Tolerance and the Disappearing Buzz (E293)
Listen here. The episode will automatically load in your preferred podcast listening app.
Have you ever thought back to the early days of your drinking and remembered how just one or two drinks gave you exactly what you wanted? That light, carefree buzz—the feeling that you were relaxed, loosened up, and maybe even a little funnier. Fast forward a few years, and suddenly those same two drinks barely register. You start chasing it—three, four, maybe more—and before you know it, the sweet spot is gone. Instead of a gentle buzz, you either feel nothing… or you’re over the line into drunk.
That disappearing buzz is tolerance. And tolerance is the brain’s way of adapting to repeated exposure to alcohol. In this episode, I want to unpack exactly why the same amount of alcohol feels weaker over time, how tolerance develops in your brain, why it fuels heavier drinking, and why that easy, carefree buzz eventually disappears altogether.
What to listen to next:
E265: rewiring the reward system
E204: why not everyone develops a problem
Resources I offer:
Sober Support:
• Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life
• Weekly emails on Fridays
Work with me:
Courses:
• Sober milestones: what to expect when you quit drinking
Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors.
If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show!
Listen here. The episode will automatically load in your preferred podcast listening app.
Cite:
Gillian Tietz. Tolerance and the Disappearing Buzz (E293). Sober Powered. 2025
Please respect my intellectual property and properly credit me if you share my work.
