How do you know if you're someone who needs to get sober for good or if you're just going through a phase?

In this episode, I'll share about how my own drinking progressed over the years and a lot of research about how drinking motives differ in problem drinkers versus take it or leave it drinkers,

how being sober curious progresses problematic drinking, and how putting your brain through multiple cycles of withdrawal makes it more difficult to get out of the back and forth cycle.

And before we dig in, I'd like to take a moment to thank my sponsors who made this episode possible.

Sean has had some good ideas over the years, but using Canva was a really good one.

Sean designed some social posts to promote his friend's car boot sale.

They looked good, really, really good.

Next thing he knows,

someone came and bought the lot,

including the car.

Now Sean doesn't know how he's going to get home.

Thanks, Canva.

Thank you. Welcome back to the sober powered podcast.

I am your host Jill and happy episode 300.

So I wanted to talk about one of my favorite topics, the difference between problem drinkers and take it or leave it drinkers. And first I want to start with a little story

time. I became sober curious when I noticed that my tolerance doubled within a short period of time, and I was getting drunk

and blacking out multiple times a week on work nights too. I blamed my stressful teaching job

on why I had to drink so much, but deep down, I was worrying if I was an alcoholic. So this is when I started trying to moderate my drinking.

And over time, I tried mocktails, making rules, alternating with water,

but I just couldn't get my drinking under control.

Then three years into being sober curious,

I took a one week break to prove that I wasn't an alcoholic

...