Alcohol Minimalist: Change Your Drinking Habits!

In this special Independence Day edition of Think Thursday, we're diving into a surprising truth about freedom. While freedom is often associated with having more choices, the neuroscience tells us that too many options can actually hinder our ability to make meaningful progress. In this episode, Molly explores why excessive freedom can lead to decision fatigue, anxiety, and overwhelm—and how structure can actually be the ...

Summer can feel like one long permission slip to indulge—looser routines, longer days, more social events, and vacation vibes that whisper “just this once.” In this episode, Molly unpacks why summer can be a particularly slippery slope for anyone working to change their drinking habits—and what you can do to stay mindful without sacrificing fun.

Drawing from her own experience and behavioral science, Molly explores how deep...

Episode Summary:

 In this Think Thursday episode of the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast, Molly explores why change often feels harder than it should—and what’s really going on beneath the surface. It’s not that you’re incapable of change. More likely, you’re stuck in what she calls a belief echo: a practiced, well-worn thought that has become so automatic it feels like your identity.

These belief echoes, like “I always gi...

Episode Summary:

In this episode, Molly explores the surprising ways summer heat and alcohol interact—and why your body may be struggling more than you realize during warmer months. From dehydration to disrupted sleep, summer brings hidden stressors that alcohol intensifies. Whether you love basking in the sunshine or spend the season waiting for cooler days, understanding the physical toll of heat combined with drinking is...

In this Think Thursday episode, Molly Watts challenges the deeply ingrained belief that we must “start over” any time we slip up in our habit change journey—especially when it comes to drinking. Drawing from neuroscience, behavior psychology, and the Alcohol Minimalist framework, Molly explains why this mindset is not only emotionally unhelpful but also neurologically inaccurate.

Listeners will learn how to reframe off-plan...

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Alcohol Minimalist Podcast, Molly dives into one of the most challenging but common scenarios: staying committed to your goals when everyone else around you is celebrating with alcohol. As summer ramps up—bringing with it weddings, barbecues, vacations, and concerts—the social pressure to drink can feel stronger than ever.

Molly explores the neuroscience behind our desire to fit in,...

In this insightful Think Thursday episode, Molly dives into the surprising power of novelty and how it can support meaningful behavior change. While consistency remains a cornerstone of habit transformation, Molly explores how introducing small shifts in your routine can re-engage the brain, disrupt unhelpful patterns, and open new pathways for intentional living—especially during seasonal transitions like summer.

In This E...

Episode Summary:
We're officially halfway through the year, and today’s episode is your invitation to pause, check in, and realign. If you’re feeling like you’ve drifted from your intentions around alcohol—or life in general—this isn’t about judgment. It’s about awareness. Molly introduces a powerful, science-informed tool called the PEACE Self-Audit to guide your mid-year reflection and help you gently reassess wh...

In this short and powerful Think Thursday episode, Molly explores a feeling we all face—discomfort—and why it's so often misunderstood. Rather than being a sign that something’s gone wrong, discomfort is often evidence that change is happening.

Through the lens of neuroscience and personal insight, you’ll learn why your lower brain instinctively resists unfamiliar experiences, how to engage your higher brain to override...

If you’ve ever said, “I just don’t have the discipline,” or wondered why it feels so hard to follow through on your intentions—this episode will help you understand what’s really going on in your brain.

Molly takes a science-forward look at dopamine, the neurotransmitter that drives motivation, pleasure, and effort. With insights from Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Anna Lembke (Dopamine Nation), she shares why alcohol’s unnatu...

Welcome to Think Thursday from the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast, where we explore the power of your brilliant human brain. In this episode, we’re revisiting the very first Think Thursday conversation. If you're new to the series or need a powerful reminder of just how capable you are of creating change, this episode is a must-listen.

Molly is taking a brief pause this week, making it the perfect opportunity to revisit the cor...

In honor of Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S., we’re revisiting a popular episode that dives into the practicalities of drinking like an alcohol minimalist. If you’ve ever wondered what the day-to-day approach looks like or how to create a plan that helps you drink less and worry less, this episode is for you.

Molly shares actionable tips and strategies that go beyond theory. She breaks down how alcohol minimalists navigate ...

Welcome to Think Thursday from the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast — where we take a moment to pause, reflect, and recalibrate. This week, we’re honoring Mental Health Awareness Month by digging into a powerful insight from Brené Brown:

In this episode, Molly explores what that space looks like in everyday life and why it might be the real r...

Memorial Day weekend often marks the unofficial start of summer—and for many, it can also signal the return of old drinking patterns. In this episode, Molly explores how to approach holiday weekends with clarity, confidence, and a sense of peace—whether you plan to drink or not.

You’ll learn:

• Why holidays feel neurologically “loaded” and how nostalgia and social cues activate habit loops.
• How mindfulness disrupts old beha...

In this deeply honest and science-backed episode, Molly explores a topic that often gets misunderstood in the world of personal development: toxic positivity. 

While optimism, hope, and gratitude are powerful tools for creating a more peaceful relationship with alcohol—and life in general—Molly dives into the real science of why ignoring negative emotions does more harm than good.

Learn how suppressing your feelings can lead...

In this timely episode of the Alcohol Minimalist podcast, host Molly Watts takes a deep dive into a public health conversation that few people are having—but everyone should be listening to. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Molly tackles the proliferation of legal but dangerously unregulated mood-altering substances that are readily available at gas stations, vape shops, and convenience stores.

From kratom and del...

In this episode of Think Thursday from the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast, host Molly Watts explores the transformative mental health benefits of self-transcendence.

After recently visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time, Molly shares her personal experience of awe and expansion, describing how moments of transcendence can shift perspective, lighten emotional burdens, and promote mental well-being.

Drawing ...

In this episode, Molly revisits a listener favorite: Undoing the Urge to Overdrink — a heartfelt and informative conversation first shared just before Thanksgiving 2023. Molly reflects on how emotional triggers, life events, and deeply rooted habits shape our relationship with alcohol — and how we can interrupt the cycle to create lasting change.

Molly also shares a poignant personal moment, connecting the episode's theme w...

In this week's Think Thursday episode, we explore an unexpectedly powerful topic: the science of smiling. 

Is being a "natural smiler" something you're born with? Can smiling actively improve your mood, or is it just a reflection of how you feel?
And what role does a simple grin play in rewiring your brain for resilience, positivity, and emotional peace?

Molly dives into the research on genetic influences on smiling, the ...