Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health

We’re a few weeks into January — past the excitement of starting, but still early enough to choose again. In this episode, I share how I’m structuring a personal experiment this year, not as a rule or resolution, but as a way to support what I want more of: energy, clarity, consistency, and presence. Using examples straight from my journal, I walk through a simple framework you can use at any poin...

Marci Hopkins, host of Wake Up with Marci and author of the upcoming book Wake Up, You’re Not Broken, joins me again to talk about what actually happens after you make a big change. We unpack the first 30 days — including that first-month “I feel amazing” phase — and why things can feel harder once it fades. We talk about identity, spirituality, community, and how to move forward without shame whe...

Marci Hopkins is the host of Wake Up with Marci, a speaker, and the author of Chaos to Clarity. But her work didn’t come from theory — it came from living through years of trauma, chaos, and using alcohol to cope. In part one, Marci shares what chaos actually looked like growing up, how drinking slowly became normalized, and the moment she realized that trying to “manage” alcohol wasn’t going to w...

You’d think a hangover would be enough to stop drinking. For most people, it’s not. In this episode, we look at why delayed consequences don’t change behavior, how the brain prioritizes immediate relief, and what cravings are really responding to. Once you understand the timing problem at the center of drinking habits, a lot of things start to make sense. RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG:...

Claudia Christian is an actress, author, and leading advocate for evidence-based approaches to alcohol use disorder. She’s best known for her roles on Babylon 5, NYPD Blue, and 24, as well as for her widely viewed TEDx talk on alcohol recovery, which has been watched by millions of people worldwide. In this conversation, Claudia shares why being told to “just quit drinking” never worked for her, d...

We’re surrounded by advice on how to do better, be better, and optimize every part of life. But what if the constant effort to improve is part of what keeps us feeling tense? In this episode, I talk about my own habit of always learning, always doing, and what happened when I finally made space to stop fixing myself. We explore why easing pressure can lead to calmer choices, clearer thinking, and...

If you’re starting Dry January or Dry(ish) January today, this episode is about support, not pressure. We talk about how to approach the month with kindness instead of correction, what to expect in those first couple of weeks, why an off night doesn’t undo progress, and how to set yourself up with tools that actually help once January is underway. We walk through practical support like the Dry(ish...

January 1 is symbolic, not magical. In this episode, we walk through nine decisions to make before January starts if you want change to actually stick. We cover why waiting for the calendar flip often backfires, how the “get it out of your system” mindset keeps patterns in place, and why planning for stress, fatigue, and social pressure matters more than motivation. Whether you’re considering Dry...

Dry January doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. In this episode, Katie Nessel from Soberish Mom and I talk through what Dry(ish) January really looks like in real life, why flexibility works better than white-knuckling, and where people tend to get stuck when they try to force change. We unpack the difference between Dry and Dry(ish), why slip-ups don’t undo progress, and how the Sunnyside challeng...

Katie Nessel from @soberishmom is back, and a lot has shifted since we last talked. In this conversation, we catch up on what the past year has really looked like inside the mindful drinking space, what parents are reaching out about most right now, and where pressure still shows up, especially for moms. We talk about social situations, identity, exhaustion, and the growing gap between how alcohol...

If you’re thinking about going all-in on Dry January—or weighing whether Dry or Dry(ish) makes more sense—this episode helps you think it through calmly and realistically. We talk about what a full break actually gives you, how focusing on what you want to gain makes the month easier, why slip-ups don’t undo progress, and how January can set you up for a more intentional February—whether you stay...

Today’s guest is Rachel Lundberg. Rachel has spent more than three decades working with movement, yoga, and nervous system regulation, and she’s the founder of Thrive Yoga and Wellness, where she helps people feel more at home in their bodies and less reactive in their habits. Her work sits at the intersection of alignment, breath, and awareness — the stuff that actually determines whether a cravi...

We don’t drink the same way in every season of life — and that’s not random. In this episode, Mike explores seven subtle signs that your drinking may be reflecting something deeper, drawing from Wayne Dyer’s Seven Faces of Intention . This isn’t about cutting back or fixing anything. It’s about noticing how stress, pressure, self-talk, pace, and internal alignment shape the role alcohol plays. If...

What happens when someone discovers that medication, structure, and real support can work together? In this conversation, Malcolm shares how Sunnyside Med helped him go from drinking 15–20 drinks a day to a consistent 4–5 — a 75% reduction in just six weeks. He talks openly about grief, shame, emotional patterns, and why previous attempts at change didn’t stick. You’ll hear how naltrexone, communi...

Even when you’re drinking less and feeling better, certain beliefs can quietly make the whole process feel harder than it needs to be. In this episode, we break down five common myths that influence how you interpret cravings, off-nights, progress, and your own capacity for change. Once you see these myths clearly, the entire journey feels lighter and a lot more human. Want to drink less with no p...

In this episode, Mike explores a surprising angle on cravings: the role your gut plays in when and why they show up. Drawing on new research about the gut–brain axis, he explains how alcohol, stress, blood sugar swings, and even sleep can influence the signals your gut sends to your brain — and how those signals can feel like cravings. You’ll learn simple, science-backed ways to support your gut,...

Thanksgiving shakes up your routines, your sleep, your stress, and your drinking rhythm — even when you’ve been doing the work. In this episode, we break down what the weekend actually revealed about your habits, why it felt harder or easier than expected, and how to use that insight to steady yourself for December. This is your post-Thanksgiving reset, built around clarity, momentum, and mindful...

It sounds cheesy, but at this time of year here at Sunnyside we're always incredibly grateful for you, our Sunnyside members. You bring us inspiration through your success stories and the effort you put into bettering yourselves. And you make us better at what we do. Sunnyside is our life's work, and we're proud to be on this journey with you. In this special holiday episode, we share how you can...

You can stick to your plan most of the week, make better choices, feel more aware—and still wake up after one off night and think, “Nothing’s changing. I knew I’d end up right back here.” That moment has less to do with the drinking, and more to do with the thoughts that rush in after. In psychology, these are called cognitive distortions—mental habits that make a single slip feel like proof you d...

When most people hear the word sobriety, they think labels, meetings, or giving something up. For Jeanette Hu, it meant something very different. She spent years drinking daily— and when she tried to change, she didn’t fully connect with the traditional path. So she became a psychotherapist and started studying belief, identity, and the emotional role alcohol plays in our lives. That led her to bu...

We all drink for different reasons — stress, relief, habit, escape, connection — but underneath those behaviors is something deeper: the emotional level we’re operating from. Today, I’m using the framework from Power vs. Force by Dr. David Hawkins to break down why we drink from shame, anxiety, anger, desire, and pride… and why we feel worse afterward. Then we look at what happens when you rise in...

Today we're continuing the conversation around Sunnyside Med - I’m joined again by co-founder Ian Andersen to talk about what’s new, his own personal experience taking medication, and what members are actually seeing in the real world. We get honest about what the typical experience looks like — the wins, the challenges, and even the side effects — so if you’ve ever thought about getting a little...

I used to say, “I don’t want a beer — I want a six-pack.” It always got a laugh, but underneath that joke was something real: one never felt like enough. In this episode, I unpack why we keep chasing that next drink even after the good feeling has already arrived—and how learning to spot that moment can completely shift your relationship with alcohol. Want to drink less with no pressure to quit? V...

Today I’m talking with Ada Avdic — a full-time content creator, mom, and beauty expert who thought she didn’t really drink all that much. But once she started tracking with Sunnyside, she realized she was drinking more than she thought — and that small changes could make a big difference. In this episode, Ada shares how she cut her drinking in half, rethought corporate and “mommy-wine” culture, an...

The holidays can test even the strongest intentions — parties, family, travel, and constant pressure to drink or “let loose.” In this 10-Minute Monday, Mike shares 9 ways to stay balanced, protect your peace, and actually enjoy the season. You’ll learn how to plan ahead, handle tough moments, and start the new year proud of how you showed up — clear, confident, and in control. Want to drink less w...