Marie: Alcohol Addiction Counsellor

 

My name is Marie-Helene Marsolais. I’m originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and have been living in Perth, Australia, since 2009. I’m fluent in both French and English. I’m a qualified and ACA-registered counsellor and a Mental Health First Aider. Alongside my professional qualifications and experience, I also bring my own lived experience and personal journey with alcohol.

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​Alcohol and other addictions: a genuine passion​

I have a deep interest in alcohol addiction and in the different therapies and approaches that can support people in changing their relationship with alcohol. I’m fascinated by the complex interplay between the brain, body, emotions, thoughts and life experiences, and how these can contribute to patterns of problematic drinking.

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I’m continually learning about different therapeutic approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, mindfulness and compassion-focused approaches. I’m also particularly interested in the neurobiology of addiction and in understanding how alcohol can affect the brain and body.

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For me, this interest goes beyond understanding addiction itself. I’m passionate about raising awareness, reducing stigma and creating more compassionate conversations around alcohol. I believe that greater understanding and education can help people feel less alone and more able to seek support.

I bring this curiosity, passion and commitment to my work with clients, while recognising that every person’s relationship with alcohol and every journey towards change is unique.

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My lived experience with alcohol

For a long time, I was what you might call a “party girl”. I enjoyed my fair share of happy hours, socialising with friends and celebrating with wine. Over time, however, alcohol gradually became something I relied on to cope with the stresses of professional life and, later, the exhaustion and demands of motherhood.

As life became more challenging, I noticed that my drinking was shifting. What had once been primarily social and celebratory was increasingly becoming a way of coping with difficult emotions and life circumstances, including caring for loved ones with cancer and experiencing grief.

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Looking back, I can see that alcohol became particularly prominent during the more difficult periods of my life. In all honesty, it had been a lingering presence throughout much of my life, with periods of binge drinking spanning more than three decades, beginning in my teenage years. After numerous attempts to pause, change my drinking and moderate my alcohol use, and countless mornings waking up feeling restless, anxious and ashamed, I eventually made the decision to break up with alcohol.

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For me, choosing sobriety was a transformative experience. It changed the way I understood myself, my relationship with alcohol and the things I had been using alcohol to cope with. It also sparked something in me: a strong desire to support other people who may feel stuck in a relationship with alcohol that no longer feels right for them.

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​Each path is different

​​​At the same time, I know that my journey is my own. Sobriety was the path that felt right for me, but it isn’t necessarily everyone’s goal. Some people may want to stop drinking completely, while others may want to reduce their drinking, take a break, better understand their patterns, or simply feel more in control of their choices.

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There is no single story, and there is no one-size-fits-all goal. Your relationship with alcohol is uniquely yours, and your goals deserve to be respected. This is why I choose to share a little of my own story. I wish I had found a service like the one I offer today many years ago: a safe place where I could talk openly about alcohol without feeling judged; where I could be met with warmth, empathy and understanding; and where I could receive support while taking the time to work towards my own goals.

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A place where I could learn more about myself, explore unresolved experiences, and better understand the thoughts, emotions and patterns that were influencing my relationship with alcohol.

That is the kind of space I hope to offer my clients today.

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