Alcohol & Substance Use Therapist in Peoria, IL

Sort through your relationship with alcohol—without shame, pressure, or hidden agendas. Online sessions available across Illinois & all PSY-PACT eligible states.

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“Too much” doesn’t always look that obvious.

Maybe your drinking doesn’t really seem “that bad.” You’re still showing up to work, holding it all together, and getting shit done. Yet lately, it’s been a bit different, and there’s a part of you that can feel it. Or maybe you hadn’t noticed, until someone pointed it out for the first time, and you’re starting to look at it from a totally different angle. 

You’re pouring a glass the second you get home. You catch yourself thinking about that drink during a rough meeting or a hard day. Maybe it’s not just alcohol—maybe it’s weed, something to help you sleep, or literally anything that takes the edge off. Social events don’t feel doable without at least a little something. And now you’re noticing that some nights you’re fighting more with your partner and regretting things you said. Other nights, you feel numb and detached from everything and everyone—including yourself.

You don’t necessarily want to quit. But you do want to understand what the hell is going on…and why.

Maybe you’re…

  • Drinking more frequently, or more heavily, than you used to

  • Relying on alcohol or other substances to wind down or numb out

  • Fighting more with your partner, especially after drinking or using

  • Feeling more guilt, regret, or shame in the mornings

  • Experiencing more symptoms of hangxiety

  • Feeling “sober-curious” or wondering what life might look like without alcohol

My Approach

Alcohol might not be blowing up your life…but it’s sure taking up a lot of space in your brain. 

I work with women who are often functioning “just fine” on paper—jobs, relationships, the whole adulting checklist—but still find themselves reaching for a drink (or something else) to take the edge off more than they’d like to admit. I’m here for any woman who is questioning these habits. You don’t have to identify as an “alcoholic” to want or deserve support.

In this work, we’ll talk about:

  • How often you're drinking or using

  • Why, when, and what tends to trigger it

  • Patterns you’ve picked up over the years and what they might be protecting you from

  • What you want to be different (even if you're not totally sure yet)

And we’ll build from there. That might include psychoeducation, harm reduction strategies, relapse prevention, or support with building coping tools that actually work for your life.

As a woman, especially one juggling a high-pressure job and a million unspoken expectations, chances are drinking was never just about fun. It might’ve started as a way to relax, fit in, turn down the noise—or survive. So you’re not weak or broken or “wrong” for leaning on something that helped you cope. And you’re also not alone in wondering about what’s next.

Ultimately,

This is about understanding what alcohol or other substances are doing for you and whether they’re helping or hurting.

I’ll encourage curiosity, reflection, and offer support that meets you exactly where you are with a little swearing, a lot of honesty, and zero pressure to be anything but your full, complicated, figuring-it-out self.

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The difference this work can make:

  • Thinking less about drinking and feeling more in control when you do

  • Embracing and accepting your feelings

  • Clearer boundaries—with others and with yourself

  • Making decisions you’re proud of and remembering them in the morning

  • Enjoying rest, joy, and connection without needing a buffer

  • Understanding your patterns instead of just reacting to them

  • Feeling connected to your body, instead of trying to escape it

  • Trusting yourself again (or maybe for the first time)

  • Letting go of shame or guilt

You get to decide what your relationship with alcohol looks like. 

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Let's do this

Let's do this

FAQs

  • You’re not alone in that. Sometimes we think things have to be “worse” or that we have to hit “rock bottom” before we start paying attention. If you’ve found yourself questioning your drinking (or use), even just a little—then you’re in the right place. This is a place for curiosity, not judgment.

  • Nope. This isn’t an all-or-nothing space. Some women decide sobriety is what they need, while others want to cut back and figure out what moderation actually looks like for them. I’ll always remind you that you’re in charge of your own decisions, and together we can find a path that fits you, not someone else’s rulebook.

  • I get it. Sobriety is just one piece of the puzzle. Maybe now the emotions, memories, or patterns you used to numb are coming back, or feel extra loud right now. This is where we dig into emotional sobriety, identity shifts, boundaries, and whatever else is still feeling sticky.

  • 100%. Your relationship with alcohol or other substances isn’t the whole story, and therapy is here for all the parts of you. We’ll explore how it connects with your work stress, trauma history, relationships, anxiety, perfectionism—whatever’s showing up in your life. It’s all connected, and it all has a place here.