It's Not About the Alcohol

In this episode, Colleen revisits one of the hardest ideas to trust at first: that before your drinking changes, you have to stop making your drinking the enemy.
And yes… that can feel dangerous.
Because the moment you stop restricting, judging, and trying to control yourself, your brain often swings the other direction. It sees a loophole. It tests the boundaries. It acts like the rebellious teenager who just got told there's no curfew.
But Colleen explains why that doesn't mean the work isn't working. It means you're finally coming face to face with the internal conflict that's been there all along.
She breaks down how restriction backfires, how your body knows when you're lying to yourself, and why the real work of emotional sobriety isn't about forcing better behavior. It's about learning how to feel the whole truth, question your programming, and rebuild trust with yourself one urge at a time.


🔑 Key Takeaways
~Why giving yourself permission can make drinking spike at first
~How restriction fuels rebellion, self-sabotage, and binge behavior
~Why your body is a better truth detector than your thoughts
~The difference between your urge and the meaning you assign to it
~Three tools to use before giving in to an urge
This episode is a reminder that the goal isn't to become someone who never wants a drink, but to become someone who stops abandoning herself in the process of wanting one.
 
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Find me on:
YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer
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Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer 
X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

Colleen gets really personal in this episode.
She shares the hard winter that (at one point) sent her back to nightly drinking, financial stress, the loss of her dog, feeling stuck in a house that no longer feels like home, and walks through exactly how she got out. 
In this episode:
Why going back to an old drinking pattern is not evidence you failed. It's data.

The rat study that proves hope creates more persistence than willpower or skill ever could

Why focusing on your drinking makes the pattern worse, not better

Upstream thinking: what it actually looks like to increase your capacity instead of restricting your behavior

The breathwork class that broke something open. And the brutal Sunday morning that followed.

Observer consciousness: the difference between being in the storm and watching it

Why stopping drinking didn't fix Colleen's anxiety, sleep, or low energy. And what that means for you.


Do you need help?

We're ready to talk to you!

If you'd like to learn more about our Emotional Sobriety Coaching programs.  Click here to schedule a discovery call

Find me on:
YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer
TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer
Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer 
X (Twitter): @NotAboutTheAlc

In this episode, Colleen pulls on a thread most women don't question:
that moment where you're a drink or two in and thinking, "I'm not even feeling this."
And instead of solving for it… she slows it down.
Colleen walks through how easy it is to miss the actual experience of drinking when you're in your head, distracted, or slightly disconnected from your body—and how quickly that turns into pouring another one without ever really checking in.
Not as a mistake. Just as a pattern.
And once you start to notice it, it's hard to unsee.
 
🔑 Key Takeaways
~Why "I'm not feeling it" might not mean what you think
~What happens when you miss the moment the drink actually lands
~How disconnection quietly turns into overdrinking
~The difference between experiencing something vs thinking about it
~Why paying attention changes what you want next
 
This episode isn't asking you to do anything differently. Just… notice.
Because once you do, things tend to shift on their own.
 
Watch The Free 45 Minute Masterclass: The science behind take it or leave it–why some women can and how you can too. 
If you'd like to learn more about our Emotional Sobriety Coaching programs, Click Here To Schedule A Free Discovery Call
 
Find me on:
YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer
TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer
Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer 
X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

You made the promise this morning,"I'm not going to drink tonight." You meant it. Then the day happened. And by 6pm, the drink was in your hand like that was the plan all along.
This isn't a willpower problem. It's a capacity problem. And once you understand what's actually happening in your nervous system between 6am and 6pm, this stops feeling like a weakness or a character flaw.
In this episode, I'm breaking down why evening-you can't keep the promises morning-you makes, and giving you three practices, placed at specific times of day, that actually allow you to access the willpower (you already have) TONIGHT.
You'll learn:
Why willpower is a finite resource — and why you've already spent it by the time you need it most

Why behavioral goals ("I'm only having two") consistently fail, and how to set an emotional goal you'll actually stick to

Three nervous system practices — one for morning, one for lunch, one for the transition between day and evening — that work upstream of your alcohol cravings

This episode is for the woman who is tired of blaming herself for needing to relieve her stress, and who's ready to learn how to live in a way she doesn't need to escape her own life. 
Resources mentioned:
Watch The Free 45 Minute Masterclass: The science behind take it or leave it–why some women can and how you can too. 
If you'd like to learn more about our Emotional Sobriety Coaching programs, Click Here To Schedule A Free Discovery Call

In this episode, Colleen names something most women have never been taught to do: have a relationship with themselves.
Not self-improvement. Not fixing. Not managing behavior.
Actual relationship.
Because when you don't know who you are, what you want, or how to meet your own needs, alcohol steps in and fills that space.
Colleen walks through why so many women reach midlife feeling disconnected, uncertain, and dependent on escape—and how that's not a personal failure, it's conditioning.
You were taught how to be good.
You were never taught how to know yourself.
And emotional sobriety isn't just about removing the drink.
It's about rebuilding that internal connection so you don't need it.


🔑 Key Takeaways
Why drinking becomes the default when you don't know what you want

How identity gets shaped by conditioning, not conscious choice

The concept of becoming both the giver and receiver of your own attention

Why most relationships feel unfulfilling (and what's actually missing)

How disconnection from self creates loneliness—even when you're not alone

The shift from seeking needs externally → sourcing them internally

Practical ways to start building a relationship with yourself


If you're tired of feeling trapped and tired of drinking just to feel relief, then Click Here To Book A Call With Us.
 
Find me on:
YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer
TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer
Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer 
X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc