Community is the foundation of recovery. We don’t recover alone! But the ideas you’re exposed to in early sobriety have significant impact on your recovery. Labeling yourself as an "alcoholic" and committing to lifetime abstinence can increase your chance of relapse into alcohol use disorder.

Ask someone who has what you want how they got it is good advice. But if you’re human, what you want will evolve over time in response to what you need.

Giving yourself permission to change—not just how you drink but also how you think—allows you to grow into the person you are meant to become.

In this episode, I unpack the reasons I chose to opt out of the fear-based, one-size-fits-all approach to sobriety. And how I'm managing my recovery with emotional sobriety. Because my identity and my future are no longer defined by alcohol.

Want to learn more about The Next Chapter? Click here. 

Like this episode? Get new episodes and related content delivered to your inbox every Monday. Click here. 

Join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and a tribe of women working on emotional sobriety. Recover with Colleen

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If you need to stop drinking and want support, check out these two programs that will shift your mindset from "drinker" to "non-drinker" so you can declare your independence from alcohol. 

5-Hour Change Your Mind Masterclass--self-study

10 Days to Spontaneous Sobriety --includes group and 1:1 coaching

Whitney Durmick is author of Half Wild: A prayer for a generation of roaming malcontents. The book takes an uncompromising look at her self-destructive behavior as she lovingly untangles herself from the throes of anxiety, addiction and loneliness. 

Using excerpts from the book, Whitney and I unpack the emotional disconnect that has haunted her since childhood (me too!). Moving around a lot, Whitney became very adaptable--able to fit in wherever she was. But that skill left her feeling untethered as she molded her personality into the most-liked version. 

Little girls are not taught how to interpret the shame that occurs naturally in our developing bodies. So we grow up assuming that uncomfortable emotions mean something is wrong with us. 

Y'all--this is my first interview with a famous quit-lit author. I hope you enjoy this vulnerable, indepth conversation about what it means to be female and also what it means to recover.

Like this episode? Get new episodes and related content delivered to your inbox every Monday. Click here. 

Join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and a tribe of women working on emotional sobriety. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

If you need to stop drinking and want support, check out these two programs that will shift your mindset from "drinker" to "non-drinker" so you can declare your independence from alcohol. 

12-week masterclass on emotional sobriety. Click here for The Next Chapter.

5-Hour Change Your Mind Masterclass--self-study

10 Days to Spontaneous Sobriety --includes group and 1:1 coaching

Trigger warning: If you're happy identifying as a "sober" alcoholic, this episode is not for you.

Does promising to stay sober for the rest of your life conflict with your values? Are you an independent thinker who enjoys staying open to new ideas?

Todays episode is a practice run of my new webinar, Why women who identify as alcoholics and therefore "sober" can struggle in recovery.

There is strong evidence that labeling people as alcoholics and setting abstinence as a life-long requirement keep them from entering and staying in recovery.

I explain how to escape your preoccupation with alcohol–instead of defining yourself by it forever.

Want to learn more about The Next Chapter, my 12-week mastermind in emotional sobriety? Click here. 

Like this episode? Get new episodes and related content delivered to your inbox every Monday. Click here. 

Join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and a tribe of women working on emotional sobriety. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

If you need to stop drinking and want support, check out these two programs that will shift your mindset from "drinker" to "non-drinker" so you can declare your independence from alcohol. 

5-Hour Change Your Mind Masterclass--self-study

10 Days to Spontaneous Sobriety --includes group and 1:1 coaching

Have you thought about quitting alcohol on and off for years--especially after a night of over-doing it?

But once the hanxiety wears off, sobriety feels complicated and overly dramatic?

The primary problem is not how much you drink. The problem is that you're relying on shame as a motivator. And once you feel better and the shame goes away, your motivation goes with it.

You're a perfectionist, not an alcoholic.

In this episode, I give you the five steps to emotional sobriety so that you can unlearn perfectionistic thought loops. Deal with life as it is instead of arguing with yourself about how it should be. Learn how to feel confident about who you are--with or without a drink in your hand. 

Want to learn more about The Next Chapter? Click here. 

Like this episode? Get new episodes and related content delivered to your inbox every Monday. Click here. 

Join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and a tribe of women working on emotional sobriety. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

If you need to stop drinking and want support, check out these two programs that will shift your mindset from "drinker" to "non-drinker" so you can declare your independence from alcohol. 

5-Hour Change Your Mind Masterclass--self-study

10 Days to Spontaneous Sobriety --includes group and 1:1 coaching

Alcohol use disorder is classified as a mental health issue. It's a thinking problem more than a drinking problem. 

Quitting drinking is a big first step. But an all-or-nothing, black and white approach to sobriety perpetuates the cycle of self-sabotage in ALL areas of your life.

The pursuit of perfection is the problem, not the solution. There is no such thing as "perfect." Learning how to live on a spectrum of "okay," and how to forgive yourself when you fall short of a goal--and how to deal with your disappointment-- is the coping skill that leads to resilience. 

In this episode, I explain why beating yourself up doesn't work. And how responding to setbacks with self-care and compassion accelerates your recovery.

Interested in joining The Next Chapter? Click here for more information and to book a discovery call with me.

Want to hear more like this? Join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and connection to a tribe of women working on emotional sobriety. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

If you need to stop drinking and want support, check out these two programs that will shift your mindset from "drinker" to "non-drinker" so you can declare your independence from alcohol. 

5-Hour Change Your Mind Masterclass--self-study

10 Days to Spontaneous Sobriety --includes group and 1:1 coaching

What happens when you fall "off the wagon," go into a "spiral" or find yourself "in a hole?"  Do you accept it as a fact? Tell yourself you'll "start over" on Monday or next month or when you have more time/energy/focus?

What if bad days don't have to stay that way? 

In this episode, I share 3 questions that can interrupt a negative tailspin. You can chose to feel better NOW instead of waiting for something outside of your control to change. 

You do not have to be a victim of your emotions. "Stuck," "anxious" and "depressed" are feelings, not facts.  

The moment you realize you're in a bad mood, you have a choice. Your emotions are not the problem. It's how you respond to the way you feel that determines what happens next. 

Interested in booking a discovery call with me to get a clear plan for how to manage your emotions around the "hard stuff" so that you can break your own cycle of self defeat? Click here.

Have more questions? Click here to join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and connection to a tribe of women going through this together. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

If you need to stop drinking and want support, check out these two programs that will shift your mindset from "drinker" to "non-drinker" so you can declare your independence from alcohol. 

5-Hour Change Your Mind Masterclass--self-study

10 Days to Spontaneous Sobriety --includes group and 1:1 coaching

How often do you spend hours, days, weeks (ok, maybe months) ruminating on negative stories? Thinking and talking about the person or situation that is making you feel angry, hurt, disappointed, frustrated or concerned?

Objectively, you'd probably agree that is not time well spent. After the intial sting, you're really just pissing off yourself with the story about the sting.

Dwelling on the past sucks the joy out of your present and attracts more of the same in the future. 

In this episode, I give you four questions to ask yourself in times of stress. So that you can shift from victim of circumstance to master of your mind. These four questions will transform how you show up in the world and allow you to reclaim your power. 

Interested in booking a discovery call with me to get a clear plan for how to break your own cycle of self defeat? Click here.

Email me at [email protected]

Have more questions? Click here to join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and connection to a tribe of women going through this together. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

I was afraid of sobriety. Because I knew alcohol was just a distraction. I was mostly drinking to cope with an unhappy marriage. A stagnant career. I was bored with friendships that had run their course. My kids were leaving the nest and I didn’t know what to do with myself or my time.

I didn’t know how to be alone.

It felt good to quit alcohol. But sobriety didn’t solve my problems. And it felt really childish to define myself by how much I do or don’t drink.

Are you struggling with the all-or-nothing approach? Are you sick of trying to cure over-indulgence with self-deprivation? Do you shame yourself into good behavior—only to fail backwards after you reach the goal?

The SECRET to breaking the cycle of self-defeat is to learn how to interpret and process your emotions. Because anxiety and depression and loneliness and boredom are feelings—not facts. I can teach you how to manage your mind so that you can get out of your own way. And finally figure out what you really need and want.

Want to learn how? Book a FREE discovery call with me.

Email me at [email protected]

Have more questions? Click here to join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and connection to a tribe of women going through this together. Recover with Colleen

Follow me on Instagram Recover with Colleen

My client felt great when he quit drinking in December. But one month later, a mysterious bout of depression made him feel like he was “stuck in concrete.” He bounced back only to have it happen again.

The culprit here is post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS)--which effects most people to some extent when they quit drinking. We call it "recovery" for a reason. It takes time for brain chemistry to recalibrate. 

In this episode, I coach on how to navigate the mood swings that are typical in early sobriety. While episodes of post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) can be difficult, they are also an opportunity to unload subconscious baggage. For years, we used alcohol to cope with or escape our feelings. But feelings are valuable information--not meant to be ignored. Learning how to use that information puts you in control of yourself and your life.

This story is a beautiful look at how the issues we have with our partners reveal more about US than them. Underneath the criticism and desire to “fix” his spouse (he thinks she tries too hard to please their dinner guests), my client discovers that it’s actually his urge to please that’s causing him stress.

The more he takes responsibility for his feelings, the lighter and more hopeful he feels.

Interested in learning how to use the tools we discuss in this episode? Register for the 5-Hour Change Your Mind Challenge.

Click here to go to access the free resources about post-acute withdrawal symptoms on my website, which include the PAWS AWARE questionaire and What is PAWS?.

Have more questions? Click here to join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and connection to a tribe of women going through this together. Recover with Colleen

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Find more resources at https://recoverwithcolleen.com/freebies

Chris Engen is board certified in holistic nutrition and has an advanced certificate in recovery nutition coaching. 

In today's episode, Chris and I do a deep dive into the beliefs that lead to disordered eating and subsequent substance abuse. We blast the myth that being "messed up" is what gets us the diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, depression and bipolar disorder and more. In reality, we're deficient in the neurotransmitters that allow us to feel connected, grounded and positive. 

Chris explains that the way we feel in any given moment or phase of our lives is a reflection of our brain chemistry. And that stabilizing brain chemistry with proper nutrition and targeted amino acid therapy can immediately elevate our mood and eliminate cravings for alcohol, sugar and other self-defeating coping mechanisms. 

Here's Chris's website Nutrition4Recovery.com   Her Closed Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/NutritionalTherapyGroup   Free 20 Minute Discovery Session https://p.bttr.to/3rCd0OJ   Chris's courses:   Nutritional Foundations for a Balanced Brain  16 week course https://nutrition4recovery.com/feed-your-recovery-nutritional-foundation/   How to Trial Your Amino Acids to Determine Your Unique Dose  https://p.bttr.to/3RmJFoo   The link to fin the Bio Rebalance Supplement we discuss at the end... https://biorebalance.com/?ref=3  USE NUTRITION4RECOVERY for 10% off

Click here to join my private Facebook group for free coaching with me and to connect with a tribe of like-minded folks working to level-up in their lives. Recover with Colleen

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If you're interested in telling your story on the podcast, or hearing more information about working with me, send me an email. [email protected]