Two years ago, I made a decision that would change my health, my mindset, and the direction of my life: I quit drinking thanks to learning how to change my mindset to quit drinking from James Swanwick. A podcast interview with James is here). At that point, I knew I was sick of brain fog, low levels of anxiety, and slow mornings. I felt an intuitive pull towards clean living and its results giving up alcohol were nothing short of miracles.
But recently I had a huge realization that completely confirmed my choice.
I was listening to a deep dive episode of the Huberman Lab podcast featuring Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neurobiologist at the Stanford School of Medicine. He discovered how alcohol, even in low to moderate amounts, affects the human brain and body. It was amazing to hear the hard science behind what I felt was intuitive.
If you’re sober, sober, or just wondering if that late-night glass of wine really is harmless, you need to watch this video.
(Embed the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkS1pkKpILY)
Here are the biggest scientific insights I took away from Dr. Huberman’s refraction and exactly why moving away from glass is the ultimate biohack.
1. Alcohol is literally a poison that narrows the brain
We often hear that a glass of red wine is good for the heart because of resveratrol. Dr. Huberman is quick to dispel this myth. To get enough resveratrol from wine to benefit your health, you’d have to drink lethal amounts of alcohol.
Instead, the truth about ethanol (the alcohol we drink) is clear:
-
This cellular toxin: Alcohol is both water and fat soluble because it freely passes through all the cells and tissues of your body, including crossing the blood-brain barrier.
-
A byproduct of poison: Your liver converts ethanol into a highly toxic molecule Acetaldehydeit indiscriminately damages and kills cells.
-
Brain shrinkage: A large study by UK Biobank of over 30,000 adults found that even low to moderate drinking (one or two drinks a day) causes thinning of the neocortex – literally shrinking of the gray and white matter of the brain.
2. The Illusion of Relieving Stress and “Hangxiety”
How many times have you heard someone say, “I need a drink to relax”? I said it myself. But science shows that alcohol actually does the opposite.
Regular alcohol consumption alters the nervous system between your brain and body, specifically the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When you drink alcohol regularly, your baseline levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) increase.
What this means for you:
-
You feel more stressed and anxious it’s not to drink
-
Your resistance to daily stress will decrease significantly.
-
The feeling of anxiety after drinking alcohol—often called “hangxiety”—is a direct result of elevated cortisol and hormone disruption.
Getting fired two years ago didn’t just make me lose my hangover; it reduced my daily major stress. I finally feel emotionally regulated without needing a substance to make me relax.
3. Destroying the gut-liver-brain axis
We all know that alcohol is used to sterilize surfaces in hospitals because it kills bacteria. Well, when you drink it, it does the same thing in your digestive system.
Alcohol randomly destroys the healthy, viable bacteria in your gut microbiome. This destruction causes the lining of the gut to break down (leaky gut syndrome), which allows harmful bacteria to enter the bloodstream. Combined with the inflammatory markers your liver releases as it struggles to metabolize toxins, it creates a massive inflammatory cascade in your body.
Ironically, this inflammation reaches the brain and actively disrupts the neural circuits that control the impulses that make you really want it. More alcoholic beverages.
4. The myth of the “evening of the night” and pseudo-sleep
If you used a glass of wine or beer to fall asleep, you are not actually resting. Dr. Huberman says that when alcohol is present in your brain and bloodstream, your sleep architecture is completely disrupted.
Alcohol blocks slow-wave deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep—two phases critical to mental and physical recovery. Instead of real, restorative sleep, alcohol induces what scientists call “false sleep.” You put yourself in a low-level hypnotic trance state where you wake up several times a night without even realizing it. This scientific fact perfectly explained why I used to wake up completely exhausted and why my mornings are now filled with boundless, clear energy.
5. Crashing Your Hormones (Estrogen Spike)
One of the most surprising but least talked about effects of alcohol is how it hijacks your hormones. Dr. Huberman explained that alcohol actively increases an enzyme called toxic metabolites aromatase.
Aromatase is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen. Whether you’re a man or a woman, alcohol speeds up this conversion in several tissues in your body.
-
For men: This abnormal increase in estrogen can lead to decreased sex drive, increased body fat, and even breast tissue growth (gynecomastia).
-
For women: This hormonal disruption is associated with a significant increase in estrogen-related cancers. In fact, Dr. Huberman noted that consuming just 10 grams of alcohol per day (about one drink) can increase the risk of breast cancer by 4 to 13%.
6. Tolerance trap
Tolerance is not a badge of honor; this is a sign of a neurological disorder. When you first start drinking, your levels of dopamine and serotonin (the feel-good chemicals) rise quickly and then slowly fall.
When you develop tolerance, the “feel good” window gets shorter, and the negative, depressive effect gets longer. You drink more and more to get to that level of feeling “good” while punishing your body with more acetaldehyde.
The good news: Your body can heal
My biggest realization from listening to this podcast was a deep sense of gratitude for my past. By choosing to quit two years ago, I gave my body time to heal.
Dr. Huberman says that after 2 to 6 months of complete abstinence, the neural circuits involved in habitual behavior and impulsivity can return to normal. You can actively stimulate your gut microbiome by adding low-sugar fermented foods (such as kimchi and sauerkraut) and using safe, deliberate cold exposure to help naturally increase dopamine.
If you’ve been on the fence about your relationship with drinking, let science be your guide. There are no biological benefits to alcohol, but the physical and mental rewards of quitting are endless.
If you’re ready to heal your brain, restore your energy, and transform your life, learn more about how to quit drinking and join a community that truly supports your new lifestyle.
