Can hypnotherapy help you stop drinking?

As both a hypnotherapist and someone who has been alcohol-free for over four years, I believe I am in a strong position to answer this question. I stopped drinking in 2020 and wrote a book about it called Walking Back to Happiness: The Secret to Alcohol-Free Living & Well-Being. The skills I used myself to successfully stop drinking alcohol are the same ones I now use in my practice to help clients today.

There are millions of people in the UK who are classified as grey area drinkers—those who believe their drinking is still under control but who, if they don’t stop, could easily find it spiralling. If this is you, please read on…

How much you drink is NOT relevant to anybody else, only you, because it’s all about you. If the answer to the question ‘Do I have control over the amount I drink?’ is ‘no’ then you should take a break! 

A hero's journey

Stopping drinking is like embarking on a hero’s journey, as described in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This universal narrative appears in myths, legends, and modern stories like Star Wars, Pocahontas, and Harry Potter.

• Departure – The hero (you) starts in the ordinary world (as a drinker). A call to adventure arises (a health scare, a moment of clarity). Fear makes them hesitate, but a mentor or inner voice urges them forward. They cross the threshold (stop drinking) and move into the unknown.
• Initiation – The hero faces tests (cravings, social pressure, self-doubt), allies (supportive friends), and enemies (old habits). They descend into the abyss, confronting their deepest struggles, and emerge transformed.
• Return – The hero, now wiser, returns to the ordinary world. They bring back resilience and freedom, no longer bound by alcohol but empowered by their journey.

One of the biggest things that holds people back is fear—fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what others will think. But as the saying goes, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Once you face your fears, they lose their power.

The question I ask clients is: Are you ready to enter the cave and reap the rewards? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Using hypnotherapy to change your story, change your life

The most important thing anyone who drinks should understand is this: believing you can’t stop drinking is just that—a belief. And beliefs can be learned and unlearned. This is where hypnotherapy and NLP come into play.

The secret to stopping drinking is about changing your belief system. If you change your beliefs, you change your story, and that can change your life.

But how do you do this? A quote written over 170 years ago by US philosopher Henry David Thoreau is at the heart of the process:

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

Clients who successfully stop drinking change their identity, they tell themselves many times each day I am a non-drinker and support it with hard evidence on how bad alcohol is for their well-being. The way to successfully change beliefs about alcohol is to relabel yourself. Get rid of the old Post-it notes that are stuck on you. You do not need alcohol to relax. You do not need alcohol to have fun. Create a new way of thinking.

The good news is you can build this mental pathway—the new alcohol-free you—much quicker using hypnotherapy and the power of suggestion and metaphor whilst in a trance.

Here is an example of reframe and metaphor I use in my practice that has helped thousands of people stop drinking and never want to go back.

The tightrope walker – alcohol & your health - You have chosen to walk a tightrope. This is the life you’ve built—a life where drinking is part of your routine. The thrill of going out with friends, letting yourself go, the perceived comfort of the habit, the belief that you’re still in control. Beneath you is a safety net—your health—always there to catch you if you slip.

But every drink is a risk. Every time you drink, a thread of the net snaps. One drink, one thread. At first, it doesn’t seem to matter—the net still looks strong. You keep walking, feeling invincible.

Then, one day, you start to wobble. The sleepless nights, anxiety, panic attacks, shortness of breath, hangovers, arguments, lost friendships—the list is endless. You glance down, and the net is thinner now, full of gaps. You tell yourself it’ll still hold. Until one day, it doesn’t.

You take a step, and the net is gone. There’s nothing left to catch you. How many more drinks will you have before your last thread snaps? Step off the tightrope now—whilst you still have your health.

Working with a professional

Working with a hypnotherapy professional can be a transformative step in changing your beliefs about alcohol. The power of hypnotherapy lies in its ability to reprogram subconscious patterns and help you create a new narrative for yourself.

So, to answer the question I asked at the beginning—Can hypnotherapy help you stop drinking? The answer is yes.

With the right guidance, you can shift your mindset, break free from old habits, and reclaim your life. You have the power to step into a future where alcohol no longer controls you. The journey may not always be easy, but with the right support, you can make lasting change—and truly thrive.