Sober Powered: The Neuroscience of Being Sober · Gillian Tietz, MS, CPRC

E297: Enhancement Drinking: Drinking to Feel More

·19 min·1 clip
The host shares that she thought music was 'ruined' after getting sober, but learned to reclaim it through neuroplasticity.
This episode explores the concept of 'enhancement drinking'—using alcohol to make good times feel even better. The host explains the neuroscience behind why this happens, detailing how alcohol hijacks the brain's dopamine system and creates powerful associations, ultimately making sober life feel dull by comparison. She also offers hope by discussing how the brain can rewire itself through neuroplasticity in sobriety.

As heard by us

A clear look at how alcohol can become tied to fun, relief, and the feeling that something is missing without it.

This episode looks at drinking as a way to make good moments feel bigger and ordinary ones feel less flat. It moves through vacations, live music, restaurants, chores, and a dull night at home, showing how each can start to feel incomplete without a drink.

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Why you'd press play

When alcohol starts feeling like the only way fun works.

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