Penny For Your Thoughts
The gray area drinking survey. Neurotransmitter support. My physiology first, psychology second approach
Ever since I stopped drinking in 2014, I’ve realized the conversation around drinking isn’t black and white — there’s a significant gray area that we need to talk about more.
And if you’re a healthcare practitioner (whether you’re a therapist, physician, nurse, health coach, nutritionist, dietitian, social worker, acupuncturist, naturopath, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, sober coach etc.), you’ve likely seen cases where a person’s alcohol use doesn’t quite match the two category options we’ve come to know as either a “normie” or an “alcoholic”.
This gray area can easily slip through the cracks but deeply impacts an individual's life.
That’s why I’m working on a new project to help healthcare practitioners better support their clients before their drinking pattern becomes something they regret.
And to make this as impactful as possible, I need your help.
Your experiences and insights are crucial for helping me create a resource that truly resonates with both practitioners and clients.
Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts and experiences in THIS SURVEY.
Every bit of knowledge you share will help me fine-tune the nervous system regulation and other cutting edge resources that truly make a difference and move the needle in our patients’ and clients’ lives!
With Care,
Jolene Park
PS. Unless you choose to share your name, your responses will be completely anonymous!
Recent Interviews:
I learned about neurotransmitters through a functional medicine training course in 2006. When I quit drinking in 2014 I used neurotransmitter support on myself and then gave a TED talk on this topic in 2017.
In 2020, functional nutritionist, herbalist, and Designs For Health consultant Evelyne Lambrecht, took my NOURISH Method™️ Gray Area Drinking coach training.
Evelyne quit drinking in the gray area as well.
In this interview we talk about the physiological approach to quitting drinking including neurotransmitter support. We also talk about what practitioners need to know about Gray Area Drinking when they are working 1:1 with clients.
This is a full circle moment because some of my foundational training was with Designs For Health (DFH) and now 17 years later I’m being interviewed on the DFH podcast by one of my Gray Area Drinking alumni coaches.
Listen in as Evelyne and I have a conversation all about Gray Area Drinking.
Key Takeaways:
[2:15] Jolene defines gray area drinking as the space between two extremes of drinking.
[4:17] Alcohol use disorder varies from alcoholism in one very specific way.
[6:24] Tactics for quickly identifying patients as gray area drinkers.
[8:54] Key risk factors that contribute to drinking alcohol include stress in relationships, work, or sleep.
[12:05] Inappropriate advice about stress management and alcohol recommendations from therapists.
[15:38] Jolene’s personal experience with quitting alcohol consumption.
[19:00] 80% of Jolene’s clients are healthcare experts including therapists, naturopaths and nutritionists, and doctors.
[20:40] The physiological response to alcohol intake and comparable substitution options.
[25:00] The biggest change that Jolene has seen in her own health since abstaining from alcohol.
[27:04] A comprehensive approach to supporting gray area drinkers in their non-drinking journey.
[30:09] Supporting healthy neurotransmitters with nutrients and supplements.
[33:10] The negative impact of alcohol on perimenopause and menopausal women.
[35:00] Nutrient recommendations including inositol and Jolene’s favorite herbs for anxiety support.
[37:15] Additional tools including Dr. Braverman’s personality questionnaire and tactics for living sober in an alcohol prominent environment.
[44:33] Making connections between anxiety, overall health, and drinking alcohol.
[47:28] Reframing the decision not to drink in a way that makes you feel empowered.
[49:20] Jolene’s personal favorite supplements, favorite health practices, and her new opinion on beans.
[55:00] Jolene’s practitioner training program and resources for practitioners who want to guide patients away from gray area drinking.
Sally-Anne Kearns from Nutrition Gateway in Australia also recently interviewed me about my physiology first, psychology second approach. How to assess nutritional deficiencies and depletions of nutrients such as B6, magnesium, low neurotransmitters, and, microbiome imbalance. Why we need to apply the current neuroscience with practical physiological solutions when the body is depleted and we’re craving alcohol or sugar.
We talk about how I train practitioners to not gloss over their patient’s alcohol consumption and how to use supportive resources.
Highlights & Resources:
What is a gray area drinker? Do they need medical intervention?
Using neurotransmitters for abstinence around alcohol.
Using nutritional therapy, including GABA for alcohol cravings.
What is your stress response, are you in a fight, flee or collapsed state?
How to support your body physically with nutrients particularly in the first 30 days of not drinking.
Not everyone is at rock bottom, drinking on a park bench out of a paper bag.
Repair, replenish, and rewire your blood sugar, neurotransmitters, and the emotional pieces after quitting drinking.
How much is too much when it comes to alcohol – government regulations are changing, as of 2018 there was no ‘safe’ recommended intake level of alcohol and right now, anything over seven standard drinks for women per week is too much.
Mental health and alcohol – anxiety is a big piece of this picture.
Thank you again for completing THE GRAY AREA DRINKING SURVEY. I really appreciate your input!
You are reading Healthy Discoveries by Jolene Park, a newsletter about life after Gray Area Drinking. Nourishing the nervous system. Unplugging from social media. Exploring a faith-based life. Sacred rhythms and rest. Navigating menopause, burnout, and trauma. Food as medicine and root cause medicine. I’m also on Instagram, and have a popular TED talk on Gray Area Drinking. Comments are open to paid subscribers, and you can subscribe here.
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