What alcohol is really doing to your brain, mood and mental health – and why the effects can last beyond the hangover. Have you ever asked yourself why you can’t drink like other people seem to? If even a couple of drinks can leave you feeling anxious, low or unlike yourself the next day, you’re not imagining it. Whether you’re questioning your relationship with alcohol, cutting back or simply looking for answers, this book reveals what’s really happening in your brain. It explains why alcohol affects you the way it does, replaces shame with understanding and helps you make choices that support your wellbeing. Bestselling author and founder of Sober Girl Society, Millie Gooch, reveals why ‘hangxiety’ is far more than just a bad hangover. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience, expert interviews and real-life stories, she explains how alcohol affects your brain, nervous system and mental health – from anxiety and sleep disruption to stress, trauma and neurodivergence – and why alcohol can affect you in ways you might never have connected to your drinking.