Podcast Episode Details

Grey Area Drinking, Hormones & Midlife: What Every Woman Needs to Know | Sarah Rusbatch author of Beyond Booze

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Episode 460

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What if alcohol isn’t the harmless stress reliever it’s been marketed to be—but a silent saboteur of your confidence, hormones, and nervous system? In this deeply honest and empowering conversation, Sarah Rusbatch, author of Beyond Booze, joins Angela to unpack the hidden costs of "grey area drinking"—the space between social drinking and addiction where many high-achieving women quietly struggle. Together, they explore how alcohol affects female physiology, from rising cortisol and disrupted sleep to impaired hormone detoxification and loss of confidence.

Angela and Sarah also dive into the neuroscience of GABA, the truth about alcohol’s effect on your brain chemistry, and what it takes to reclaim joy, vitality, and authentic self-connection without reaching for a glass. Whether you're sober curious, navigating perimenopause, or questioning your relationship with alcohol, this episode is filled with science, stories, and soul-deep wisdom to help you create a life you love—alcohol free.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Grey Area Drinking Defined: The silent space where women drink regularly but don’t identify as having a problem—yet still experience negative consequences.

• Alcohol’s Hormonal Hijack: Alcohol raises cortisol, disrupts estrogen detox, and accelerates hormonal imbalances—especially in perimenopause.

• The GABA Trap: Alcohol mimics the calming GABA effect—but leads to a crash in neurotransmitters and increased stress over time.

• You’re Not Broken—You’re Biologically Wired : Struggling to stop after one glass isn’t a willpower issue; it’s neurochemistry and marketing manipulation.

• Sex, Intimacy & Sober Confidence: Alcohol isn’t a prerequisite for pleasure—Sarah explains how connection, nervous system regulation, and communication create better intimacy without booze.

• Curiosity Over Judgment: Take a break. Track the changes. Reconnect with who you really are—free from the fog of alcohol.

 

TIMESTAMPS AND KEY TOPICS:

0:00 – Introduction

5:20 – Social and relational challenges of quitting

11:16 – The neurotransmitter rollercoaster

17:51 – The tipping point: rock bottom vs. gradual awareness

25:25 – How alcohol affects female hormones and liver health

33:49 – How to naturally boost GABA

37:51 – The role of nervous system regulation in sobriety

44:37 – Sex and the nervous system connection

49:08 – The hardest myth to break: alcohol = fun

53:04 – Try a 90-day alcohol-free experiment

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Listen to Angela’s solo episode on how she started with a 90 day alcohol free challenge, how she navigated the first year and the challenges and personal growth she experienced - listen here

Click here for discounts on all the products I personally use and recommend

Sarah’s book Beyond Booze https://amzn.eu/d/i6R9R7a

Instagram Published on 8 months ago