Reward Substitution: Healthy vs. Harmful Replacements for Alcohol (E284)
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When we quit drinking, it’s pretty common to pick up another crutch or transfer the addiction to something else like food, work, cannabis, shopping, etc. Your brain still wants comfort, relief, stimulation, and escape and it’s easy to use other methods of relief instead of doing the emotional work and not needing relief. In this episode, I discuss the desire to replace alcohol with something else, how we do this in unhealthy ways, and what healthy reward substitution looks like. If you’ve ever said “at least it’s not alcohol”, then this episode is for you!
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Cite:
Gillian Tietz. Reward Substitution: Healthy vs. Harmful Replacements for Alcohol (E284). Sober Powered. 2025
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