NOT A REAL ALCOHOLIC? –
May 20, 2025 – What if your drinking problem is really a thinking problem? That’s the core message behind Colleen Freeland Kachmann’s unique and fast-growing approach to alcohol recovery. A former high-functioning daily drinker herself, Colleen spent over two decades secretly wrestling with alcohol before deciding to question everything the recovery world had taught her. The result? Emotional Sobriety Coaching©: a science-informed, compassion-centered program she founded to help women reduce alcohol consumption by up to 80 percent without requiring full sobriety.
Her motto: Get happy, not sober.
Rethinking the Root Cause
Colleen isn’t running a sobriety program. She’s an Intuitive Drinking Coach with an MSc in Health Coaching, a BS in Biology and Chemistry Education, and certifications in addiction recovery and functional and integrative medicine for women. She believes that overdrinking is due to a disconnect between the mind and body in women who prioritize productivity and performance over their physical and emotional needs.
“It’s not your relationship with alcohol that needs to change. It’s your relationship with yourself,” she often says. Her method reframes alcohol use disorder as a symptom, not the cause.
By combining evidence-based tools in self-directed neuroplasticity and holistic strategies in nervous system regulation, Colleen helps high achieving women challenge perfectionism, burnout, and self-doubt, which are the real fuel behind compulsive drinking.
