Christa 0:01
Honestly making those decisions goes beyond just alcohol in your life. Because it makes you flex other muscles in your, in your mind of your own boundaries, your own self love and self worth and making a decision for yourself, despite what others say, or their agenda for you. It's, this is what I'm going to do, and it really does go it bleeds out further than just that one choice. Welcome to the wild and wild collective podcast where we believe empowered health is your superpower,
Sheree 0:31
we have combined our expertise in medicine and nutrition to bring you the latest research, expert insights and success stories of people on a mission to live a big life.
Christa 0:40
So buckle up and get ready to learn how to live wildly well. So let's talk about something that most of us can relate to, which is alcohol hangovers. How that makes us feel the next day, you know what our experience is with how it affects the way we think the next day? There's so much that we can dive into in overall health. So let's dive into to alcohol and all the conversation around that. What do you think?
Sheree 1:13
Yeah, I think this is a very relevant topic for me right now, coming to you live being slightly hungover. But it's such a it's such a big topic, right? Alcohol itself and the impact that it has on our body. And I think there's a lot of misconception, there's a lot of judgment, there's a lot of shame, there's a lot of what on earth do I do to feel better? Because this came up the next day and not rested and recovered? So I'm really into it.
Christa 1:42
Yeah, I think it's gonna be really, really great. So, you know, I think we can break this up into let's talk about, you know, what is the impact on the physical level. So we can kind of get real sciency on this. And then, you know, obviously, we'll talk about the real applications for, for what all that means. But because we talk a lot about hormones, I like to kind of tie things together. And we've said this before, I will say it or whatever, women are not the same as men are not little men. The fact is, we have fluctuating hormones every month. So if you're cycling, you've got a rise in estrogen the first two weeks of your cycle, and your liver has to manage that. But your liver also has to manage external toxins, including alcohol. So, you know, for women, we have a much bigger toxic burden to manage every month than men do automatically, because of our hormones. So when we drink alcohol, it can really affect our ability to detoxify estrogen get rid of it in a safe manner, which can pose more risk over time for breast cancer, uterine cancers, any estrogen driven cancer, it can also make us feel worse, because our liver manages so much when we drink, we can oftentimes have more brain fog, more anxiety, more of kind of that toxic, well hangover, then then maybe men or maybe when we were younger, simply because of the other things that are impacting the liver as well. So that's something really important to consider. And, you know, things that we can do is really supporting the toxins that we can control. Obviously, not drinking alcohol or not drinking, you know too much. But also looking at other factors, you know, other factors like environmental toxins, perfumes, you know, health care, health products, beauty products, all that. One thing I wanted to also reiterate is that, on the physical level, alcohol really does affect our gut microbiome, and I'm sure you've dove into a lot of that. What are your you know, what are your thoughts around that? or what have you learned the impact alcohol has on our gut?
Sheree 3:46
It's huge. And just to touch base back at the liver, right? Like, we've got to remember that. And we're not naming and shaming or anything like that when it comes to alcohol. Like I said, firsthand, right now. I do drink, I pick my occasions. But when it comes to our body's ability to detoxify, we've got to remember that alcohol itself, our body considers a poison. Right actually thinks it's poisonous. So it is going to react and its priority is to focus on that, which means all those other toxins that Chris was just talking about, have a massive buildup, right? Our priority right now when you're drinking is to filter out all of the toxins that you're putting in from the alcohol, the rest of the stuff kind of gets put on the backburner. So, we really need to just I really want to drive that home because I think there's a lot of oh, well, it's okay. Like the only thing that liver does is manage alcohol toxicity. So it's fine. If I'm just loading it up with alcohol. It's like no, no, you're putting everything else pretty much on pause to make sure that your body is getting rid of this alcohol and poison. But to come into what you're talking about with the gut health, it's, it's massive. One of the biggest things I share with my clients is always to make sure that you've actually got had food before you drink, right? You know, the healthy eating is cheating, all that sort of thing that toxic culture can come around. But alcohol itself makes the gut really leaky, I always use my hands if you are watching this, you're gonna just imagine your hand is like nice and quiet, like tightly closed fingers nice and tightly close together in a palm. And then if you're having alcohol, any anything that could cause leaky gut where you start to see those barriers open, right, and so you can now imagine that your fingers are nice and spread apart. And what that means is that you you're getting a whole lot of things cross the brain, sorry, the gut barrier into the bloodstream that really shouldn't be. Yeah, I think was all many like I can even start to develop things like food intolerances, you might end up getting a parasite that could be living in there going systemic, which means it's floating around in the body, I guess, really not helpful to the body to be in that constant state of leaky gut. And when you're drinking alcohol, that's what happens. And so it's important that we do align our tummies with some carbohydrates, as well as some protein and that to make sure that it's it kind of prevents that.
Christa 6:07
Yeah, one of the things that I like to focus on when I'm looking at overall gut health is an enzyme called beta glucuronidation. And the name of it isn't really that important, but certain bacteria and we have some bacteria overgrowth that can be perpetuated by, you know, poor gut health, a lifestyle of alcohol, that bacteria releases more of that enzyme and that enzyme actually cuts snips estrogen out of the detoxification system and kind of plunks it right back into the bloodstream, because one of the ways that we get rid of estrogen is through going to the bathroom, right, like in our GI tract, and if we're not eliminating, and it's being snipped back into the blood system via that enzyme, or inadvertently adding more of that hormonal burden back into, into the system. So that's another thing to consider. Just you know, as far as overall gut health. gut health is huge. liver toxicity is huge. You know, when we talk about fatigue, brain fog, irritability, a lot of that can be circled back, you know, I found it interesting that I just consider myself to be an anxious person, like, I don't know, I just have anxiety. That's just the way it was born, my parents had anxiety, my siblings have anxiety. And it wasn't until I really took a 90 day like a solid break from alcohol, that I realized, oh, I don't think that I necessarily have the level of anxiety that I just assumed that I had. And even if you you know, because I thought, oh, it's Wednesday, you know, I didn't have it, I had something to drink on Friday. But what we don't realize is that it takes those effects are long lasting, it's not just you know, the very next day, a lot of times, you know, we joke about the two to three day hangover, but it really is true that it takes a while for your body to really heal itself to really reestablish the level of neurotransmitters that you need, you know, really get back to normal sleep. All of those things like the the ricocheting the ripple effect of a night out can be far beyond what you think. And so realizing that I had a lot more calm days, a lot more clear days, when I wasn't drinking at all, I was like, wow, okay, alcohol really does have a much bigger impact on my life and the way that I think and the way I can be productive in the way I manage, you know, just my relationships with my kids, fill in the blank. You know, my irritability is so much better. Now that I am not drinking, right. So it's wild, how we blame other elements of our life, when really it's kind of staring us in the face what the actual issue is. I'm not saying that everybody has to do a 90 day break, but I am saying you know, it's a great experiment, it's a great thing to realize how much better you actually feel when you you quit kind of poisoning poisoning your body right?
Sheree 9:00
One thing I think is really important to mention too, is that like you said, it doesn't actually have to be this big night out either you notice this just from from completely cutting it out because I think a lot of people go oh, that's okay. I just have a glass of wine at night to help me wine down. And I'm just going to like it helps me sleep whatever right like there's there's all the excuses under the sun why we might have it and so it's not just okay when we had a massive night I had three or four drinks or I had eight drinks like how am I gonna handle that much that point but you know for most people it is actually less but over each night or you know, three or four times during the week. So if you if you look at what you just shared like let's let's talk about that for a little while because I don't think people realize the impact that that one glass every night can have.
Christa 9:51
Right the compounding effects of it I found is also very similar to one night out so two glasses you know a night for three or four nights in a row, maybe during the holiday season during a vacation, we all have had those strings of nights where we're like, oh my gosh, for whatever reason I've just happened to have, or maybe it's just a habit, you have a glass or two of wine at night making dinner, these things add up, and maybe you aren't like, actually drunk, like you don't feel intoxicated. But those effects, your body's supposed to do something with that alcohol. And so you're absolutely right, that compounding effect on the body. I have women who are like I don't, I don't know why I have achy joints, and I'm always tired, and I'm irritable. And my hormones are kind of all over the place, and then come to realize every night at dinner, they're drinking a glass or two of wine to unwind after work. And it's like, well, yeah, you're not getting drunk every night. But you are, you're ingesting something that is really burdening the entire system. And it's this is the answer. This is the answer to a lot of the issues that at least largely in part, you mentioned sleep. And it is amazing. When you dive into you know, there's such a misconception that it helps sleep, what have you found with that?
Sheree 11:07
Yeah, it is a huge misconception that it's an aid, right, a lot of people again, that coming back to that one down, and I think it'd be great to bring in how much it affects our adrenal health in relation to that as well. But quite often, it's like the end of the night we're making, like you say, you're making dinner, or maybe you sit down at dinner, and you have the glass of wine. You know, we're not saying it's highly toxic to be doing that. But if you're doing that regularly, or if it's become a habit, it is going to have an increased burden. But when we're gonna go to sleep, you'll notice if you have and a lot of people have smart devices now and you can track your sleep, if you track your sleep, your heart rate is going to be higher, because your body is shifted into that sympathetic nervous system right out of the parasympathetic state, you're going to notice that your deep sleep drops right off, like I know, when I track my sleep, when I've had a night of drinking, even just a cup, it's just a couple of glasses, my, my deep sleep pretty much reduces completely, or it might be like 15 to 20 minutes. And, and you wake up and you feel worse, you know, like notice what you notice in your body. Because it's not, and it's not just affecting your sleep, because it didn't fix the next day, then it affects how you go and reach for an extra cup of coffee. It affects the two choices that you make, right? It's not just the night of drinking, or the glass of wine that you had that night before. It's actually the accumulative effect that we're talking about. Right?
Christa 12:31
Yeah, and when we don't have good deep sleep, when we don't have a good good quality sleep, it actually does affect the hunger hormones. So we all know, like, we eat terrible, oftentimes the next day, but even if you are just having one or two glasses a night, you're not getting really great sleep on a nightly basis, your body is, you know, putting out more of those hunger hormones the next day, so that that can lead to, you know, worse diet choices, just because our brain is saying, you know, sending out the wrong signals. As far as keeping us on track with diet. When you talk about wearables, I wear the aura ring. And I personally have noticed if I drank the day before, then yeah, my deep sleep my my REM sleep is, is terrible. The other thing is heart rate variability and heart rate variability is really that bouncing back and forth between the parasympathetic and sympathetic. So the autonomic parts of our our brain and our nervous system that says heart rate speed up and the other one says heart rate slow down right there, stress hormones, and then the calming the calming nervous systems are not hormones, that actually lowers meaning there's not as much fluctuation back and forth. And the reason for that is because the sympathetic is really driving the fight your heart rates high, and that parasympathetic with a calming part of our nervous system really doesn't get to say a word in edgewise. So the sympathetic is kind of driving force, which is why you may think that you're sleeping great. It induces sleep, but it certainly doesn't help you stay asleep. And it certainly doesn't give you quality sleep. Because underneath that is stress. And that sympathetic system is a little it's rubbed up. You're putting stress on the adrenals. So it really overall isn't actually helping with sleep, even though we think at the beginning of the night. It is. Yeah, that's just been a really fascinating observation, looking at my sleep data every morning and saying, Wow, that's it's really interesting how much it does affect the quality of sleep?
Sheree 14:31
Yeah, there are a lot of studies that support that, right. Like, one of my favorite favorite people, you know, as an external resource is Dr. Matthew Walker. And he talks about this so much as the impact in terms of sleep and how it's been used as an aid and the effect that it then has an accumulation on our body and if you're not getting like you say that quality of sleep a lot of time like Oh, quantity like I slept seven to nine hours, why don't I feel great? What's the long term impact and Like you say that constant, constant sympathetic dominance that you're stuck in, that's gonna then over time impact your adrenals impact your gut, your sleep is your time to rest and repair and recover, there is not a single physiological function in the body that isn't impacted by sleep. And so if you're popping something in at nighttime, or even during the day, you know, it's still going to have that effect, that's going to make you feel a lot worse, it's going to impact your quality of life, every single time that that happens. And it takes like you say, a long time to recover. It's not just a running joke that it's a three or four day hangover your body takes its time to get rid of the toxic burden.
Christa 15:40
I had somebody my friends one time, say it is this, it's almost like you're taking out a happiness loan. And then you know, the payback is high interest. And when you talk about it from a physiological like, from a physical standpoint, there's two things that come to mind. Number one, it drives up that dopamine, happy, happy, you know, feel good neurotransmitter. But then on the flip side, there's this crash, right? So that's why we feel really, you know, maybe more depressed, more anxious. The other thing to consider is the balance between GABA and glutamate. And those are also two opposing neurotransmitters in our body. GABA is calming. Glutamate is more stimulating glutamate keeps us awake, glutamate keeps, but it can also lead to anxiety. When we drink alcohol, we're boosting GABA, which is more of that calming effect, which is why we feel relaxed, and we feel sleepy. And especially for those genetically who are more predisposed to making a lot of glutamate. Those people will have a lot more anxiety or anxiety the next day, because we've really used up a lot of our GABA production, right, so then glutamates really taking over. And that's kind of what wakes us up early, you know, seven o'clock, like whenever to bed at four in the morning, why am I awake at seven? Because we're so you know, we've used up all of the all the happy, all the calm. And now we're kind of paying for that right? In the sense that other opposing forces within our body, neurotransmitter wise, hormone wise, have kind of they don't have that, that balance anymore. So it's kind of breaking through and between the adrenal stress of you know, boosting cortisol, and then that higher glutamate, it's tough to sleep. And a lot of people have that kind of hangover and anxiety all day. The jitters, you know, just not feeling great. So the other thing I wanted to talk about is its impact on metabolism and blood sugar. Because when I said jitters it, you know, a lot of times it can really drag down blood sugar, right? Have you noticed for yourself or your clients like the blood sugar being an issue, just metabolic health around people who frequently drink.
Sheree 17:52
It's, it's something that I noticed more in the sense that it just seems to impact those food choices, because of the lack of sleep, right. And that's something that I've noticed more. And I know you can talk to the metabolic health quite deep and a lot more in depth in relation to that. But even like you say, with the balance that it throws out of your hunger hormones, and you know, supercharging, you wanting to eat more, that's going to show up throughout your blood sugar levels, like how many people actually wake up, we're talking hang up a level, after you've had some alcohol and be like, great, I would love to start my day with something super healthy. What do we typically feel like? What do people typically get on the way home, right, and in New Zealand, we have a huge binge drinking culture, massive and growing stuff and do on the way home, grab some McDonald's and make sure that we're soaking up that alcohol. So not only are you pumping that toxin in from the alcohol, but you're popping in this food that's super highly processed, that's then going to have even more of a negative effect on your metabolic health. So I see this, like this really big spiral, and then that impacts your mental health like you say, and then it gives you those those low moods the next day like really, like unless you've taken a break and I normally recommend like four weeks is an absolute minimum, completely from alcohol, you have no idea how amazing you can feel, and then tend to make way better food choices, like even myself, did a gap protocol like not that long ago. And during that time, I completely took out alcohol. And there was I think there was one night that I chose because I had an event that I did drink during and the next day it was so hard to fight everything in my body to just go straight back in and eat like super healthy super clean foods. I didn't want to I wanted to sit on the couch and do nothing and be really lazy and have my processed crap. Right. And I can handle that say as nutritionist. I still eat that stuff sometimes. But it makes it so much harder. And so even if you are having a glass at night or a glass or two at night like and it's throwing those blood sugars out and you are making slightly worse choices the next day A sometimes you've also got to reflect and be like, it's not your fault in the sense that there's something driving it in your body from the choices you did make. Yeah, for sure.
Christa 20:11
Alcohol itself just lowers inhibitions across the board. So if you've been sticking to, you know, a certain way of living or healthy eating, it definitely just goes out the window, we can all attest to that, right, you have one drink and out goes all of the willpower against whatever you want to eat, all of a sudden, you're just eating whatever you want. And there is also a direct impact on the way your body metabolizes carbs, so the body, you know, particularly if you're following a keto diet, or you're really interested in helping your body to start to burn fat for fuel, alcohol immediately converts to burning carbs and sugars. So they're just you can't stay in the fat burning mode while you're drinking alcohol. So something to consider too, depending on your health goals, your metabolic goals. And, you know, when we think about energy, and you know, I know a lot of our listeners are high achievers, they want to be able to get up and be clear about what they're they've got going on, and they have the energy to do it. And you just can't really eat, you know, on a cellular level, your body just is not capable of using all of its resources for energy. Because alcohol really converts that yeah, what the body needs for fuel. And it depletes it depletes B vitamins, it depletes magnesium, it depletes antioxidants. And so, you know, we've got to get those from from foods and or from supplements. And that brings me to what supplements have you kind of like, we were talking about a little bit about this, like, when we are drinking? You know, let's, let's say hopefully, occasionally, what are supplements that you have found that help with supporting the body? When we do choose
Sheree 21:56
to drink? Yeah, it's a good thing, good to have the remedy, right? Like we are going to drink we're human, if you know if that's your choice, and not everyone does. And so having some go twos, but I always make sure you know, whenever I'm even when I'm going on vacation, I know that I'm more likely to have a few more drinks. So I really stock up on a few essential things. One thing I love. And interestingly, like I was doing some research about this activated charcoal, right? There's a lot of studies that are going no, it's not really super beneficial is the jury's really out on this. But this is where sometimes you actually have to trust what your body is saying I mean, x amount of tacos a binder, right? And so it binds a combined to the alcohol once it's like when it's in your gut. But once it's into your blood, it can't really do a huge amount. And that's why the jury's out a little bit on it. But if you're taking it before you go for a drink, if you are taking it as soon as you get home, like I know we were talking about, that's kind of what we typically would do. That's going to that can actually really, really help to lower the amount of alcohol toxicity can help drag some of those toxins out of the body. You also might just feel a lot better in general because it does bind to not just alcohol but binds to a lot of those nasty, nasty guys, especially in your gut. And so that's one of the one of the biggest things that I recommend for people. It's always something that I have in carry with me, you can take it as a powder and just drink it. It really doesn't taste like anything or don't have shows. The other thing I always make sure I had the next day which you've actually mentioned is those B vitamins. I noticed a huge it's great for my energy. I feel so much better. If I've had my B vitamins. I mean, I take them every day anyway. But sometimes I'll take a little bit of an extra boost.
Christa 23:34
Yeah, I agree charcoal, I take them in the capsules. I've done the powder. It's really messy. The charcoal, you know, sometimes if I know we're gonna have drinks with friends, I'll have I'll take some charcoal before and then I'll take it home. You know, once we get home. I also do recommend and take vitamin A and vitamin E, vitamin D. Magnesium. If you're one that gets congested or stuffy from red wine, then maybe an ANA histamine Of course, you could wake up even more drowsy if you take an anti histamine but but it does release histamine, I mean that is going to cause more of that fatigue and that and that, you know all of that comes along with histamine but definitely adding the B complex like you said can be really helpful to get on top of it quicker the next day to kind of support your body in the detoxification process. So really all the supplements that are recommended are just supporters for the liver for you know removing the toxins because it really it's the breakdown of the alcohol, that is the toxin that really causes a lot of the problems that we would you know put categorized under hangover symptoms. Good thing is it elevates you know temperature body temperature, right so, I find that you drink and you know when people are saying they frequently have night sweats that can be also because that right Isn't blood sugar we were drinking and then it bottoms out. So going back to metabolic health and blood sugar, that can also really disrupt sleep, blood sugar dysregulation because of the alcohol that you're drinking. So if even if it is just one, two glasses with dinner, you didn't actually feel intoxicated, but you're drinking it sort of, for the calming effect. It can be affecting your blood sugar in a way that is disrupting your sleep in that sense as well.
Sheree 25:21
I'd love to know. I mean, we've talked about supplements. And to be fair, one of the things I do want to share is that and I know you do this with your clients as well. We're generally speaking, taking a lot of these supplements anyway, right? Like, I'm getting making sure I have a big complex every day I take magnesium, I wouldn't take the charcoal that's more of a specific one for when I do have alcohol. But you know, the vitamin A, the the day that you were mentioning, all of that might be in a multi that you're taking, or you know, you're focused on getting it through foods. It's something that we should be getting enough of, on a day to day basis. Right. But I mean, that's probably a topic for another whole conversation around making sure you're getting enough nutrients. Because I don't think people really are. But I'd love to know, aside from supplements, like what are some of the things that you personally do, if you know you're going to drink like to really support your body?
Christa 26:12
Well, we also detoxify through sweat. So working out ahead of time working out the next day, you know, if you show up for it. So sweating is going to be another way that you can detoxify sauna, you know, if you're not going to exercise sitting in the sauna a little bit. But a lot of times we don't feel great, because when we drink alcohol, it actually inhibits ADH, which is antidiuretic hormone, which is the hormone that helps us keep fluid balance. So it suppresses that hormone, which is why you know, we all know that you break the seal, and then all of a sudden, you're just peeing all night, right? Or you're super thirsty the next day, that's because your body is actually losing even more fluid than it should because of that hormone being suppressed. So one way that you can help alleviate some of that is to drink electrolyte water the next day, so water with electrolytes the day before, like, so if you know that you're gonna go out and drink or while you're drinking, maybe in between making sure you're drinking something with electrolytes in it. So water with electrolytes, things like Gatorade have a lot of sugar in them. So I don't necessarily recommend that. But along those lines, so an electrolyte drink, maybe the night that you are drinking, or the time that you are, and then the next day, also having making sure that you're having some electrolytes in your water to really help replenish the fluid balance. Because you are dehydrated. I mean, it really alcohol does cause you to release more water than you normally would. So hydration is going to be really key as well. Yeah, that would be kind of what I what I do. And then really just, you know, I think beyond all of this, this is, you know, alcohol consumption is such a huge topic with so many different avenues that we could go. But I think it's really interesting to get clear on the habits that we create, and the relationships that always include alcohol or locations that always include alcohol, and really starting to question that. Because if your goal is to really feel productive, and to feel like you can wake up most days and get on with it and be present for your friends and for your family and for your business, you've got to make some choices, and some of them are hard. I realized when I took 90 days off, it was over the holidays. It was over October, November, December, January. So that included, you know, all the American holidays, including my birthday, and I thought how am I going to do this, but it actually was the best teacher to be faced with all of these people and holidays and environments were typically always included alcohol. What does that look like to show up there? Do I still have fun? Do I still want to hang out with these people? Who am I without alcohol at this party. So it completely changed my relationship with it. Not only did I realize, Oh my gosh, I feel so much better. Like I didn't even realize how bad I felt or how much anxiety I had because of you know, chronically perpetuating the alcohol toxicity load, even if it was one day a week. So not only did I feel better physically, but I also was like thinking, wow, I got up and I cooked breakfast with my kids. And I took them out and did an activity with them on Saturday. Whereas normally I would have had very low motivation really not felt great, you know having if I would have drank the night before. So that's that's also something that I love to talk about, like what has your been your experience been on? You know, chunks of time where you've said no to alcohol and like showing up at a party, you're like, leave me an alcoholic party all equaled the same equation. How do I remove one element? How do I remove alcohol from the equation and do I still have fun? You know, like, what's your experience with that?
Sheree 29:54
I love this question. And just before I move on, I just want to say go back to the rehydration thing coconut water is my Oh, my, I love that I just had a glass of that this morning and it lives in my fridge, that we've got a little bit more more of intimate sort of thing. So my relationship with alcohol, to be honest is really, I would say, it's quite interesting in the sense that I've never been a huge drinker. And I've always been someone that's like quite a stickler for the roles, and not so much now. Where I can, but growing up, you know, I learned about the fact that it was poisonous. I've always been really interested in my house. And so I was like, Oh, I don't know. And then when I shared this in one of our football earlier episodes, my relationship with food, and the calorie counting obsession, when I started to learn about the empty calories that come from alcohol, I actually went through my whole 21st season over over here. And with all my friends, and I drank it, I think two or three, I was the sober driver for everyone. And we and that bet 21st Season lasted about two or three years, right? Like, you know, you've got friends, all different ages, like years above us below that you're going to, and I virtually didn't drink, I think I had like two of my best friends who I really like actually had some alcohol at, because I just knew one, I was afraid of the calories. But two, I noticed how much better I felt. And I've always been someone that's had the belief, I don't need to have alcohol to have fun. That was something that my mom ingrained in me when I was really young. Like, I think I've only ever seen her once in my life. Tipsy never even, like only once in my life. My nana actually had never got drunk in her entire life, which is amazing. So I think I've had role models, where drinking wasn't the norm. My parents, when they were together, never sat down and shared a glass of like, had a glass of wine with dinner, it just wasn't something that our family did. So I was never really around it much. And then when I did got turned 16 I mean, our drinking age is a bit younger over here. But I did turn 16 It was like, Okay, try it taste it, when 18 is the actual age, but we want to have a little bit here and there, right. And so I established this healthy relationship, it wasn't like this fear of mums not going to buy me drinks to go to a party, or I can't have this, I have to go and get it. And then it's the same thing with food, like the restriction. So because I had that open relationship, I could talk to my mom about it, I could, I could be the friend and I got my license before a lot of my mates did. So I drove everybody, I was happy to be the sober driver. And I'm always at the belief, if I'm gonna drive and get behind the wheel, I'd prefer not to have any alcohol at all. So, you know, that's, that's honestly been my relationship. And I pick events now people just know. But one thing I want to bring to light, because I've had so many clients, and I'm sure you've had the same thing, when you do give them the challenge of doing four weeks or 90 days or whatever it looks like the backlash. And I used to get this all the time, even it you know, especially during party season, it's like, oh, you're not drinking. Like, you're that person. And you should not have to have an excuse. Like, why is it socially unacceptable for us to choose to look at, like, I used to say, I'm doing this for my health, but no one like, it was like, Oh, my God, like I got I rolled, like, literally I rolled and fell, you're still talking to me. And I shouldn't have to be pregnant, right? Like that, shouldn't patient have to, or I'm the sort of a driver, I should be able to rock up somewhere. That's why I drove for most of the part because I was like, at least I've got an excuse flesh from people. But now.
Christa 33:46
And we can all relate to that. I mean, it is it's like we want everyone to be doing the same thing. And I was guilty of that, too. When I was drinking, you want all of your friends to be on the same page with you, you want to share drinks together. And it is such a mindset that it really does make no sense. And yet, that's the added layer of peer pressure to partake in a poison. That really isn't in our best interest for the most part. It is interesting. And I you know, I haven't always been the same as you in the sense that I would, you know, would kind of be the the driver of the fight a lot of times with parties, which made it even harder to say, you know, I'm going to turn over a new leaf and my health, in my relationships in my energy by showing up. I'm not drinking at all at this event. And being worried. Yeah, be worried like, oh my gosh, no one's gonna even know who I am. They're gonna be like, what? What's wrong with you? Why are you not drinking and being afraid of being faced with that? It took me going through that. It took me saying nope, I'm going to show up and most people didn't care. It was in my mind that people were going to care. To be honest, a lot of times I would show up and have all this fear about A judgment of others and the other way like, oh, oh, she's changed. He's not fun anymore. He's just not. And that was not the case. Once I actually just did the thing and showed up and didn't drink. People didn't really have a lot to say about it, or they, they were they really respected my reason of, I'm just trying to make a shift in the way I show up, I'm trying to make a shift in my health, in my relationship with my kids. It's just not serving me. And most people were like, great, that's amazing. Moving on, I think we tell ourselves stories about alcohol, about what people are going to think or say. So in a lot of ways, we're our own worst enemy, when it comes to making a different decision. Right? It's amazing that we can show up to parties and get, get, you know, taunted, made fun of or whatever, or just our boundaries aren't respected, because somebody else has a different agenda for you. Mm hmm.
Sheree 35:53
And I think it really, it's probably a beautiful teacher, in the sense of you do take on the challenge to be like, I'm actually gonna go sober for X amount of time. And like you say, put yourself in that situation. I think that's incredible that you went through, like birthdays, holidays, all of that. Because, like you were saying earlier, it really does reflect on your relationships. And when my clients come in, it's really hard. And I get it, like, I do work with a lot of women that are younger, as well, like you're going through the same thing I did you know, when you're in your 20s, where you don't actually want to drink because you are prioritizing your health. And they're afraid of the backlash, but it does make you reevaluate, like, Okay, how do I actually show up in life? What boundaries do I set for myself? Can I have these hard conversations when they come up? Or does my willpower go out the window, and I actually show myself a lack of respect and given?
Christa 36:45
Yeah, it will go beyond honestly, making those decisions goes beyond just alcohol in your life, because it makes you flex other muscles in your, in your, in your mind of your own boundaries, your own self love and self worth, and making a decision for yourself, despite what others say, or their agenda for you. It's, this is what I'm going to do. And it really does go it bleeds out further than just that one choice. What about genetics, and, you know, those who become alcoholics, those who are, you know, chemically dependent on alcohol, because that's definitely something that isn't talked about a lot. And maybe, you know, sometimes in your social circles, you just assume everybody's safely drinking and other, you know, they just like to drink a lot. But, you know, there is definitely a genetic component to some people being more predisposed to being reliant on alcohol, those people obviously can't just without help completely stop. You know, especially if you're a true alcoholic, your body is now relying on on that to a degree and you need medical help to get you to unwind that, but some of the signs that maybe you are physiologically more dependent, or more prone to be an alcoholic could be things like those, you know, if it's yourself or your friends who tend to never have a hangover, or they just don't pass out, they can drink, you know, five drinks, and they're still rolling around just fine. And you're like, I am just barely standing up, right? These people, or if it's yourself, tend to have more of a propensity for alcoholism, their body is able to, you might think it's cool that they can, you know, or you can drink more and not have the same effects. But actually, it's kind of a warning sign that your body actually is more predisposed to alcoholism itself, right. So just something to consider. I wanted to throw that out there that biologically, being aware of that and your risks, right, especially if people are drinking younger, you know, and one buddy passes out, and one can just go all night, well, the one that's going on night probably is at higher risk for having alcohol issues later, like dependency
Sheree 38:46
is huge, especially and I'll bring it back. I don't know how it is in the States. I know the drinking age is older and that sort of thing. But here, I mean, we even have just recently gone through something really close to home with this and my family. Right? And it can take a lot for someone to even admit that they are dependent on it. And sometimes it's not even to have a good time, right? Sometimes we tend to it from that up for emotional support. To deal with things in life that you don't want to to mask some of the pain to you know, it can become a dependence in that in that respect. Maybe you feeling alone, you don't have anyone to talk to. And I've seen this particularly with men, particularly with and I'm not saying that there aren't women out there like that, but I do definitely see it a lot more with guys the alcoholism and I see them then you see the impact. Like I can say firsthand experience having someone in the family that's had alcohol abuse problem is so hard and it's emotionally challenging for everyone around them. And you don't see that it's Not just this the impact that it has on your physical health, right? Or your mental health, if you're that person, is that emotional impact that it hasn't everyone else around you? And then you, you know, that person then may become a burden? Oh my gosh, do we have to watch out for this person? Are they going to drink too much like, what's going to happen here, and sometimes they aren't the person that keeps going, you know, like, the instance in my case, they were the person that constantly passed out, but they would have drunk like, 10 to 12 drinks, and just drunk themselves silly and do stupid thing. And then it's like, Oh, my goodness, like, you know, you wake up the next morning, you regret shoot, if you did, right when you were drinking. That's a whole nother level. And I think, you know, it'd be good to know, I don't actually know the specific names of the genes and that sort of thing. But I wonder if you do or if there's a white, you know, why do you think if you're doing genetic testing, to be like, you're more predisposed to alcoholism? Is the alcoholism in your family? And because genetic trace,
Christa 41:04
yeah, I think I don't have the genes memorized, either. But I definitely think family history paying attention to your your own response to it. And I think that it is hard to be honest with yourself. Other people can see a lot of patterns. And people just don't want to admit that. Right? They just, you don't want to admit it. And I think paying attention and really being honest with yourself, like how often do I need to drink? Do I feel like I have to drink in? You know, am I drinking alone? Do Do I feel like I have to drink in social settings, like really being clear and honest with yourself about your patterns around it. The relationship that I have with alcohol now is different than it was even three years ago. But that took doing some of the hard work it took being committed? Well, first of all waking up to the fact that maybe there was an issue with, you know, the age of my kids. Now my kids are preteens and teens, like, I don't want to be the kind of mom that is, you know, not fully in control with with them around. And they're awake when I come home from being out with friends or my husband, right? So they see whatever state you're in at the end of the night, they're still awake. So it was kind of taking all of these factors into account and like Who do I want to be as a parent? How do I want to be the next day over the weekend? Do I want to be present with them and active and actively engaged with them? How do I want to be in my business? How do I want to be in my workouts? And is this helping me or hurting me and so it took me becoming really clear and honest with myself, and then doing the hard work of the commitment of this as an experiment. And this is hard. And the social every social opportunity gives me a new opportunity to assess my relationship with alcohol in this position, or, you know, at this event, or was this friend right? So it's interesting.
Sheree 42:50
Yeah. No, I love that. And it's always it's always interesting when you do a reset, like what you said. And you then go and have like, again, I'm very much a lightweight probably because I don't drink a huge amount anyway to doing like a cleanse or you give yourself time off or whatever it is and then you go and have lunch. Very much intoxicated, and it's it's quite interesting. And that's where it can be good to give yourself a reset because if you are someone that's four or five drinks deep and you're in you know everyone else around you is quite intoxicated and you're not but when you go and give yourself a reset you can pick Oh, wow, this is actually my level of tolerance. This is actually where I should be sitting home. Wow, how much have I been overburdening my body?
Christa 43:36
I that was one thing like I would realize, Oh my gosh, I would have had three drinks by now. And everyone else is just having one and I thought everyone was on the same page as me. Nope, I would have been you know, I wouldn't have I would have refilled my wine here or there. I was much more aware around me like oh, you know what, these people don't drink as much as I thought because once you get going you know you're you've had two or three glasses of wine you just assume everybody's on the same number. That's not always true. So it was really interesting to see all of that and like to see Oh see these interactions with people on a sober level?
Sheree 44:10
Right Yeah, it's it's just so interesting and I think we've had quite a quite an interesting conversation about alcohol and itself and it's understanding not only the science but the emotional side and the size to look out for and just to look after yourself you know, ultimately we want to be able to empower you with like our listeners with this information and also to help you from the inside out and make healthy choices not just from for your physical being but for your mental and emotional and and spiritual well being as well you know how it impacts your family. So with that being said, like we send you so much love and light and please do drink responsibly. Also, we know how to have a good time and you don't need to have a good time.
Christa 44:56
Absolutely, yeah. Hopefully this has helped kind of educate you on the physical. Yeah, the physical parts of it and then also just the emotional parts of it. And yeah, we're here for it all. So, so great.
Sheree 45:08
Thanks, guys. We'll see you next time. If you love this episode, be sure to leave us a review, download and subscribe. If you
Christa 45:14
know someone that could also benefit from this conversation, please share. That's how we spread empowered health.
Sheree 45:19
We'll see you again for another episode of The Wild and wild collective
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
