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Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober — Health & Fitness
Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober

Why do some people stay sober and others relapse back and forth? Getting sober isn’t about restriction, it’s about rewiring your brain to function without intensity, chaos, dopamine spikes, and avoidance.

Hosted by Gill Tietz, a former biochemist turned sober coach, this show dives into the neuroscience of long-term sobriety — why some people relapse, why others stay free, and how to build the kind of brain that can handle life without alcohol.

Each episode blends science, psychology, and real experience to help you strengthen the four pillars of neuro-resilience:

1. Neural Recovery – healing your brain’s reward and stress systems after alcohol.

2. Emotional Regulation – calming reactivity and learning to feel without escaping.

3. Cognitive Rewiring – changing the thought patterns that pull you backward.

4. Behavioral Integration – designing routines and habits that make being sober your default.

Whether you’re newly sober or years in, you’ll learn research-backed tools and mindset shifts so sobriety stops feeling like something you’re trying to want and starts feeling like who you are.

This is hard work. If you want my support, then check out my online sober community or my 1:1 work.

Website: www.soberpowered.com

Copyright: © 2025 Sober Powered by Gillian Tietz

Latest Episodes:

E151: Why Your Attempts to Quit Drinking Aren't Working May 12, 2023

Show notes

There are a lot of different ways to quit drinking and what works for 1 person won’t necessarily work for everyone. I think everyone has tried things that haven’t worked, so in this episode I’m going through some of my experiences. You’ll learn why these methods didn’t work for me and hopefully this will help you make some decisions about the ways you are trying to quit. If you've been trying to quit without success then this episode may give you a better idea of what's been going wrong.

What to listen to next:

E150: 15 moderation strategies I tried to gain control of my drinking

E91: do you want to be sober or do you want to drink without the consequences?

E143: how to stay accountable in your sobriety

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
(Free Private Podcast) 5 Blocks Holding You Back From Quitting Drinking https://www.soberpowered.com/5blocks
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
Ask a question, it could appear on the show! https://forms.gle/oKubeJKMZimkHvUJA

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

[Bonus] When You Can't Take Stress Off Your Plate May 08, 2023

Show notes

One of the reasons emotions can be so overwhelming is because we don't have coping skills to deal with them, so we run right for alcohol every time we feel discomfort. Workshops are a new part of my Living a Sober Powered Life community, and here is a sneak peak at our workshop on coping skills. In this workshop I explained why stress accumulates and taught about 5 coping skills to try. My members have homework throughout the month. Workshops happen at the beginning of every month and are available to be listened to afterwards if you can't make it live. You can join us here:

https://www.soberpowered.com/membership

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

E150: 15 Moderation Strategies I Tried to Gain Control of My Drinking May 05, 2023

Show notes

I used to spend so many mornings Googling, “how can I moderate my drinking?” I thought if I could just figure out the right strategy, then I’d be able to control my drinking. What I didn’t realize was that I spent nearly all of my time drinking or thinking about my drinking, which meant that my drinking was already controlling me. To celebrate this milestone episode of releasing 150 episodes of the podcast I want to go over 15 moderation strategies that I tried that didn’t work. I hope this makes you laugh if you tried any of these too or if drinking you would have thought these were a great idea, and if you’re stuck trying to moderate your drinking then I hope this can help you work towards letting moderation go. It’s not worth it.

What to listen to next:

E77: are non-alcoholic drinks ok to drink?

E111: why drinking alone drastically increases your risk of developing a problem

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
(Free Private Podcast) 5 Blocks Holding You Back From Quitting Drinking https://www.soberpowered.com/5blocks
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

E149: How Alcohol Affects the Nervous System Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Alcohol can cause your nervous system to become dysregulated, which puts you in a state of constant stress. Then we feel compelled to drink to cope with the stress. In this episode you will learn all about the nervous system and how it’s impacted by your drinking. You’ll learn how alcohol throws off the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, the effects of binge drinking, and how you can heal your nervous system and find true relaxation and peace in sobriety.

What to listen to next:

E102: alcohol and your dysregulated nervous system with Beth Bowen

E75: how sleep recovers in sobriety

E128: why cravings are so powerful

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
Quit Drinking Course with daily audios to help you work on your mindset about letting drinking go https://quitdrinkingcourse.supercast.com/
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
You are not alone eBook with data from almost 700 sober people https://www.soberpowered.com/you-are-not-alone-ebook

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

E148: 5 Skills That Keep Me Sober Apr 21, 2023

Show notes

When I was drinking I was very dramatic and immature. I was a toxic person who blamed everyone else for my problems. One of the hardest realizations in sobriety was coming to the understanding that I contributed to my own problems, and maybe even caused some of them. I’ve learned a lot of skills over the past almost 3 and a half years and here are the top 5 that I believe have made the difference in my ability to finally quit for good after years of trying to hang on to my drinking. And not just quit drinking, but have a happy and stable life too.

What to listen to next:

E94: Your Ability to Handle Unexpected Stress Matters (episode on reframing)

E130: transfer addiction swapping 1 problem for another

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
Quit Drinking Course with daily audios to help you work on your mindset about letting drinking go https://quitdrinkingcourse.supercast.com/
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
You are not alone eBook with data from almost 700 sober people https://www.soberpowered.com/you-are-not-alone-ebook

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

[Bonus] If You Numb the Bad, Then You Numb the Good Too Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

We spend a lot of time avoiding our emotions to try to reduce the amount of pain and discomfort we feel, but you can’t numb the bad without numbing the good too. Trying to avoid pain closes us off to the amount of joy and love we can feel too. In this episode, I explain 3 ways you can start embracing your emotions and why it's important to stop numbing.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

E147: Staying Sober Through Intense Emotional Pain Apr 14, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever gone through something so hard that you didn’t know how you were going to make it out the other side? Often, we use alcohol to numb the pain and make it a little bit more tolerable. If you’re sober though, you don’t have that option anymore. I’m going through something very painful right now and it has given me an appreciation for anyone who’s had intense emotional pain and coped with alcohol.

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
The Sober Mindset Course with daily audios to help you work on your mindset about letting drinking go https://quitdrinkingcourse.supercast.com/
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
You are not alone eBook with data from almost 700 sober people https://www.soberpowered.com/you-are-not-alone-ebook

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

E146: Is Alcohol Addiction a Disease? Apr 07, 2023

Show notes

People tell me all the time, “I just can’t accept that I have a disease”. We hear that addiction is a disease of the brain, but not everyone wants to accept that they have a disease. In this episode you’ll learn about the disease model, the choice model, and some newer models of addiction. I’ll explain what these models say, where they came from, and at the end of the episode I’ll share my opinion on the subject.

What to listen to next:

E143: how to get accountability to stay sober

E68: how alcohol impacts our ability to make decisions

E97: Why We Always Think it’ll Be Different this Time

E99: Why we can never drink ever again

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
Quit Drinking Course with daily audios to help you work on your mindset about letting drinking go https://quitdrinkingcourse.supercast.com/
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
You are not alone eBook with data from almost 700 sober people https://www.soberpowered.com/you-are-not-alone-ebook

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

E145: ADHD and Alcohol Use Disorder: Understanding the Link Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

There are a lot of people in the sober community getting adult ADHD diagnoses, so what’s going on here? There is a strong link between struggling with ADHD and developing a problem with alcohol because just like with anxiety, trauma, or depression, alcohol can be used to self-medicate the symptoms of ADHD. In this episode you’ll learn why alcohol and ADHD are linked, what is going on in the brain’s of people with ADHD, and how having ADHD makes it harder to stop drinking once you start.

What to listen to next:

E48: is addiction genetic?

E62: dopamine deep dive

E128: why cravings are so powerful

E125: why you have no off-switch

E77: are NA drinks ok to drink?

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
Daily audios to help you work on your mindset about letting drinking go https://quitdrinkingcourse.supercast.com/
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
You are not alone eBook with data from almost 700 sober people https://www.soberpowered.com/you-are-not-alone-ebook

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

E144: Why We Self-Sabotage with Alcohol Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Self-sabotage is a common experience for many people who struggle with alcohol. Despite our best efforts to quit drinking, we find ourselves continuing to drink anyway. Sometimes you may even drink without understanding why. It can be frustrating and disheartening, but understanding the root causes of self-sabotage can help us break free from this destructive cycle. In this episode we’ll cover self-sabotage, perfectionism, and procrastination, and what you can do if this is a problem for you.

Resources I offer:

Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership
The Sober Mindset Course with daily audios to help you work on your mindset about letting drinking go https://quitdrinkingcourse.supercast.com/
Weekly emails on Thursdays where I explain the latest episode in more detail, share images to help you understand the concepts, share announcements, interviews, writing, discount codes and more. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6107260617e156c4839768b5
A free 3 day quit drinking challenge https://view.flodesk.com/pages/62f2cb3de5ea6b3d8aea4ab2
You are not alone eBook with data from almost 700 sober people https://www.soberpowered.com/you-are-not-alone-ebook

Thank you for supporting this show by supporting my sponsors. Learn more:

https://www.soberpowered.com/sponsors

If you enjoyed this episode please consider buying me a coffee to support my work https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberpowered

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

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