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The Catholic Sobriety Podcast
Welcome to The Catholic Sobriety Podcast with your host Christie Walker!
This podcast is dedicated to empowering Catholics to live lives of freedom by providing tips and tools to help them be successful as they reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. Christie Walker, a compassionate Catholic life and sobriety coach, is here to support you on your journey toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.
Are you questioning whether alcohol has taken control of your life? Do you worry about the impact it may have on your well-being? Many people find themselves in this situation, fearing the loss of pleasure and stress relief associated with alcohol. They assume that giving it up will only bring deprivation and misery. But Christie offers a different and much more positive perspective.
With Christie's expertise, you'll discover the joy and peace that come from embracing a healthier lifestyle rooted in the Catholic faith and tradition.
Ready to get curious? Start listening!
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The Catholic Sobriety Podcast
Ep 134: Why You Feel Off When You Stop Drinking and How to Feel Better
Ever notice how your hand automatically reaches for a drink after a long day? That's not weakness—it's your brain's efficient autopilot system at work. But what happens when you decide to drink less or take a break from alcohol altogether?
When reducing alcohol, feeling a bit off isn't a sign something's wrong—it's evidence of transformation. Your body isn't just missing alcohol; it's rebuilding neural pathways, rebalancing brain chemistry, and healing from nutrient depletion. The discomfort is temporary and purposeful.
Ready to build something new? Download the dopamine menu guide mentioned in this episode and take that first small, nourishing step today. One grace-filled moment at a time, you're laying down new neural pathways and strengthening trust in yourself.
Dopamine Menu Download: https://the-catholic-sobriety-coach.myflodesk.com/dopaminemenu
I'm here for you. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone!
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Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the go-to resource for women seeking to have a deeper understanding of the role alcohol plays in their lives, women who are looking to drink less or not at all for any reason. I am your host, christi Walker. I'm a wife, mom and a joy-filled Catholic, and I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and I am so glad you're here. If you're feeling a little off as you reduce or take a break from alcohol this summer, I first want to just let you know that that is completely normal, because your body is adjusting, your brain is adjusting and, honestly, your spirit may feel a little tender too. This isn't a sign that something's wrong. It is a sign that something is changing. You're not just removing alcohol. You're actually building something new, one small choice at a time. But instead of white-knuckling your way through the discomfort, I want to talk to you today about how to support your whole self, your mind, your body and your soul with grace-filled nourishment. That doesn't require perfection or a complete life overhaul, or a complete life overhaul. So let's first understand the why before we talk about the how. Now, our brains are beautifully efficient. They're designed to save energy by creating patterns and shortcuts. Neuroscientists call these shortcuts, neural pathways, and they're built through repetition. Imagine this You've had a long day. You come home, you get into your comfy sweats, pour a drink and your brain goes oh, wow, relief. You do it again tomorrow, and again the next day, and before long your brain is linking alcohol to reward, relief and routine. Eventually, you don't even have to think about it it's five o'clock or it's a summer barbecue, or you're cooking dinner and your hand is already reaching for the bottle. That's autopilot. It's not a moral failure. It's your brain doing what it's trained to do. But here's the really good news Neural pathways can absolutely be changed. Your brain can be retrained. So let's talk about three gentle and practical ways to start doing that without shame, hustle or harsh self-talk which, let's be honest, we're all kind of good at that.
Speaker 1:The first thing is to pause before you pour. So when you feel the urge that reach for the glass. I deserve this moment. I'm just going to invite you to pause for 90 seconds, seriously, set a timer, because cravings rise and fall like waves and most only last for about 90 seconds. If, if you don't act on them Now in that small window, I'm not going to ask you to sit there and white, knuckle it and stare at your timer.
Speaker 1:This is going to be an opportunity for you to give your brain a chance to choose consciously instead of reactively. So you're going to ask yourself these two questions. Number one what am I actually needing right now? Because I promise you, you do not need alcohol, but you are needing something. You are needing comfort, connection, rest. Are you hungry, angry, lonely, tired, bored? Just think about what you actually are needing. And then the second question is is there another way I could give that to myself?
Speaker 1:Now, if you have heard me talk before about the dopamine menu, this is where it will come in super handy, because you can just look at it and see what on that dopamine menu could give you what you actually need. That doesn't involve alcohol. If you don't know what my dopamine menu is, then go to the link in my show notes. I have brief instructions on what a dopamine menu is and how it works. I have a sample dopamine menu in there and then a blank template for you to create your own. Just remind yourself you're not saying no to the drink forever. You're just creating space between the urge and the action, and in that space, freedom can grow.
Speaker 1:Okay, number two is you are going to replace the reward. Your brain isn't bad. It actually just wants you to feel better, because its job is to keep you comfortable, to seek pleasure and to keep you safe. So, instead of fighting that desire, redirect it so you can try a mocktail with citrus and fresh herbs, maybe some calming music, tea, journaling or prayer, a plate with some healthy things like apple slices, nut butter, dark chocolate. You can take a walk outside while talking to God. The thing that I want you to really know and to remind yourself is that you're not depriving yourself. You're just giving yourself a new reward that actually nourishes you, not numbs you. Okay, number three I want you to repeat this with compassion Habits don't change with force.
Speaker 1:They change with gentle, consistent repetition. Every time you pause, every time you choose differently, every time you reflect instead of react, you are actually laying down a new neural pathway. So, even if you still drink some days, those small choices still count. You're not broken. You are actually in the middle of a beautiful brain reset. All right.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about your body, why you feel off and what you can do about it. When you reduce alcohol, your whole system begins to recalibrate and that process can honestly feel a little messy, maybe a lot messy, but here's what may be going on for you. First of all, you may be experiencing blood sugar fluctuations. When you stop drinking, your body may crave carbs and sweets because it's looking for that fast energy that it used to get from alcohol. So this isn't weakness, it's just chemistry, and you can stabilize this with protein, fiber and healthy fats. We'll talk a little bit more on that in a moment.
Speaker 1:And then the brain chemistry shifts that you're experiencing is that alcohol overstimulates dopamine and serotonin, those feel-good chemicals. The minute you take a drink of alcohol, it just shoots your dopamine up into a super spike. This is because dopamine actually is one of those very rare substances that can pass through the blood-brain barrier, and the blood-bra brain barrier is actually kind of like a high security checkpoint that keeps things out of the brain that would be damaging to it or not very good for it. But because alcohol is small and fat soluble, it just goes right through there. So that's why you feel such an instant relief when you drink, because your body doesn't have to process or metabolize it before reaping the benefits of it.
Speaker 1:The problem is eventually your brain stops producing as much of these feel-good chemicals, naturally. So when you stop drinking, your emotions may feel flat, you may start to feel anxious or low. But just remind yourself that this is part of your brain learning how to feel good again. Naturally, it's just going to take some time, and nourishment the way you nourish your body is actually going to play a very big role in that. The other thing that you're probably going to be experiencing is nutrient depletion. Alcohol depletes essential nutrients, especially B vitamins, magnesium and zinc, which help with energy, sleep and mood. So you may feel tired, wired or foggy as your body works to rebuild its reserves. You'll often hear me say that stopping alcohol or removing alcohol or greatly reducing alcohol is going to help with your sleep. So much but and that's true, that is true. But it may take a little while for your body to kind of reset for you to reap the benefits. So in the beginning it may not feel like it's benefiting you that much. For some people it's instant, for others it does take some time. But just know that your body is just kind of rebuilding and rebooting and better sleep will come.
Speaker 1:The next thing we're going to talk about is gut disruption. Now alcohol disrupts your gut, which is deeply connected to your immune system, mood and clarity, and healing your gut can improve so many things everything from anxiety to sleep to sugar cravings. So if you're drinking and then not drinking, and then drinking and not drinking, you may not be experiencing the gut healing that you need, because alcohol actually causes inflammation all over our body and especially disrupts our gut microbiome. So just know that you're going to be feeling so much better once you are away from alcohol for a good period of time, but it does take a little while for everything in your body to just kind of. Now let's talk a little bit about the how. So to do this, I'm going to talk about five nourishing shifts to support your body.
Speaker 1:So here's how you can care for your body while you're reducing or eliminating alcohol. The first is to prioritize protein. I'm sure you've heard this a ton, especially if you are diving into the world of how to make our bodies feel good during perimenopause and menopause, and it's protein, protein, protein, right Protein actually balances the blood sugar. Protein is important because it balances the blood sugar, reduces cravings and supports your brain health. You want to aim for 15 to 25 grams per meal, and to do that you can incorporate things like eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, even things like beans, lentil, tofu I'm not a big tofu fan, but I know there are a lot of you out there that love it, of course, chicken, salmon, turkey, beef and then protein smoothies with nut butters or seeds can also be very beneficial. Try to make sure you're getting enough protein throughout the day, and that can really help curb cravings in the evenings day, and that can really help curb cravings in the evenings.
Speaker 1:The other thing is to add in healthy fats, because fats are stabilizing both emotionally and physically. They help with mood and your hormone balance. They include things like avocado oils, olive oil, nut seeds, chia, flax seeds, salmon or one of my favorite sardines Avocado toast isn't just trendy, it's actually brain food. So if you do avocado toast with some sardines on top, oh, that is so good and you're giving yourself those healthy fats and some protein at the same time.
Speaker 1:Number three is to hydrate strategically, because hydration can cause fatigue, brain fog and cravings. So you want to aim for half of your body weight in ounces daily. You can support this with lemon and a pinch of sea salt. That's one of my favorite things to have, especially in the mornings. You can use electrolytes like LMNT. That's what I use, but there's like lots of other brands. Herbal teas and mocktails are great. Coconut water I like to put coconut water in smoothies that I make. If you start your day with water before coffee, that actually is very helpful. I try to do that. I drink a ton of water all the time, but I usually try to get a good amount of water in before I have my coffee and that seems to help keep me hydrated.
Speaker 1:The fourth thing is you're going to want to try to heal your gut, because your gut is essentially your second brain. You're going to want to nourish it with things like fermented foods, like sauerkraut, kimchi or kefir. Try to make sure, if you're having kefir, that it doesn't have a lot of sugar in it. Also, make sure you're getting enough fiber through, like oats, beans, berries, greens and things like that. You can take probiotics if needed. Yogurt is a good source of probiotics. You just want to really mix things up, because that helps your gut microbiome. So add in just one or two gut loving foods per day and you will start feeling so much better. Or two gut loving foods per day and you will start feeling so much better.
Speaker 1:And then the fifth thing is just replacing that ritual of drinking. Just remind yourself you're not craving the drink, you're craving what you think alcohol is going to give you or you're trying to satiate whatever need is coming up for you. So give yourself a new ritual. So you can do that by having, you know, like an evening cup of herbal tea and listening to music or a audio book. Maybe that's a good time to do some spiritual reading. You can create again like a treat plate where you have maybe a cup of tea with some fruit and dark chocolate, like a square of dark chocolate, so that it does feel like a treat. You can take a prayer walk at sunset journal under a cozy blanket. Go ahead and keep your evening ritual. You're just going to change out the alcohol for something else.
Speaker 1:All right, now let's talk about your soul inviting God into that healing. We know that we are not just bodies and brains, we are souls too. Your journey of reducing alcohol isn't just physical, it's spiritual formation. In 1 Corinthians 6.19, st Paul reminds us Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?
Speaker 1:Nourishment is more than nutrition. It is an act of holy self-care. It's actually an act of stewardship. It's a way of taking care of yourself and this beautiful temple that God has given you. It's a way of saying, lord, I want to care for what you have given me. I want to feel things again, even if it's hard. I trust you to walk with me through the discomfort and into a new sense of peace.
Speaker 1:Remember, you are not doing this alone. The Holy Spirit is with you in the kitchen, in the cravings, in the pause, in the pause. So here's my invitation for you today what's one small, nourishing choice you can make today that supports your mind, your body or your soul as you drink less? Just one. One choice equals one brick in the foundation that you are rebuilding. Remember, you can grab that dopamine menu in my show notes. I am cheering you on and praying with you. You are building new pathways and strengthening trust in yourself. One grace-filled moment at a time. Grace-filled moment at a time.
Speaker 1:Well, that does it for this episode of the Catholic Sobriety Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I would invite you to share it with a friend, who might also get value from it as well, and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing from it as well, and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing. I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and if you would like to learn how to work with me or learn more about the coaching that I offer, visit my website, thecatholicsobrietycoachcom. Follow me on Instagram at the Catholic Sobriety Coach. I look forward to speaking to you next time and remember I am here for you, I am praying for you. You are not alone, thank you.
