The Sober Powered Podcast
Hosted By: Gillian Tietz, MS, CAMS-I, CCIS-II
Do you ever say, "I'm never drinking again!", but then you drink again? There are many reasons why this happens, and none of them are that we're weak-willed losers. After years of rationalizing why her drinking wasn’t that bad, Gill reached her breaking point. With her background in biochemistry, she set out on a quest to understand why some of us struggle with addiction and others don’t. In the Sober Powered Podcast, Gill uses science, psychology, and compassion to help you understand why you struggle to moderate, why it's so hard to quit drinking, and how to develop the coping skills you need to stay sober.
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Sober Powered Episodes
The easiest way to find an episode is to search in Apple or Spotify. Search for “Sober Powered + Topic” and you’ll find any relevant episodes.
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How Exercise Helps Your Brain and Body Heal From Alcohol (and How to Get Started) (E285)
Explore the healing power of exercise in recovery. Find out how to build a routine, resist cravings, and avoid the weight loss obsession.
Alcohol Shortens Your Perception of Time (Instant Gratification) (E283)
Learn about alcohol myopia and how it impacts your future thinking. Learn to embrace patience over instant gratification.
Minimizing, Rationalizing, and the Myth of “I Wasn’t That Bad” (E282)
Face the reality of your drinking. Explore how cognitive dissonance and self-protection keep you stuck, and learn to break free for real change.
Why Your Brain Makes Drinking Look Better Than It Was (E281)
Are your drinking memories too good to be true? This episode explores how your brain edits the past and offers tips to manage cravings effectively. Join me as I reveal how dopamine and emotional memory shape your perceptions and share my personal story.
Romanticizing Alcohol: What’s Going on in Your Brain (E280)
Discover how romanticizing alcohol can challenge your sobriety. Learn brain insights and 3 effective strategies to break the cycle of believing you can moderate when you engage with romanticizing thoughts.
A Burst of Mental Clarity at 60 Days Sober (Cognitive Healing) (E276)
Discover the mental clarity shift many experience around 60 days sober. Learn how sobriety enhances focus, memory, and cognitive recovery.
3 Ways Alcohol Damages the Heart and How to Have Good Heart Health in Sobriety (E275)
Discover how alcohol impacts your heart health. Learn 3 ways it damages your heart, how it heals after sobriety, and 5 tips for a healthier heart.
How the Sober Brain Breaks Down Alcohol Associations (But They’ll Build Back Up if You Drink Again) (E273)
Discover how alcohol shapes our experiences and the brain's associations. Learn to navigate life sober and break free from these powerful connections.
Running On Autopilot Mode (E269)
Discover how alcohol alters brain function, leading to mindless routines and anxiety. Learn how to navigate early sobriety and reclaim your awareness.
Rewiring Your Reward System After Getting Sober (E265)
When does it get easier? Understand the timeline of sobriety rewards and the recalibration of your reward system. Get insights on overcoming boredom and how to make your recovery feel easier.
Why You Can’t Make Good Decisions About Your Drinking (or Anything Else) (E254)
Learn the science behind about alcohol's impact on your brain and decision-making. Break the cycle and rebuild your self-belief for lasting sobriety.
Alcohol and Cortisol: Extra Stress and Extra Cravings (E249)
Discover how stress triggers drinking and relapse. Learn about cortisol's role, its effects during withdrawal, and when your stress response can recover in sobriety.
Sober Sleep is the Best Sleep, But Not Right Away (E247)
Ready for the best sleep of your life? This episode reveals how alcohol impacts your rest and what to expect when you embrace sobriety for better sleep.
Alcohol and Dementia (E246)
Learn about heavy drinking and its link to dementia. This episode covers brain damage, wet brain, and practical tips to safeguard your health.
Alcohol Makes Your Brain Stop Working (E224)
Learn how alcohol alters your brain's connections, trapping you in a cycle of drinking. Find out how to break free from this pattern and regain control of your higher-order thinking skills for a healthier lifestyle.
Six Neurotransmitters That Get Messed Up By Alcohol (E222)
Learn about the impact of alcohol on your brain's important systems like Glutamate, GABA, Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and the HPA axis. Find out how they are affected and how they recover in sobriety.
The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations (E220)
Explore the impact of alcohol on the hippocampus - from blackouts to memory issues and forming associations with alcohol. Learn how this damage affects sobriety and the healing process.
4 Types of Impulsivity That Make it Easier to Drink (E216)
Are you struggling with impulsive drinking? Explore the various impulsive traits that contribute to our inability to control our emotions and urges. Learn how to identify your own impulsive traits and start your journey towards a better, more controlled life.
Good News, Your Brain Heals A Lot Within 90 Days… Unless You Relapse (E210)
Learn about how the brain heals after quitting alcohol. Explore the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain and get clear on the difference between relapse and recovery.
15 Milestones to Look Forward to in Sobriety (Sober Timeline) (E207)
Learn about the 15 positive changes you can expect when you quit drinking, from day 2 onwards. This episode is a celebration of sobriety and all the great things that come from starting (and continuing) to take care of yourself.