The Hidden Cost of ‘Normal’ Drinking After 40 with Clifford Stephan

“You know what you can get away with in your teens and 20s is a little different than your 30s and 40s. Your body is like a classic car now - you can't get away with not servicing it anymore.”

This week on the Be Battle Ready Podcast, I’m joined by Clifford Stephan, the founder of Booze Vacation. Clifford’s work focuses on helping people take intentional breaks from alcohol in order to reboot their sleep, metabolic health, energy, cognitive function, and long term wellbeing. Far from preaching sobriety, his approach is rooted in real-world experience, practical strategies, and understanding the way modern life, ageing, stress, and habitual drinking fit together.

Clifford shares his own journey from Silicon Valley consultant and lifelong social drinker to discovering how even “normal” drinking patterns were quietly sabotaging his sleep, hormones, recovery, performance at work, and motivation to train. His story will resonate with anyone in their forties, fifties or beyond who has ever wondered whether alcohol is pulling more from their life than it is giving back.

Together we explore:

• Why the habits you “get away with” in your twenties begin to cost you dearly in your forties and fifties
• How alcohol disrupts sleep architecture, metabolic health, hormones, cravings, energy, and recovery
• Why taking one long break from alcohol often unlocks improvements that short-term “cutting back” never delivers
• The powerful link between stress, poor sleep, overeating, belly fat, and reward systems
• How to navigate social situations without alcohol, re-write your internal story, and update your identity
• The impact alcohol has on performance at work, clarity of thought, productivity, and ability to show up for your family
• Why health span, not lifespan, should be the real goal in midlife
• Simple steps you can take today if you want to feel and function better in the next 30 to 90 days

This episode is packed with insights for anyone wanting to build more energy, better sleep, sharper thinking, and greater resilience as they age. Clifford’s experience, honesty, and practical approach make this a genuinely eye-opening conversation.

 

Listen now

Tune in to learn how smarter alcohol choices can become a genuine performance enhancer for training, work, mood, and long term health.

 

Connect with Clifford

Website- BoozeVacation.com

TikTok- TikTok.com/@cliffordstephan1

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffordstephan

Instagram- instagram.com/boozevacation/

 

Men's health Quiz- http://boozevacation.scoreapp.com/

Sleep blog - https://boozevacation.com/sleep-and-alcohol/

Other resources- https://boozevacation.com/resources/

TikTok- TikTok.com/@cliffordstephan1

 

Clifford’s book recommendation: Good Energy by Dr Casey means - The groundbreaking connection between glucose levels, metabolism, limitless health and longevity

 

 

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