A Symphony of Sobriety with Professor Karla

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!

My guest today is Professor Karla Kaun – who works at the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University.

Karla has been running a lab which studies neural and molecular mechanisms of addiction since 2013.
In this episode:-

• • Karla’s research is around how alcohol and drugs influence our natural reward mechanisms.
  • She explained how they will overwhelm natural reward pathways, causing intolerable cravings and reduced impulse control.
  • Addiction is a disorder where brain circuits work differently, prioritizing reward-seeking despite negative consequences.
  • As many of us who became dependent on alcohol discovered addiction forms slowly and only with repeated use
  • Of course different individuals have varied timelines and susceptibility to addiction.
  • Many of our Tribe used alcohol socially in their twenties and thirties and then used it to manage stress as they got older

• Mindset in Recovery:

• • We agreed that overcoming addiction requires a mindset change and viewing life differently.
  • We are big on mindset here at Tribe Sober – we help our members to realise that they don’t have a drinking problem so much as an opportunity to change their lives for the better
  • If you’re ready to embrace this opportunity then just to ts.com and join our tribe
  • Another mindset shift our members get is the realisation that they have gained so much in sobriety…and lost very little by quitting alcohol
  • Just hangovers, anxiety and exhaustion!
  • So Karla explained that a growth mindset and seeing setbacks as learning opportunities are crucial.
  • That’s why we give people a 66 day tracker for our Challenge…we don’t ask them to be perfect, we ask them to be curious… how many alcohol free days can they manage out of 66?
  • This will bring about positive change through step-by-step goals
  • Karla explained how addiction is a disorder of memory, with sensory memories such as holding a glass can trigger cravings.
  • We talked about blackouts which will affect memory circuits and neuron communication.
  • When I learned that my blackouts were preventing the formation of new memories I realised I had to quit
  • Long-term alcohol use causes lasting changes in the brain,
  • Drinking rewires our brain but we due to the plasticity of our brains we can recover
  • Rather than aiming to go back to exactly how we were before we can rewire our brains a bit differently in recovery
  • I loved Karla’s orchestra analogy – imagining our brain orchestra to be out of tune when we are in active addiction but then when we quit the orchestra can begin to function again
  • Perhaps it won’t play exactly the same music as before we started drinking but it can create a new (and maybe even more beautiful) symphony in sobriety and of course
  • Lifestyle changes, diet, sleep, and exercise can aid in brain plasticity and recovery.
    

• More info

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  • 
    Episode Sponsor

  This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.
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