Expert Q&A: Addiction, anxiety, and nervous system patterns, with Rachel Hechtman
The following interview is a transcript excerpt from The Heallist Podcast episode. Listen to the full audio version or watch the video and subscribe to get notified of new episodes.
In this episode of the Heallist Podcast, we explore the complex relationship between alcohol, addiction, anxiety, ADHD, and the nervous system with Sober in Central Park founder Rachel Hechtman, who shares her personal journey to sobriety alongside insights into the neurological and emotional patterns that shape addiction and recovery. The conversation looks at how alcohol impacts brain function, behavior, and long-term well-being, and how these effects may be experienced differently by individuals, including those who are neurodivergent.
Drawing from her lived experience and ongoing work in the wellness space, Rachel offers perspective on the role of dopamine, the nervous system, and emotional regulation in addictive patterns. We explore how anxiety and ADHD can intersect with substance use, and how greater awareness of these connections may support more informed and compassionate approaches to healing. The episode also touches on practical strategies for reducing alcohol dependence, as well as the role of spiritual and vibrational practices in supporting transformation and recovery.
This episode is offered for educational and reflective purposes only. It does not provide medical advice or recommend specific treatments. Its goal is to add context to complex health decisions and highlight the value of informed, personalized care across medical and integrative paradigms.
Alcohol’s Hidden Health Costs
Rachel Hechtman: What's happening right now with alcohol is a lot like what happened with cigarettes and big tobacco in the 60s and 70s, where people weren't aware how bad it was for their bodies and they just were consuming because that's what society told you to do. And that's what the ads told you to do in the sexy ads of people smoking cigarettes and all. But what's happening now with alcohol is people are finally getting the facts and waking up to the fact and getting educated that alcohol is directly linked to so many kinds of cancers in women. It's specifically linked to breast cancer. So the more you drink, the higher your risk goes up of getting breast cancer, and that is a proven scientific fact.
For a long time, the alcohol industry has hidden these things from us. And so people didn't really understand necessarily how bad it was. People are like, “oh, it's not good for my liver.” Okay, yes, we can all agree on that. But they didn't understand that it's affecting their sleep in a way where if you have more, even one drink affects your REM. It's almost impossible for you to get into REM sleep when you've had alcohol in your system. And a lot of people, it's the norm for them to just come home from work, even having a few drinks a night and going to bed. But in women, having more than I think two drinks a week is more than you should be having.
They've changed the guidelines around alcohol in the past few years. And people just don't want to accept it. Or if they do accept it, they're like, “Okay, well, what do I do now? Alcohol has been a crutch for me. It's been part of my routines and habits for so long.” It's like a trusted friend to a lot of people. So, in order to actually change your habits and patterns, you have to change your mindset around it as well. But that can be scary, especially if you live in a place where the only thing you really know to do is to go out and drink. So there's just so much damage it does to the body in the long term, but also the short term. COVID made people realize we're not immortal. And why are we going out and drinking green juices and having our Pilates classes and trying to be healthy and then binge drinking or having a few drinks at night? It just doesn't make sense.
ADHD Dopamine And Consumption Loops
Rachel Hechtman: A lot of people that come to me are women in their late 30s, 40s, 50s, even 60s, who their whole lives have been told that they have just anxiety or depression. And when we start working together, these are women who have undiagnosed ADHD and they've flown under the radar. Maybe they're high achievers, but their brains work differently than the neurotypical person. But because they're still able to succeed in work, in school, they're working 10 times harder to get those results. There's so many things that happen in the brain when you have ADHD, but the biggest thing is your brain doesn't produce as much dopamine naturally as the neurotypical person.
So ADHD people are constantly searching for the next dopamine hit. And a dopamine hit can come from social media, from reality TV, it can come from alcohol, which is a huge trigger. Alcohol gives you that dopamine hit super fast. When you have that first drink, your brain's like, “I got what I want.” Give me more, give me more.” That's why it's really hard for people with ADHD to only stop after one or two drinks. You just keep wanting to drink and then your body keeps looking for that reward, but it's never going to get that same reward as it gets from that first drink. So you're searching and searching, and you keep drinking and drinking and drinking, and that's when the problems really start.
Women are then getting diagnosed and they're understanding about their brain. And once we can understand how our brains work, then we can navigate different triggers and different things that are happening. But anxiety, depression, ADHD, they're all linked, but there are healthy ways to get dopamine, such as exercising or cold plunges.
So we can switch that into finding healthy ways, being outside, walking in nature, talking to a friend, hot and code therapy, exercise, all of these things. We have to first learn how our brains work and why we do certain things in order to then find the solutions. But a lot of times, if you don't know how your brain works, these women hate themselves because they're told they just have anxiety and depression, but really they're ADHD and they don't understand their brain. They're mean to themselves and they have horrible self-talk. And that's a really horrible feeling, to think there's something wrong with you and no one else understands. Then you want to drink to numb that voice in your head that's not very nice.
Support Systems And Social Fear
Rachel Hechtman: Having a community and people who get it and understand and have been through it is super important. But same with something like having an ADHD diagnosis. Luckily though, while social media can be a negative form of dopamine and can have a lot of negative consequences to people, it can also be really helpful in terms of information. So if you look on social media, there is a ton of really amazing, addiction and alcohol and ADHD content that people are posting that break it down and really easy ways to digest so you're not feeling overwhelmed. But there are groups of people that meet online. No, there are so many different ways now to find that community and that connection and people who understand than there were 10 years ago. But yeah, coaching, working with a coach can be really, really helpful.
So the rule of thumb that we have in my community is if you're Googling it or you're questioning, “Do I have a problem with alcohol?” you do have a problem with alcohol. People who don't have problems aren't questioning it. And so that might be a hard pill to swallow, but it's just the truth. And another thing is if you have to drink to make it enjoyable, then whatever you're doing isn't actually enjoyable. And you really need to take a hard look at “do I even like doing this?” For instance, going to the party. If you have to drink before going to socialize with a certain group of people, do you even want to be socializing with these people? And sometimes we don't want to confront the real answer to that question.
Sound Frequencies And Affirmations
Rachel Hechtman: I would say one of the biggest ones that's the easiest to incorporate into your life is sound frequencies. Years before I stopped drinking, I started listening to some of these sound frequencies. And what I would do is I would put them on before I went to bed and I would just sleep with them on all night. And I actually think it really helped me. And I still listen to them to this day. You can listen to ones to manifest in love or chakra alignment and all these different things are all at different hurts. I always have asked my clients to start using sound frequencies for whatever they need because it's not hurting you. If we can subconsciously raise our vibrational frequency, that's how the universe speaks. It speaks through vibrations and frequencies.
The other big one is saying affirmations. I think a lot of times people think, oh, affirmations don't do anything, or that's childish, or that's silly, but that's not true. The subconscious mind listens to what we say. So if we're constantly walking around being like, “I'm stupid,” or “that was dumb,” or “why did I do that?”, our subconscious mind hears that and it keeps us in this lower vibrational space. If we start saying to ourselves nice things that in looking at ourselves and believing them and saying it, even if you don't believe it, your subconscious mind's going to hear it. And eventually it will start believing it. And first your subconscious believes it, and then maybe you believe it. The practice of saying affirmations: energy affirmations, personal affirmations, whatever they are, and listening to these sound frequencies, those are my two biggest hacks.
Moving Toward Awareness, Choice, and Support
This conversation highlights how deeply interconnected alcohol use can be with brain chemistry, emotional regulation, and lived experience. From dopamine-driven patterns in ADHD to the role of anxiety, self-talk, and social environments, addiction is rarely about willpower alone—it’s about understanding the systems at play.
Rachel’s perspective offers a reminder that change often begins with awareness: recognizing patterns, questioning habits, and becoming curious about what’s happening beneath the surface. Whether it’s exploring healthier ways to regulate the nervous system, building supportive communities, or integrating practices like sound therapy and affirmations, recovery is not one-size-fits-all. It’s personal, layered, and evolving.
Most importantly, no one has to navigate this alone. Support, whether through coaching, community, or integrative care, can make a meaningful difference in shifting patterns and creating sustainable change.
Explore Support on Your Healing Journey
If you're looking for guidance, you can connect with experienced holistic practitioners who specialize in addiction recovery, nervous system regulation, ADHD support, and emotional well-being.
Explore the Heallist Network and find a practitioner aligned with your needs:
Whether you're just beginning to question your relationship with alcohol or actively working toward recovery, the right support can help you move forward with clarity and compassion.
