Sunsets Are The New Happy Hour

Interoception is your ability to sense what is happening inside your own body, and for many gray area drinkers, it is the skill that went quiet without them ever realizing it was gone. If you have spent years reaching for a drink, a scroll, or anything outside yourself to manage that end of day tension, you were not failing. You were outsourcing a job your nervous system was designed to do, and the part of you that could have done it started to fade.Kristin Horstman, certified Gray Area Drinking Coach and host of Sunsets Are the New Happy Hour, walks through the neuroscience of interoception, how alcohol dulls this inner sense, and what it looks like to rebuild it. She covers Stephen Porges' nervous system states, Bessel van der Kolk's work on body awareness and agency, and the concept of "shifting the burden to the intervener" from neuroscientist Stephanie Fay. She closes with a guided noticing practice you can start today. This episode is for anyone who is ready to feel like their true self againChapters: (00:00) Introduction(01:53) What Noticing Actually Means(03:11) Interoception: Your Inner Sense(04:19) Shifting the Burden to the Intervener(05:43) Nervous System States: Porges' Map(07:05) The Insula and Body Awareness(08:07) Notice, Read, Choose in Action(09:49) Guided Noticing Practice(10:34) Recap: Rebuilding What Went QuietKristin asks what your body is doing right now. Comment below: what did you notice when you actually checked in?If you're ready to feel better, think clearer, and brighten your life, you're in the right place. SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every week. As always, I'm rooting for you. 🌅WORK WITH KRISTIN HORSTMAN1:1 Gray Area Drinking Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/gray-area-drinking-coaching Private Health Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/health-coachingFREE RESOURCESSubstack: https://substack.com/@kristinhorstmanBrighten Your Life Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8657856486536966 Tips To Brighten Your Life: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/6-tips-to-brighten-your-life Resources for Loved Ones of Those Struggling with Substance Use Disorder: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/resourcesCONNECT WITH KRISTIN HORSTMANPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetsarethenewhappyhour Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachkristinhorstman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKristinHorstman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-horstman-43001280Website: https://www.kristinhorstman.com AFFILIATES & DISCOUNT CODES Zero Proof Experiences: https://zeroproofexperiences.com/?aff=4 Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/kristinhorstman ARMRA: https://tryarmra.novel.com/login?referralCode=de9ddb1e-9f9d-4c8a-ba43-21a30abb552e Jolene Park NOURISH Coaching Program: https://healthydiscoveries.mykajabi.com/a/35865/ihLPoJPC Jolene Park Ultimate Sober Bundle: https://checkout.grayareadrinkers.com/ultimate-sober-af-bundle/?affiliate=kristinhorstman Cured Nutrition: https://curednutrition.com/collections/all?referral_code=KRI2L0STFLoose Leaf Tea Market: https://looseleafteamarket.com?bg_ref=nwruvHn7oD Use code TEAKRISTIN10 for 10% off (no minimum, enter at checkout)Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely love.

Your brain treats shame like real pain in the body. That sinking feeling, the urge to hide, the belief that you are broken: these are not character flaws. They are a coordinated nervous system event involving four distinct brain systems firing at once. If you have been stuck in a cycle where shame about your drinking drives you to drink more in silence, this episode explains exactly what is happening inside you and why it is biology, not weakness.Kristin Horstman, certified Gray Area Drinking Coach and host of Sunsets Are the New Happy Hour, walks through the neuroscience of shame using a 2023 Study and the information threat theory from a 2016 PNAS study. She separates shame from guilt, explains chronic internalized shame as a nervous system baseline, and teaches four somatic practices including extended exhale breathwork and naming the emotion and observing it. This episode is for anyone navigating gray area drinking, anxiety, burnout, or any habit quietly dimming their light, and who is ready to stop relying on willpower and start healing through nervous system regulation.Chapters: (00:00) Introduction(01:13) Shame vs Guilt: The Real Difference(03:04) Four Brain Systems Behind Shame(06:00) The Information Threat Theory(08:03) The Smoke Detector Problem(09:13) Chronic Shame as a Baseline(10:37) Four Somatic Practices to TryKristin says shame loses power the moment you say it out loud. What do you need to say to yourself now? Comment below.If you're ready to feel better, think clearer, and brighten your life, you're in the right place. SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every week. As always, I'm rooting for you. 🌅WORK WITH KRISTIN HORSTMAN1:1 Gray Area Drinking Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/gray-area-drinking-coaching Private Health Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/health-coachingFREE RESOURCESSubstack: https://substack.com/@kristinhorstmanBrighten Your Life Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8657856486536966 Tips To Brighten Your Life: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/6-tips-to-brighten-your-life Resources for Loved Ones of Those Struggling with Substance Use Disorder: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/resourcesCONNECT WITH KRISTIN HORSTMANPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetsarethenewhappyhour Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachkristinhorstman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKristinHorstman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-horstman-43001280Website: https://www.kristinhorstman.com AFFILIATES & DISCOUNT CODES Zero Proof Experiences: https://zeroproofexperiences.com/?aff=4 Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/kristinhorstman ARMRA: https://tryarmra.novel.com/login?referralCode=de9ddb1e-9f9d-4c8a-ba43-21a30abb552e Jolene Park NOURISH Coaching Program: https://healthydiscoveries.mykajabi.com/a/35865/ihLPoJPC Jolene Park Ultimate Sober Bundle: https://checkout.grayareadrinkers.com/ultimate-sober-af-bundle/?affiliate=kristinhorstman Cured Nutrition: https://curednutrition.com/collections/all?referral_code=KRI2L0STFLoose Leaf Tea Market: https://looseleafteamarket.com?bg_ref=nwruvHn7oD Use code TEAKRISTIN10 for 10% off (no minimum, enter at checkout)Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely love.

What if you could see a craving coming before it hits? Most tools for gray area drinking focus on the aftermath, the shame, the apology tour, the promise to do better. But what if you could interrupt the pattern by tracking simple daily signals like sleep, stress, and energy that predict when you are most vulnerable to reaching for a drink?Jessica Jeboult is the founder of A Sober Girl's Guide, a nine-year veteran of the sober curious space, and creator of the Best Day app. In this episode, she and Kristen talk about why cravings are trackable, not random, how daily check-ins regulate your nervous system, and why building a fun sober life matters as much as the inner work. Jessica also shares how she navigated devastating grief at eight and a half years sober without picking up a drink. This episode is for anyone navigating gray area drinking, anxiety, burnout, or any habit quietly dimming their light, and who is ready to stop relying on willpower and start healing through nervous system regulation.Chapters: (00:00) Introduction(01:19) The New Year's Eve Turning Point(05:34) Protecting Your Nervous System Through Grief(11:51) The 1978 Vintage Mocktail Trailer(16:46) How the Best Day App Interrupts Cravings(21:16) Why Cravings Are Predictable(27:32) Why She Says Sip Up Instead of Relapse(38:06) Chasing Sunsets and Finding Your Thing(42:09) What a Best Day Actually Looks LikeJess tracks sleep, stress, and mood to predict cravings before they hit. What is your biggest craving trigger? Drop a comment below.If you're ready to feel better, think clearer, and brighten your life, you're in the right place. SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every week. As always, I'm rooting for you. 🌅WORK WITH KRISTIN HORSTMAN1:1 Gray Area Drinking Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/gray-area-drinking-coaching Private Health Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/health-coachingFREE RESOURCESSubstack: https://substack.com/@kristinhorstmanBrighten Your Life Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8657856486536966 Tips To Brighten Your Life: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/6-tips-to-brighten-your-life Resources for Loved Ones of Those Struggling with Substance Use Disorder: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/resourcesCONNECT WITH KRISTIN HORSTMANPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetsarethenewhappyhour Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachkristinhorstman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKristinHorstman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-horstman-43001280Website: https://www.kristinhorstman.com LISTEN TO SUNSETS ARE THE NEW HAPPY HOURSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HL6A1o2USWQuJ2lRPoplkApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sunsets-are-the-new-happy-hour/id1896762635AFFILIATES & DISCOUNT CODES Zero Proof Experiences: https://zeroproofexperiences.com/?aff=4 Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/kristinhorstman ARMRA: https://tryarmra.novel.com/login?referralCode=de9ddb1e-9f9d-4c8a-ba43-21a30abb552e Jolene Park NOURISH Coaching Program: https://healthydiscoveries.mykajabi.com/a/35865/ihLPoJPC Jolene Park Ultimate Sober Bundle: https://checkout.grayareadrinkers.com/ultimate-sober-af-bundle/?affiliate=kristinhorstman Cured Nutrition: https://curednutrition.com/collections/all?referral_code=KRI2L0STFLoose Leaf Tea Market: https://looseleafteamarket.com?bg_ref=nwruvHn7oD Use code TEAKRISTIN10 for 10% off (no minimum, enter at checkout)Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely love.

Your brain is wired to scan for threats, not to notice what went right. That negativity bias kept your ancestors alive, but now it keeps you lying awake ruminating, reaching for something to take the edge off, and wondering why you can never feel satisfied. When the wanting system in your brain grows louder while the liking system goes quiet, no amount of willpower closes that gap.Kristin Horstman, gray area drinking coach and host of Sunsets Are the New Happy Hour, breaks down the neuroscience of why gratitude is a nervous system regulation tool, not a platitude. She covers negativity bias, the wanting vs. liking dopamine split from Berridge and Robinson's research, brain imaging studies on gratitude, and heart rate variability. Then she guides you through The One Good Thing, a somatic practice you can do in 10 seconds anywhere. Built for sober curious women who are done white-knuckling it and ready for something that actually works.Chapters: (00:00) Introduction(00:50) Why Your Brain Skips the Good(01:55) Gratitude in Brain Imaging Studies(03:14) Heart Rate Variability and Safety(04:02) The Wanting vs. Liking Split(05:41) Why One Try Never Works(06:48) The One Good Thing Practice(08:22) Kristin's Story: Gratitude Under Pressure(10:26) Your Challenge: Pick a CueThe One Good Thing practice takes 10 seconds. leave a comment if you tried it while you were watching the video. If you're ready to feel better, think clearer, and brighten your life, you're in the right place. SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every week. As always, I'm rooting for you. 🌅WORK WITH KRISTIN HORSTMAN1:1 Gray Area Drinking Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/gray-area-drinking-coaching Private Health Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/health-coachingFREE RESOURCESSubstack: https://substack.com/@kristinhorstmanBrighten Your Life Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8657856486536966 Tips To Brighten Your Life: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/6-tips-to-brighten-your-life Resources for Loved Ones of Those Struggling with Substance Use Disorder: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/resourcesCONNECT WITH KRISTIN HORSTMANPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetsarethenewhappyhour Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachkristinhorstman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKristinHorstman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-horstman-43001280Website: https://www.kristinhorstman.com LISTEN TO SUNSETS ARE THE NEW HAPPY HOURSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7HL6A1o2USWQuJ2lRPoplkApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sunsets-are-the-new-happy-hour/id1896762635AFFILIATES & DISCOUNT CODES Zero Proof Experiences: https://zeroproofexperiences.com/?aff=4 Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/kristinhorstman ARMRA: https://tryarmra.novel.com/login?referralCode=de9ddb1e-9f9d-4c8a-ba43-21a30abb552e Jolene Park NOURISH Coaching Program: https://healthydiscoveries.mykajabi.com/a/35865/ihLPoJPC Jolene Park Ultimate Sober Bundle: https://checkout.grayareadrinkers.com/ultimate-sober-af-bundle/?affiliate=kristinhorstman Cured Nutrition: https://curednutrition.com/collections/all?referral_code=KRI2L0STFLoose Leaf Tea Market: https://looseleafteamarket.com?bg_ref=nwruvHn7oD Use code TEAKRISTIN10 for 10% off (no minimum, enter at checkout)Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely love.

The idea that red wine protects your heart was built on a research flaw called abstainer bias, where former heavy drinkers in poor health were grouped with lifelong non-drinkers, making moderate drinkers look healthier by comparison. If you have ever poured a glass feeling like you were doing something good for yourself, you were following a story that was designed to feel true long after the science stopped supporting it.Kristin Horstman, certified Gray Area Drinking Coach and host of Sunsets Are the New Happy Hour, traces the full timeline from the 1988 research warning through the 1991 French Paradox segment to the 2018 NIH funding scandal that exposed alcohol industry influence on supposedly independent studies. She names the abstainer bias, the tobacco playbook the industry borrowed, and closes with the physiological sigh, a somatic breathing tool that gives your nervous system what wine only promised. This episode is for any sober curious woman who was told by a doctor, a parent, or a culture that wine was practically a health food.Chapters: (00:00) Introduction(00:49) The 1991 French Paradox Segment(02:51) Abstainer Bias: The Hidden Flaw(05:20) The Alcohol Industry Gets Caught(07:22) The Tobacco Playbook for Wine(08:50) What the Real Evidence Says(09:47) Kristin's Personal Reckoning(11:02) The Physiological SighHas a doctor ever mentioned wine could be good for your heart? Drop a comment below.If you're ready to feel better, think clearer, and brighten your life, you're in the right place. SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every week. As always, I'm rooting for you. 🌅WORK WITH KRISTIN HORSTMAN1:1 Gray Area Drinking Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/gray-area-drinking-coaching Private Health Coaching: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/health-coachingFREE RESOURCESSubstack: https://substack.com/@kristinhorstmanBrighten Your Life Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8657856486536966 Tips To Brighten Your Life: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/6-tips-to-brighten-your-life Resources for Loved Ones of Those Struggling with Substance Use Disorder: https://www.kristinhorstman.com/resourcesCONNECT WITH KRISTIN HORSTMANPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetsarethenewhappyhour Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachkristinhorstman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoachKristinHorstman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-horstman-43001280Website: https://www.kristinhorstman.com AFFILIATES & DISCOUNT CODES Zero Proof Experiences: https://zeroproofexperiences.com/?aff=4 Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/kristinhorstman ARMRA: https://tryarmra.novel.com/login?referralCode=de9ddb1e-9f9d-4c8a-ba43-21a30abb552e Jolene Park NOURISH Coaching Program: https://healthydiscoveries.mykajabi.com/a/35865/ihLPoJPC Jolene Park Ultimate Sober Bundle: https://checkout.grayareadrinkers.com/ultimate-sober-af-bundle/?affiliate=kristinhorstman Cured Nutrition: https://curednutrition.com/collections/all?referral_code=KRI2L0STFLoose Leaf Tea Market: https://looseleafteamarket.com?bg_ref=nwruvHn7oD Use code TEAKRISTIN10 for 10% off (no minimum, enter at checkout)Some links above are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely love.