It's Not About the Alcohol
Episodes
Ep42 | Why identifying as an alcoholic (and therefore as "sober") can hurt women in recovery
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trigger warning: If you're happy identifying as a "sober" alcoholic, this episode is not for you. Does promising to stay sober for the rest of your li...
Ep41| Alcohol use disorder is a "perfect" storm (plus 5 steps to emotional sobriety)
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you thought about quitting alcohol on and off for years--especially after a night of over-doing it? But once the hanxiety wears off, sobriety fee...
Why beating yourself up doesn't work
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alcohol use disorder is classified as a mental health issue. It's a thinking problem more than a drinking problem. Quitting drinking is a big first ...
How to interrupt a negative tailspin
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you fall "off the wagon," go into a "spiral" or find yourself "in a hole?" Do you accept it as a fact? Tell yourself you'll "start...
4 questions that transform the way you react to life
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How often do you spend hours, days, weeks (ok, maybe months) ruminating on negative stories? Thinking and talking about the person or situation that i...
Alcohol is not the problem--plus free discovery call with me
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I was afraid of sobriety. Because I knew alcohol was just a distraction. I was mostly drinking to cope with an unhappy marriage. A stagnant career. I ...
Day 58: Sober and Depressed--A coaching session on post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS)
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My client felt great when he quit drinking in December. But one month later, a mysterious bout of depression made him feel like he was "stuck in concr...
The connection between diet culture and substance abuse and how to use nutrition and targeted amino acid therapy in recovery. With Chris Engen
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Engen is board certified in holistic nutrition and has an advanced certificate in recovery nutition coaching. In today's episode, Chris and I...
I had a drink last night
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After trying on many beliefs about my relationship with alcohol, I've adopted the belief that I can drink anytime I want. Because it feels much better...
Change Your Mind About Alcohol--The Challenge Returns
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The motivation to drink less is usually pain. The problem is motivation to avoid pain disappears. The less you drink, the better you feel and the more...
How self-compassion and kindness lead to success--with Ana Weisberger
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After moving to New York City and achieving the American dream, Ana felt empty and disconnected. She tried many things and eventually went on a 2-we...
Recovering out loud--with Makini Campbell
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, we're holding space for Makini Campbell's "coming out" about her status as a woman in recovery. For her, speaking on this podcast ...
Shame comes from the "sinner" mindset
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Growing up in the Christian church, I'd been indoctrinated with the sinner mindset. That I was born unworthy. That my physical needs and desires are e...
Confessions of a raging codependent
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this short and sweet episode, I read an essay published last year about coming to terms with the role codependency played in my first divorce--just...
Ep28| Awakening the brain after addiction
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Addiction is a gradual narrowing of focus. Fewer things have the ability to make you genuinely happy. And over time, more of your thoughts, feelings a...
Ep27 | How to shift into solution-based thinking
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our brains' operating system is language-based. Words have meaning and therefore define your reality. Becoming aware of your default thinking patterns...
How to know what you really want
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most of our desires are not our own. They come from cultural and social expectations of what success and happiness looks like. That's normal. Nothing ...
EP25 Plant Medicines Psilocybin and Ayahuaska for Alcohol Use Disorder with Omar Pinto
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Omar Pinto joins us for a discussion about plant medicine. Omar is a mindset and performance life coach based in Costa Rica who made a BIG name for hi...
Using self-care to process grief with Heather Ross
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm speaking with my personal coach, Heather Ross, about the self-care practices she relies on to process grief. Last year, Heather lost her daughter,...
Join my FREE change your mind about alcohol challenge
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You know attitude is everything. If you think of sobriety as a punishment for bad behavior or a "break" from your real life, it's going to feel that w...
Ep22: How to stop being a victim
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What does emotional sobriety look like in action? I had to put my money where my mouth is when my application to an expensive professional coaching pr...
It's not sugar that you crave
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We blame sugar as the source of our cravings. But the real problem is emotional--feelings of boredom, distraction and apathy. Restlessness. Disconte...
Ep20 | How to heal from loneliness
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Loneliness is not the absence of people or a reflection of external circumstances. It's a lack of connection with yourself. In this episode, I'll show...
Ep19 | How to regulate your nervous system
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The urge to use substances to change the way you feel comes from a dysregulated nervous system. Learning to interrupt the stress response allows you t...
Ep18 | Changing your identity one thought at a time
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As drinkers, we hid our struggle with alcohol, which created shame and fear and a disconnect from who we really are and who we were pretending to be. ...
Ep17: Do you know the difference between self-neglect and resilience?
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The belief that successful women should have it all and do it all, not just for themselves but everyone else, is the patriarchy. Self-neglect is NOT a...
Ep16| The secret to controlling compulsive behavior
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you struggling with emotional eating or smoking or curtailing your spending? Willpower is no match for subconscious habits that have been automate...
Overreacting? How to handle intense emotions
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you resentful of your spouse? Overwhelmed by your daily to-do list? Feeling guilt and regret about the past? Do your emotional outbursts make thin...
How to improve your emotional intelligence
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you annoyed by everyone who says you have to "feel your feelings" in early sobriety? What does that even mean? And what's the point of feeling bad...
Ep13: Discover the real reason you want to drink
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After years of using alcohol to cope with life (aka short-change yourself), early sobriety is an invitation to address the basic needs that must be me...
Ep12 | Dealing with sugar cravings in early sobriety
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In early sobriety, it's common to use sugar to combat alcohol cravings. But aside from undermining your weight loss goals and making you feel crappy, ...
Nutrition for early recovery
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I share how my plant-based, intermittent fasting approach did NOT serve me in early recovery. Our brains need three protein-packed me...
Ep10: How to answer stupid questions about why you're not drinking
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this epidosde, I give you the strategies to prepare for the inevitable stupid questions and comments you'll hear when you venture into social situa...
Ep9 | Un-brainwash yourself of the beliefs that make you want to drink
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We drink because we believe alcohol helps us feel relaxed and connected. And we think that quitting will be hard and painful. We assume that if we don...
Ep8: Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome--What it is and how to deal with it
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Even with detox symptoms, early sobriety feels amazing when compared to active alcohol use disorder. The pink bubble is nature's nod to our efforts. H...
Ex-Drinkers are Badass
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Early sobriety is a tender time. After years of drinking, we have to re-imagine who we are without a drink in our hand. The best way to do that is thr...
Ep6 | How to change your mind so that you want to stay sober
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Staying sober when you still want to drink is awful. Boo. No fun. You're signing up for a life of feeling less than and left out. There are 3 steps to...
Ep5 |Am I the @sshole?
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Boundaries can't be negotiated until they are identified. That's the primary purpose of emotions! To alert us when someone or something is violating o...
Ep4 | The mother of all coping skills
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The thing we get wrong about coping skills is that we think they allow us to be more productive. Whoever can put up with the most sh!t and still smile...
Why it's so hard to quit drinking
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I fact-check the lies that perpetuate drinking so that you can stop blaming yourself for having a broken "off" switch. Alcohol use di...
How I Managed Early Sobriety
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the past, the mindset of "taking a break" set me up for failure. As an all or nothing, go-big-or-stay-home person, the best approach for me was to ...
What Got Me to Quit Drinking?
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is my story... What my life was like as a drinker, and how I went from drinking a bottle of wine (as a warm up lap) to quitting cold turkey. My d...