Hypnotherapy FAQs: Does Hypnosis Work To Stop Drinking?

By Mark Bowden | Advice

Oct 29

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Does hypnosis work to stop drinking? Believe it or not, hypnosis is an effective treatment for alcohol abuse when performed by trained hypnotherapists. Alcohol dependency, or alcoholism, is a growing and increasingly challenging issue in America. According to one survey, over 15M American adults struggle with alcoholism (or alcohol use disorder) – more than 5% of the total US adult population.

If you feel you can’t function without alcohol, have trouble quitting, or want to be alcohol-free, get help ASAP. Hypnotherapy can help you stop drinking and if want to know how hypnosis works to stop drinking, read on!

What Is Hypnosis?

Also called hypnotherapy, hypnosis is a state of focused concentration and deep relaxation. It’s a mind-body medicine where people experience increased concentration, attention, and suggestibility. Guided by trained and certified hypnotherapists or hypnotists, hypnosis enables you to become more open to discussions and suggestions, making healthy changes in perceptions, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, memories, or sensations.

Many studies show hypnosis can also help control addictions to tobacco or alcohol and can help you deal with:

  • Pre-surgery anxiety
  • Menopausal symptoms
  • Headaches
  • Chronic pain
  • PTSD
  • Many more

Using Hypnosis To Stop Drinking

Hypnosis can treat a range of alcohol conditions, from alcohol dependency and abuse to alcohol addiction. Trained therapists can use hypnotic suggestions to help people tackle binge drinking or stop drinking altogether. When you use it to quit drinking, make sure certified healthcare professionals, such as trained hypnotherapists, physicians, psychologists, etc., perform it.

Patients who want to control alcohol consumption using hypnotherapy should seek addiction specialists. They can help you determine whether you should go for hypnotherapy or not. If so, they can provide referrals to qualified hypnotherapists.

Please note that you should never confuse stage hypnotists (using hypnosis for entertainment-purpose only and are unqualified to perform medical treatments) with trained, certified hypnotherapists.

How Does Hypnotherapy Work?

Hypnotherapy is a type of psychotherapy employing cognitive restructuring and relaxation training. It helps patients change behaviors and thoughts. In many cases, it even helps control alcohol consumption. So, how does hypnosis work to stop drinking?

During the hypnosis session, patients can freely discuss their pain points and goals with hypnotherapists. Hypnotherapists may ask patients to visualize particular situations, like a time when they abstained from alcohol, and may give suggestions to patients to encourage changes in their behaviors or relieve symptoms. For instance, therapists suggest that patients don’t find drinking alcohol necessary or pleasurable.

Hypnosis can help you reduce alcohol consumption by changing your behavior towards the whole idea of drinking. Regular sessions can teach your subconscious how to stop drinking when intoxicated and limit overall alcohol intake. Additionally, it teaches coping strategies to deal with alcoholism. Certified hypnotherapists offer effective coping mechanisms to deal with addiction problems, withdrawal symptoms, and cravings. For instance, your therapist can identify triggers for your drinking and provide effective healthy coping strategies to replace them.

When patients finish these exercises, hypnotherapists will slowly lead them out of hypnosis. The sole purpose is to make patients integrate positive-behavior suggestions into the unconscious mind, which helps them change their alcohol consumption habits or even stop drinking.

Man with Head in hands with wine bottles in the foreground

Advantages Of Hypnosis For Alcohol-Use Disorder

Hypnosis puts addicts in a natural state of deep relaxation. The hypnotherapist or hypnotist then guides them toward positive thoughts. This involves using the power of suggestive words or metaphors to achieve your desired improvements.

Here’s a list of benefits you can get from hypnosis for alcoholism:

  • Increased relaxation and calmness (both short and long-term)
  • Heightened focus
  • Increased self-awareness
  • Reduced cravings and manageable drinking behavior
  • Decreased anxiety and stress
  • Reduced withdrawal symptoms
  • Healthy immune system
  • Coping mechanisms to deal with alcoholism
  • Unflinching commitment to curbing alcohol addiction
  • Successful treatment
  • Enhanced psychological insight

Can Hypnotherapy Prevents Relapse?

Hypnotherapy can help with relapse. According to one study, people using self-hypnosis tapes over seven weeks experienced increased serenity and self-esteem and decreased impulsivity and anger. More than 80% of participants reported abstinence.

Moreover, hypnosis can prevent relapses as it helps people develop healthy coping strategies. Hypnotherapists can help you find coping techniques like positive thinking or deep breathing to deal with alcoholism.

How To Manage Drinking Problems?

Reducing alcohol intake or altogether giving it up can have physical, mental, and financial benefits. It can be increasingly challenging, especially if you’re alcohol-dependent. While hypnotherapy and counseling can help you tackle various drinking problems, make sure you also practice the following to heal yourself:

  • Cut down your alcohol consumption during the week; try weekend-only drinking or alcohol-free days
  • Limit your alcohol exposure. Say ‘No’ to social gatherings and events
  • Try alternatives like mocktails
  • Only go to and host cocktails-free events
  • Ask family and friends to join in – support makes cutting down much easier
  • Find alternative ways to relieve stress. Replace drinking with running, walking, or hobbies you enjoyed doing most in the past
  • Talk about your feelings
  • Celebrate achievements and find support

Isolation is quite common in alcohol addicts and you may feel like you’re stuck without any control. However, know that help is available in the form of hypnotherapy.

Use Hypnosis To Stop Drinking

Hypnotherapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment for addictive behaviors with hypnotherapy for alcoholism providing a supportive, safe environment and an individualized approach to overcoming drinking problems or changing drinking patterns.

You can efficiently cut down your alcohol consumption with hypnotherapy or self-hypnosis sessions. While hypnotherapists recommend taking multiple sessions for several months to see permanent change, you may start seeing positive results after the first session.

Whether you binge drink or cannot curb drinking, hypnotherapy can address your problems safely and successfully. Above all, hypnotherapy gives people hope and is one of the best all-natural treatments to help improve people’s relationships with alcohol. So, if you’re ever asked or overhear someone asking “does hypnosis work to stop drinking?”, you can safely answer “Yes!”.

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