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Hypnotherapy for Alcohol, by Video Anywhere in Australia
A glass to unwind became two, then most of a bottle, most nights. You’d like it to be your choice again. Hypnotherapy for alcohol works on the habit side of drinking, alongside your GP. I’ll be straight with you about what it can and can’t do.
At a glance: 4 sessions by video. $1,000 in total paid upfront, or $1,200 paid session by session.
Or call 0427 218 092
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.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- The first drink is poured before you’ve properly put your bag down.
- You’ve planned alcohol-free days for weeks. They keep moving to next week.
- A drink is how you switch off from work, and you’re not sure you know another way.
- A quiet weekend turns into a binge, then a week of promises.
- You wake at 3am after drinking, and the next day runs on coffee.
- You’ve searched how to stop drinking more than once, late at night.
If a few of those fit, read on. If you drink heavily every day, please read the note about stopping safely before anything else.
Why a drinking habit is so hard to change
Drinking habits are hard to change because they’re tied to a time and a feeling. Six o’clock. A stressful call. A slow Sunday. The glass becomes the way the evening changes gear. After a few years, the hand reaches for it without asking you first.
So a plan made with a clear head in the morning often gives out by the evening. The decision lives in one part of your day, and the habit runs in another. That gap is where hypnotherapy aims. If you’re physically dependent, start with your GP or a drug and alcohol service. I’d rather lose the booking than have you do this unsafely.
How hypnosis helps with alcohol
Hypnosis helps by working on the moments that set off your drinking. It’s focused, relaxed attention. You stay fully aware and in charge the whole time. It isn’t sleep, and you can’t be made to do anything you don’t want to do.
In a session we work through your triggers one at a time. We rehearse the evening as you’d like it to go. We build other ways to switch off and ride out a craving. You decide the goal: cutting back, or none at all.
In my practice, I start with the hour before the first drink, not the drink itself. Where you are, what you’re feeling and who’s around tell us where the work needs to go.
You also learn simple self-hypnosis. It feels a little like a guided meditation, and the early evening is a good time to use it.
How hypnotherapy for alcohol works online
- A free 15-minute call
You tell me about your drinking and what you’ve tried. I ask a few safety questions and tell you honestly if this suits you. 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
The start of your 4-session program, up to 90 minutes. We look at when and why you drink, what you’ve already tried, and what you want instead. Then we set a goal together.
- Sessions by video and an audio to take home
Follow-up sessions run up to 60 minutes, spaced to suit you. You join from home. You need a quiet room, a reliable connection and a pair of headphones. If the video drops, I ring you back. After your sessions you receive an audio recording to listen to between appointments. You’ll learn simple self-hypnosis too, so progress doesn’t wait for the next session.
If you’ve looked for hypnosis to stop drinking near you, video removes the “near”. Hypnosis needs your attention, not my physical presence. And you’re in your own space, which is usually where the habit lives.
Not sure yet whether this is for you?That’s what the free call is for. Fifteen minutes, by phone, at a time that suits you.
What the research actually says
The research on hypnosis for alcohol is thin, and you deserve to know that. I’ve found only a handful of controlled trials of hypnosis for problem drinking. None I’ve seen shows hypnosis doing better than the approach it was compared with.
Australia’s national alcohol guidelines (Haber and colleagues, 2021) didn’t re-review hypnosis. An earlier edition had already judged it to have “little potential”. The Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel lists “a drug or alcohol problem” among the times hypnosis should be avoided.
The same guidelines give their strongest backing to brief counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. They also back the medicines acamprosate and naltrexone, and peer support such as Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery. Those come first. Hypnosis belongs beside them, never instead of them.
Is hypnosis for alcohol safe?
For most adults, yes. Hypnosis doesn’t involve medicine, and side effects are mild and short. You might feel a little drowsy or emotional afterwards.
The real risk with alcohol is stopping suddenly if you drink heavily every day. Withdrawal can bring seizures within hours of the last drink. Hypnotherapy is not a way to detox. Talk to your GP or the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline first.
It also isn’t the right place to start if you live with psychosis. The same goes for a severe mental health condition that isn’t being treated. Talk to your GP or treating clinician first. Keep seeing your GP, psychologist or therapist alongside our sessions.
What hypnotherapy for alcohol costs: $1,000
4-session program: $1,000
4-session program: $1,000 paid upfront (that’s $250 a session), or $300 per session as you go ($1,200 for all four).
- Paid upfront: $1,000. That’s $250 a session.
- Session by session: $300 each. $1,200 for all four.
- Your first session is the start of the program. You get an audio to take home, and simple self-hypnosis to use between sessions.
- 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
If you drink heavily every day, don’t stop suddenly on your ownAlcohol withdrawal can bring seizures within hours of the last drink and, less often, a delirium that can be life-threatening. Please talk to your GP first, or ring the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. They can help you stop safely, and your GP can talk to you about medication and counselling that have good evidence behind them. If going without a drink has ever left you shaky, sweaty or confused, tell them. Hypnotherapy can sit alongside that care. It is not a way to detox. In an emergency, call 000.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod. I’ve practised as a clinical hypnotherapist for fourteen years. I have an Adelaide practice and see clients right across Australia by video. Before that I spent twenty years as a software engineer and designer. That probably explains why I care more about what works than what sounds impressive.
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Fellow, ASCH
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
- Certified NLP Practitioner
What I’m not: hypnotherapy isn’t a registered profession in Australia, so I’m not AHPRA-registered and I’m not a psychologist. My ASCH Fellowship is voluntary. I also train other hypnotherapists. My courses on quitting smoking, vaping and gambling count as professional development (CPD), approved by the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association. More about me
Questions people ask about hypnotherapy for alcohol
Does hypnotherapy for alcohol work?
The honest answer is that the research is thin. The few controlled trials I’ve found don’t show hypnosis doing better than the approach it was compared with. Australia’s guidelines back counselling, CBT, medicines and peer support instead. Use this alongside those and your GP, for the habit side of drinking.
What is the success rate of hypnotherapy for alcohol?
I don’t quote one. Advertised success rates usually come from small studies, or from a practitioner’s own records that nobody else has checked. I’d rather point you to the published research, which is set out on this page with its sources.
Which therapy is most suitable for alcohol problems?
Australia’s guidelines give the strongest backing to brief counselling, CBT, two medicines and peer support groups. Your GP is the place to start. Hypnosis can be added alongside, never instead.
Can hypnosis help me drink less, or do I have to stop?
We set the goal together. Some people want fewer drinking days, and some want none. If your doctor has advised you to stop, that advice comes first.
Is hypnotherapy for alcoholism right for me if I’m dependent?
Not on its own. Dependence, sometimes called alcohol use disorder, needs a GP or a drug and alcohol service first. Stopping can be medically risky, and there are options with strong evidence. If your doctor is happy for you to add hypnotherapy, we can work alongside that.
Will I lose control?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes and stop at any point. Nothing can be made to happen that you don’t want, and that includes changing your drinking. The wanting has to be yours.
Does hypnotherapy work over video?
Yes. The work depends on your attention, and that travels well over a video call. Plenty of people find it easier to talk honestly about drinking from home.
How many hypnotherapy sessions will I need for my drinking?
The program is four sessions. We review progress as we go. If it’s clear you need a different kind of help, I’ll say so.
What if I slip back?
Tell me. A relapse shows us which moment still needs work, and we change the approach. If this isn’t right for you, I’ll point you towards what might be. Unused prepaid sessions stay yours for 12 months.
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.
Request a free consultationOr call 0427 218 092
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Where these numbers come from
Haber PS, Riordan BC (2021). Guidelines for the Treatment of Alcohol Problems: A Review of the Evidence. Prepared for the Australian Department of Health. alcoholtreatmentguidelines.com.au. Source of “little potential” and of withdrawal being potentially life-threatening if left untreated.
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 evidence.
Better Health Channel, Victorian Government. Hypnosis. betterhealth.vic.gov.au.
Canver BR, Gomez AE. Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. StatPearls, updated 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28722912. Source of seizures within hours and the risk of delirium.
healthdirect. Alcohol dependence (alcoholism). healthdirect.gov.au/alcoholism. Source of the withdrawal symptoms and the hotline number. I’ll always show you where a number came from.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It isn’t medical treatment, a diagnosis or a detox. It doesn’t replace your doctor or a drug and alcohol service. If you drink heavily, please speak to your GP before you change how much you drink. Last updated 9 October 2026.