Addiction hypnotherapy · Farringdon EC1 and online

Hypnotherapy for addictions

If you've decided to change but the pull keeps winning, hypnotherapy works with the automatic part of your mind that drives the habit, and backs your decision to stop.

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Addictions and compulsive habits are rarely about weakness. They're powerful learned patterns, often the mind's shortcut for handling stress, boredom, loneliness or pressure. For busy professionals the pattern often hides in plain sight: the drinks every evening to switch off, the late-night betting, the phone that never leaves your hand. Hypnotherapy helps you change that pattern at its source.

Addictions and habits I work with

• Alcohol and the nightly drink to unwind
• Gambling and betting apps
• Smoking and vaping
• Cannabis and recreational drugs
• Compulsive shopping and spending
• Gaming and phone or social media use
• Comfort eating and sugar

How addiction works

Every addiction has a trigger, a routine and a reward. Stress as the working day ends triggers the urge; the drink, the bet or the cigarette brings quick relief; the relief reinforces the loop. Over time the loop runs automatically, and willpower is left fighting a habit that operates much faster than conscious thought. That's why so many people say: I know I shouldn't, and I do it anyway.

How hypnotherapy helps

Strengthening your decision

Hypnotherapy works best when you've decided to change. In hypnosis we connect that decision with your deeper motivations, so it feels like a commitment rather than a rule.

Easing cravings

We change how your mind responds to the urge, so cravings become weaker, shorter and easier to let pass.

Rewiring the triggers

We identify the situations that set off the habit, such as a stressful day, a particular place or certain company, and rehearse responding to them differently.

Dealing with what's underneath

Where stress, anxiety, low mood or old experiences fuel the habit, we work on those too, so you're not left with an empty space where the coping used to be.

Addiction and high-pressure work

Long hours, client entertaining, travel and constant availability create perfect conditions for unhealthy coping. Many of my clients are high achievers who look fine from the outside. We build ways to switch off and recover that don't cost you your health, your money or your relationships.

Alcohol

For many professionals, drinking creeps up: a glass to unwind becomes a bottle, and alcohol-free evenings get rare. Hypnotherapy helps you find other ways to switch off, eases the evening cravings and strengthens your sense of yourself as someone who chooses. Whether your goal is cutting down or stopping, we work towards it together.

Gambling

Betting apps put a casino in your pocket. The thrill, the near-misses and the urge to win it back keep the loop spinning. We work on the excitement-seeking and the triggers, and on the stress or boredom that sits underneath, alongside practical steps such as blocking tools and money controls.

Smoking and vaping

Nicotine habits are woven into routines: coffee, breaks, driving, drinks. We break the links one by one and strengthen your identity as a non-smoker, so the urge loses its anchor points.

Phones, gaming and screens

Endless scrolling and gaming hijack attention and sleep. We work on the reward loop and on what you're avoiding when you reach for the screen, and build simple boundaries that hold.

Building a life that doesn't need the habit

Stopping leaves a gap. We plan what fills it: rest, exercise, connection, creativity. The more rewarding life feels without the habit, the less pull it has.

Why willpower alone runs out

Willpower is a limited resource, lowest as a long day winds down, exactly when cravings peak. Relying on it means fighting the same battle every evening. Hypnotherapy changes the urge itself, so there's less to resist and willpower becomes a back-up rather than the whole plan.

Shame and secrecy

Many people hide a habit for years, and the secrecy adds stress that feeds the habit. Sessions are a private, judgement-free space. Speaking openly about the pattern is often the first step that makes change feel possible.

Staying on track

We plan for high-risk moments, such as holidays, celebrations, stressful weeks or old friends, before they arrive. You'll have a self-hypnosis routine for cravings and a clear plan for what to do instead, so a tricky evening doesn't undo your progress.

Cravings, step by step

A craving rises, peaks and falls, usually within minutes. When you know that in your body, you can ride it out. In sessions you rehearse noticing the first flicker of an urge, breathing through the peak and watching it pass, until that becomes your natural response.

Rebuilding trust in yourself

After years of broken promises to yourself, it's hard to believe this time will be different. Each day you keep your commitment rebuilds that trust. We mark those wins in sessions, because self-trust is one of the strongest protections against slipping back.

How sessions work

1. Free call, completely confidential, to talk about the habit and what you want instead.
2. First session: we map your triggers, routines and rewards, and you experience hypnosis.
3. Following sessions: we reduce cravings, change trigger responses and work on underlying stress.
4. Self-hypnosis: a quick routine for the moments when the urge appears.

Working alongside other support

Hypnotherapy fits well with GP care, support groups, counselling and specialist services. If you're already getting help, tell me so we can work together. For alcohol, if you drink heavily every day, speak to your GP before stopping suddenly.

What changes

Clients describe the urge losing its grip: still noticeable at first, then easier to ignore, then often absent for long stretches. They find new ways to unwind, sleep better and feel back in control of their evenings and their spending. Each day of choosing differently makes the next one easier.

Questions about hypnotherapy for addictions