As someone who is originally from Turkey, I can clearly see how alcohol consumption subtly became a part of the American culture. It is not surprising that according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 15 million Americans are dealing with alcohol use disorder. The subconscious reinforcement of alcohol use is done through TV shows, commercials, or even when you are simply hanging out with friends. How many times have you gone out to dinner with friends and found yourself having a glass of wine or a cocktail just because everyone else was drinking already? Or how many times have you witnessed one of the main characters of your favorite show opening a bottle of wine or whiskey when they are stressed or in trouble? When we think about these small “encounters”, they seem like they don’t mean anything. However, they affect the way the subconscious association of alcohol.

Mayo Clinic describes alcoholism as “the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol.” A few symptoms of alcoholism can be not being able to limit drinking, cravings for alcohol, giving up on social or work-related activities, or developing tolerance to alcohol.

I see alcoholism as one of the worst addictions to deal with since it is subtly accepted in society and there is usually a feeling of “I can stop drinking whenever I want” even though this is not true. Alcohol withdrawals can affect sleep, heartbeat, or even result in death. According to her family, the famous singer Amy Winehouse died from alcohol withdrawal. Dr. Robert Schwartz, chairman of family medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reported that "Somebody who's been a drinker and consumed a lot of alcohol for a number of years probably could have severe seizures. Such seizures may cause an individual to aspirate food (inhale it through the trachea) that comes up from their stomach, possibly leading to choking and death. Hitting your head during a seizure can also be lethal.”

For someone who makes the decision to kick alcohol out of their life for good, the road ahead is not the easiest one. With the help of therapy, Alcoholics Anonymous, or medications a lot can be accomplished. If you are looking for further support to help you with excessive drinking, hypnotherapy offers great results with the powerful method of hypnosis.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help?

I talked about how alcohol consumption is positively reinforced into the subconscious mind through daily activities every single day. Just like drinking, all behaviors that we repeat every day are directed from the subconscious mind. This is what makes hypnotherapy an effective and powerful tool to modify behaviors or change them altogether.

Most often we find ourselves fulfilling subconsciously directed actions throughout the day, without thinking or maybe even without knowing why we are doing what we are doing consciously. We act on autopilot. Think of driving on the freeway or preparing dinner. Just like these, the need for alcohol consumption is fulfilled through a primitive urge that comes from the subconscious mind as well. Without thinking, you may find yourself fulfilling this urge. Hypnotherapy helps with managing subconscious behaviors and urges rather than unconsciously fulfilling them.  

What Happens During Hypnosis?

Although Hollywood makes it seem like hypnosis is “mind control” or “a state of unconscious acting”, on the contrary, hypnosis is a natural, relaxed state in which the conscious filtration is calmed down. I see hypnosis as putting all the physical senses to rest so the person can really focus on what’s in the mind without any distractions.

During hypnosis, the communication between conscious goals and subconscious beliefs opens up. Through images or suggestions, the subconscious mind goes through desired events or results. This process tricks the mind into reacting as if the imagined scenes or suggestions are reality.

For example, for someone who is trying to stop alcohol addiction, imagining himself/herself in a triggering situation but successfully controlling the situation without reaching for alcohol can be possible hypnotic imagery. With repetition and by creating powerful positive emotions through imagery, the person finds it easy to choose not to drink alcohol.

There have been many research trials done about hypnosis’ effectiveness on substance abuse and alcoholism. In a study that was published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, hypnotism was used on 18 clients suffering from alcoholism as an intensive daily treatment. In the 1 year follow up they observed a 77% success rate within the participants.

There is also supporting evidence that hypnosis creates a deeper conditioned change than traditional medicine. According to a review from the American Journal of Psychiatry, hypnosis has been found to be a successful, less risky, and deeper conditioning therapy option for alcoholism.

What You May Experience During a Hypnotherapy Session

Hypnotherapy combines therapeutic tools with hypnosis in order to create changes in subconscious programming and beliefs.

In the first hypnotherapy session, you will probably start by discussing your goals with the hypnotherapist in addition to more personal subjects such as your motivations, past, self-image, etc. This is the part where you can get a better understanding of what was holding you back throughout the years or what was the reason behind your actions.

In the first session, the hypnotherapist may also explain more about how hypnosis works or bust some myths about hypnosis so that you are comfortable with the process.

Some hypnotherapists will also test your suggestibility which means they will do physical or verbal tests to understand your level of hypnotizability.

About halfway to the session, there is the hypnotic induction which is done to create a deep and focused calmness and relaxation. When this deep level is reached, the mind can really focus on the directions or the pictures that appear in the mind. In this slow state, the hypnotherapist usually gives positive suggestions for change or takes the client to specific imagery scenes. These scenes and suggestions are usually formulated in a way to trigger powerful emotions. Whether they are negative or positive, they work well because they either help for release or reprogram the subconscious mind.

After awakening, you may feel sleepy, calm, or still relaxed. This is very normal and expected however it won’t affect your daily functioning.

Depending on the goal, the hypnotherapist may want to see you weekly or bi-weekly. Also, still continuing other support sources such as group therapy, AA meetings, or medications are highly recommended as they help the person shift their mindset at a more rapid pace.

Self-hypnosis For Alcoholism 

Self-hypnosis is a hypnotic state which is more available for everyday use. Self-hypnosis is very similar to meditation and it is reached by focusing on the breath and the physical feelings taking place in the body. If you are not ready to commit to a hypnotherapy process, self-hypnosis is a great start and still offers powerful results!

According to some resources, alcoholism is not only about excessive drinking. Self-esteem combined with drinking will create a fertile environment for alcoholism. This is where self-hypnosis comes into play. By giving positive suggestions and remembering positive images about the self in the mind, daily and intensive self-hypnosis interventions can help with alcoholism.

In one study that was done with 261 veterans who were admitted to Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs, at 7-week follow up, they discovered that the participants who listened to the self-hypnosis audiotapes at least 3 to 5 times a week reported to have the highest levels of self-esteem and serenity as well as least anger and impulsivity in comparison to the other groups. Additionally, results suggested that two-thirds of those who relapsed in the follow-up came from the groups that didn’t practice self-hypnosis tapes.

All in all… 

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy offer promising positive results for the treatment of substance abuse and alcoholism. With that being said, it is important to be committed to the decision to be successful in any form of therapy. This commitment brings significant responsibilities such as following the instructions and recommendations of the professionals who are qualified in this area. Every relapse creates a tremendously negative impact in the subconscious mind because it almost reinforces the idea that you are “stuck” with alcoholism or “you can never quit”. Although this is absolutely untrue, it is important that you do your part consciously and subconsciously in order to fulfill your goal successfully.