Problems with alcohol are as old as mankind itself. In moderation, it can be the oil that makes social events flow and rescues the shy from their inhibitions – but when it becomes a habit it can become deadly, bringing physical, psychological and social distress, even death.

You are dependent on alcohol when it begins to take priority over everything else, eventually becoming a compulsion. And with increasing consumption, an associated tolerance to alcohol develops with the result that you need to ever increase the quantity you drink to get an effect. As your dependency on alcohol increases so too does your bodies reaction when you try to stop – including harrowing withdrawal symptoms such as physical tremors and extreme anxiety which can only be calmed by taking even more alcohol. Thus a deadly regressive cycle takes over.

Alcoholism is evidently not only a learned behaviour – inherited genetic factors are also thought to play a part although difficult to prove because in families where alcohol abuse is prevalent, it is almost impossible to divide the causes between social conditioning and genetic factors.

Alcohol in excess causes sleep deprivation, depression, cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure and damage to the brain and nervous system.  But the more apparent effects are usually social, legal and commercial… the breakdown of relationships, job loss, problems with finances and the law, brought on by mood swings, violence and too often, suicide (two-thirds of suicide attempts involve alcohol!)
Here is a list of the long-term effects of excessive alcohol:

- Inflammation of the stomach lining and pancreatitis
- Hepatitis and cirrhosis
- High blood pressure leading to a stroke
- Mouth and throat cancer
- Brain damage
- Heart failure
- Neurological problems such as epilepsy
- Crippling vitamin deficiency
- Obesity
- Sexual problems
- Infertility
- Muscle disease
- Skin problems

In pregnant women the baby is at serious risk from an alcohol condition known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome leading to abnormalities and low intelligence in the child. Also there is an increased likelihood of the child being underweight.

Our hypnotherapy sessions are specifically tailored to ease you away from dependency on alcohol. It is not an overnight solution but within a few days you should notice a diminution in your desire for alcohol which, if the sessions are maintained as instructed, can relatively quickly lead to a complete cessation of alcohol intake – in other words, you will have stopped drinking !