For Clinicians
Mind Dive, A Podcast for Mental Health Professionals
Welcome to Mind Dive, Menninger's podcast for mental health professionals, with Robert Boland, MD, senior vice president and chief of staff, and Kerry Horrell, PhD. 
Podcast Focus
Each month, they dive into topics that fascinate them as clinical professionals and hopefully fascinate you, too. They examine dilemmas faced by professionals here at Menninger and colleagues across the nation while working with some of the most challenging cases. They explore the latest research and other trending topics on the minds of psychiatrists, psychologists and others who are interested in the treatment and study of the mind. Drs. Boland and Horrell make it a goal to cover information that gets little attention in formal training programs.
Most Recent Episodes
Episode 83: Thinking Differently About Drinking
We talk about what’s changed in the last 50 years, including the steady decline in alcohol consumption and the growing social normalcy of not consuming alcohol. From there, we dig into why the old post-Prohibition binary model still shows up in clinical work and everyday conversations, and why it doesn’t match what the science says. Dr. Miller explains how alcohol-related harm tracks closely with dose, why “moderate drinkers look healthiest” can be a misleading comparison, and how the alcohol industry helped popularize the idea that drinking equals happiness, attractiveness, and success.
There are plenty of practical takeaways including the “drinker’s checkup” mindset, the difference between risky drinking and harmful drinking, and why zero alcohol is the only safe guideline for driving and other high-stakes tasks. We also explore the emotional side of drinking with the “reasons for drinking” ladder, plus the hidden danger of alcohol tolerance, which can silence your internal warning signals as impairment and damage continue. Finally, we share concrete behavior change tools from the book: tracking drinks before you pour them, setting clear limits, slowing down early, identifying triggers, and building real alternatives for stress, sleep, and social comfort.
If you care about harm reduction, mindful drinking, addiction psychology, or simply helping yourself and others have a more intentional relationship with alcohol, you’ll want to listen to this conversation. Share it with someone who’d appreciate a nonjudgmental approach and be sure to share a review if it was helpful.
Subscribe, share this with a colleague or friend who cares about the future of mental health care, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.
Transcript
Meet the Hosts
Dr. Boland is an educator at heart with decades of experience teaching and mentoring psychiatry residents. In addition to his roles at Menninger, he is the executive vice chair of the Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine.
A psychologist specializing in young adults, Dr. Horrell also loves teaching. She completed a predoctoral internship and postgraduate fellowship at Menninger and Baylor College of Medicine.
Both are well read, love canines (and have to resist rescuing too many) and are curious about many subjects.
Join Us
We hope you’ll join us on our podcast journey. And if you have a topic in mind that you would like us to dive into, drop us a note.
Mind Dive is available on all of the places you find your favorite podcasts.
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