RE 610: Can I Return to Normal Drinking?

Today we have Jennifer. She is 49 years old, lives in Orange County, CA and she took her last drink on July 13th, 2026.

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You may have noticed there is a new podcast intro and outro song on this episode by our very own Pablo Church. The song is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

[02:55] Thoughts from Paul:

Paul shares with us an article posted by CNN which was sent to him by a listener. The article argues that recovery doesn't have to mean full abstinence, that science has evolved, that alcohol use disorder exists on a spectrum, and that some people can return to moderate drinking. When Paul read that the NIAAA was involved, the entire article lost credibility. After a big study in the mid-2010's claimed that alcohol was good for us, it was uncovered that the study was sponsored by Big Alcohol.

This article uses Brad Pitt's return to drinking in a more restrained manner after seven years of sobriety as concrete data. Big Alcohol has lost almost a trillion dollars of sales in the last five years. Alcohol consumption is down and the sober curious movement is gaining momentum. So, it seems convenient that this article drops saying "hey, maybe you don't have to quit after all".

We don't know if this article was funded by Big Alcohol, but it doesn't line up with all that we see and hear in the trenches.

[10:06] Paul introduces Jennifer:

Jennifer is a registered nurse and dog mom to three French bulldogs, now exploring who she is in sobriety.

Jennifer says she has always chased a change in how she felt. In high school, drugs were easier to access than alcohol, but once she turned 21, drinking became her focus. She and her friends drank heavily, and she assumed it was simply what people did in their twenties.