All Posts | Sunnyside

Semaglutide and Alcohol: What the Research Actually Shows

The connection between semaglutide and alcohol shows signs of being real. But the conversation happening online can flatten important distinctions. A medication showing promise in…

Naltrexone vs. Acamprosate: Which Medication Fits Your Drinking Goals?

If you’ve been researching ways to change your relationship with alcohol, you’ve probably come across two names pretty quickly: naltrexone and acamprosate. At first glance,…

Mixing GLP-1 Drugs and Alcohol: Can You Drink On Ozempic?

There’s nothing that officially says you can’t combine a GLP-1 and alcohol, in other words, drinking while taking a medicine like Ozempic. But there are…

Why Ozempic Can Make You Want to Drink Less

Yes—Ozempic can reduce alcohol cravings. For some people, it’s subtle. For others, it’s hard to miss. What’s interesting isn’t just that drinking goes down. It’s…

The Relationship Between Alcohol and Blood Sugar

Alcohol absolutely affects blood sugar. That part is real. What’s less obvious is how inconsistent it can feel in your body. Here's how alcohol is…

What Is Alcohol’s Effect On Testosterone?

Yes, alcohol can lower testosterone. That part isn't really up for debate. But the nuances of its effects—and how to turn things around if you're…

Naltrexone vs. GLP-1 for Drinking Less: What Actually Works?

You’ve probably heard some version of this phenomenon by now: people take Ozempic (or another GLP-1) and suddenly lose interest in alcohol. It gets framed…

Food Noise, Alcohol Noise, and the New Science of Medication-Assisted Behavior Change with Sunnyside CEO Nick Allen & Noom CEO Geoff Cook

A growing body of research—and real-world results from platforms like Noom and Sunnyside—prioritizes changing the conditions that make certain behaviors feel automatic in the first…

A Craving Is Not A Command (Even If It Feels Like One)

Most people trying to drink less already know what alcohol does. You don’t need another explanation about sleep or next-day energy. You’ve lived it. That’s…

Why You Might Feel So Split Around Drinking

It’s a strange thing, really, how quickly your mind can shift when it comes to your relationship with drinking. One moment you’re fairly clear about…

Does Alcohol Cause Inflammation?

You wake up after a couple of drinks, and it’s not a hangover. Not really. You’re fine. Functional. But something feels off in a way…

Alcohol and Gut Health: What’s Actually Happening Inside Your Body

Alcohol interacts with your gut in ways that are pretty well documented—it just doesn’t always get explained in a way that connects to what people…

Why You Stay Stuck Even Though You Know Better

You make a plan, maybe even feel good about it, and then a few days later, you’re right back in the same pattern. That’s the…

Why Everyone Else’s Drinking Looks Easier Than Yours

Let's say you’re out somewhere. Drinks are around, people are talking, and for a while you’re just… in it. Then your attention sort of slides…

7 Surprising Truths About Drinking Behavior (Backed By Research)

Many of us have a working theory about our drinking patterns. But when you zoom out and look at the research, the story doesn't always…

Why More People Are Choosing Moderation Over All Or Nothing

For a long time, the conversation around alcohol has been pretty binary. You either drink… or you don’t. You either have control… or you don’t.…

How Visualization Can Stop Alcohol Cravings In The Moment

Instead of trying to fight an alcohol craving head-on, it can help to do something opposite: Zoom out. Just enough to see what comes next.…

Alcohol and Cortisol: Why Drinking Raises Your Stress Hormone (And What to Do About It)

Many people drink to unwind, but alcohol actually raises cortisol — your body's primary stress hormone. Learn how alcohol disrupts your stress response and what…

A Modern Approach to Alcohol Habit Change

Alcohol treatment options today are reactive, focused only on the highest acuity cases. At Sunnyside, we’re building a more modern way forward. We’re redefining the…

Why “I Thought I Was Past This” Is Totally Normal

Maybe you’ve started drinking less, taking more alcohol-free days, or perhaps you have decided to stop entirely. And you've felt the initial effects: improved sleep,…

What 1, 2, or 5 Drinks Really Do To Your Body

If you’ve tried to figure out what “safe” drinking really means, you’ve probably noticed something strange: the answers don’t always agree. The confusing part is…

Why Evening Alcohol Cravings Can Hit Harder Than Morning Intentions

A funny thing happens when people start paying attention to their drinking habits. The person making decisions at 7 a.m. and the person standing in…

When Parents Feel the Gut Check Around Drinking

For a lot of parents, concern around drinking shows up as a feeling you can’t quite name—a moment where you pause and think, Something here…

Why Teens Really Start Drinking

For many young people, their first drink isn’t about getting drunk. It’s about feeling like they belong. When you look at early drinking through that…

Tired But Wired? What Your Body Is Trying To Tell You

Many people feel exhausted day to day, but also feel like they still can’t fully rest. Sleep feels light, and stress may linger. Even during…

What Can Happen After The First Big Change In Drinking

What happens after you stop drinking? There’s a sense that things are finally clicking. Then, for many people, that feeling starts to fade.

How Super Bowl Culture Normalizes Drinking

The Super Bowl always ends up feeling bigger than the game itself. It’s the noise, the food, the commercials people actually watch on purpose, the…

The Real Reason You Start Wanting A Drink in the Afternoon

It usually doesn’t start at night. It starts earlier — mid-afternoon, when nothing dramatic is happening. You’re answering emails. Wrapping up work. Maybe heading into…