The Radical Healing Podcast with Jessica Betancourt

Do you have a habit of 'ending the day with a drink'? Does the drink actually represent that NOW it's Ok for you to slow down? To take some time for yourself at the end of a hard day? It may feeeel like that is the case, but if this is your habit (as it was mine), then you are overriding your body's communication with you about what it's actual needs are. In today's episode...

If we were to be so simplistic as to divide problematic drinking into two categories, we could say that there are roughly 2 types of problematic drinking, chronic consumption - drinking daily or almost daily an amount that doesn’t widely vary.   And binge drinking - which is more the style of being able to NOT drink for some days or a period of time but when you do drink you go nuts and cannot see...

Have you ever tried to lose weight longterm by implementing all of the extremes at once? Or tried to get married on a first date or learn a language in one day? No, because you can't. It's unnatural and your mind and body will flip out and revolt with overwhelm. The same is true for transforming a damaging habit like alcohol over-consumption. If you've been at it for some time, years e...

Hi Ladies! Question: How old were you when you started drinking? And what else was going on concurrently in your life? Now, are those same circumstances still active in your life today? Do you have the same interests that you did in those days? The same goals/ hopes/ dreams? Chances are, the way that you used to be, is no longer the way that you are. And yet, there is some consistency with your dr...

Making longterm, successful change with your alcohol habits requires two things in my humble, personal, professional, and experienced opinion. And those are: 1) A close and honest look at your thoughts and your internal dialogue. 2) A Spiritual practice and curiosity that brings you closer to connecting with your Soul Self. When you think about it, these things are fun! Delving into Mindset Shifti...

It's not the facts or the science behind the damaging effects of alcohol that will cause most of us to slow our roll... it's the stories and the beliefs that we're protecting and defending that are causing our attachment to our vices. Whether it is a belief that alcohol helps you sleep or makes you more social, you will find a way to validate your beliefs with your actions. So, if you&...

It has to be said that addiction does not exist in a vacuum, it serves a purpose. Many addictions are formed when people feel or think that they have no other resources or support systems available to them. But alcohol is so readily available, and socially acceptable. When I think of how many people began using alcohol as a means of therapy - it's kind of blows my mind. We can do better as a s...

Is stress a huge trigger for you? Do the sounds of yelling and screaming make you want to drink so that you don't have to 'hear it'? If these statements feel true for you - you'll want to check out today's episode where I am exploring the relationship between Emotional Abuse / The Stress Trigger / and Alcohol Use Disorder. Love, Jess Connect with Me! Free and Private FB group -...

Do you hesitate to make changes with your drinking habit because you don't want to have to make an 'all or nothing' decision? Well, you don't! Support for those of us seeking to have healthier lives that don't revolve around alcohol but perhaps don't exclude it entirely is becoming more available and more varied than ever before. You can certainly make small changes that gi...

Meditation, hypnosis, and exploring a spiritual path are all things that tremendously helped me heal from my alcohol addiction. This episode is a free gift to you! Carve out 20-30 minutes when you can disconnect from all distractions, lie down and close your eyes, relax, and get in touch with your deeper subconscious mind. The more you can habitualize and actively incorporate daily relaxation tech...

"What is your program about?" "Do I have to use a bunch of rules and restrictions?" "What if I'm not ready for abstinence?" These are some of the questions that I have received lately and so I'd like to address them in this episode where I share how I created not only my own transformation with Alcohol Abuse Disorder but a proven methodology for my clients as well....

If you spend time thinking about changing the way that you drink, but you are confused about where to begin or feel overwhelmed by the whole process, you can start really small. You can start by getting honest with yourself, looking at your life from a perspective of what might happen if you DON'T change, and letting that simple moment of candid realness be the beginning of your path. Creating...

If you can take a few days /weeks/ months off of drinking, but inevitably you end up right back where you were with your drinking habits, you may be taking the Outside / In approach. The Outside / In approach uses acts of will, force, rules etc. to create the change that you desire. But it doesn't work in the long run because you have an internal dialogue that is working in opposition. In cont...

If you drink to 'manage your stress' you are probably already aware that you are not doing yourself any favors. When we drink to 'remove' ourselves from situations that we don't like, or to change internal circumstances like stress, we are not making ourselves available to ever solve the persistent problem/ the stressor itself. Therefore it doesn't change. And the habit tha...

If you started drinking more and more regularly in your teens or early 20's, your mind made a strong association that drinking goes well with big feelings because at that earlier stage of life, you were also developing emotionally. Now, as a more mature adult, if you're looking to change your drinking habits, you MUST look at the thoughts and associations that you made as Younger You, and...

Have you come to a point where you are asking yourself, "What if I never changed my drinking habit?" And, instead of honestly answering that question, have you just put off thinking about it, until you have another horrible experience and you're back wondering, "What would my life be like if I ceased over-drinking?" Around and around it goes like this until the day that you can...

In this episode of The Mindful Drinking for Women podcast I further detail my journey through shedding my party-girl identity and becoming Mommy Wino. And how my refusal to look at myself honestly was keeping me stuck in damaging behavior. And how, until I feared that my anxiety and irritability would become my new norm, I had no interest in changing. If you are finding yourself at a similar cross...

In this two-part pilot episode of Mindful Drinking for Women, I share how I developed a nightly drinking habit beginning in my early 20's. I was a HOT MESS and didn't have a clue how to turn my life around. I was arrested multiple times, and emotionally a wreck. I used alcohol to not have to deal with myself, and to numb out all of my pain and insecurities. I didn't know it at the time...