Hypnotherapy For Alcohol Addiction – Picking The Best Way To Go

Note: All content on this site is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and is not an alternative for qualified medical or mental health care. As Hypnotists, we are not qualified to diagnose or treat mental health disorders.

Hypnosis is a relaxed, natural state of body and mind wherever the critical capability is bypassed and a person converts more open to suggestions for positive development and change. It is found to be effective in treating issues like alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction, substance misuse, compulsions, and dependency on substances, along with behavioral addictions.

Hypnotherapy or Hypnosis sessions usually last for 60 to 90 minutes. Depending on the person’s requirements, a usual course of hypnosis treatment could be anywhere from two to three sessions and up to multiple sessions. Let’s explore how hypnotherapy can be helpful for alcohol addiction.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a condition of hyper-suggestibility, wherever you are more tolerant of suggestions that do not work in the conscious mind. Hypnotherapy, also denoted as guided Hypnosis, is a form of healing and self-improvement that uses concentration, relaxation, and attention to attain a heightened state of mindfulness or consciousness.

Your unconscious mind is that part of the mind that runs instinctive bodily functions plus stores all habits and memories. When the conscious agree that you must lessen drinking, it will only occur if the unconscious mind understands this request and recognizes it as proper behavior.

In other words, Hypnosis is a brilliant tool to interconnect straight with the unconscious mind. Hypnosis could be used to identify the unconscious causes underlying unhealthy emotional conditions toward alcohol and to substitute them with more helpful and logical choices.

Another significant feature of Hypnosis is that learning can happen without judgment throughout Hypnosis.

What Is an Alcohol Addiction?

Some people might believe that alcohol addiction is a choice. Despite this sentiment, alcohol addiction is a chronic brain disorder. This statement comes from the DSM-5 or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the APA or American Psychiatric Association.

An alcohol use syndrome has three groupings, which are mild, moderate, and severe. People who fall into the severe grouping have an alcohol addiction. Every level of an alcohol use disorder is well-defined by alcohol abuse plus alcohol dependence.

The DSM-5 describes each grouping of alcohol use disorders on the following standards:

  • Mild – When an individual shows 2 to 3 indications
  • Moderate – The existence of 4 to 5 signs
  • Severe – When an individual shows six or more signs

Alcohol abuse is drinking in a means that can hurt oneself and those around them. Alcohol dependence is a physical and psychological need to drink. As alcohol is addictive, the body and mind react adversely when an individual with an alcohol use disorder stops drinking.

People can abuse alcohol without having an alcohol addiction. However, without correct treatment and intervention, it can rapidly develop into a severe alcohol use disorder. This in itself could lead to expensive treatment and worse—death. About 140,000 Americans die from alcohol-related reasons each year.

What are the signs of a drinking problem?

Like several other drugs, alcohol could be both physically and mentally addictive. Here are some common signs if you’re concerned about your own drinking habits or somebody else’s. The sings include

  • Your mood swings from one extreme to another, or you feel very irritable for no good cause.
  • You no longer feel you can stop drinking, even if you want to.
  • Drinking early in the morning or feeling the necessity to drink in the morning.
  • Making excuses to drink (for instance, to relax and unwind, to deal with stress, or to ‘feel normal’), hiding your drinking, or drinking alone.
  • Feeling the necessity to drink when under pressure or else during stressful situations.
  • When you do not drink, you experience physical withdrawal symptoms, for example, shaking and nausea, sweating, and these stop when you drink.
  • Being incapable of remembering things or having gaps in your memory (these can be symbols of short-term memory loss or provisional blackouts).
  • Becoming isolated or distant from friends and family members.
  • Selecting to drink rather than take care of other tasks or obligations.

If you recognize any of the above marks in yourself or are concerned about a friend, know that help is available. If you are concerned about your own drinking but do not feel comfortable speaking to friends, you can talk to your doctor or a professional – like a counselor. There are support groups, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous, where you can pursue support from those who know what you are going through.

How Does Hypnotherapy for Alcohol Addiction Work?

Hypnotherapy is a form of healing and self-improvement methodology that employs cognitive restructuring and relaxation training. This helps people change their thoughts and behaviors. In some circumstances, it can get used to lessen alcohol consumption.

Hypnotherapy has been seen to work in several ways. First, it can help people to change their thinking patterns about alcohol.

For example, some individuals may feel that drinking is essential for socializing or getting along with others. Hypnotherapy can aid these persons in seeing drinking as something that is not always essential or desirable.

Another way hypnotherapy can help people decrease their alcohol consumption is by helping them to change their behavior around alcohol. For instance, Hypnosis might help people stop drinking while they are already intoxicated, or it might help them limit their consumption.

Finally, it might also help people to develop coping mechanisms for dealing with alcohol use disorder. This means that they might be better equipped to deal with the challenges of addiction, such as cravings and withdrawal signs.

For instance, if you recognize your drinking trigger, you can use hypnotherapy to help. You can substitute the response to the trigger with a healthy coping mechanism.

Can Hypnotherapy Treat Alcohol Addiction?

Hypnotherapy is not a verified method for alcohol addiction treatment. But it might be used as an alternative treatment technique to help in the recovery procedure alongside methods like dialectical behavioral therapy that are proof-based. While there is no study to support that hypnotherapy is an effective means of treatment, there are some who trust in its power.

It might help them learn and understand how to apply good behaviors instead of old, negative behaviors resulting from use. Additionally, during Hypnosis, an individual may be capable of examining their life. This permits the individual to pinpoint the areas that require a change to cope and to view alcohol in a different light.

Many persons suffering from alcohol use discover it tough to admit (frequently for years) that they have a problem. For this cause, alcohol use can go untreated for years. However, recovery is possible.

Benefits of Hypnotherapy For Alcohol Addiction

In addition to changing behavior, there are numerous other benefits to hypnotherapy for addiction, including the following:

It serves as a stress relief

An individual’s anxiety may arise throughout drug detox if they crave the substance that caused their addiction. Anxiety and stress may make healing harder. Reduced stress levels might be achieved by hypnotherapy and other stress-relieving measures like a proper diet and regular exercise.

Helps manage co-occurring disorders

Many people have mental health problems and alcohol or drug problems. Hypnotherapy might benefit individuals with co-occurring disorders as it may lessen triggers and address the vital cause of the addiction.

Eases the pain of withdrawal

Chronic pain is a common side effect of drug as well as alcohol withdrawal. By providing the patient more control over their feelings of pain, hypnotherapy might play a vital part in lessening that suffering.

Improves sleep

During Hypnosis, the body gets very calm, and studies recommend that hypnotherapy might increase the time spent in the deeper stages of sleep. Improving the quality of one’s sleep is vital to one’s overall health and recovery since gaining sufficient sleep is a critical element of overcoming alcohol or drug issues.

Recovery through Positive Suggestions of Change

Hypnotherapy is often used to lessen cravings, improve self-confidence, and control your response to traumatic situations. You can also use it to address behaviors and thought patterns that might have led to your addiction.

Hypnotherapy is a safe and effective means to get the wanted results without medicines’ side effects. Recently, it has appeared as a promising tool for treating addictions. Even though it is not the only therapy required to make a successful recovery, it can be a vital part of your complete, integrated treatment plan.

Does Hypnotherapy Work For Everyone?

Though hypnosis works for several addicts, not everybody reacts in an identical way.

For hypnosis to work, the individual being hypnotized requires to be sober. Patients must also focus and not resist the treatment.

It is significant to recall that, though hypnotherapy can aid addicts to overcome their addiction, it is not a long-term or instant cure. When a suggestion has been rooted, the patient has to follow it.

Eventually, hypnotherapy will work for individuals who are open to change and prepared to apply it.

Should Hypnosis Be Used as Part of Drug Addiction Treatment?

Though hypnosis is not a permanent treatment for drug addiction, several experts trust that it could be used as part of drug addiction treatments.

Since drug addictions are mainly a behavioral problem, rather than only a physical condition, treatments such as hypnotherapy can be useful alongside other forms of treatment.

The therapeutic procedure aids people in working towards an effective recovery by supporting them to break habits. The methods used in hypnotherapy could also help eradicate cravings.

Suggestions made under hypnosis can provisionally convince the patient, which can manifest in real life. In some circumstances, this could prevent temporary relapse.

Managing any form of addiction could be tremendously hard and affect all parts of your life, including education, work, relationships, and general health and well-being. With this in mind, it is significant that you try to find the help you require as soon as possible and start your road to recovery.

Final Words

Hypnotherapy can help individuals understand why their behaviors could be attributed to alcohol abuse. We could tap into the subconscious mind to expose the root cause of their addiction. We can apply good behaviors instead of destructive ones through the power of suggestion. We can inspect and detect areas in an individual’s life that need change to cope and see a changed view of alcohol.

Alcohol has been used as the root cause to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, to name a few. Hypnotherapy helps with these fundamental issues and can be a treatment tool to lessen alcohol intake.

Since hypnotherapy aids in promoting behavioral change and decreasing alcohol counts as a kind of behavioral change, this supports using hypnotherapy to decrease alcohol use in one’s life.

It can be hard to admit there is an issue with alcohol. Some go years at a time without being treated. Recovery is possible with dedicated support and treatment. Hypnotherapy can be a part of your effective treatment.

FAQs

Can Hypnosis be used for alcoholism?

Hypnosis is not magic, even if it is sometimes presented that way — it cannot cure alcoholism alone. Still, hypnotherapy can benefit a treatment plan for alcohol use disorders. A skilled therapist can use hypnotic suggestions to help you stop drinking.

What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for addiction?

Uniting the stronger treatment of 20 daily sessions with Hypnosis is an effective technique for treating addictions. The treatment has been used with 18 customers over the last seven years and has shown a 77% success rate for at least a 1-year follow-up.

Are hypnosis results permanent?

The effects of Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy can last a lifetime. Hypnosis can result in a permanent change. For instance, in Quit Smoking Hypnosis, up to 98% of people can leave in the first session.

Is Hypnosis real?

Hypnosis is a genuine personal-growth technique. It’s often misunderstood and not broadly used. Medical research continues to clarify how and when Hypnosis can be used as a therapy tool. Read some testimonials on our site to learn more about how people have benefited from our Hypnosis Assisted Healing methodology.

Can Hypnosis remove negative thoughts?

Hypnosis can help improve digestive issues, manage negative thoughts and behaviors, and reduce phobias. Hypnosis is a powerful tool to aid you in gaining control over your own mind. Just as negative thoughts could make a body sick, promoting positive plus nurturing thoughts (through Hypnosis) can help heal your mind.

Start Your Healing Journey

Book a free consultation today to learn more about Navya’s Hypnosis Assisted Psychotherapy sessions and see if it’s right for you and your situation.

Read More

What is Health Anxiety, and How to Get Therapy for It?

What is Health Anxiety, and How to Get Therapy for It?

Are you preoccupied with concerns about your well-being and experiencing bodily sensations without apparent cause? If so, you could be one of the many individuals who suffer from health anxiety - a condition that affects a staggering number of people globally. In this...

6 Top Hypnotherapy Apps To Try In 2024 – The Professional Opinion

6 Top Hypnotherapy Apps To Try In 2024 – The Professional Opinion

Hypnosis has been given a bad rap, largely due to its portrayal in movies and entertainment. But hypnosis is helpful for those struggling with pain, depression, anxiety, or phobias. It may even aid in helping people quit smoking or drinking alcohol and lose weight....