The Mel Robbins Podcast

What Alcohol Does to Your Body: Harvard’s Dr. Sarah Wakeman With the Medical Facts You Need to Know

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — Today you’re getting a masterclass from one of the most renowned and respected experts on alcohol. She’s here to give you the latest research and science of how alcohol impacts your body, brain, and mind. She’s going to give you facts, dispel myths, and help you be informed about the decisions you are making when it comes to your mental, physical, and emotional health when it comes to alcohol consumption. Dr. Sarah Wakeman is Senior Medical Director of Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham, home to nationally recognized hospitals and cutting-edge research. She's also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Program Director of Mass General Substance Use Addiction Services. How much is TOO much alcohol? Is some alcohol healthy? What happens to your brain when you drink? And how do you help someone you love who drinks too much? Get the latest research so that you make the most informed decisions about the role alcohol plays in your life. For lots more resources, click here for the podcast episode page: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-155 In this episode: 00:00 Intro 05:05: What is alcohol and what does it do when we drink it? 05:45: How is alcohol formed in the first place? 06:18: Wait. Alcohol that we drink is the same as WHAT? 07:50: Are there negative impacts to having a drink every night? 09:58: Know THIS about alcohol, especially if cancer runs in your family. 10:40: What alcohol does to your liver, and how you can change that. 12:50: This recent event increased alcohol use in the U.S. 12:45: How does alcohol impact your kidneys? 13:50: Does alcohol damage your gut microbiome and does it matter? 15:15: Ask yourself these 3 questions to assess the role alcohol plays in your life. 18:15: How much drinking is too much, from a medical perspective? 19:15: Here’s why many people don’t share their alcohol habits with doctors. 20:45: 7 questions to ask if you or someone you love has a problem. 25:20: Physical symptoms of alcohol overuse. 26:10: 7 benefits you’ll see pretty quickly once you stop drinking. 27:05: How does drinking make menopause worse? 28:50: Think alcohol makes you sleep better? This is what actually happens. 29:00: What’s a hangover and what happens in your body? 32:15: This is how alcohol increases anxiety and depression. 33:30: Keep forgetting names and important information? 37:45: What to do and NOT do when talking to someone about alcohol. 38:50: Why a tough love approach doesn’t work for alcoholics. 42:00: Why most people avoid seeking help with their relationship to alcohol. 44:25: What’s the most effective way to talk to your kids about drug use? 45:40: The 5 most important things to communicate to someone you love. 47:00: The 3 important first steps when you’re the one who wants to quit. 49:40: How can you get the support you need? 51:40: What to know if you have an alcohol use disorder. #health #healthylifestyle #drinking #alcohol #healthadvice #podcast — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Mel RobbinshostDr. Sarah Wakemanguest

Mar 14, 202453mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Harvard doctor reveals hidden ways alcohol silently sabotages your daily life

Mel Robbins interviews Dr. Sarah Wakeman, a Harvard addiction medicine expert, to explain what alcohol is, how it works in the body and brain, and what the science really says about health risks and so‑called “moderate” drinking.
They cover alcohol’s impacts on organs (liver, gut, kidneys, brain), hormones, sleep, mood, cancer risk, and everyday functioning, dispelling myths like red wine being “healthy” and hangovers being harmless.
Dr. Wakeman outlines how to recognize when drinking has become a problem, clarifies that alcohol use disorder is common and treatable, and explains why tough love and “hitting bottom” are harmful myths.
The conversation closes with practical guidance on cutting back, supporting loved ones, and having nonjudgmental, effective conversations about drinking with partners and children.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Stop thinking of alcohol as a health-promoting behavior.

Current evidence does not support recommending alcohol for health; any amount increases cancer risk, especially breast and digestive cancers, so alcohol should be viewed as a discretionary risk, like sun exposure or eating bacon, not a wellness tool.

Know where your drinking sits on the risk spectrum.

For women and adults over 65, more than about 10 ounces of hard liquor or 35 ounces of wine per week is considered higher-risk, associated with dementia, liver and gut damage, and other serious conditions—many people underestimate this because of oversized pours.

Pay attention to day-to-day effects, not just extreme harms.

Regular drinking can worsen heartburn, sleep, skin, mood, exercise capacity, hot flashes, and gut health even if you never black out or get a DUI; cutting back often quickly improves sleep quality, energy, mood, and physical performance.

Use behavioral signs, not just quantity, to spot a problem.

Warning signs of alcohol use disorder include drinking more or longer than intended, failed attempts to cut back, craving, needing more to get the same effect (tolerance), withdrawal symptoms when stopping, and continuing despite relationship, work, or health consequences.

Rethink how you talk to loved ones about drinking.

Tough love, ultimatums, and waiting for someone to ‘hit bottom’ are counterproductive; more effective is calmly expressing your concern, linking alcohol to their own goals (work, parenting, health), and offering loving, nonjudgmental support in finding treatment or making changes.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

My opinion is that we shouldn’t be thinking of alcohol as a health benefit.

— Dr. Sarah Wakeman

Any amount of alcohol is associated with an increased cancer risk, and that’s a really important thing to know.

— Dr. Sarah Wakeman

I’m seeing people in their early 30s with cirrhosis in the hospital.

— Dr. Sarah Wakeman

The definition of alcohol use disorder is not being able to stop despite bad things happening to you.

— Dr. Sarah Wakeman

Treatment works. You will get well… This is not an issue of shame or willpower or being bad.

— Dr. Sarah Wakeman

What alcohol is chemically and how it’s absorbed and distributed in the bodyShort- and long-term health effects: liver disease, cancer, gut microbiome, kidneys, hormones, and brainSleep disruption, hangovers, anxiety, mood, and day-to-day quality-of-life effectsDefining low-risk vs high-risk drinking and the realities of ‘moderate’ useAlcohol use disorder: signs, mechanisms in the brain, and why it’s treatableHow alcohol interacts with mental health and medications (e.g., antidepressants, benzodiazepines)How to talk to loved ones (partners, college-age kids) about drinking and how to cut back yourself

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