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Health & Fitness

It’s Not About the Alcohol

Would you like to reduce your alcohol consumption by about 80 percent? Become the version of you who can just “take it or leave it” so that you can enjoy drinking socially without relying on alcohol to manage your stress, anxiety, loneliness and boredom when you’re by yourself?

Most high achieving women assume over-drinking is caused by a lack of willpower–or worse, the incurable disease of “alcoholism.” So they beat themselves up and avoid asking for help because they feel ashamed and out of control.

Whether you’re a daily drinker who can’t break the habit, or you’re still going to sobriety meetings even though you don’t drink anymore, the real problem is that you don’t trust yourself.

Which means it’s not about the alcohol. It’s about your relationship with yourself.

Colleen Freeland is a a mindful drinking coach helping professional women learn how drinking less (or not at all) is actually a superpower, even when the idea of giving up the only thing that helps them quiet their mind feels impossible.

The solution to alcohol use disorder is a FEELING. If you felt comfortable in your own skin and at ease in your life, you would drink like someone who is comfortable and at ease!

Join me each week for holistic, evidence-based strategies to fix your dopamine deficit, regulate your nervous system, cure imposter syndrome, manage sugar cravings, improve your sleep and reclaim your mental health so you no longer have the urge to escape your own body.

Get happy, not sober. Because happy people don’t drink themselves into a stupor.

Latest Episodes:

EP237 Why sobriety programs don't work (and what to do instead) Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

Click here to watch on YouTube!

If you've ever done an alcohol free challenge for 30, 60 or 90 days, maybe even a year, only to fall back into old habits when you started drinking again— this episode is for you. In today's deep dive, Colleen Freeland explains why behavior-based sobriety models (like Sober Sis, Annie Grace, and Casey Davidson's approaches) can actually keep you trapped in the very drinking cycle you're trying to escape.

You'll learn why the real issue isn't alcohol — it's the perfectionistic, all-or-nothing mindset these programs reinforce. Colleen unpacks the neuroscience of habit change and explains why shame, identity labels, and emotional avoidance block your brain's ability to rewire for good.

She'll walk you through the Default Mode Network, Reticular Activating System, and the Habenula — three key parts of the brain where habits live — and show you how to reprogram your subconscious mind through identity-based change and emotional safety.

🔍 In this episode, you'll learn:

Why sobriety programs are a psychological "bait and switch"
The difference between behavior change vs. identity change
How all-or-nothing thinking fuels binge cycles
What it really means to build trust with yourself
Why you need to stop counting sober days
How to redefine success in a context that has nothing to do with alcohol

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

EP236 Minisode: The Litmus Test For Your Truth Jul 12, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, Colleen peels back the curtain on one of the most radical shifts we can make: recognizing that we are not our thoughts—we're the observer behind them. What starts as a reflection on managing the energy in your body becomes a masterclass in emotional authorship, reminding us that our thoughts, not our circumstances, are what create our lived reality.

Using the metaphor of a self-driving car, Colleen breaks down how most of us are unconsciously letting outdated programming steer our lives. But it doesn't have to be that way. When you take back the wheel—choosing how you want to feel and filtering your thoughts through that emotional compass—you begin to rewrite the narrative of your life, one aligned action at a time.

This episode is both a wake-up call and a permission slip: to believe what feels good, let go of what causes suffering, and trust that healing your inner world is how you change the outer one. If you've ever wondered whether it's really possible to feel free, peaceful, and powerful in your own skin—this is your answer.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

You are not your thoughts—you're the one hearing them. Use that awareness to change your story.
Your body is your compass; if a thought feels heavy or constricting, it's not the truth you need.
You don't need external validation to feel good—you need internal alignment.
Emotional energy is your language with the universe. Tune it, and your life will start to reflect it.
The bravest thing you can do is feel your feelings and then choose the ones you want more of.

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

EP235 Minisode: The Solution To Every Problem Is To Own It Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, Colleen walks us through a high-stakes moment with one of her clients—standing at the emotional fork in the road between old habits and radical self-responsibility.

After a tense night at her childhood home, surrounded by triggering family dynamics and judgment, this client found herself spiraling into shame after a single shot of tequila… and a familiar pattern of self-attack. With her sister likely ready to confront her, she reached out for support—not to fix the situation, but to reclaim her power before it got hijacked.

What unfolds is a masterclass in nervous system protection, mindset choice, and learning how to stop reacting to the stories in your head (and the ones projected onto you). This episode is your reminder that peace isn't earned through explanation—it's chosen in the moment, with breath, presence, and courage.

If you've ever felt like you have to prove, fix, or defend your choices just to feel okay again—this one will show you another way.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

You can't rewrite the story from inside the story—you have to leave it behind to create something new.
Your body is your true self. Protect it like a mama bear.
Emotional pain often comes not from others' opinions, but your own mind's interpretation of them.
You don't owe anyone an explanation to feel okay. Permission comes from you.
Real power is choosing how you want to feel—and aligning your actions to create that state, without waiting for someone else to "get it."

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

EP234 The Silent Collapse of a High Performer: Mike Hardenbrook's story Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Click here to register for the neural rewrite masterclass! How to escape your negative self-talk.

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube!

What happens when you're the person everyone counts and you're secretly falling apart?

In this episode, Colleen sits down with tech founder, entrepreneur and coach Mike Hardenbrook for an honest conversation about what it looks like when high-functioning people hit their limit. Mike opens up about the moment his drinking stopped working, why success can be a mask for burnout, and what it really takes to start living from self-trust instead of self-discipline.

Mike's story is proof that you don't have to lose everything to change—but you do have to stop pretending everything's fine.

If you're tired of performing under pressure, this episode will show you how to walk away from the bad habits that aren't serving you anymore without losing your edge--or the fun version of yourself.

Mike has also developed a brand of supplements specifically for drinkers looking to cut back that have been shown to reduce alcohol cravings up to 60% and correct the nutritional deficiencies caused by regular drinking.

Find Mike: Mike's Instagram Mike's Website.

Click here to shop for the Cloud 9 supplements mentioned in the interview.

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc YouTube: @hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

EP233 Minisode: Becoming The Master Of Your Own Attention And Focus Jul 05, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, Colleen shares a real-life moment of emotional sobriety in action—when an old blog post, a rogue email, and a morning scroll tried to hijack her peace before she even got out of bed.

What begins as a minor tech task quickly spirals into a stress response… until she catches it. Instead of reacting from urgency, she pauses, reconnects with her intention for the day, and remembers: just because it feels urgent doesn't mean it is.

This episode is a practical, embodied reminder that emotional sobriety isn't about getting it perfect—it's about noticing the pattern before it runs your whole day. If you're done letting false alarms steal your time, energy, and presence, this one shows you how to reclaim control—without rushing to fix anything.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

You are the director of your attention—not your email, not your stress, not your past habits.
Feelings aren't facts—your body is just signaling what your brain has been rehearsing.
New habits don't erase old ones—you overwrite them with intention and repetition.
Sensations that constrict you are red flags that you're believing an old, unhelpful thought.
Your day doesn't begin when you check your phone—it begins when you decide how you want to feel.

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

EP232 Minisode: Healing Emotionally Abusive Thinking Habits Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, Colleen reveals the sneaky way our own thoughts quietly become emotional abuse—and how to interrupt the habit of thinking things that hurt.

From bedtime mirror pep talks to buried beliefs about being "a hot mess," this episode explores how subconscious thought loops create the feelings that sabotage your confidence, relationships, and self-trust. Colleen explains how your nervous system isn't reacting to your circumstances—it's reacting to your story. And most of that story? It's fiction you've been rehearsing for years.

If you're ready to stop bullying yourself with thoughts you'd never say out loud to a friend, this episode is your start to choosing a better script and creating safety in your own mind.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

The way you feel about yourself is just a reflection of the thoughts you repeat.
Your thoughts aren't facts—they're habits.
Negative emotions are your body's way of flagging old, outdated beliefs.
If you wouldn't say it to someone else, it doesn't belong in your internal dialogue either.
The path to healing starts with noticing the thought, pausing the habit, and choosing again—on purpose.

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

EP231 Here's 5 science-based strategies to reduce your drinking TONIGHT Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Click here to register for the Rewrite Neural Pathways to Escape Negative Self-Talk Workshop on July 12th

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube

Do you have confidence and discipline in most areas of your life, and feel befuddled as to why your drinking feels so hard to control?

If your drinking feels out of alignment with your values, your goals, or your sense of self, this episode will give you a clear understanding as to what's really going on, and also five powerful, science-based strategies that will help you stop yourself from over-drinking—without relying on willpower, restriction, or shaming yourself into submission.

Whether you're trying to moderate, avoid shame spirals, or feel more in control after a stressful day, these tools will help you reset your nervous system, reconnect with your values, and get your brain off autopilot so you can build new habits that align with who you really are.

🔑 You'll Learn:

Why your brain craves alcohol when you're stressed (and how to rewire that urge)
How "Delay, Don't Deny" instantly puts you back in control
Why emotional goal setting works better than setting limits on your consumption
How to rehearse success using mental imagery
What it means to take an "upstream" perspective—and why trying to stop yourself from overdrinking at the end of the day is about as useless as trying to stop the last domino from falling
How checking in with your tomorrow self can interrupt the "f-it" cycle

Overdrinking is not about your relationship with alcohol. It's about your relationship with yourself—and these strategies help you rebuild self-trust, one decision at a time.

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

EP230 Minisode: Processing The Background Alarm Jun 28, 2025

Show notes

In today's episode, Colleen unpacks why your background alarm is going off—and how to finally turn it off.

You're not lazy. You're not broken. And your bedtime resistance, your anxious spinouts, your self-sabotage? They're not random. They. Are. Patterns.

Habits formed by younger versions of you who were just trying to stay safe.

This episode dives into how childhood beliefs shape your nervous system, why emotional energy gets trapped in the body, and how to reclaim that energy instead of wasting it on panic, shame, or perfectionism. If your anxiety feels like it runs the show, Colleen gives you a way to interrupt the pattern and stop thinking your way out of a feeling problem.

Whether you're healing from overdrinking, a divorce, or just trying to move through your day with more peace, this one shows you exactly how to get back into your body and claim your power.

Key Takeaways:

That "resistance" you feel? It's not laziness—it's a child part of you stuck in a story.
Your background alarm (aka chronic anxiety) is often a relic from the past—not a reaction to the present.
Trying to think your way through a feeling problem only keeps the alarm ringing.

If you're done spiraling, numbing, or wondering why you sabotage the things you say you want—this episode is your wake-up call to stop overriding your body and start listening.

And if you're ready to reduce your drinking by 80% and finally trust yourself again? Schedule a discovery call with Colleen or the team- BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

EP229 Minisode: The Black Mirror Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

You've probably heard me say the common phrase "the call is coming from inside the house" — but what if every judgment you make about someone else is too?

In this episode, Colleen unpacks the concept of The Black Mirror — the idea that your emotional reactions to other people are often projections of the stories, beliefs, and insecurities you hold about yourself.

You'll learn how to flip the script when you're triggered by someone else's behavior, turn judgment into powerful self-awareness, and use emotional sobriety skills to stop reacting from fear and start responding from clarity. This is shadow work, made practical.

This episode is for the woman who is ready to take her power back… by owning what's hers and releasing what isn't.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

The traits you judge in others often reflect disowned parts of yourself.
Emotional reactivity is a mirror — not a fact.
Changing "they think…" to "I feel…" is a powerful way to access hidden beliefs.
Boundaries come from clarity, not resentment.
Emotional sobriety means learning to feel what you feel without making it mean something is wrong with you.

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

EP228 "I've become the person I've always wanted to be" –Carley's recovery story (part 2) Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Click here to watch the full interview with Carley on YouTube

In Part 2 of Carley's story, we dive into the healing that began once she joined the program. You'll hear how she learned to regulate her nervous system, rewire her brain, and change the story she told herself about who she was.

Carley shares how she finally stopped chasing external validation, started putting herself first without guilt, and showed up more fully — not just for herself, but for her kids, her husband, and her work.

We also talk about what it means to "be emotionally sober" and why drinking less wasn't the ultimate win for Carley — it was becoming the woman she never thought she could be.

This part of the conversation is a celebration of what's possible when you stop trying to get sober and start learning to feel safe in your own body.

What you'll hear in Part 2:

The skills Carley developed that helped her reduce her drinking by 80%
How emotional sobriety changed her marriage, her parenting, and her self-talk
Why she now calls herself "unrecognizable" — in the best way
What she would say to any woman who's scared to take the first step

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc YouTube: @hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

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