It's Not About the Alcohol

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL WITH COLLEEN Are you looking for a mindful drinking coach instead of a sobriety program? I can help you reduce your drinking by 80 percent so you don't have to quit. You'll walk away from our call with a clear understanding of why you're struggling and what tools you need to achieve your goals.   How often do you hear yourself say the following: "I don't know,"...

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL WITH COLLEEN Are you looking for a mindful drinking coach instead of a sobriety program? I can help you reduce your drinking by 80 percent so you don't have to quit. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of why you're struggling and what tools you need to achieve your goals.   Are you in the habit of beating yourself up and trying to willpower your way int...

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL WITH COLLEEN Are you looking for a mindful drinking coach instead of a sobriety program? I can help you reduce your drinking by 80 percent so you don't have to quit. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of why you're struggling and what tools you need to achieve your goals.   Do you believe that accepting your overweight body as she is will make you lazy...

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL WITH COLLEEN Are you looking for a mindful drinking coach instead of a sobriety program? I can help you reduce your drinking by 80 percent so you don't have to quit. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of why you're struggling and what tools you need to achieve your goals.   And for today's episode....   Is your motivation to change your drinking habits...

Are you scared of waking up in ten years and finding  yourself in the exact same place…dealing with the exact same problems?   It's so easy to get lost in the busy-ness of everyday life. Our routines are overwhelming and there's no time to stop and consider if we even want whatever it is we think we're working so hard to get.   And when your sole purpose is to just get through the day or week so y...

Are you finding it hard to move forward in life because of a significant loss or trauma you've experienced?   We can all agree there is no "right" way to recover from trauma, or an appropriate timeline for grief. But when you're the one who's suffering, it's terrifying to feel frozen in time when life just keeps moving on for everyone else.    But there's no such thing as "stuck." You are moving f...

Have you considered using naltrexone or other medications to curb your alcohol cravings?   As alcohol use disorder is technically a thinking problem, most of us are too afraid to discuss our symptoms with a doctor. We worry about being forced into a treatment program or denied medications due to our drinking.   And the more we try and fail to change on our own, the more shame and fear we feel…whic...

Are you worried about your ability to access high quality healthcare at a reasonable cost?   Most of us are distracted by the politics of healthcare. But while we're arguing about the rising costs and who has access to what services, most of us have failed to notice that the healthcare system in which we grew up no longer exists.    It's almost impossible to be seen when we're actually sick. Our d...

Do you worry about how much you drink?    Health conscious, high achieving women who prioritize clean eating, exercise, anti-aging supplements and skin care routines tend to have a lot of anxiety when it comes to alcohol.    You know drinking is a bad habit, yet giving up the reward at the end of a stressful day feels impossible.    But instead of setting realistic goals to change, you beat yourse...

Are you the type of person who tends to over-do it, because if one is good, ten is better?   The inability to self-regulate is a hallmark symptom of ADHD. Because the ADHD brain does not regulate dopamine well. Which makes it hard to get started when a task seems boring, and hard to stop when you're feeling good.   Typically perceived as a learning disability in school-aged boys, the ADHD diagnosi...

Do you feel pressure when you think about changing your relationship with alcohol? Like "good behavior" is just one more thing you have to work on?   The reason drinking less (or not at all) feels impossible for many women is because alcohol has become a coping mechanism for stress.    The problem is that drinking to relieve stress is the fast-past to addiction. Because the more stress you feel, t...

Do you have insomnia or identify as a person who has trouble sleeping?   For many people, feeling tired is a way of life. We think we "can't" sleep…and so we don't sleep.    We develop bad habits to cope with exhaustion…relying on caffeine and other stimulants for energy, skimping on workouts and healthy eating, and then scrolling on our phones or watching television when we can't fall asleep.   B...

Has your drinking intensified the power struggle in your marriage?   Women who assume the role of "caregiver" to balance their partner's role as the "breadwinner" understand that staying home is a privilege.   But career moms quickly learn there's a big difference between financial support and financial power. And overtime, sacrificing your own needs because your job doesn't come with a paycheck c...

Have you considered that the reason it feels hard to drink in moderation might be that you're operating on bad information?   The biggest mistake that perpetuates over-drinking is the belief that you actually enjoy the third (or seventh) drink. Which means that limiting yourself requires a lot of willpower.   But alcohol is a biphasic drug. Which means that low and high amounts of alcohol have opp...

Do you rely on negative self-talk for motivation?   Most high achieving perfectionists are unknowingly driven by a fear of failure. We think we have to DO good in order to BE good…Worthiness must be earned.    We're conditioned at an early age to avoid punishment and chase rewards. And the voices of judgment and criticism are so deeply ingrained in our psyche that we don't even notice the stream o...

Does over-thinking and second-guessing yourself actually improve the quality of your decisions?   Most of us assume that the perfect solution to a problem will be reasonable, practical and maybe even popular with our people. We don't want to act on gut instinct unless it makes perfect sense.    Because what if we're wrong?   And so we get stuck in our heads because we think there's something to fi...

Are you in the habit of "starting over" when it comes to losing weight?   Most of us pair an ideal number on the scale with an end date on the calendar when trying to lose weight. And then radically alter our diet and exercise routines in a full sprint towards the goal.    If we fail, we feel depressed, defeated and convinced that we either have no willpower OR a faulty metabolism (and probably bo...

Are you the victim of the all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to alcohol?   Every time you try and fail to drink less (or not at all), the belief that "I can't do this" gets stronger.   But sometimes, you do get it right. And while that feels good, it's also confusing and scary. Because you don't know if the problem is real.    Having the occasional hangover is one thing. But normalizing blackout...

Are you clinging to strict religious or scientific beliefs that prevent you from embracing spiritual experiences?   Societal institutions brainwash people to believe that "real" is limited to only what can be seen, touched or understood within the rules of their profit-generating agendas.   Intuition, energy work and "woo-woo" methods of healing, communication and "knowing" are considered quackery...

Have you tried taking a break from alcohol so that you can reset your tolerance…only to fall back into default habits that leave you hungover?   The cycle is exhausting. We vacillate between trying to outsmart the urge to drink and feeling hopeless and ashamed because we failed.   And the more our focus and energy revolve around alcohol, the less happy and fulfilled we feel.   The reason the avera...

The secret to drinking like a normal person is not perfection. There is no "right" amount of alcohol that you should or shouldn't drink.    The truth of your experience with (and without) alcohol is always changing based on your stress, hormones, social dynamics, sleep needs, etc.   It's not what you think, it's how you feel.   You have to learn how to deal with what is--instead of what "should be...

If inflammation is the driving force of nearly every chronic disorder, what causes inflammation?   Symptoms of inflammation can strike any part of the body. It's not just swollen, arthritic joints. From belly bloat to brain fog to hypertension, inflammation weaks havoc and robs us of vitality.   It's normal to treat symptoms of inflammation with medication. But that's like continually mopping up t...

Have you been searching for a medical explanation as to why you suffer with chronic pain and depression?   We're taught to view pain, inflammation, and a lack of energy as dysfunctional biological processes.    And so we see all the doctors, try all the medications and wonder what we've done to deserve this. Occasionally we find temporary relief, but over time, it's obvious we're on a downhill tra...

Does managing your weight feel like a stressful, full-time job?   We've been programmed to believe that controlling our inner fat slob requires willpower.    So we count calories, avoid entire food groups and shame ourselves for overeating.   But willpower requires focus. And the more distracted and stressed we are, the less control we have.    Which makes it even harder to deal with urges and cra...

Are you the parent of an adult child who's struggling with substance use or other addictive patterns of behavior?   Over the years, you've undoubtedly tried everything…ranging from tough love to protecting them from painful consequences.    You'd throw yourself under a train if that would actually help, but you know it won't.    Yet their pain is your pain. And the reality is that you need them to...