Habits and Addictions ยท Online across Australia
Hypnotherapy for Addiction and Habits, by Video Across Australia
The cigarette after coffee. The drink that became three. The bet on your phone at midnight. The fingers back at your hair. Habits and addictions run on autopilot. Hypnotherapy for addiction is designed to help you catch the moment and choose again.
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15-minute phone call, no obligation. I’ll call you within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 yearsin clinical practice
- FellowAustralian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists
- AHA approvedCPD courses I teach other hypnotherapists
- 1 to 1with Ernest, by video from home
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAn Adelaide practice, seeing clients across Australia by video. Fourteen years in practice.
What hypnotherapy for addiction can and can’t do
Hypnotherapy for addiction works on the habit side: the triggers, the cravings and the automatic reach. It can’t replace medical care, and I won’t pretend it can. Hypnosis is focused, relaxed attention. You stay aware and in charge the whole time, and it isn’t sleep. This is a therapeutic tool, and I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, not a stage hypnotist.
There are seven programs on this page and two prices. Quitting smoking or vaping is one 90-minute session for $590. Everything else is a 4-session program for $1,000.
The research is honest about its limits. For smoking, a Cochrane review of 14 studies found any extra benefit from hypnotherapy is “small at most”. For alcohol, drugs and gambling there are only a few small trials. Each page below sets out its own evidence and sources.
Choose where to start
- Quit smokingA 90-minute session designed to help you stop, with 12 months of support after it.
- Quit vapingFor the automatic reach for the vape, on the couch, in the car and at your desk.
- AlcoholWhen a glass to unwind has become most of a bottle. Works alongside your GP.
- GamblingThe urge and the moments that set it off, alongside the free gambling help services.
- Drug addictionThe stress, triggers and habits that make staying stopped so hard, alongside medical care.
- Nail bitingCatching the moment sooner, and giving your hands something else to do.
- Hair pulling and skin pickingTrichotillomania and skin picking: catching the urge earlier and easing what drives it.
Why willpower keeps running out
Willpower runs out because a habit lives in the automatic part of the mind. If you’ve tried to stop before, often more than once, that isn’t a flaw in your character. The habit is tied to times, places and feelings. Willpower tends to give out exactly when those turn up: the rough afternoon, the quiet house, the stressful call.
How addiction hypnosis works on a habit
Addiction hypnosis works by rehearsing a new response to your triggers, in a calm, focused hypnotic state. We look at what the habit does for you and what sets it off. Then we decide what you’d like in its place. We practise that new response until it starts to come more easily.
In my practice, the first thing I ask is what the habit does for you. Once we know the job it’s doing, we can find it a replacement.
You also learn to handle a craving: notice it, let it peak and pass, and carry on. Simple self-hypnosis means you can do this on your own. We also plan what you’ll do if you slip, because a slip isn’t the same as a relapse.
How hypnotherapy for addiction works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me what’s going on. I tell you honestly whether I think I can help. No obligation, and no hard sell. Ask me anything you like about hypnosis too, such as how it feels or whether you stay in charge.
- Your first session
To quit smoking or vaping, this is one 90-minute session. For everything else, it starts a 4-session program. We map your triggers and what you want instead.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
You join from home with a quiet room, a reliable connection and a pair of headphones. The smoking and vaping programs include 12 months of follow-up calls, SMS and top-up sessions. After your sessions you receive an audio recording to listen to between appointments. You’ll learn simple self-hypnosis too, so progress doesn’t have to wait.
Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence. That’s why video works: you’re in your own space, with no drive home afterwards.
Is hypnotherapy for addiction safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis involves no medicine, and after-effects are mild, like feeling drowsy or emotional for a short time. The main downside is that it isn’t a medical treatment. It can’t detox you, and it doesn’t replace your GP, psychologist or a drug and alcohol service.
With drugs and alcohol, stopping suddenly can be risky. For alcohol, Australia’s guidelines give their strongest backing to counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, medicines and peer support. So hypnotherapy can be one part of your treatment plan, alongside addiction treatment, never instead of it. If you live with psychosis or a severe untreated mental health condition, see your GP first.
What each program costs
What each program costs
Every program starts with the free 15-minute call, so we can agree which one fits before you pay anything.
- Quit smoking or quit vaping: $590. A 90-minute session designed to help you walk out smoke-free (or vape-free), plus 12 months of support as you need it: follow-up calls, SMS and top-up sessions. If you stop and later start again, that needs a new program.
- Alcohol, drugs, nail biting, hair pulling and skin picking: a 4-session program. $1,000 paid upfront (that’s $250 a session), or $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Gambling: a 4-session program to stop gambling, at the same price. Many people follow it with 4 to 8 sessions of emotional repair to get life back on track, at $250 a session prepaid or $300 as you go.
- Session length: your first session runs up to 90 minutes, and follow-up sessions up to 60 minutes.
- Prepaid sessions are valid for 12 months. Any you don’t need can be used for something else, or passed on to someone you know.
- Pay by card or bank transfer. Prices in AUD. No GST applies.
Or call 0427 218 092
Please put medical support around you as wellIf you drink heavily every day, don’t stop suddenly on your own. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous, so talk to your GP first and they can help you stop safely. With drugs, a medical detox may be the safe first step. Hypnotherapy is not a way to detox. For gambling, Gambling Help on 1800 858 858 is free, confidential and open around the clock. In an emergency, call 000.
Questions people ask about hypnotherapy for addiction
Does hypnotherapy work for addiction?
It depends on the habit, and the research is limited. For smoking, a Cochrane review found any extra benefit is “small at most”. For alcohol, drugs and gambling, there are only a few small trials. Use hypnosis alongside your other support, not instead of it.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for addiction?
I don’t quote one. The Cochrane authors say advertised success rates for smoking are likely to be exaggerated. Each program page shows the published research instead, with its sources.
What therapy is most effective for addiction?
It depends on the addiction. For alcohol, Australia’s guidelines back counselling, CBT, medicines and peer support most strongly. Your GP can help you weigh up your treatment options. Each page here explains what has the strongest evidence for that habit.
How can I manage addiction cravings?
Notice the craving, let it peak and pass, and carry on with what you were doing. Plan ahead for your high-risk times. In a hypnotherapy session we rehearse those moments, and self-hypnosis gives you a coping skill to use at home. Skills like these are a common part of addiction recovery.
Can hypnotherapy help with drug and alcohol addiction?
Only as support alongside medical care. Stopping some drugs and alcohol suddenly can be dangerous. For substance use disorder, your GP or a drug and alcohol service comes first. The alcohol and drug addiction pages explain how the two fit together.
Can I keep seeing my doctor or counsellor?
Yes, please do. Our sessions work alongside your GP, psychologist, counsellor and any medication. I’d never ask you to stop something your doctor recommends.
Is it covered by Medicare or my health fund?
Hypnotherapy isn’t covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a GP referral. Health fund extras cover varies, so check with your fund before you start.
Ready when you are
Tell me the best time to reach you and I’ll call within 24 hours. Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
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Where these numbers come from
Barnes J, McRobbie H, Dong CY, Walker N, Hartmann-Boyce J (2019). Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue 6: CD001008. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001008.pub3. Source of the 14 studies, the “small at most” conclusion and the note that advertised success rates are likely to be exaggerated.
Haber PS, Riordan BC, Winter DT, et al. (2021). New Australian guidelines for the treatment of alcohol problems: an overview of recommendations. Medical Journal of Australia 215(7 Suppl): S3-S32. doi.org/10.5694/mja2.51254. Source of the treatments with the strongest backing for alcohol. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It isn’t medical treatment or a diagnosis, and it doesn’t replace your doctor or a psychologist. If your symptoms are severe or persistent, please speak to your GP. Last updated 9 October 2026.