Hypnosis for Sobriety and the Sober Curious
Alcohol has been a prominent part of society for millennia. We use it to “let go,” relax, soothe ourselves at the end of a work day, bond with acquaintances, enjoy an evening with friends, and enhance the enjoyment of a good meal. But it can be easy to let recreational use of alcohol slip out of our control.
Can hypnosis really help people get sober, stay sober, or moderate their alcohol intake?
Hypnosis can make it much more effortless to get a handle on drinking. Whether you’re sober curious, or have made the decision to part ways with alcohol, here’s how hypnosis can help.
The ability to change our mental state is a good thing — it can help us regulate our mood and relieve stress, and get through periods of adversity.
But drinking more and more has well-known consequences even before reaching a position of physical dependency: loss of impulse control, dangerous driving, impaired judgment and thinking, and more. Some can do serious harm to their brains, bodies, loved ones, and others with alcohol at their disposal.
There are other reasons to want to manage one’s relationship with alcohol — as simple as the desire to sleep better or sharpen focus and performance. For those who are looking for a tool to help them cut back on drinking, getting clear on where their limit is can make all the difference.
How can hypnosis help?
Hypnosis is one of the most effective methods for quitting addictive substances like tobacco, opioids, and alcohol. It is a safe, symptom-free, non-intrusive technique that anyone can do. Anytime, anywhere. It’s clinically-validated, and all it requires is a few moments of your focus.
Ways of using hypnosis include:
Changing your state of mind in a way that can be enjoyable but not addicting. Try self-hypnosis to do this across a number of different scenarios. Reveri has exercises to help you destress after work, fall asleep, manage anxiety, lower your blood pressure, reduce your heart rate, and more.
Learning that the issue is not the urge itself. We all have urges we don’t act on because we don’t want the consequences they will bring. It’s OK to experience urges— there are tools available to help you manage those. Surf the waves of your emotions rather than fight and resist. Learn to live with your feelings, while living without alcohol.
Focusing on your commitment to respect and protect your body.
Using Reveri’s self-hypnosis when your brain is free of alcohol to enjoy a safe and effective change in mental state, feel better, and purge the urge.
How exactly does hypnosis work?
Reveri is a self-hypnosis app designed by Dr. David Spiegel, Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford School of Medicine. It is based on his lifetime of clinical and research experience. In his practice, Dr. Spiegel has helped more than 7,000 people overcome severe challenges using self-hypnosis. Today, Reveri helps tens of thousands of people do the same.
Dr. Spiegel’s core philosophy is to Focus on what you’re for, rather than what you’re against. This simple but powerful principle is embedded in all Reveri exercises. The more you practice with Reveri, the more you learn to focus on what you are for — respecting and protecting your mind and body.
Using Reveri to quit or cut back on drinking:
When you join Reveri, you get unlimited access to all sessions designed by Dr. Spiegel. You can use the app interactively, which is like being in his clinic with him. You can take his clinically-validated hypnotizability test to learn your hypnotizability profile and unique brain style. Then, he will provide you personalized advice on how to use Reveri based on your profile.
You can select the goal to Quit Alcohol, and your Reveri Home will be curated with sessions to help you achieve that. Even if you just want to cut back on drinking rather than quit altogether, Reveri has exercises for you. Try selecting Tackle a Habit → Control Any Habit in the app to moderate your alcohol use.
We are here to support you in whatever it is that you want to achieve. Whether that’s reducing your alcohol intake or becoming completely sober, we are here for you.
One last important reminder:
Reveri is created by a licensed medical doctor and leading clinical psychiatrist. Still, if you experience physical withdrawal symptoms from alcohol, please see a healthcare provider in person who can help you wean off alcohol safely. Reveri can be used in parallel to your in-person treatment, and it can drastically improve your experience with getting sober, making it both easier and more enjoyable.
Many Reveri members experience the benefits of self-hypnosis after a single 10-minute session.
Additional resources to help you take control of alcohol:
Reveri clubhouse: Quit A Habit to connect with the Reveri Community about your journey to sobriety or alcohol control.
Quit Any Habit with Dr. David Spiegel free webinar where a Stanford psychiatrist teaches you to control ANY habit.
Saturn Returns Podcast about calm and clarity in times of transition. Live conversation with Dr. Spiegel coming soon!
Stop Drinking Reddit for peer-to-peer support on quitting alcohol in a safe way.