Intrusive Thoughts About Drinking When You’re Already Sober & 3 Ways to Deal (E278)

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We’re used to intrusive thoughts about drinking while we’re trying to quit and in the early days, but these thoughts can continue to pop up months or even years later. Does this mean you’re on the path to relapse? In this episode I’ll explain where intrusive thoughts about drinking come from and 3 strategies to deal with them. You’ll learn the 4 most common times when someone thinks about drinking again, my experience with these thoughts, and what to look out for if you’re in early sobriety or long term sobriety.

What to listen to next:

E197: Making the DECISION to Quit Drinking

E190: Non-Alcoholic Drinks: The Pros and Cons

E273: How the Sober Brain Breaks Down Alcohol Associations

E269: Living on Autopilot Mode

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Cite:

Gillian Tietz. Intrusive Thoughts About Drinking When You’re Already Sober & 3 Ways to Deal (E278). Sober Powered. 2025

Please respect my intellectual property and properly credit me if you share my work.

Sources

1. Sinha, R. New findings on biological factors predicting addiction relapse vulnerability. Current Psychiatry Reports. 2011

2. Lieberman, M. D., et al. Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science. 2007

3. Berking, M., et al. Deficits in emotion-regulation skills predict alcohol use during and after cognitive-behavioral therapy for alcohol dependence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2011

4. Kalivas, P. W., & Volkow, N. D. The neural basis of addiction: a pathology of motivation and choice. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 2005