Maureen (00:00.706)
Welcome back to Sober Fit Life. Today I want to share with you something that I haven't really talked about publicly. Something I used to do after a heavy drinking weekend or a night when I drank way more than I planned, which was toward the end of my drinking becoming more often than not. But I would wake up feeling awful, dehydrated, really anxious, beating myself up, ashamed, puffy, foggy, you know, stomach feeling horrible, just completely wrecked.
And sometimes I would I would want to undo it as fast as I could. And I would look for an IV business. You know, there's this has actually become an industry around recovering from hangovers. And let me be clear before I go on, I'm not putting down IV clinics at all. I go get IVs now for health benefits. And it actually does benefit me because then when I was looking for an IV, I was looking for something to undo what I had done to myself.
Right. What I had let alcohol do to myself. And sometimes it would cost up to $300 to $400, depending on all the things I added in hydrations, vitamins, glutathione, something to calm my stomach. I would be like, give it all to me because I wanted to so quickly undo the damage that I had done. you know.
I want to speak to I know there's a lot of people who do this. the way I found out about it was because some of my other friends were doing it. And actually people that I knew in medical school would tell me stories of when they were nurses or doctors, they would hook themselves up to IVs and you know, try to get rid of their hangovers. So this is a practice that's been going on for a while. It's just now become part of an industry. But maybe you've done this too. You know, maybe you've taken something else, like party smart.
That's another thing that's advertised. Take it before drinking. I used to bring it to parties, like the little packets and give it out to people, be like, look, now we can drink because we can take this herb. It didn't do anything, people. I will tell you that. Sorry, party smart people. you know, maybe you've lined up a bunch of electrolytes next next morning or bought liver supplements. you thought you could sweat it out or ordered greasy food. That's a that's a myth too. Canceled plans, taken Advil.
Maureen (02:20.96)
made promises or slept half the day. Hangovers are just horrible. And it takes a lot from you. So it costs a lot. But I was adding the cost of an IV. Like $300, I would say, would be the average. So think about that. Not only just the alcohol you're buying the night before, and in my case, an Uber, right? I would then so much, so desperately want to undo the damage I had done.
And I specifically want to talk about glutathione because when I would go to these IV clinics, or sometimes they could come to your house too, they would say, Well, this will help mop up the alcohol. So I'd be like, give me that, right? it's something that your body makes naturally and it's it's part of your body's internal cleanup crew. It helps protect your cells. I'm gonna read this because I want to get it right. It helps protect your cells, it supports your liver.
It helps your body deal with toxins and oxidative stress. So when I go to an IV clinic after drinking too much and it was offered, I would be like, yes, give it to me. but the thing is, when you feel terrible, that sounds amazing. You want something to undo it right away, the damage. You want something to erase the hangover, the shame, the anxiety, the dehydration, the stomach issues, the what did I do to myself? It's like, if I could make this go away.
I will make all those bad feelings go away. But the truth is you cannot magically undo a hangover. Because let's talk about what actually happens when we're drinking alcohol. Alcohol is ethanol, as we often talk about on here. When you drink it, your liver has to process it, right? Your liver processes everything. And alcohol in itself is a toxin, but your liver converts it to something called.
As I can never even say this. Acetaldehyde. Okay. And that is even more toxic than alcohol. And remember, that substance is touching all the cells in your liver. You don't need to remember that word. Just know alcohol has to be converted into an even more toxic substance before it can be gotten rid of in the body. so alcohol doesn't just pass through. Your liver has to use a lot of energy and create.
Maureen (04:44.908)
an even stronger toxin before it can get rid of it. Your body has to deal with it. Your liver has to prioritize it. So any medications you're taking, they stop getting metabolized, any good food that you're hoping to absorb the nutrients, that's getting put on hold. Your liver is on red alert and is like, I have to get rid of this toxin now. Prioritize it over everything. So your cleanup crew gets pulled into damage control with alcohol and your body has to use all its resources
To process what you drank. It prioritizes that. So that's why the next day can feel just absolutely brutal. Your body is not just recovering from a fun night, right? It's recovering from a chemical burden that we've placed on our body. And part of why I always share all this information with you is not to make you feel bad. It's to give you truthful information so you can start making more informed choices. So you can start putting the pieces together like,
I know why I feel so bad now. Maureen was just sharing with me. Alcohol's converted into an even more toxic substance in my liver and it has to work really hard to get rid of it. No wonder I feel awful, right? So that's why I share this with you. And I wish I had understood that. And because I I magically I'm like, yeah, give me that glutathione, you know, give me the external source. But I wish I had understood that getting getting that after drinking just doesn't erase a hangover. It didn't magically undo.
all the things that come with drinking too much. poor sleep, anxiety, shame. Sorry, can't get rid of that in an IV. Nope, that sticks around. it didn't fix my stomach. This was for days I would feel horrible. I mean, I would, you know, have terrible GI upset. And I would deny that it had to do with the alcohol. And it didn't give me my day back. boy, so many wasted days I think about being hung over or just like
barely muddling through, not, you know, just couldn't wait to go to bed again. it didn't make my body say, okay, you got the IV, you're good to go. And believe it or not, sometimes I would get that IV and I would drink again that night. Maybe there was a party. Maybe that happened Friday and Saturday I felt bad. So I wanted to go out Saturday night so I'd get an IV, right? Not good behavior. This is a bad cycle I was in.
Maureen (07:07.746)
You know, I felt like, well, at least I'm countering it, doing something good for myself. And that's that's the same kind of mindset like, I'll go sweat it out. You know, I'm not really gonna get a lot out of my workout, but if I can at least sweat out this toxin, which is a whole nother episode because that is a myth. That is not how that works, right? So the IV was not a reset button. It was a desperate attempt to automatically undo the damage that I had done. It was expensive damage control.
So the real issue, the real issue is wow, was I working so hard to come up with the best anti-hangover plan, you know, except for the obvious one of not putting the substance in my body in the first place. No, I worked really hard on trying to drink and yet not have a hangover. So I that's the real part, you know, that I want you to hear because the hangover culture has become
a business. It's become acceptable to be recovering and to seek out pills or IVs or methods to help you continue to drink the way you are. And really it's just like everything else turned into a business. There's an entire market built around helping people recover from alcohol. And I mean from their drinking episodes, right? the fact is you know that there's so much demand
To try to undo the damage we're doing should sho tell us something. You know, if we need this many products, supplements, IVs, powders, pills, and recovery, then you know, the problem is not that we've found we're finding the perfect recovery tool. The problem is the alcohol, it's the ethanol. And yet we so desperately wanna hang on to our drinking. And I've asked this question before on other podcasts, why am I working so hard?
To keep this substance in my life. And me, literally, I was spending hundreds and you know, up to a thousand, right? Or more had to be with the amount I drank and and IVs, thousands of dollars. Don't forget, like I said, Ubers, other kind of things I would try. So the goal it should really be, if you think about it, not how I can recover better from drinking, but the goal is to stop needing recovery.
Maureen (09:34.168)
From drinking episodes, right? It's like, let's take a look at this pattern instead of trying to figure out magical ways to recover from drinking too much. So if you're listening and you've done this, please do not use this as another reason to beat yourself up. I am being vulnerable and sharing because I want you to let you know that I've been there. I was looking for this magical way to drink all that I wanted and then undo it magically. So it re
It reveals, you know, the real cost of alcohol. It's more than what you pay at the bar, right, or what you pay at the liquor store. It's the recovery plan, is the real extra cost to ourselves and our bodies. It's, you know, IVs, supplements, canceled mornings, unproductive work, Ubers, stomach problems. I have clients that have reflux and are still drinking.
You know, and so we we try to take a pill like prilosec so we can keep drinking. Again, looking for this magic recovery so we can keep this substance. You know, the anxiety, the cost of the anxiety. People are taking all kinds of antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, and still drinking. I was doing all of that. So just when you hear me say that, I'm not, you know, shaming anybody. I did all of it. And the shame itself reveals the cost. So alcohol costs more than what you
Physically pay for the drink. So just think about that. The receipt is not, you know, it doesn't end at the bar. The receipt and the payments keep coming for days. And the more you drink and the more you're in this cycle, the deeper the payment gets. Right. So instead of asking yourself the question, wow, and I used to do this. I'd go to the grocery store and see that party smart and be like, I'll get that. That way I can drink, you know, whatever I want.
Wrong. Total marketing. I bought into it and so do you. I get it. So instead of asking ourselves, what can I take before I drink? Or what can I take after I drink? how can I recover faster? How can I undo this so I can go out again? That's what I would do. Or, you know, so I can feel better at work on Monday. Instead, take a moment and ask, why am I working so hard to recover from this substance that I know is hurting me?
Maureen (11:58.656)
Instead of taking a look at the actual substance. And then more honestly, and this is, I know, the scary question, but when you start asking these questions, you can honestly, without shame, start reevaluating this relationship that you've built with alcohol. I had quite the relationship with alcohol. So you want to ask yourself what would happen if I stopped trying to repair the damage and started removing.
The offending source of the damage. What would happen? What could happen to all the systems in my body? Right. So I always talk about my method, my coaching method, and it's my four R method. So in this case, let's take a look at this. We're going to recognize the full cost of alcohol. The first R is to recognize the truth, the full cost of alcohol, not just in dollars, right? But the recovery, mental, physical.
Maybe you go out and get IVs like I did or try to take all kinds of supplements. Alcohol costs more than the drink. It costs the repair. And that can go on for days after each drinking event. So then you want to look at the second R, replace. Really want to look at all the jobs you're giving alcohol. I had to tease apart so many jobs that I have given alcohol over the years.
So one of them that I talk about is I get anxious when I go out in groups and crowds. And I know I've had people say, I don't believe you, Maureen. You have a podcast, you coach people. No, I like having deep, interesting conversations, but I'm more of an introvert. So small talk like really drains me. So alcohol, I would use it to give me quote unquote liquid courage. And I would drink too much. So now I just learned to move through the discomfort of the first, you know, few minutes of.
Going somewhere and everyone's kind of having small talk and getting their drinks. And then everything's fine. I settle into talking to somebody and have an interesting conversation. So I was giving it that kind of job. I had to replace, I had to learn how to replace. That's the third R. You want to replace the jobs you've given alcohol. So for you, if it's reward, what can you replace that with? What is truly rewarding for you that will not self-sabotage?
Maureen (14:16.942)
So you want to replace. If you just try to remove alcohol without replacing, you will go back to the default to use alcohol in whatever scenario or situation you've been using it for years, most likely. And then rewire. That's the fourth R. You've got to rewire the belief, right? That well, I could just keep drinking if I could figure out how to recover from it better. We wanna we wanna replace that belief and we want to rewire it instead.
Think about your longevity, your brain health, your heart health, your gut health, your efforts you're doing at the gym, your mental health, your relationships, right? Think about that. That's what you want to rewire and choose differently. You don't have to listen to that first thought. This is neuroplasticity. You don't have to listen to the first thought. I need a drink. You get to stop and question that thought thought and say, is that true? Do I really need a drink?
What do I really need? So that's the rewiring process that we go through in coaching. And it's different for everybody, but this is basically what I work through with people. And then renewing, you want to renew. I have renewed my relationship with my body, with my mental health, with my long-term health goals. Renewing that by making the choice to pause, think about what you really need, not turn to alcohol.
you are renewing and deepening that new alcohol free neural pathway. So the drinking neural pathways get smaller and quieter and dormant. And the new lifestyle choices get to be more of this is just me. I no longer drink because it was no longer serving me. I no longer spend 300 to 400 on IVs trying to undo damage. If I get an IV now, it's for actual benefit from the IV, not damage control.
Your body is not something to punish, patch up, or drag through another Monday. It is something to protect. We only get one. We only get one. And take it from me at 60 now. I can feel it. And I'm so glad I figured this out. Right. I used to pay hundreds of dollars to try to recover from alcohol after a major drinking session. And now I can see that what I wanted was not really the IV. I wanted relief from how big.
Maureen (16:40.332)
badly I felt physically and mentally from alcohol. I wanted to fix it. I wanted the anxiety gone. I wanted the shame gone. I wanted my stomach to calm down, right? I wanted my energy back. And I didn't want people to see how hungover I was. That was another big piece of it. I'm like, if I could get this done, I can like act like I'm I'm, you know, all that drinking didn't bother me. So again, that's another piece I didn't really even talk about. Trying to keep up this image that really you're not concerned about your drinking and it's not hurting you.
when it truly is. That again could be a whole nother episode. I wanted to feel like myself again, and I was trying to get that in an IV instead of reevaluating the way I was drinking, why I was drinking, all the different reasons I was drinking. So gray area drinking is not really about how much you drink, it's why you drink, how you drink, when you drink. And again, these are questions for you to consider, right?
So the real freedom for me and for you and for my clients is not to find a better way to recover from drinking. And it certainly is not a good thing for your wallet, right? the real freedom was not needing recovery from drinking at all anymore. Right. I don't need to worry about that. Ugh, such freedom. You know, the mental real estate that has been freed up and my wallet is happier. I get to spend that money elsewhere.
on things that are really beneficial to me. So if this episode hits close to home, you know, maybe you've tried some of these things, just consider, write this down. Think about it. Am I working really hard to build a recovery system around alcohol? I'm putting all this effort into trying to recover. What could I do with all that energy, money, time, thought? What else could I do?
Think about that. Am I building a recovery system around alcohol? And why? Why am I trying to work so hard to keep this substance in my life? Big questions. And it's not a reason for shame. It's it's information. I call that a reveal point, right? You are revealing something to yourself. You're willing to look at it with curiosity and self-compassion. And then you can move into action about making change. What will become possible?
Maureen (19:07.254)
What would become possible for you if you stop trying to undo the damage and started removing the thing that causes the damage? Think about that. And if that immediately brings up fear in you, anxiety, you feel it in your body, that is something to really consider. Why am I so afraid to remove alcohol? What I like to do with people is offer them to take a break with me, a coach-led break.
So if this is hitting home with you, if you're concerned about your drinking, you can do two things. You can take my quiz. Am I drinking too much? And that was the kind of quiz I wish had been around when I was searching. So you can go to soberfitchick.com, take my quiz, learn about gray area drinking. You will get a guide talking about what is gray area drinking, because gray area drinking is the kind of drinking that 90% of the people do, right? We, we
We are entrepreneurs, we are parents, we are grandparents, we are healthy, we take care of ourselves, except this one area. And and gray area drinkers are concerned about their drinking silently, shamefully. They're keeping it to themselves. They take breaks, but they always go back. So if you want to learn more about gray area drinking, take my quiz. And even more importantly, this fall, I will be doing another reset.
Resetting your relationship with alcohol. I'm going to do it a little differently this year. I'm going to do a kickoff call September 23rd. So that's when we will officially start, get everybody onboarded onto my course, my digital course. We'll talk about expectations, what you're looking for, get everybody ready, and then the next week we'll begin the first official group coaching call, September 30th. And then it will coincide.
With Sober October. So just know you'll be doing that with a bunch of other people. But if you join my reset, you'll be doing it with me. So it's a coach-led group effort, six-week reset with a kickoff call the week before. And I would highly encourage you if any of this episode hit home, if you really work hard at recovery from alcohol, and if you want to try to take a break and learn a lot more than even just this information I've offered today, join my
Maureen (21:31.148)
reset again right now the wait list is open and it's filling up. I'm pretty excited about that. so go ahead to my website. I'll also have it in the show notes here. You can just click on it. You can read all about the reset, what's involved, see if it resonates with you. And I would love to see you in the fall. And one more thing I'll let you know I'm doing a free webinar. It's not your fault. It's chemistry why it's so darn hard to drink less. And that's going to be September 9th. So
If any of this hit home with you or any of the things I say on the podcast, please reach out to me. You can email me, Maureen at soberfitchick.com. I answer all my emails. We can have a discovery call, or you could join my reset and also take the quiz. So lots of options for you if any of this is hitting home. And I just always want to share because man, do I wish I had somebody to talk to back then when I was struggling and, you know, kind of keeping it all to myself and doing things like IVs because the truth is I wasn't.
practicing wellness. I was practicing damage control. And there's a big difference. So I'm gonna leave you with that today. Thanks for listening and I hope to hear from you soon.
