E297: Enhancement Drinking: Drinking to Feel More

Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober

Gillian Tietz, MS, CPRC

Science, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement

4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When we think about quitting drinking one of the first things we think about is the loss of fun, socializing, and drinking on vacation. Drinking to enhance is all about using alcohol to feel more or to make the good vibes last longer. In this episode, I’ll explain why we use alcohol as an enhancer, how the brain adapts, and why this makes regular life feel dull when we try to stay sober. You’ll learn some mindset shifts and things to consider about if alcohol was really as rewarding as you think. Companion guide in the community: navigating the "fun now" urge in sobriety and understanding where your need for constant stimulation and excitement comes from What to listen to next: E211: the anticipation of a drink E265: rewiring the reward system E269: autopilot mode Work with me: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching Weekly email: You’ll hear from me on Fridays https://www.soberpowered.com/email Free resources https://www.soberpowered.com/free Courses: The non-negotiable mindset https://www.soberpowered.com/mindset-course Don’t try harder, try different https://www.soberpowered.com/willpower Support the show: If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support all the research and effort that goes into this podcast https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors 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

Transcript

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0:00.0	When we think about quitting drinking, one of the first things that we think about is the loss of fun, socializing, and drinking on vacation.
0:10.0	Drinking to enhance is all about using alcohol to feel more or to make the good vibes last longer.
0:17.0	In this episode, I'll explain why we use alcohol as an enhancer, how the brain adapts to this,
0:24.1	and why this makes regular life feel dull when we try to stay sober. You'll learn some mindset
0:29.6	shifts and things to consider about if alcohol was really as rewarding as you think. And before we
0:36.5	dig in, I'd like to take a moment to thank my sponsors
0:39.2	who made this episode possible. When I quit drinking, I didn't have the mental bandwidth to keep
0:45.7	my house clean on top of trying to learn how to function like a normal person and feel my emotions.
0:51.5	So I had all this shame buildup for years about the state of my house.
0:56.1	When we moved two years ago, I used it as a fresh start to keep my new house clean,
1:00.6	and I've done that with the help of house cleaners. They hold me accountable because I can't
1:05.0	blow up my house because I know they're going to be back in two weeks. And this is why I'm
1:09.4	excited to tell you about
1:10.9	HomeGlow. You can instantly book a trusted background check cleaner online for a one-time
1:16.9	deep clean or on a regular schedule. Every cleaner passes a rigorous certification process
1:23.1	and 100% of cleaning fees and tips go straight to them. HomeAglow is available in the U.S.
1:29.1	and in my experience, if it's in your budget, then I can't recommend it more.
1:33.1	Take home cleaning off your plate this fall by using HomeGlow.
1:36.5	Head to homeaglow.com slash power to get your first three hours of cleaning for only $19.
1:43.5	That's HomeGlow, H-O-M-E-A-G-L-O-W.com slash power.
2:05.2	Think back to some of the times that you drink.
2:10.1	Maybe it was a wedding reception, a night out, a concert, a vacation.
	...

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