Ken Middleton is the author of Bamboozled: How Alcohol Makes Fools of Us All and the editor of the publication AINYF (Alcohol is NOT Your Friend). In this episode, Ken shares helpful tools and strategies for quitting alcohol. These include: exercise, nutrition, education, sleep, hobbies, social connection, finding a supportive partner, and having a big goal.

We also discuss:

• the neuroscience of alcohol
• addiction and strategies for habit change
• short-term and long-term alternatives to alcohol
• alcohol's effects on sleep, memory, and cognition
• health risks associated with alcohol (e.g. cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's)
• the costs and benefits of drinking alcohol consumption across different life stages
• how alcohol can hinder personal growth and impede self-improvement
• the deceptive portrayal of alcohol in movies, media, and advertising
• metaphors and analogies to help illustrate the effects and dangers of alcohol
• the gifts and benefits of quitting alcohol

**CONNECT & LEARN MORE**
book website: thebamboozledbook.com
Dry-90 Challenge: dry90.com
Instagram: @kenmmiddleton

RESOURCES

BOOKS
- Alcohol Explained by William Porter
- Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Bamboozled by Ken Middleton
- This Naked Mind by Annie Grace

COMMUNITIES
- Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
- Tribe Sober

MOVIES & TV
- American Pie
- House Party (starring Kid 'n Play)
- Scandal
- SuperBad
- Sherlock Holmes

PEOPLE
- Annie Grace
- Craig Beck
- James Clear
- James Swanwick
- Janet Gourand
- Robert Downey Jr.
- William Porter

VOCABULARY
- acetaldehyde
- anhedonia
- dynorphin
- nucleus accumbens

Connect or learn more at: thebamboozledbook.com

In this episode, we discuss strategies for managing and reducing alcohol cravings, uncovering alternative pathways to satisfy the deeper needs that fuel them.

Today, we delve into 11 needs, exploring alternative actions to address each:

1. water
2. nutrition
3. social connection
4. sex
5. touch
6. movement
7. sleep
8. feeling of possibility, novelty, chaos, & adventure
9. stimulation (light, sound, etc.)
10. stress reduction and calm
11. goals/projects

Listen in to discover your hidden needs and other healthier ways to satisfy them, ultimately diminishing the urge to drink and granting you greater freedom in how you choose to live.

RESOURCES:

COMMUNITIES:
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- Tribe Sober

ENTERTAINMENT
- Six Flags Magic Mountain (amusement park)
- Memento (movie)

SCIENCE VOCAB:
- basal ganglia
- intercostal muscles
- mesolimbic pathway
- prefrontal cortex
- striatum
- substantia nigra
- ventral tegmentum

In this episode, we're joined by Osinakachi Akuma Kalu, the founder of TAFFD's, dedicated to enhancing health and biological longevity for Africans through educational initiatives. He's also an author, futurist, musician, and speaker.

Our discussion centers on traditional African health practices, mindsets, and tools, covering: social connection, community, movement, nutrition, farming, medicine, music, dance, language, metaphysics, morality & ethics, biodiversity, environmental factors, holistic living, and more.

We also discuss how Westernization has negatively impacted the health and longevity of Africans, across these various dimensions. History, politics, education, and big business are a big part of this. Some ways in which Africa is degenerating include: social isolation, fracturing of family and community, poor nutrition (e.g. processed foods and added sugars), environmental toxins, loss of religion and culture, and increasing use of chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Osinakachi aims to reconnect Africans to their ancestral roots, returning to a time marked by robust health, longevity, strong social bonds, community, safety, trust, empathy, vulnerability, natural exercise, biodiversity, nutritious food, and a mindset that values such. We must redefine wealth, prioritizing health and social cohesion over money, comfort, and convenience. While traditional practices like farming and open dwellings may be disappearing, education and hard work can help revive some of the positive aspects of Africa's heritage.

The principles, practices, and mindsets discussed in this episode can be applied to your individual life, relationship, family, or community, regardless of your location in the world.

*Connect with Osinakachi*
LinkedIn: /osinakachi-akuma-kalu
Facebook: /authorOsinakachi
website: taffds.org

RESOURCES

MUSIC IN AFRICA
- African Traditional Music (ATM)
- Afrobeats
- Amapiano
- Bongo Flava
- Highlife

PEOPLE
- Aristotle
- Feta Kuti
- Izu Marcel Onyeocha
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
- Martin Buber
- Plato
- R.L. Stine

VOCABULARY
- assimilation
- association
- Berlin Conference
- Igbo
- Ohafia War Dance
- Omenala
- palm wine
- Scramble for Africa
- Ubuntu
- Zulu