will help us relax, unwind, deal with negative emotions, have fun, or connect with others. This is what causes cravings for alcohol. In this episode I’ll explain how we learn to associate certain things with drinking, how we can break these associations after we quit drinking, and 2 ways that you can reduce cravings.
What to listen to next:
E62: dopamine deep dive
E197: making the decision to quit drinking
E143: how to stay accountable in your sobriety
E128: why cravings are so powerful
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 -
E210: Good News, Your Brain Heals A LOT After 90 Days Sober… Unless You Relapse
Significant brain healing can happen within the first few months of being sober. Finally some good news for us, right? In this episode you’ll learn more about how alcohol damages the brain to make it harder to stay sober and how the brains of people who are able to stay sober differ from those who go on to relapse. It’s not just deciding that you’re done with drinking and that’s it. That’s what we observe other people do who aren’t addicted and then we feel like losers with no self-control when we do the same. The problem is, when you drink heavily long term it changes your brain and this makes it hard for the brain to function properly.
What to listen to next:
E196: how the brain heals in sobriety
E191: going back and forth makes your cravings stronger
E205: kindling in alcohol withdrawal
E202: wtf is "the work"
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
Quiz: what should you focus on to stay sober? https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/661458075c79120015d2eb4f
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 -
E209: How Porn Addiction Affects the Brain
Behavioral addictions are stigmatized because they feel like more of a choice because there’s no substance changing your brain. However, process addictions or behavioral addictions like porn do actually change the brain in similar ways. In this episode I’ll explain why porn is so addicting, brain changes from porn, and how porn influences us to objectify women and see them as sex objects. Porn has another layer of addictiveness beyond brain changes, it causes novelty seeking. This destroys relationships and I will explain more about why porn promotes novelty seeking, being unable to enjoy regular sex, and warning signs to look out for that you or a loved one are addicted to porn.
What to listen to next:
E170: Why the First Year of Sobriety is so Hard (it's Dopamine!)
E128: Why Cravings are So Powerful (Attentional Bias)
E203: Why You Still Want Alcohol Even When You Hate It (It’s Dopamine!)
E201: Your Dysregulated Stress Response
E202: WTF is “The Work”?
E204: Can Anyone Get Addicted to Alcohol?
Get support for porn addiction:
Porn Addicts Anonymous (12 Steps) https://www.pornaddictsanonymous.org/
The Addicted Mind Podcast https://theaddictedmind.com/episode-260-unraveling-the-complexities-of-sex-and-porn-addiction-with-dr-paula-hall/
The Addicted Mind Shame Webinar https://theaddictedmind.com/shame
Therapy Brothers Podcast (Call in Show) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapy-brothers/id1500794877
Unhooked Podcast Breaking Porn Addiction https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unhooked-breaking-porn-addiction-podcast/id1648984850
Relay App https://www.joinrelay.app/porn-recovery
Find a therapist that specializes in porn addiction (sort by zip code, insurance, and select sex addiction under "issue") https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Get 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
Quiz: what should you focus on to stay sober? https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/661458075c79120015d2eb4f
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 -
E208: Stress, Depression and Our Eating Habits
We do the same thing with our diet that we do with our drinking- our eating habits aren’t great, but they’re not bad either so it feels manageable. Our food quality impacts our mental health and stress levels though. I’ve been struggling with fatigue and depression, so it got me interested in the link. In this episode I’m explaining the importance of breakfast and a high quality diet. You’ll learn how what you eat impacts the way you feel, how stressed you are, and how this makes us more likely to reach for a drink or to emotionally eat at the end of the day.
What to listen to next:
E201: your dysregulated stress response
E188: wellness over weight loss
Get 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
Quiz: what is causing your alcohol cravings? https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/65db8de55d674c92e333e001
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 -
E207: 15 Milestones to Look Forward to in Sobriety (Sober Timeline)
There are lots of great things that happen when you quit drinking, but we can get distracted by wanting everything to be easy and perfect. In this episode I’m sharing 15 things you can look forward to from day 2 to years of sobriety. Wherever you’re at in your journey, this episode will remind you of some of the best things about being sober.
What to listen to next:
E17: alcohol and the heart
E169: alcohol and gut health
E159, 161, 162: physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits from quitting drinking
E188: wellness over weight loss
E75: how sleep recovers in sobriety
E157: brain fog and fatigue
E175: 5 ways to boost your energy
E170: why the first year of sobriety is so hard (it's dopamine)
Get 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
Quiz: what is causing your alcohol cravings? https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/65db8de55d674c92e333e001
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