Colleen Freeland Kachmann, founder and CEO of Emotional Sobriety Coaching©, is presenting a distinct method for professional women seeking to change their relationship with alcohol. Her approach aims to assist clients, including entrepreneurs, executives, and career mothers, in correcting the dysfunctional thinking patterns that she states drive alcohol use.
Kachmann, also the host of the podcast "It’s Not About the Alcohol," developed her method after her own experience with heavy daily drinking, which she concealed for over 15 years. She explains that she initially viewed alcohol as a reward for her productivity, but ultimately found herself exhausted. Traditional, sobriety-based recovery methods, she reports, did not fully address her underlying anxiety, perfectionism, and negative self-talk, leaving her feeling stuck.
Building on this experience, Kachmann researched the science of addiction, neuroplasticity, and recovery. She holds a master’s degree in health coaching and a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry education, alongside certifications in addiction and recovery, and women’s functional and integrative medicine. From this foundation, she created Emotional Sobriety Coaching©.
This method, according to Kachmann, allows clients to reduce alcohol consumption by up to 80% without rigid abstinence. She combines holistic techniques with evidence-based strategies in self-directed neuroplasticity and mind-body tools for nervous system regulation. The goal is to rewire subconscious thinking habits that fuel the desire to drink. "It’s not your relationship with alcohol that needs to change—it’s your relationship with yourself," Kachmann states, emphasizing that the approach focuses on reclaiming personal power and shifting outdated belief systems rather than managing alcohol intake.
Kachmann considers addiction a symptom of lost autonomy rather than a disease. She advises clients to "get happy, not sober," and explains her goal is freedom from negative self-talk. She acknowledges that her method is not suitable for everyone, noting that "For some people, it’s easier to just quit." She uses a quiz, "Do you have a drinking or thinking problem?" to help women determine if her program aligns with their needs. Kachmann explains her approach does not advise quitting because the goal of emotional sobriety is to learn from mistakes, not avoid them. She reports her method has assisted thousands of professional women in transforming their relationship with alcohol, leading to a significant coaching business focused on elevating consciousness where the desire to numb with alcohol diminishes.
