Hypnotherapy for Addiction

Alcohol Addiction

There are approx. 595,000 people in England dependent on alcohol today and less than ⅕ of them are receiving the treatment they need*. Alcohol is a legal substance that is readily available, meaning it’s a very common addiction to suffer with. Excessive or prolonged consumption of alcohol can lead us to dependency, meaning we can’t get through the day without drinking. Alcoholism can have devastating effects on our mental and physical health and our relationships with those close to us. It can also change our personalities and make us do things we wouldn’t have previously. Domestic violence is prevalent in relationships where one or both partners are alcoholics.

Symptoms of alcohol addiction include:

• Feeling like you need to drink to feel normal

• Drinking alone in secret

• Having an uncontrollable compulsion to drink

• Increased tolerance

• Not being able to stop once you’ve started

• Drinking in inappropriate places, such as in public, at work or when driving

• Feeling irritable when you are unable to drink

• Experiencing memory loss and/or blackouts when you drink

• Neglecting activities you used to enjoy in favour of drinking

• Hiding alcohol in places so it’s ready for your next drink

• Continued alcohol abuse despite wanting to stop

Gambling addiction

Over 2 million people in the UK experience issues with gambling*. Gambling addiction can be described as an ‘impulse control disorder’ which means we are unable to resist or ignore the compulsion to gamble. Online gambling is one of the most common types of gambling addiction because it’s so accessible and we can play secretly and avoid detection. People affected by gambling addiction also struggle with playing the lottery in excess, slot machines, scratch cards and betting on sports. The act of gambling is so addictive because it releases a chemical called dopamine in the brain which makes us feel good. Repeating the action and receiving the dopamine hit repeatedly impacts the reward centre of the brain, forcing it to rely on external stimuli. When we stop gambling we get withdrawal symptoms from the lack of dopamine leaving us feeling depressed.

When we feel unable to resist gambling, despite the negative impacts on our lives, it’s changed from a hobby to an addiction. Gambling addict behaviours can include:

• Using gambling to help us avoid stress

• Trying to quit gambling and failing

• Needing to gambling again immediately after a loss

• Obsessing over gambling

• Betting bigger and bigger amounts of money to satisfy the craving

• Lying to friends and family about gambling

• Neglecting work, education or relationships 

• Borrowing money under false pretences

Drug Addiction

Drug abuse has a devastating effect on sufferers and those around them. 2479 registered deaths in the UK in 2015 were related to drug misuse. This is an increase of 10% from 2014 and 48% from 2005*. Drug abuse can include both illegal and legal substances and as with any other addiction, it’s a compulsion that we can’t ignore. Watching someone suffer from drug addiction is heartbreaking and experiencing the addiction can destroy our lives in many ways. It can be really hard to face up to the fact we have a problem; if you relate to 2 or more of the below, it’s time to seek help.

• You’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy

• You look in other people’s medicine cabinets for drugs to take

• You continue to take prescription drugs when you no longer need them

• When you are sober you feel shaky, depressed, clammy, sick and suffer from extreme headaches

• You try to set limits to the amount you’ll take but once you start you can’t stop

• You obsess over drugs and rarely think of anything else

• You’re tolerance increases meaning you need a higher dose to feel the effects

• You can’t stop using the drug despite seeing your life fall apart around you

• You steal money for drugs

• People say you’ve changed and your relationships are strained

• You have a new group of friends who all take drugs

• You commit offences like driving under the influence of drugs

• You have no motivation for daily tasks like cooking, washing and work as your number one priority is the drug

• You’ve changed physically, you may have noticed a change in your weight, you’re skin is dull, you have bloodshot eyes and a bloody nose

Watching a loved one experience drug addiction is worrying and we can feel helpless. If you’re concerned someone you love may be turning to drugs, look out for these key signs:

• Bloodshot eyes

• Bloody nose

• Lack of concern for personal hygiene

• Lack of motivation

• Irritability 

• Agitation

• Shakes or tremors

• Slurred speech

• Lying

• Change in their personality or behaviour

• Financial problems

• Asking to borrow money 

Shopping Addiction

5.5% of people addicted to shopping in the UK are men, and 6% are women**. Shopping addiction or compulsive shopping is not a well-known issue but it can have a significant detrimental effect on the lives of addicts. Like many other forms of addiction, compulsive shopping can be caused by loneliness, depression, anxiety, body image problems and issues stemming from childhood. There can be many different causes of shopping addiction; according to a CNN article, if we grew up poor, when we are financially stable in adulthood we reward ourselves with overshopping on expensive things we couldn’t have when we were younger. On the other end of the spectrum, if our parents make up for their lack of affection or absence in our lives with gifts, we can grow up to associate material possessions with love and acceptance, filling the void by buying ourselves gifts.

Buying things we can’t afford can result in serious financial issues as well as relationship problems. Shopping addicts display some or all of the behaviours below, if you recognise this, it’s time to get help.

• Turning to shopping to cope with stress

• Buying in excess regardless of need

• Owning many items you’ve never used, some still unopened or with tags on

• Losing track of your spending

• Feeling a rush of excitement post-purchase

• Feeling guilt and shame after shopping

• Thinking about shopping all the time

Sex Addiction

Similarly to other addictions, sex addiction is a way of ignoring or avoiding the problems we are experiencing in our lives. Caused by a combination of psychological and biological factors, it works much the same as any compulsive behaviour. Sex triggers our brains to release dopamine which we then become reliant on to make us feel good.

Sex addiction can be greatly downplayed in society but it has a number of detrimental effects on our bodies and lives. It can lead us to experience anxiety, depression, issues with self-esteem, loss of a job, financial problems and increased chances of catching STIs. Relationships can be torn apart and if the stimuli of our sex addiction involve breaking laws, we can be prosecuted.

Here are some examples of different types of sex addiction: 

• Compulsive sex - Feeling a need to have sex with almost everyone you meet, no matter the consequences.

• Voyeurism - The addiction to watching other people in private moments for sexual gratification. This can be prearranged with a willing participant but if it’s not consensual it constitutes a serious crime

• Trading sex - Regularly hiring a sex worker for gratification, this can lead to financial issues, relationship issues and problems at work

• Exhibitionism - This is when sexual gratification is gained from exposing your genitals to a stranger, usually in a public place for maximum impact. This can be traumatising for the victim and is classed as a sexual offence for which you could serve time in prison and be added to the sex offenders register

It’s easy to live in denial when we have a sex addiction but if you are experiencing any of the feelings or behaviours below, it’s time to seek help:

• Living a double life - Telling lies to friends and family about our whereabouts or what our money is being spent on. If these lies were to be revealed, they would have a detrimental effect on our lives

• We view people as objects - We use people for sex and are unconcerned with their feelings and uninterested in them post-sex

• Our life is in turmoil - Sex takes the number one priority and everything else in our life is falling apart and we don’t know what to do

• Constant sex fantasies - We are either having sex or fantasising about it, we may feel guilty and ashamed after a sexual experience so to avoid this feeling we go back to fantasising about sex

• Disregard for consequences - The desire and need for sex take over our values and responsibilities, we don’t care about who we have sex with or how it could affect our relationships with friends or family. We may blow all of our rent money in a strip club with no regard for the consequence

• Feeling out of control - We feel guilty and ashamed of our actions but unable to stop which can be confusing and distressing

Hypnotherapy for addictions

Hypnosis for addictions is centred around first addressing the problem behaviour. Hypnotherapy should be used as one part of a wider treatment plan to help you overcome your addiction. It works to address the psychological elements of compulsive behaviour and change our patterns of thought around our object of addiction.

Hypnosis can be used to create suggestions of repulsion or aversion to the object of our addiction, alleviate the severity of the withdrawal symptoms through suggestion and develop meaningful conversations with the subconscious mind to change unhelpful thoughts for good.

To get the desired effect from your hypnotherapy sessions, you will need to be committed to overcoming your addiction. If you feel ready, get in touch today to see how we can help.

*Source Addiction helper.

**2006 Stanford University study.