Habits and addictions · Adelaide and online
Hypnotherapy for Alcohol in Adelaide
It began as one drink after work. Now it’s half a bottle on a Tuesday, and you want the choice back. Alcohol hypnotherapy in Adelaide with me works on the habit side of drinking, beside your GP. I’ll be straight with you about what hypnosis can and can’t do.
At a glance: a 4-session program. $1,000 in total when you pay upfront, or $1,200 if you pay as you go. By video anywhere in Australia, or in person in Adelaide by arrangement.
Or call 0427 218 092
A short phone chat, no obligation. I ring back within 24 hours. See what it costs
- 14 years in practice
- 4.6 ★ from 30 Google reviews
- ThreeBest Rated listing, Adelaide 2018 to 2026
- Fellow, ASCH
Ernest McLeod, clinical hypnotherapistAdelaide’s Hypno Coach since 2012, fourteen years in practice. Sessions by video anywhere in Australia, or in person by arrangement.
When your relationship with alcohol stops feeling like a choice
- You pour a glass before your keys hit the bench.
- Your “dry days” keep sliding to next week.
- A drink is the only way you know to switch off after work.
- Friday drinks turn into binge drinking, and Sunday is a write-off.
- You sleep badly after drinking and drag yourself through the morning.
- You’ve searched how to cut back late at night, more than once.
If a few of those ring true, read on. If you drink heavily or every day, please read the safety section first.
Where the urge to drink comes from
For many people, drinking runs on cues. Knock-off time. Cooking dinner. A tense phone call. A slow Sunday afternoon.
Each cue gets paired with a glass, again and again. In time the behaviour runs itself, and your hand moves before you’ve decided. These emotional triggers sit below conscious awareness. That’s why willpower on its own can run out by Thursday.
Stress, boredom or low mood can sit underneath. If anxiety and depression are part of it, tell your GP too.
How hypnosis helps you change your drinking habits
Hypnosis is a relaxed state of focused attention. You stay aware, you hear everything, and you can stop at any time. It isn’t sleep, and nobody takes over your mind.
In that state we work with the subconscious mind, the part that runs habits on autopilot. We go through your own cues, one at a time. Then we rehearse your evening the way you want it to go, with fewer drinks or none.
When a craving shows up, you’ll have a plan: notice it, breathe, and let it pass like a wave. We also build ways to unwind without a glass, like a walk or a few minutes of mindfulness.
The work carries on at home between sessions. You have a recording to play, and early evening, before the usual first drink, is a good time for it. I also teach you a quick self-calming routine, so you can settle a craving in a few minutes wherever you are.
Time Line Therapy, NLP and Symbology are some of the tools I’ve found useful. Where they fit, they help us look at the causes of your drinking and the thinking patterns behind it.
You choose the goal. Some of my clients want fewer drinking days. Others want to quit alcohol altogether. My job is to empower your choice, not make it for you.
How alcohol hypnotherapy works: video or Adelaide
The program is four sessions, and it starts with a free 15-minute phone call.
- Free phone call, 15 minutes
You tell me about your drinking. I ask a few safety questions, then tell you plainly if I think this fits. You can also ask me anything about hypnosis, like what it feels like or whether you stay in control.
- Your first session
We map when, where and why you drink, and what you’ve tried before. We agree on a goal, then make a start.
- Sessions two to four
Each one starts with how your week went. Then we work on the next trigger in trance and plan small changes in behaviour for the days ahead. You take a recording home and learn quick self-hypnosis. Early evening, before the usual first drink, is a good time to use it.
For video you need a quiet room, a steady connection and headphones. We use Google Meet. If the call drops, I ring you straight back. If you’d rather sit in the same room, we can arrange that.
Not sure yet?Ask me anything on a free call. If I think another kind of help would suit you better, I’ll say so.
Or call 0427 218 092
What the research says about hypnosis for alcohol
The research on hypnosis for problem drinking is thin. Only a few controlled trials exist. None I’ve read shows hypnosis doing better than the approach it was compared with.
Australia’s 2021 guidelines for alcohol problems didn’t review hypnosis again. An earlier edition had judged it to have “little potential”. The Victorian Government’s Better Health Channel says to avoid hypnosis where there is “a drug or alcohol problem”.
The guidelines give their strongest backing to brief counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. Also to the medicines acamprosate and naltrexone, which come from your doctor. And to peer groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery. Hypnotherapy can sit beside those, alongside your care, not instead of it.
Is hypnotherapy for alcohol safe?
For most adults, yes. No medicine is involved. You might feel a little drowsy or emotional for a short while afterwards.
Stopping alcohol is a different matter. If you drink heavily or every day, talk to your GP before you cut down. Alcohol withdrawal can cause seizures within hours of the last drink. Less often, it causes a delirium that can be life-threatening. If going without a drink has ever left you shaky, sweaty or confused, tell your GP.
Hypnotherapy is not a detox, and it isn’t medical care for alcohol dependency. It works alongside medical care, never instead of it. If you live with psychosis, or a serious mental illness without support yet, see your GP first. Keep seeing your GP while we work.
What alcohol hypnotherapy costs in Adelaide: $1,000
One session at a time is $300. Most people take the four-session program: $1,000 paid at the start, which is $250 a session and $200 less than paying as you go ($1,200).
Most people choose: the 4-session program, $1,000 in total
- That covers a 90-minute first session and three 60-minute sessions, by video or in person in Adelaide, with a recording to keep after each one, a follow-up from me and 12 months of support.
- Prepaid sessions last 12 months. If you do not need them all, use them for another issue or give them to someone you know.
- Card or bank transfer, no surcharge. Prices in Australian dollars, no GST. Not covered by Medicare; some health fund extras pay a small benefit, so check with your fund.
You work with me, Ernest McLeod, start to finish: 14 years in practice and a Fellow of the Australian Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists.
Book my free 15-minute callOr call 0427 218 092
Heavy or daily drinker? Talk to your GP firstYour GP can help you cut down safely, manage any withdrawal symptoms, and talk about counselling and medicines. For free, confidential advice, call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015. Hypnotherapy can sit beside that care. In an emergency, call 000.
Who you’ll be working with
I’m Ernest McLeod, The Hypno Coach since 2012, with fourteen years in practice. My training includes hypnotherapy and psychotherapy classes at the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy, plus NLP and Time Line Therapy.
I grew up near Vienna and have called this city home since 1991. Before hypnotherapy I spent twenty years writing software. Many clients now see me by video, wherever they live in Australia.
- Fellow, ASCH
- Certified NLP Practitioner
- Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
- Trainer: AHA-approved CPD courses
A plain word on what I’m not. Hypnotherapy isn’t a registered health profession here, so I’m not AHPRA-registered, and I’m not a psychologist. My memberships are voluntary. I also teach other hypnotherapists. The Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association has approved my smoking, vaping and gambling cessation courses for professional development (CPD). Read my story
What clients have said
“The second session was so easy to slip into hypnotic state. I was so relaxed! Very Positive”
JH, alcohol
“Great relaxation process. Wonderful voice to listen to with emphasis that suits my requirements. Feel wonderful at the end.”
CS
Written by clients after sessions with Ernest in Adelaide, shared with their written permission. Individual experiences vary. Read the Google reviews.
Questions about alcohol hypnotherapy in Adelaide
These are the questions that come up on the free 15-minute call.
Does hypnotherapy really work for alcohol?
It can help some people change a drinking habit, but the evidence is thin, as the research section shows. That’s why alcohol hypnotherapy with me runs beside your GP and other support. Clients often say they feel calmer afterwards. That’s welcome, but it isn’t a success rate.
What’s the success rate for alcohol hypnotherapy?
I don’t quote one. The few trials are small and don’t show this approach beating other help. Any figure would mislead you. We track your own measures instead, like dry days each week.
Can you be hypnotised to stop drinking alcohol?
Not against your will. Hypnosis can’t switch off a wish to drink that you still hold. It can help you rehearse a different evening while you’re calm and focused. The choice stays yours.
Can I still drink socially, or do I have to give up?
You set the goal, unless your doctor already has. Some want a couple of drinks with friends, then home. Others want full sobriety. If your GP says to stop altogether, their advice comes first.
How many sessions will it take to cut down or stop drinking?
The program is four sessions. That’s time to work through your main triggers. If I think you need a different kind of help, I’ll tell you.
Is hypnotherapy a detox for alcohol dependence?
No. If your body depends on alcohol, coming off it is medical care. That means your GP or a drug and alcohol service. Hypnotherapy can be added if your doctor agrees.
What are the four stages of alcoholism?
You’ll find “four stages” lists online, and they come from older ideas about drinking. They aren’t how your GP will assess you. What matters more is how severe any dependence is, because that shapes the safest way to stop.
How much does a hypnotherapy session cost in Adelaide?
With me, a single session is $300. The alcohol program is four sessions: $1,000 upfront, or $1,200 if you pay as you go.
Could hypnosis make me do something I don’t want to?
No. You hear everything, you remember it, and you can open your eyes whenever you like.
Is video as good as seeing you in person?
For this work, what counts is your attention, and a screen doesn’t block that. If you’d like to meet in person, ask on the call.
Is it covered by Medicare?
No, and you don’t need a GP referral to book an appointment with me. Some health funds pay a little back under extras, so check with yours.
What if I slip, or it isn’t helping?
Tell me. A slip is something to learn from. If hypnotherapy isn’t right for you, I’ll say so and suggest where to go next. Unused prepaid sessions stay yours for 12 months.
Let’s have a chat
Leave your number and I’ll call within 24 hours. It’s free, and there’s no pressure to book.
Book a free 15-minute callOr call 0427 218 092
Or email info@thehypnocoach.org
Related
- Habits and addictionsEvery habit I help with.
- Gambling hypnotherapyWhen betting is taking more than your money.
- Drug addiction hypnotherapyExtra support beside your doctor and local services.
- Quit smoking hypnotherapy3 Steps to a Smoke Free Life.
- The Hypno Coach homeErnest McLeod’s practice, by video or in person.
Free and confidential. Tap to call.
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, treatment depending on how severe dependence is, and the hotline number.
Hypnotherapy is a complementary therapy. It is not medical care, a diagnosis, a detox or a stand-in for your doctor or a drug and alcohol service. If you drink heavily, see your GP before you change how much you drink. Sessions are for adults 18 and over. Last updated 7 October 2026.