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Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober

Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober

By: Gillian Tietz MS CPRC
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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© 2026 Sober Powered by Gillian Tietz Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science
Episodes
  • E326: Why Alcohol Looks Better in Your Memory Than It Was In Reality

    E326: Why Alcohol Looks Better in Your Memory Than It Was In Reality
    Jul 3 2026
    Romanticizing alcohol can be one of the most confusing parts of sobriety because logically, you know what alcohol did to you, but your brain still makes it sound appealing. When that happens, your brain usually isn’t remembering the full drinking experience — it’s remembering the relief, the state change, and the moment before the consequences showed up. That doesn’t mean you secretly want to ruin your life or that you don’t know better; it means your brain is retrieving an edited version of the story. When stress, boredom, loneliness, resentment, overwhelm, social pressure, or exhaustion show up, your brain may pull up alcohol as an old solution until you build more reliable ways to respond to those feelings. This episode is about why we romanticize drinking and how to prepare yourself for these thoughts so they don't trick you back into the cycle. Work with me: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Content only membership https://community.soberpowered.com/checkout/lessons Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching Weekly email: You’ll hear from me every week-ish https://www.soberpowered.com/email 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
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    19 mins
  • E325: When the courage to quit shows up, don’t assume it will still be there tomorrow

    E325: When the courage to quit shows up, don’t assume it will still be there tomorrow
    Jun 26 2026
    A lot of people treat quitting drinking like it’s something they can start whenever they want. They think, “I’ll quit after this trip.” “I’ll quit after the summer.” “I’ll quit after my birthday.” “I’ll quit when work calms down.” “I’ll quit after the holidays.” “I’ll quit when I feel more ready.” or “I’ll try again tomorrow” On the surface, that sounds reasonable. It sounds like you’re making a plan. It sounds like you’re choosing a better time. It sounds like you’re saying, “Yes, I know this needs to change, but I’m going to wait until I can really focus on it.” But the problem is that readiness is not always available. Sometimes you get a rare moment where everything lines up in a way that lets you finally see the truth. Maybe you wake up with anxiety that feels different this time. Maybe you’re exhausted from disappointing yourself. Maybe you’re tired of making rules and breaking them. Maybe you’re tired of waking up and trying to piece together what happened. Maybe you’re tired of pretending it isn’t as bad as it feels. Maybe you have one of those moments where the denial drops just long enough for you to think, “I can’t keep doing this. Something has to change.” The mistake people make is assuming that moment will still be there tomorrow. Work with me: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life https://www.soberpowered.com/membership Content only membership https://community.soberpowered.com/checkout/lessons Sober coaching https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching Weekly email: You’ll hear from me every week-ish https://www.soberpowered.com/email 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
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    17 mins
  • Running on Autopilot Mode (Replay)

    Running on Autopilot Mode (Replay)
    Jun 19 2026
    Regular drinking and early sobriety often feel like living on autopilot, where we are repeating the same routines without conscious awareness. Alcohol changes the brain to increase mindless activity, which can lead to rumination, excessive self-focus, anxiety, and addiction-related thought loops. In this episode, you’ll learn about how alcohol affects the brain and puts us on autopilot, how this keeps us stuck, and when this recovers in sobriety. Many people mistake life stress as the main source of overwhelm, but a lot of it actually comes from how alcohol disrupts brain function. What to listen to next: E220: The Hippocampus and Alcohol: Blackouts, Memory Deficits, and Learned Associations E191: Going Back and Forth Makes Your Cravings Stronger E238: Why Moderation Doesn't Work Sober Support: Community & Meetings: Living a Sober Powered Life ⁠https://www.soberpowered.com/membership⁠ Weekly emails on Fridays ⁠https://www.soberpowered.com/email⁠ Work with me: Sober coaching ⁠https://www.soberpowered.com/sober-coaching⁠ Courses: The non-negotiable mindset ⁠https://www.soberpowered.com/mindset-course⁠ Sober milestones: what to expect when you quit drinking ⁠https://sobermilestones.supercast.com/⁠ Anger Management ⁠https://www.soberpowered.com/anger⁠ 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 all the research and effort that goes into this podcast. This is a one woman show!⁠ 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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    31 mins
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Very good info from a well educated ex drinker. I find the episodes are too short for the length of the advertising (sponsorship) intro though, and often only listen to the longer episodes. Definitely worth a listen, just skip through the disproportionately long intro.

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