Hey there, courageous soul!
I’m Jeanette, and I am not a fan of hiding behind my therapist title or pretending that I am perfect, so let’s start with something a little personal:
I was once a decade-long daily drinker.
Oh, today, I’m also an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, with a specialization in alcohol misuse treatment. But at the end of the day, sitting on the other side of your Zoom screen, I’m a fellow ex-drinker who had been through her share of struggles and now has learned a thing or two about finding healing.
The real task isn’t about how to drink less; it’s about learning how to live fully and authentically.
We don’t have a “drinking problem”, we have a “drinking solution.”
Remember the first time when you found comfort in the bottle? Perhaps it was how quickly the anxiety and worries dissolved into the background. Maybe it was the first time the age-old void in your chest was replaced by an unfamiliar warmth. Or, it was that sense of invincibility that promises that sadness can no longer harm you. For me, it was when the pain of my first heartbreak faded away with the cold beer. The 15-year-old me felt like she had discovered something magical - a potion that dissolves all the agony.
You see, for us, drinking was not about partying or having fun. Sure, we don’t mind them, but they are not the point. We are pulled to the bottle by the momentary comfort and escape - the feeling of finally being home.
But over time, life was slowly reduced to a numbing cycle of waiting for that short-lived relief, only to wake up and repeat. A dull monotone of gray was all that seemed to be left.
And yet. Life can be filled with vibrant hues.
If you have a deep desire for healing, growing, and becoming; for a life that is not just lived, but cherished. You are in the right place.
It’s my greatest privilege to accompany you in slowly revealing the pain that no one knows is there (sometimes, not even ourselves). When we allow airflow through the wound, scabs and new skin slowly form. Healing will start to take place.
I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.
The courageous souls I work with are remarkably like you.
Intelligent, successful, and seem to have everything under control on the outside
And yet, there’s this whisper of discontent that grows louder and louder - a disquiet that life is just passing you by. There is a story that needs to be told, healed, and expanded upon. No amount of alcohol can offer you the happiness, fulfillment, and aliveness that you are longing for. You want more in this life, but you are not sure whether that’s possible.
The mainstream solution to alcohol misuse seems to miss a key. You may have checked out a couple of AA meetings, read a few self-help books, and maybe even looked into a treatment program or two, but none of them offers an answer to address the longings buried beneath the drinking. You need someone who sees beyond the facade and into your essence, who understands your relationship with alcohol is not a marker of weakness, but a signpost pointing towards deeper needs—a yearning for joy, intimacy, or a sense of meaning.
In our work together, we will slowly thread together the untold story behind your drinking and your life. I will guide you to explore how alcohol serves you and how it harms you. We will experiment with different new ways to relate to alcohol and search for the one that fits your life and goals. I cannot tell you what your ideal relationship with alcohol will end up like, but I can promise that it will be one that will bring you closer to happiness and the life you wish to live.
If you are willing to risk outgrowing your old friend in the bottle, you might get to meet a version of you that you were born to become - brilliant, talented, vibrant, and fabulous. And seriously, my friend.
We both know that deep down you can’t settle for anything less without living in the shadow of regret.
You may loathe to admit it, but you can use some help.
You can use someone like me.
Ready to get started now?
That discontentment is like a toothache; it isn’t going to go away on its own. You've masked it long enough.
There can be so much more to life than the numbing cycle of drink, wake, and repeat.
Underneath that well-put-together life, you're filled with the nagging sense that, despite all you have achieved, you're going to regret it if you continue to live like this for another decade. And to be frank, you sometimes wonder how much longer you can continue to live this way before alcohol steals something that truly matters from you: your success, health, relationships, or longevity. A vibrant life sounds nice, but right now, you’d settle for just being able to drink less, and regain control of your relationship with alcohol.
That, and so much more is possible, if you’re willing to show up, and committed to being as open as you can be. If you are ready to dive in and do the work, then let’s talk to see if I’m the right person to help you get there.
Hit the button below, and book your free 25-minute consult call with me today.
Jeanette Hu, AMFT 120761 | Supervisor: Jamie Lavender, LMFT 48973 | Practicing Through the Auspices of Grateful Heart Holistic Therapy Center