In this episode of Spicy Brain, host Lara Sullivan is joined by Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society and author of Hangxiety: How Alcohol Messes with Your Mind, for an honest conversation about alcohol and the neurodivergent brain.
Millie started drinking at university, where alcohol became the thing that switched off her brain, gave her confidence and helped her feel “normal”. Years of blackouts and days-long hangovers later, she went sober at 26. It took another seven years and a psychiatric assessment for her book to find out she is autistic and ADHD. Looking back, so much of it suddenly made sense.
The episode explores:
🌶️ Why alcohol can feel like a shortcut to a neurotypical brain
🌶️ What actually happens in your brain when you drink, and the next day
🌶️ Hangxiety, rumination and why hangovers hit neurodivergent people harder
🌶️ Blackouts, memory and “drunk words are sober thoughts”
🌶️ ADHD, impulsivity and why stopping at two drinks is so hard
🌶️ The “addictive personality” myth and why neurodivergent people are overrepresented in addiction settings
🌶️ The alcohol industry, “drink responsibly” and what other countries do differently
🌶️ Sobriety vs self-optimisation culture
🌶️ Practical first steps if you want to change your relationship with alcohol
Whether you’ve already stopped, are thinking about cutting back, or have never understood why alcohol hits you so hard, this is a judgement-free look at how your drinking might be connected to your neurodivergence.
Tune in for a conversation full of science, lived experience and a lot of nodding along.
Timestamps
00:00:00 Introducing Millie Gooch
00:02:00 Starting to Drink at University
00:03:47 Realising She Didn’t Drink Like Everyone Else
00:09:29 Going Sober at 26: The Final Hangover
00:16:13 Early Sobriety, Panic Attacks and Therapy
00:20:52 What Alcohol Does to Your Brain
00:25:40 Can Your Brain Recover? Addiction on a Spectrum
00:30:52 Hangxiety and Why Hangovers Hit Neurodivergent People Harder
00:37:36 Drunk Words, Sober Thoughts and Lost Memories
00:42:12 Why Nobody Links Alcohol and Mental Health
00:47:52 Getting Diagnosed Autistic and ADHD
00:56:02 How Alcohol Affects the Neurodivergent Brain
00:58:08 The Addictive Personality Myth
01:00:52 ADHD, Impulsivity and Not Being Able to Stop
01:01:52 Addiction Services and Neurodivergence
01:03:47 The Alcohol Industry and “Drink Responsibly”
01:07:35 How Other Countries Restrict Alcohol
01:09:51 What Needs to Change in the UK
01:15:20 Sobriety vs Self-Optimisation
01:20:32 Practical Tips to Drink Less
01:22:19 Spicy Fire Round
Support
If anything in this episode has affected you, these organisations offer free advice and support:
Alcohol Change UK: alcoholchange.org.uk
We Are With You: wearewithyou.org.uk
Nacoa (for anyone affected by a parent’s drinking): nacoa.org.uk
Contact Spicy Brain:
Email: hello@spicybrainmedia.com
Follow us on social media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/spicybrain.podcast/
Follow Lara:
Website: linktr.ee/Sullivanlara
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sullivanlara/
Follow Millie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliegooch/
Sober Girl Society: https://sobergirlsociety.com/
Hangxiety: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hangxiety-Alcohol-Messes-Your-Mind/dp/1837826641/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
