Health and Alcohol Use in the Modern World

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, host Cheryl McColgan interviews Ian Anderson, founder of the Sunnyside app, which focuses on alcohol moderation and mindfulness. Ian shares his personal journey, including his family's struggles with alcohol, and discusses the impact of the pandemic on drinking habits. The conversation highlights the importance of harm reduction and the shift in understanding alcohol use and recovery. Ian explains how Sunnyside works as a tool for individuals looking to build healthier relationships with alcohol. Ian discusses the evolution of Sunnyside, an app designed to help users moderate their alcohol consumption. He emphasizes the importance of personalization, gradual change, and the power of tracking drinking habits. The discussion also covers the upcoming Dry January initiative, which aims to provide inclusive challenges for users looking to cut back on alcohol. Ian highlights the benefits of using Sunnyside, including improved mental health, better sleep, and financial savings, while encouraging listeners to join the community for support and guidance. Go to HealNourishGrow.com/sunnyside to join the free Dryish/Dry January Challenge. You can choose to go fully dry, dry on weekdays or any number of other custom options! Follow Sunnyside on Instagram here. Takeaways The pandemic increased awareness of alcohol health issues. Harm reduction is a crucial approach to alcohol use. AA has a low success rate for long-term recovery. The definition of recovery has evolved to include moderation. Many people want to drink less but don't know how. Tracking alcohol consumption can lead to healthier habits. Sunnyside aims to be a supportive tool for change. Understanding alcohol's health effects can empower better choices. Personalization is key; users set their own goals and track progress. Gradual reduction in alcohol consumption is more effective than immediate cessation. Tracking drinks helps create conscious interference and awareness. Dry January offers various challenges to accommodate different user preferences. Community support enhances the experience of moderating alcohol consumption. Sunnyside provides a safe, anonymous space for users to seek help. The app encourages users to reflect on their drinking patterns and triggers. Sunnyside aims to create lasting behavior change, not just temporary fixes. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R_bx-oTAY7E Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.814)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal and Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Ian Anderson and this conversation has been a long time coming. He is the founder of Sunnyside, which is a really awesome app that I've been checking out for the last couple of years, because you know I like to bring you guys all the things that will help you in your health and wellness journey. But we're going to save that for little while because Ian has a really interesting backstory and an interesting, I think, perspective on how he created this product to really help people. And so Ian, I'd love for you to share some of that now, maybe first talk a little bit about your professional background and then like what led you to create this product. Ian Andersen (00:37.766)Yeah, absolutely. Well, Cheryl, thanks for having me on the podcast. Like you said, it's been a long time coming. I'm glad we finally got to make this happen. And it's always a pleasure just to be able to meet new audiences and offer, you know, my personal story and whatever wisdom I can offer around alcohol health. It's something that's really important to me. So. The product is Sunnyside and it's an alcohol moderation and mindfulness app. So we will get to that, but I'll tell you a little bit about my story and how it led me to create this product that tens of thousands of people are using. So professional background, I was born and raised in California.