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Pour Decisions: How Alcohol Changes Your Brain, Body, and Future
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Join Glow Wild as we go deep on what alcohol really does to the human body—and how it recovers—through science, stories, and cultural insight. Expect a warm, personal conversation that blends neuroscience, clinical research, behavior change strategies, and the cultural wisdom of Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker.
Brain & Structural Recovery Studies
Health Benefits of Quitting
- Quitting alcohol leads to improved sleep, enhanced liver regeneration, cardiovascular benefits, reduced inflammation, immune system strengthening, and cognitive clarity.
Wikipedia - Note: Even low levels of drinking carry health risks—no amount is truly safe.
Wikipedia
Recovery Expectation & Brain Reversibility
- Partial cerebral atrophy reversal with abstinence—improvements in cognitive tests, memory, balance, working memory.
Wikipedia
Intervention & Treatment Strategies
- Acamprosate shows promise for maintaining alcohol abstinence, although more research is needed on combined psychosocial and pharmacological strategies.
BMJ
Books & Cultural References
- Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker — A cultural reckoning, redefining empowerment, and sobriety as self-respect.
- This Naked Mind by Annie Grace — Explores how awareness transforms drinking habits at a neurological level.
Quick Links to Key Research
- Cortical thickness recovery after 7.3 months sober
ScienceAlert - Early brain volume recovery within two weeks of sobriety
ScienceDaily - Moderate drinking & hippocampal atrophy over 30 years
BMJ - Long-term alcohol-related brain damage—even at low levels
Wikipedia - Health benefits of quitting alcohol summarized
Wikipedia
Call to Action & Reflection
- Reflect with curiosity—what does your drinking truly serve?
- Try an experiment—even a short break can spark lasting change.
- Explore tools—from mindfulness to habit rewrites, build what works for you.
- Seek community & knowledge
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