How to Break Free from Unhealthy Drinking Habits and Find Emotional Sobriety with Colleen Freeland Kachmann

Have you ever reached for a drink—not because you genuinely wanted it—but because you were trying to soothe stress, numb emotions, or simply make it through the day?

This week’s episode features Colleen Freeland Kachmann, an intuitive drinking coach and host of It’s Not About the Alcohol podcast. Colleen shares her powerful personal transformation and offers a radically different approach to navigating alcohol use disorder through emotional regulation, somatic healing, and self-awareness.

What makes Colleen’s work different? She doesn’t teach you to just quit drinking—she teaches you how to change your relationship with it.

In this eye-opening conversation, we explore:

• Why mindful drinking can be more sustainable than strict sobriety
• How nervous system regulation and somatic practices can reduce the urge to drink.
• The link between emotional triggers, stress, and drinking habits
• How alcohol impacts hormonal health, especially during menopause
• The role of cognitive reframing in transforming your mindset around alcohol.
• The importance of understanding the emotional and physiological factors behind your drinking habits. 
• Why emotional triggers and stress often lead to your drinking habits.
• What it means to practice emotional sobriety—and why it's more powerful than white-knuckling abstinence.
• Why focusing on emotional regulation and self-compassion can lead to more sustainable, positive changes that last.
• What the Mindful Drinking Experiment is and how it can help you heal without giving up alcohol entirely.
• How the “Delay, Don’t Deny” method supports more intentional choices.

If you’re feeling stuck in a cycle of drinking for relief or unsure how to create a healthier relationship with alcohol, this episode is your invitation to begin again—with compassion, curiosity, and clarity.

You don’t have to go all-or-nothing. And change is absolutely possible.

Much love,

Laurie

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