Alcohol Help

Who becomes an alcoholic?

2010-01-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Potentially anyone who drinks alcohol regularly over a period of time can become an alcoholic.

I have treated people from all walks of life both men and women who are verging on losing control of their lives if their alcohol consumption continues or increases even just a small amount. I believe there is a huge number of people who are muddling through on a day to day basis living on the edge. In the UK alcohol is so ingrained into the very core of society that to admit you don't drink is more of a social taboo than admitting your drinking is out of control. So much humour and conversations are based around peoples drinking antics that many people can't imagine life without a drink.

Most people cover up their alcohol intake very well as it is done in the privacy of their own home. I help clients take control of alcohol from every sector of the work place offering solutions for their addiction. Whilst many people find alcoholics anonymous is very rewarding other people find it is just not the right thing for them. My clients prefer the privacy of a hypnotherapy session where they can air their alcohol concerns in my clinic. The hypnotherapy treatment helps them to get back in control reducing down to a safe level although many decide to give up altogether as they begin to see the benefits of not drinking. I discuss with clients what their goals are and then work with the hypnotherapy techniques reducing down the alcohol to a safe level for them. This is done over several sessions and some clients come back for top up sessions over a period of several months until they feel they are able to go it alone. Most clients I see come for 2-4 sessions. My goal is to move each client forward as quickly as I can teaching them follow up tools for them to use in the future. Life is a continual journey so the important thing is to keep on top of life before it gets on top of you. There are always gong to be things to deal with along the way but regular hypnotherapy Cd's are a good way of doing self hypnosis at home to keep on track.

Teenagers and young adults are under increasing pressure with school work, exams and are constantly being bombarded with unrealistic body images. As alcohol has become more readily available young adults are drinking even more than previous generations meaning this drinking habit is being heavily programmed into their minds. While it all seems fun and a bit of a laugh it won't seem so funny when they reach a mid life crisis in their thirties or forties and realise they are alcohol dependant as so many people are. My answer is not to condone the misuse of alcohol by the young or infact anyone for that matter but to offer a solution. I believe the solution begins with how kids feel about themselves at school. I have never met anyone who didn't feel some confidence issue during their school days whether it be not feeling clever enough, not pretty enough or not good enough at football no one got through school without at least one negative incident and many remember their schools days as being imprisoned. I really believe confidence building and relaxation techniques should be taught in school. If a child doesn't learn to cope with life in school they will go out into the world without the skills they need. A child who is bullied at school maybe bullied in the work place something I see over and over, many will not reach their true potential

I would like to see children getting the best start learning to be like a family at school and looking out for each other all encouraging each others achievements and accepting everyone is special and has something to offer. I don't think education should be so focused on academic or sporting achievements but more on all round achievements more like scouts or girl guides. Young adults should come out of education as well rounded adults able to cook, clean, take care of themselves, able to form relationships with confidence and the knowledge that relaxation is important as well as strive forward. Vocational courses should be offered to those who will otherwise come out with nothing as schooling can so often be a watse of time for many. If children were told about the jobs at an early age they may have the motivation to strive to acheiev the grades they require to acheieve this goal. They might see the relevance in what they are learning.

Prevention is the way forward to help youngster avoid the pitfalls and misery that so many people currently face who are trying to beat the booze.

If you are currently facing issues related to alcohol i have a simple exercise for you to try. See a cartoon figure in your mind that represents your alcohol issues. Visualise the character and then reduce this character down in size until it is so small it is the size of a speck of dust.. repeat this exercise everytime you think about alcohol. This tells the alcohol character that you are in control not the alcohol. This is one step in the right direction.

Best wishes Ailsa frank

For more information visit my website www.hypnobalance.co.uk or visit www.amazon.co.uk to order a 'Take control of alcohol' hypnotherapy CD

Boarding School a Root into Alcohol ?

2010-01-10T04:21:00.000-08:00

Over the time I have been helping clients with alcohol reduction I have seen quite a number who had bad experiences during their years spent at boarding school. Most clients brush it off as nothing or are unaware that any of these experiences had a lasting effect on their adult life but during the treatment some will remember the way they really felt about it and will then realise how vunerable they had really been. Once they have dealt with the bad feelings during the session they will be ready to let go of some of the alcohol too. The alcohol is always a symptom of how you are really feeling. Your true feelings are buried deep so most drinkers cannot see the connection between their past and their drinking habits today.

The most common situations I have come across in ex-boarders includes the feeling of being abandoned when they were dropped off, not being heard by their parents that they were unhappy, bullying from other students, feelings of isolation, not feeling good enough, emotional or physical abuse of staff and feelings of being left out and pushed out of the family.

Parents often think it is character building to send a child to boarding school but infact it can cause a whole load of issues for the future. Drinking alcohol is often a big part of boarding school life and this habit begins to be programmed into the mind of the young adult which they will then carry into adult life.

People who attended boarding school themselves often go onto to send their own children there despite having had dislikes of the experience. They convince themselves that it did them some good, phrases I hear from clients over and over is parents told them " It didn't do me any harm, you just need to get on with it like I did." or "It is difficult to start with but you'll get use to it." When in reality their parent had felt the same desperate feelings but buried them so deep they had forgotten how they really felt.

Every experience we have shapes us and for many people boarding school can be a real trauma which lasts for many years. Alcohol at boarding school can be a way of switching off from stress or drinking for the sake of it as pupils are stuck in school seven days per week with little family contact or support. Drinking regularly becomes normal as most other pupils are doing it and it is the only life the teenager knows. This level of drinking will be totally acceptable in their subconscious mind and could lead to continued excess drinking as a result or increased alcohol in their thirties or forties due to undealt with school issues and poor life choices they made as a result of their boarding days.

A few months ago my husband and I were walking our dog down a country lane which runs along side a local girls boarding school. A group of teenage pupils came running up to us to pet the dog, several of them were upset as our dog reminded them of their own pets who they had not seen for sometime. One girl told us how she wouldn't be seeing her dog for six months as she and her family were away over the summer break and as her parents were on a round the world trip to celebrate a big birthday they would not be back until the Christmas holiday. The girl would not be going home for the half term break to see either her parents or the dog. She was heart broken as she told us the tale. Another girl suggested they ask the headmistress if the school could get a dog which everyone could share but then they dismissed this as impractical. I am sure if the parents were really fully aware of their daughters grief they might reconsider the suitability of this choice of education. A parents career may be a factor in sending a child to boarding school but children sense everything and are fully aware that work is the priority not them.

In the bridle path to the side of the school I have met many a dog walker complaining about the litter left by the girls including piles of cigarette butts, crumpled cigarette packets, empty wine bottles and beer cans. One man told me he had complained to the headmistress several times. She had responded by saying the school would pick up the litter at the end of each half term. He was thinking the school would have a word with the girls teaching them to pick up their own mess and he was shocked by the heads response. Sure enough as informed the litter was gathered at the end of each term but the locals still complained they had to watch the litter build up in the preceding weeks. Maybe it was a difficult subject to broach with the girls could you imagine the Headmistress making an announcement to the school in assembly "could you please pick up your litter when you have finished drinking and smoking." Imagine the girls telling their parents " we were told to pick up our cigarette litter and wine bottles." It might not be the sort of reputation the school was trying to portray to the parents!

I did approach a local boarding school about how my hypnotherapy services could help pupils with issues relating to be a boarder including exam stress. I was told by the head that they had this area all covered as they had a lady at the school who lights lavender candles for the pupils before they go into exams to make them calm. While it might be very pleasant and a very small step in the right direction I feel in reality it is as good as useless and a bit of a worry for any parent leaving their children in the capable hands of these people! Twenty years from now the alcohol will tell the true story of how these young people really were affected by their education.

My advise would be if you have children at boarding school or are considering sending them make sure it is what they really want. Listen to what they tell you and really hear what they say. Don't convince them with reassuring words to make yourself feel better but act on what is really best for them not what you think is best.

All the best
Ailsa Frank

For more information visit my website www.hypnobalance.co.uk or visit www.amazon.co.uk to order a 'Take control of alcohol' hypnotherapy CD

New Year New Start

2010-01-08T04:25:00.000-08:00

By the time the Christmas and New Year drinking comes to a close most people have had enough alcohol to last a life time. The effects of the festive season leaves most people bloated and broke and January can be a depressing time. Here in the UK over the past couple of weeks we have had an unexpected blanket of snow which has brought the country to a stand still, this may temporarily take peoples minds of their real worries but when the frost melts away many will be back to the grind and routine of daily living, it is then that the reality of their alcohol consumption will set in again. Then the bottles for recycling will no longer be disguised amoungst the christmas waste.

January always sees an increase in people seeking advise for divorce and I am sure alcohol plays a big part in this. I have many clients whose relationships are at breaking point due to their own drinking or the drinking of a loved one.

I am lucky enough to do a job which I love, helping people to take back control of alcohol, their lives, emotions and relationships. Many clients tell me how although they originally came to me for hypnotherapy to reduce alcohol so many things have changed including improvements to their relationships.

So my New Years message to you is how ever you are affected by alcohol set your self a new years resolution of finding the solutions to beat it as there is help out there. You are an individual and you will find what works for you. It may be a combination of changes that need to take place so keep focused and always be grateful for the improvements along the way.

Your mind is a powerful tool and over time you have programmed yourself to drink alcohol, hypnotherapy helps you change this habit. I have never met a person who doesn't have a least one thing they need to let go of in order to let go of alcohol, either a hurt from the past, low self esteem from school days or maybe work stress.

My 'Take Control of alcohol' hypnotherapy CD is designed to help you release things through a series of exercises and release cravings thus helping you get back on track.

Good luck. I know you will find what you need. You just need to listen to your instinct, if you see a book that you have a good feeling about it 'Buy it' even if you only take one good thing from it it will put you on the right track. If you see a course you feel might help 'Go for it' you never know who you might meet or what you might learn.

Happy New Year
until the next post
Ailsa Frank

For more information visit my website www.hypnobalance.co.uk or visit www.amazon.co.uk to order a 'Take control of alcohol' hypnotherapy CD