Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health

What If 'Am I an Alcoholic?' Is the Wrong Question? w/ Colleen Freeland

July 23, 2026·24 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Today I'm welcoming back Colleen Freeland. She's a master life coach and recovery specialist who helps high-achieving women cut their drinking without labels or lifelong abstinence. Whether you caught our episodes last year or you're meeting her for the first time, we start with her story, and it's a good one. Drinking nightly, three years in AA, and the single conversation that cracked her identity open. From there, it gets bold. Colleen has become increasingly outspoken about challenging the disease model of addiction, and she brought receipts. We get into why the "alcoholic" label can actually make drinking worse, what the data says about moderation as a real destination, and who this approach is not for. If you've ever wondered whether something is fundamentally broken in you, this conversation is going to challenge that story. Let's get into it.CONNECT WITH SUNNYSIDE:Listen to Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast: https://bit.ly/4bxCqT3Subscribe to Sunnyside's YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3zuoID4Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinsunnyside/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/joinsunnyside/Twitter:  https://x.com/joinsunnysideTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@joinsunnysideABOUT SUNNYSIDE: Sunnyside is the #1 alcohol health app that helps you drink less without any shame, guilt, or pressure to quit. Optimize your alcohol habits to achieve benefits like sleeping better, losing weight, feeling more energy, and saving money. We know that an all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone, so we focus on helping you set your own goals, celebrate small wins, and build a lasting system of accountability. As a result, 96.7% of our members see a big drop in their drinking after 90 days.We now offer Sunnyside Med, a new program that provides access to compounded naltrexone, a medication that can reduce alcohol cravings at the brain level, offering a more clinical pathway for people who need it. Sunnyside Med is a complete, holistic approach to help you drink less or quit, including coaching, community, habit change, education, and more to help you create longterm change while the medication does its work.Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended as medical advice, and the views of the guests may not represent the views of Sunnyside. If you're concerned about your health or alcohol use, please consider seeking advice from a doctor.

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Journey to the Sunnyside | Mindful Drinking & Alcohol Health and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.