RE 117: Alcohol Does Not Bolster IntelligenceRE 117: Alcohol Does Not Bolster Intelligence
Recovery Elevator
Paul shares humour-filled yet uncomfortable stories about how alcohol wrecks judgement, while Ashley talks candidly about relapse, motherhood and starting over with 16 days sober. The conversation focuses on early recovery, boundaries and building a life where a drink isn’t needed to feel free.
44:50•15 May 2017
Alcohol Doesn’t Make You Smarter: Ashley’s Honest Shot at Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Alcohol reduces critical thinking and leads to unsafe decisions, such as drink-driving and blackout behaviour.
- One drink can quickly escalate into days of continuous drinking, especially after years of heavy use.
- Distancing from drinking friends and environments is crucial, even when it feels lonely or antisocial.
- Support through meetings, podcasts and honest conversations makes it harder to drink in secret and easier to stay accountable.
- Focusing on today rather than future events helps reduce anxiety about a lifetime without alcohol.
“I just want to feel free where I don't even need a drink to be myself.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober? This conversation gives a raw, sometimes funny, sometimes painful look at early recovery and the myth that alcohol somehow makes you smarter. Host Paul Churchill sets the tone by joking that alcohol makes you “twice as stupid” with each drink, backing it up with cringe-worthy memories of drink-driving, blackout nights and wildly bad decisions.
His stories aren’t just for laughs; they’re a reminder that booze doesn’t boost intelligence, it shuts it down. The heart of the episode comes from Ashley, a 32-year-old from Iowa with 16 days alcohol-free after a relapse. She’s brutally honest about starting drinking at 12, picking up two DUIs at 21, and how “that one shot” at a funeral turned into six straight days of drinking.
Her line, “I just want to feel free where I don't even need a drink to be myself,” sums up the emotional core of the chat. You’ll hear her talk about being a mum of three boys, working two jobs, and realising she doesn’t even know what she enjoys because for 20 years drinking was welded to everything she did.
She shares how she’s distancing herself from old drinking friends, going to AA when childcare allows, and leaning on podcasts and new routines instead of the bottle. There’s plenty here for anyone in early sobriety who’s wrestling with loneliness, boredom, or the fear of missing out on gigs and social life.
The style is relaxed, candid and often humorous, but it’s aimed squarely at people who are sick of alcohol running the show and want real stories, practical ideas, and a sense that they’re not the only ones starting again at day 1… or day 16. Where could saying “no” to that first drink take you this time?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.