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

Do you even know what's happening in your body and your brain when you consume alcohol? I don't.

It impacts our behavior, our sleep, our mood, and many other parts of our body system.

When a lot of people make a cocktail at home, it's like glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, and there's three shots right there.

Higher risk drinking would be if you're having more than 10 ounces of hard alcohol a week or 35 ounces of wine (bell dings) in a week.

We reach for the alcohol at night, but we don't really understand what's happening and how it's actually impacting your experience of your life day-to-day. Hey, it's your friend, Mel. I am so glad that you're here, and whether you're listening today for yourself or because someone that you love shared this episode with you, I wanna welcome you to the Mel Robbins Podcast family. It's a real honor to just spend some time with you today, and I also wanted to acknowledge you for something. You know, you could be listening or watching a bazillion things right now, but you chose to spend your time listening to something that can help you create a better life, and I just think that's so cool. And today's episode in particular is not only gonna help you do that, it could change your life or the life of someone that you love. Today on the show, you and I are getting a masterclass from one of the world's most respected and renowned experts on alcohol and its impact on your body, your brain, and your life. I am really excited that you're here with me today, and I've been looking forward to this conversation for a long time, and I'm gonna tell you why. Because I've been focused recently on getting super intentional about creating healthier habits, particularly around exercising more and taking better care of my brain, and the more that I do that, the more I've been questioning my relationship to alcohol. Maybe you've been questioning your relationship with it too. I mean, if you kinda think about it, here you are eating all this healthy food and exercising and taking your supplements and trying to learn and grow, and then you basically end the day, if you're like me, by washing down a High Noon or a glass of wine or a gin and tonic. If you put it in that context, it's kinda dumb. And I don't know if you've ever been in this situation where you go to see your primary doctor and they ask you that question, "So, how many drinks do you have a week?" (gulps) (laughs) I, I can't be the only one that has lied to their primary care doctor before because you suddenly know that the number's a little higher than it should be. I mean, I've been in that situation, and the more that I find out about alcohol, and I'm talking the facts, the more I'm thinking, "I gotta do something about it." I have questions. Is there any health benefit to drinking? Is there any amount of alcohol that you can drink that's actually healthy for you? Is the only answer that's available don't drink anything at all? Alcohol is constantly marketed to you and me. It's like the thing that you need to have a great weekend, you gotta have it for a tailgate, you need it for every celebration, it's what you grab when you wanna wind down at night. Do you even know what's happening in your body and your brain when you consume alcohol? I don't. Do you know how it interferes with the medications that you're taking? And here's how I wanted to approach this today. I don't wanna lecture you. I want you and I to feel empowered with facts because when you feel empowered, when you understand something at a deeper level, don't you feel more motivated and, like, really capable of making better choices for yourself? Of course you do. And one more thing I wanted to point out to you. If you're worried about somebody in your life and they're drinking, this episode is a world-class resource for you. Just share it with them, because if you haven't been able to get through to them about how concerned you are, I guarantee you our expert today will make them rethink their relationship with alcohol. Dr. Sarah Wakeman is here, and she is one of the most renowned medical experts in the entire world. She's gonna break down how alcohol impacts your health, your body, and your mind. Dr. Wakeman is the senior medical director of substance use disorder at Harvard's Mass General Brigham, which has been ranked as the number one research hospital in the entire world. After studying at Brown University, Dr. Wakeman did her residency at Mass General, which is the best program in the country, where she was also the chief resident, which means she was the number one medical resident in her class. She is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the program director of Mass General Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and she squeezed us into her extraordinarily busy schedule, and she is here today in our studios in Boston to spend time with you and give you and your loved ones the facts, the science, and the research so that you and the people that you love can make an informed decision about the role that alcohol plays in your life. So please help me welcome Dr. Wakeman to the Mel Robbins Podcast.