# Why Humans Crave Altered States

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/journey-to-the-sunnyside-mindful-drinking-alcohol-health-6796606/why-humans-crave-altered-states
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/journey-to-the-sunnyside-mindful-drinking-alcohol-health-6796606/why-humans-crave-altered-states.md
Podcast: [Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health](https://stenobird.com/podcast/journey-to-the-sunnyside-mindful-drinking-alcohol-health-6796606)
Published: 2026-05-14T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/61b4a619
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.transistor.fm/61b4a619/e1c79c4d.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/journey-to-the-sunnyside-mindful-drinking-alcohol-health-6796606/episodes/why-humans-crave-altered-states
Duration seconds: 780

## Resource

In this episode, Mike digs into what anthropologists found after studying altered states across 400+ societies, why your brain can start moving toward relief before you even pour a drink, and how to tell the difference between a habit that enhances your life and one that has quietly become a requirement. From music and movement to the five o’clock pull toward a drink, this episode offers a different way to understand what you’re actually looking for when the urge hits. RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE SUNNYSIDE BLOG: When to Take Naltrexone: Timing for Daily and Targeted Use Setting Naltrexone Expectations: A Realistic Timeline Sinclair Method vs. Daily Naltrexone: Which Approach Is Right For You? CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE: Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3 Subscribe to Sunnyside’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/ Twitter: https://x.com/joinsunnyside TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnyside ABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days. We now offer Sunnyside Med , a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/journey-to-the-sunnyside-mindful-drinking-alcohol-health-6796606/episodes/why-humans-crave-altered-states/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/journey-to-the-sunnyside-mindful-drinking-alcohol-health-6796606/why-humans-crave-altered-states.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.