Hypnotherapy for Addiction 

What is addiction?

Addiction is classified as a disease caused by behavioural, environmental and biological factors. There are many reasons some of us struggle with addictions and none of these relates to will power or strength. If we’re suffering with addiction, we can often feel shame and guilt which perpetuate the addiction in a vicious circle. There are many different types of addiction, some substance-based like drugs and alcohol and others rooted in behaviours like gambling, shopping and sex. 

Problems with Alcohol

In England, there are an estimated 595,131 people dependent on alcohol and only 108,696 of them are accessing treatment*. Alcohol is a really common vice for people with addictions as it’s a legal substance that is readily available. There is a lot of social rhetoric surrounding alcohol being used to overcome a stressful day, this can make it seem acceptable to use alcohol as a coping mechanism. Prolonged or excessive consumption of alcohol can lead us to alcohol dependency meaning we aren’t able to get through the day without a drink. The negative impacts of excessive alcohol consumption include damage to our physical health, mental health, immune system and relationships with other people. Domestic violence is more common in relationships in which one or both partners are alcohol dependent. 

Symptoms of alcohol addiction can include:

• Having the uncontrollable urge to drink alcohol

• An increased tolerance for alcohol leading you to consume more

• Feeling that you need a drink to feel ‘normal’

• Feeling like you have no control over how much you drink in one sitting

• Drinking alone in secret

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

• Hiding alcohol in places that you can easily access - in the car, at work or a secret place in your house

• Irritability when you can’t drink

• Choosing to drink over activities you used to enjoy 

• Losing time or experiencing blackouts when drinking

• Continued alcohol abuse even when you are aware of the negative impacts it’s having on your life

Problems with Compulsive Gambling

As of 2015, over 2 million people in the UK were experiencing or developing a gambling problem*. Being addicted to gambling can be described as an ‘impulse control disorder’ which is characterised by being unable to ignore or resist the compulsion to gamble. The most common form of gambling in the UK is online gambling; this can quickly become a compulsion as it’s easy to access at any time of day or night and it can be a secretive activity meaning we can avoid detection.

Other types of gambling addiction can include betting on sports, excessively playing the lottery, playing slot machines and buying scratch cards to name a few. The action of gambling triggers a release of dopamine in the brain, which is the ‘feel-good’ chemical and when released, the body demands more of it. Repeating this action continuously can distort the reward centre of the brain because instead of producing dopamine at regular intervals, it relies on the external stimuli. This is why when we try to stop gambling, the withdrawal symptoms from the constant dopamine can leave us feeling low and depressed. 

Gambling starts to become an addiction when we feel unable to stop playing, despite the impacts on our finances and relationships. Symptoms of gambling addiction can include:

• Trying and failing on many separate occasions to quit gambling

• Using gambling to help avoid stress 

• Spending more and more money on gambling to satisfy cravings

• Being anxious, irritable or restless when trying to quit gambling

• Continuously and obsessively thinking about gambling

• Lying to friends and family about gambling

• Neglecting work, education and relationships in favour of gambling

• Feeling the need to gamble again immediately after a loss to win or ‘break-even’

• Borrowing money under false pretences. E.g. asking friends or relatives for money to help with bills and actually spending this on gambling

Problems with Drug Misuse

In 2015 there were 2479 registered deaths in the UK related to drug misuse. An increase of 10% from 2014 and 48% higher than in 2005*. Drug misuse can include both legal and illegal substances, and overall the issues relate less to the type of drug and more about the addictive behaviour surrounding it. If we are suffering with drug abuse issues, it can be hard to admit that we have a problem and take the steps to recovery. If you relate to 3 or more of the below, it’s time to get help.

• Continuing to take a prescribed or over the counter drug when you no longer need it

• Needing a higher dose of a substance or medication to feel the effects (increased tolerance)

• When the effects of the drug wear off, you feel shaky, depressed, sick, clammy and have headaches

• You continue to use the drug even though you don’t want to and despite all of the negative impacts it’s having on you and your life

• You spend a lot of your time thinking about the drug; how to get it, when you’ll take it, how you’ll feel when you take it

• You try to set yourself limits but can’t stop once you’ve started

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

• Day to day tasks like cooking, washing or working are hard to complete or you don’t bother with them anymore

• You borrow or steal money to pay for the drug

• You carry out irresponsible behaviours that you wouldn’t usually do like driving or looking after children while under the influence of the drug

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

• Your relationships are strained and people are complaining that you’ve changed

• You have new people in your life who also have drug problems

• Physically your appearance has changed; you may have bloodshot eyes, bad breath, bloody nose and a change in your weight

 If you’re worried that someone close to you may be experiencing drug addiction, there are a few key signals to look out for:

• Changes in their personality and behaviour

• Lack of motivation, irritability and agitation

• Shakes, tremors or slurred speech

• Bloodshot eyes

• Frequent bloody noses

• Lack of concern for personal hygiene

• Financial problems or asking to borrow money

Problems with Compulsive Shopping

Compulsive shopping or shopping addiction is an underrated issue that affects many people in the UK. 5.5% of addicted shoppers are men and 6% are women**. Compulsive shopping, like many other forms of addiction, can be caused by childhood issues, loneliness, depression, body image issues and anxiety. According to a CNN report, frequent presents gifted by our parents in childhood to make up for their absence can lead to us equating material possessions with love. We desire these possessions as an adult to fill the void and feel loved and accepted. On the other hand, children who grew up poor may over-shop when they are financially stable as a way of making up for the things they couldn’t have when they were younger. 

Excessive shopping can result in serious financial problems as well as relationship issues. If you are experiencing any of the feelings or behaviours below, you may need to seek help:

• Being an impulsive buyer who buys items regardless of need

• Having many items in your house or clothes in your wardrobe that you’ve never used. Some of which may still have tags or be unopened

• Finding yourself turning to shopping if you’re feeling stressed or frustrated

• Experiencing a rush of excitement and pleasure when you buy something

• When you’re not shopping, you spend every moment thinking about shopping

• Losing track of your shopping and how much you are buying

• Feeling guilt and shame during or after shopping

Problems with Sex Addiction

Sex addiction is caused by a combination of biological and psychological factors. Similarly to other addictions, it can be a way of avoiding and masking the stressors in our lives and becomes an addiction due to the chemical release of dopamine that sex triggers. Sex addiction can be misunderstood but it has a great number of potential negative effects such as financial problems, loss of a job, increased chances of catching STIs, anxiety, depression and issues with self-esteem. It can affect relationships and in some cases involve prosecution if the sex addiction involves breaking laws. 

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.

• Trading sex - This includes being addicted to paying someone for sex leading to relationship, work and financial issues

• Voyeurism - Voyeurs enjoy watching other people for sexual gratification, this may be consensual and arranged but if it is non-consensual, it constitutes a crime

• Exhibitionism - Sexual pleasure is derived from ‘flashing’ genitals at people, usually in public places. This is a prosecutable offence and can be traumatising for the victim

Sex drives can vary from person to person and at different stages in our lives, so it can be easy to live in denial regarding our sex addiction. If you experience any of the feelings or behaviours below, you may be experiencing an addiction:

• Living a double life - we lie about our whereabouts and what we spend our money on. Our sexual secrets are likely to have a detrimental effect on our lives if revealed.

• We view people as objects - When it comes to sex, we view people as sexual objects to be used for our sexual gratification. We are unconcerned with their feelings or their lives and once the sexual act is done, we are uninterested in them.

• Our life is in turmoil - Every aspect of our life is out of control because sex is our number one priority. It’s difficult to focus on work because we are constantly viewing our colleagues as potential sexual partners and any relationships we experience always end because of infidelity.

• Constant sex fantasies - We are unable to concentrate on anything but sex, we are either having sex or fantasising about it. We may feel ashamed after a sexual experience and to avoid this feeling, we go back to fantasising.

• Disregard for consequences - Because sex is the number one priority, all of our values and responsibilities are set aside. We may have sex with our friend’s spouse and destroy their relationship, or we may spend all of our rent money in a strip club without regard for the consequence. These behaviours are a clear sign of sex addiction.

• Feeling out of control - We want to stop but we can’t seem to control our behaviours around sex. We may feel shame and guilt but this leads us to cover up these emotions with more sex.

Hypnosis for addictions

Hypnotherapy for addictions involves addressing problem behaviour. It should be used as one part of a wider treatment plan but can certainly help with the psychological aspect of compulsive behaviour and change our thought patterns around the particular vice.

Hypnotherapy can be used to:

• Alleviate the severity of the withdrawal symptoms through suggestion

• Create suggestions of repulsion or aversion to the problem behaviour

• Develop deeper and more meaningful conversations with patients without the defence of the conscious mind

As with any other type of treatment for addiction, you have to be ready and committed to conquering your addiction and changing your behaviours for good. If you are ready, please get in touch to see how we can support you.

*Source Addiction helper.

**2006 Stanford University study.