Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health
by Sunnyside
Exploring the science of drinking less, from alcohol cravings and habit change to moderation, naltrexone, and building a healthier relationship with alcohol. Whether you're sober curious, cutting back, or thinking about quitting, this podcast meets you where you are.Journey to the Sunnyside is a top 1% podcast reaching over 500,000 listeners every week. Through expert interviews, neuroscience research, and real stories, we cover what actually works — mindful drinking, behavior change, medication-assisted approaches, harm reduction, and more.Hosted by Mike Hardenbrook, #1 best-selling author and neuroscience enthusiast. Brought to you by Sunnyside, the leading program for changing your relationship with alcohol. Start your free trial at sunnyside.co.Disclaimer: The views expressed in our episodes do not necessarily represent those of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your drinking, please consult a medical professional. This podcast is not medical advice.
Episodes
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What a Fake Vodka Test Reveals About Your Second Drink
Why does one drink turn into three? The first drink can raise the wanting for the next one, and what you expect it to do can play a role too. In this episode, I look at a 1973 fake taste test, a 2017 study with lemonade and vodka on the rim, and what 38 lab studies found about the first drink.…
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Drink Less With the 80/20 Rule
Want to drink less? Use the 80/20 rule to find the one routine worth changing. See an example week go from 15 drinks to 12 with one simple plan. In this 10-Minute Monday, I borrow Joseph Juran's "vital few" from factory quality control and apply it to a drinking week: count your drinks, find the...
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3 Brain Studies That Could Change How You Drink
You’ve decided to skip the drink. So why are you still thinking about it? In this 10-Minute Monday, I explore three surprising studies involving Tetris, a joystick, and imagining something you’re looking forward to. I break down what researchers found about cravings, automatic responses, and...
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Soberish October: 5 Ways to Make It Count
Whether you’re going alcohol-free, cutting back, or just getting started, what do you want to get out of October? I’m sharing five ways to make this month useful, including what to notice about your drinking, how to keep going when plans change, and what’s worth carrying into November. Plus, the...
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A Neuroscientist Explains Why Your Brain Keeps Asking for a Drink w/ Dr. Jud Brewer
Why do you keep wanting a drink, even when you’re not enjoying it that much? I’m joined by Dr. Jud Brewer, a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, Brown University professor, and New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety. We talk about how your brain learns to want alcohol, why that wanting...
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7 Times You’re Most Likely to Drink More Than You Planned
Most of us have had nights where two drinks somehow became four, or one glass of wine turned into most of the bottle. In this 10-Minute Monday, I break down seven situations where it’s especially easy to drink more than you intended, why they can change the way you drink without you really...
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The Most Important Drinking Decision Might Not Be the First One
Having a drink and deciding to keep drinking aren't always the same decision. In this 10-Minute Monday, I look at what starts to change after that first drink, why what you wanted at the beginning of the night can shift as the night goes on, and how planning ahead can help. If you've ever wanted...
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The Difference Between Drinking for Fun and Having Fun While Drinking
Alcohol and fun can become so closely linked that it’s hard to tell what the drink is adding and what was already enjoyable. In this 10-Minute Monday, I explore how that association can follow us into different stages of life, what research reveals about alcohol and social connection, and how...
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Why Naltrexone Was Rejected for 40 Years w/ Percy Menzies
Percy Menzies was there at the beginning. A pharmacist by training, he helped launch naltrexone at DuPont in the 1980s and later served as an associate product director when it was approved for alcohol dependence. He believed they had a medication that could change millions of lives. Instead, he...
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Nothing Is Wrong. So Why Am I Drinking This Much?
What if you like your life, but you’re still drinking more than you want? Nothing has fallen apart. Your family is good, your career is going well, and you’re handling everything that needs to get done. So why does alcohol continue taking up more space than you’d like? In this episode, I explore...
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More Gen Z Adults Are Drinking. Boomers Are Cutting Back. w/ Merrilee Burke, LMFT
For years, Gen Z has been described as the generation turning away from alcohol. New data tells a more complicated story: more legal-drinking-age Gen Z adults are drinking, while Boomers are drinking less often and having fewer drinks when they do. Licensed marriage and family therapist Merrilee...
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Everyone Looks Fine. Including You.
Have you ever looked around a room full of successful people drinking and thought, if they’re fine, I must be fine too? But what if some of those same people are looking at you and reaching the exact same conclusion? Today, we’re talking about how we can become each other’s proof and quietly…
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Erica Cut Her Drinking in Half With Naltrexone. Then the Real Work Started.
Today we have a special guest host, Sunnyside cofounder Ian Andersen. Ian is someone I work with every day, and over the years he’s become a good friend. He cares deeply about the people we help here, and he’s also thought a lot about alcohol and mindful drinking in his own life. Ian recently sat...
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What Changes Between the Promise and the Pour?
I’ve been working on a new way to understand why we can genuinely decide to drink less, then make a completely different choice a few hours later. In this episode, I introduce that idea, look at the science behind what shifts in the moment, and explain why the gap between intention and action is...
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Can Tapping Reduce Alcohol Cravings? w/ Dr. Carol Look
Carol Look is a psychotherapist, bestselling author, and one of the early pioneers of EFT tapping, with more than 25 years of experience using it with stress, anxiety, cravings, trauma, and behavior change. In this episode, we break down what tapping actually is, what the science says, and how it...
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You Know Why You Drink. So Why Hasn’t It Changed?
I spent years trying to understand why I drank, from stress and anxiety to things that went all the way back to childhood. Some of those insights were real, but knowing why didn’t automatically change what I did. In this 10 Minute Monday, I look at the gap between understanding a behavior and...
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Have You Outgrown Your Drinking? w/ Veronique Ory
Véronique Ory never had a dramatic rock bottom. She simply started noticing that alcohol didn’t fit her life the way it once had. In this conversation, we talk about how yoga and greater awareness changed her relationship with drinking, the difference between restricting yourself and genuinely...
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Why Alcohol Starts Looking Good Again
Why does alcohol start sounding good again just a few days after I was sure I wanted a break? In this 10 Minute Monday, I look at fading affect bias, self-licensing, and why the good parts of drinking can become easier to remember than the parts that made me want to change. CONNECT WITH…
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Why Drinking Less Starts Before the First Drink w/ Colleen Freeland
Master life coach and recovery specialist Colleen Freeland returns to explain why drinking less often starts long before the first drink. We talk about nervous system regulation, emotional goal setting, the biphasic effect of alcohol, and why arriving at the evening less depleted can change how...
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Why You Replay Conversations for Days
Ever catch yourself replaying the same conversation over and over, wondering if you said the wrong thing? Or lying awake with the bigger questions, like whether you're making progress, whether you're doing this right, whether you've already done damage? In this episode, I break down why your…
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"Stressed" Isn't Actually a Feeling w/ Dr. Larry Freeney
Dr. Larry Freeney has spent thousands of sessions in the counseling chair, and he keeps meeting the same person: someone whose life looks right on paper and still feels off. He's a PhD counselor educator, a licensed counselor supervisor, a father of five, and a Spartan Death Race athlete. We get...
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Are You Wired for Addiction?
Have you ever wondered whether you’re simply wired to struggle with alcohol? In this episode, we look at what decades of research say about addictive personality, inherited risk, and the traits that may make some people more vulnerable than others. I also explore why the way you answer that...
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What If 'Am I an Alcoholic?' Is the Wrong Question? w/ Colleen Freeland
Today I'm welcoming back Colleen Freeland. She's a master life coach and recovery specialist who helps high-achieving women cut their drinking without labels or lifelong abstinence. Whether you caught our episodes last year or you're meeting her for the first time, we start with her story, and…
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8 Habit Swaps to Drink Less at Home
Drinking less at home comes with a different set of challenges. There is no bartender, no natural stopping point, and no one else setting the pace. The bottle is close, the pours are bigger, and the routine can take over before you have really decided what you want. In this episode, I share eight...
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10 Sentences That Make It Easier to Drink Less
Drinking less is not only about what you do. It is also about what you tell yourself in the moments that matter. In this episode, I share 10 sentences for cravings, good stretches, rough nights, and the moments when you start questioning your progress. Simple reminders that can help you keep your...
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Is It Too Late to Undo the Damage?
If you’ve been drinking more than you want to for a while, you may quietly wonder whether the fog, memory changes, and lack of energy are permanent. In this episode, Mike breaks down what the research actually shows about brain recovery, how quickly change can begin, why life may feel flat at...
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Drinking Less Without Losing the Party w/ Megan Klein
Today I’m joined by Megan Klein, founder of Little Saints. Megan built Little Saints after realizing the cocktail ritual she loved was starting to cost her more than she wanted to pay. She didn’t want to give up going out, having fun, or raising a glass at the end of the day. She just wanted...
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14 Unexpected Ways Life Gets Easier When You Drink Less (Part 2)
Most people know drinking less can improve sleep, hangovers, and energy. But the bigger changes are usually the ones you don’t expect. In Part 2, we go deeper into the benefits that start to compound when alcohol gets smaller. We’ll talk about why the good parts of the night stick around, how…
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Your Mind is Not the Boss w/ Dr. Richard Louis Miller
Dr. Richard Louis Miller has spent more than 65 years in psychology, mind-body health, and behavior change. He is the host of Mind Body Health & Politics, the author of multiple books, and a longtime voice in the connection between the mind, emotions, stress, and the body. In this episode, Dr....
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14 Unexpected Ways Life Gets Easier When You Drink Less (Part 1)
Most people know the obvious benefits of drinking less: better sleep, fewer hangovers, maybe more energy. But those are not the most interesting changes. In this two-part episode, I’m talking about 14 unexpected ways life can get easier when alcohol gets smaller. We’ll look at the hidden domino...
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ADHD, Alcohol, and the Search for Relief w/ Jennifer Salzman
In this episode, I’m joined by Coach Jennifer Salzman, an ADHD advocate, mindfulness practitioner, and alcohol-free life coach. Jennifer spent years feeling uniquely flawed before receiving an ADHD diagnosis in her 40s. Looking back, she began to understand why alcohol had felt like such a…
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Why Some Moments Feel Like They Need Alcohol
In this episode, I’m looking at why certain moments seem to come with alcohol already attached. A celebration, a game, a vacation, a hard day, a party. Most of us picked up those meanings long before we questioned them. This is about the invisible scripts that make drinking feel normal, and the...
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What Job Is Alcohol Doing for You? w/ Austin Karr
A lot of people know alcohol is taking up too much space long before they do anything about it. It might be the drink after work, the second drink that wasn't planned, the weekend rule that keeps bending, or the feeling that alcohol is doing more emotional work than they want it to. In this...
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Will I Still Be Fun If I Drink Less?
In this episode, I talk about the social side of drinking less, and the fear that changing your drinking might change how you show up with other people. Will I still be fun? Will the night feel different? Will people notice? And do I have to change everything just because I'm changing this one...
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When Toughing It Out Stops Working w/ Dr. Josh McConkie
My guest is Dr. Josh McConkie. He's an emergency physician and a military veteran, and he flew medevac missions in Iraq. We get into the moment when toughing it out stopped working for him, and what it was like to come home after that. We also talk about why alcohol becomes the go-to coping...
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Why “Just One” So Often Turns Into More
In this episode, I’m talking about the moment most moderation advice skips: what happens after the first drink. For many people, the first drink is a decision. But the second drink is momentum. Once alcohol starts creating that feeling of relief, connection, confidence, or release, the next drink...
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How to Stay Close When Your Drinking Starts Changing w/ Dr. Darcy Sterling
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Darcy Sterling, relationship expert, licensed clinical social worker, and host of We Need to Talk. We talk about what happens when one person in a relationship starts drinking less, especially when alcohol has become part of how a couple connects. For many...
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Stop Negotiating With Your Cravings for Alcohol
In this episode, I’m digging into alcohol cravings and one of the biggest traps people fall into when they’re trying to cut back: negotiating with the urge. Maybe just one. Maybe only tonight. Maybe I’ll reset tomorrow. We’ll look at why cravings can feel so convincing in the moment, what’s...
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The Reset Loop Behind Overdrinking
Most people trying to drink less focus on the drink. But for a lot of high-functioning people, that's only half the pattern. There's a whole cycle underneath it. You overdo it, you feel off, you recommit, you clean things up, you get that "I'm back" feeling. Then slowly, without really noticing…
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Why We Obsess Over "Figuring Out" Alcohol
A lot of people think the hardest part about changing their drinking is the alcohol itself. But honestly, for a lot of people, the real exhaustion comes from the constant mental negotiation around it. Should I quit drinking completely? Can I moderate? Am I overthinking this? Why does it feel so...
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Systems Over Willpower w/ Noom CMO Dr. Jeffrey Egler
In part two, Sunnyside co-founder and CEO Nick Allen continues his conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Egler, Chief Medical Officer at Noom, with a deeper focus on behavior change. They get into why willpower usually fails, how systems and structure make habits easier to sustain, and why tracking…
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The Strange Grief of Drinking Less
In this episode, we dig into the strange grief that can show up when you start drinking less. Not regret. Not a craving exactly. More like the quiet feeling of missing something you’re genuinely glad you changed. We’ll look at why alcohol can become woven into your rituals, identity, stress…
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Why Humans Crave Altered States
In this episode, Mike digs into what anthropologists found after studying altered states across 400+ societies, why your brain can start moving toward relief before you even pour a drink, and how to tell the difference between a habit that enhances your life and one that has quietly become a...
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Healthy Aging: A Doctor’s Perspective on Living Better, Longer w/ Noom CMO Dr. Jeffrey Egler
Dr. Jeffrey Egler is the Chief Medical Officer at Noom, where he helps lead the company’s expansion from weight loss into healthy aging and longevity. In this conversation with Sunnyside co-founder and CEO Nick Allen, Dr. Egler breaks down what “living better, longer” actually means, and why the...
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The 5-Minute Reset That Keeps You On Track
Sunnyside helps you track, plan, and stay accountable, but the numbers are only part of the story. In this episode, I’ll show you how a quick daily reset can help you understand what’s happening underneath your drinking patterns, prepare for triggers, and make your plan feel more personal. This…
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When Drinking Gets Hard, Write This Down
When old patterns start pulling at you, it helps to have something deeper than a vague goal to come back to. In this episode, I’ll walk you through a simple statement of purpose that can help you reconnect with why you want to change and who you’re becoming along the way. This is a practical…
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The Breathwork Reset for Stress, Shame, and Anxiety w/ Jon Paul Crimi
Jon Paul Crimi is a former celebrity trainer and sober coach turned breathwork teacher who has worked with CEOs, Olympians, and Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy winners. In this episode, Jon Paul shares how his own struggles with addiction, identity, anger, and shame led him to breathwork, and why that...
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When Relief Is a Terrible North Star
In this 10 Minute Monday, I’m talking about something I had to admit in my own life: sometimes the drink at the end of the day isn’t really about the drink. It’s about the need to shut off, exhale, and feel like the day is finally over. I’ll share why that kind of relief can start to cost more…
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Why Some Kava Works and Some Doesn’t w/ Morgan Smith
Join me for a conversation with Morgan Smith of Kalm with Kava, as he speaks from his farm in Hawaii about why people can have such different experiences with kava. Morgan has spent more than a decade studying the plant and working directly with growers, and in this episode he breaks down what…
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When Better Starts Feeling Boring
A few months into drinking less, something happened that caught me off guard. Things got better, then better became normal, and normal started feeling a lot flatter than I expected. In this episode, I talk about why that can be such a vulnerable moment, and why people sometimes drift back right...
About this show
Exploring the science of drinking less, from alcohol cravings and habit change to moderation, naltrexone, and building a healthier relationship with alcohol. Whether you're sober curious, cutting back, or thinking about quitting, this podcast meets you where you are.Journey to the Sunnyside is a top 1% podcast reaching over 500,000 listeners every week. Through expert interviews, neuroscience research, and real stories, we cover what actually works — mindful drinking, behavior change, medication-assisted approaches, harm reduction, and more.Hosted by Mike Hardenbrook, #1 best-selling author and neuroscience enthusiast. Brought to you by Sunnyside, the leading program for changing your relationship with alcohol. Start your free trial at sunnyside.co.Disclaimer: The views expressed in our episodes do not necessarily represent those of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your drinking, please consult a medical professional. This podcast is not medical advice.
Hosted by
Sunnyside