Using NLP As Your No. 1 Tool To Help You Quit Drinking

I never thought that I could get stuck in a cycle of drinking until I tried and failed to cut down countless times and realised that actually, I had a bit of a problem. Developing a drinking habit crept up on me. And more often than not, it’s the same for my clients. There’s no sudden ‘rock-bottom’, just a gradual realisation that something’s not quite right.

Alcohol is a tricky little molecule. It’s widely used and an ‘acceptable’ drug, yet it’s highly addictive and it’s the same stuff that you put in your petrol tank or use as hand sanitiser. It’s a toxin!

It’s great to be exercising, meditating and avoiding sugar, but if your day is always rounded off by a drink to ‘help you relax or sleep’, then in the long run you’re kidding yourself about your wellbeing.

It’s not about using willpower alone

Your subconscious mind is incredibly powerful, running 95% of everything that you do and think! The conscious part of you is the tiny 5% riding on top! So, using only your rational mind to quit drinking doesn’t work for long. This is when NLP tools and techniques are fundamental in getting your subconscious onboard.

NLP can help you to understand and change your way of thinking, being around drinking and updating your strategies associated with your environment through to how you identify as a drinker.

Aligning the Conflicting Parts

My clients often say, “I know I drink too much but it makes me relax”, or “I know I should have a break but part of me thinks I won’t sleep if I don’t,”. There’s so much incongruence in these statements.

This inner conflict comes from the part of the subconscious that wants to protect you. It loves routine and stability and will do anything to avoid making a change - enter ‘the wine witch’, that voice that tells you ‘I know it’s Monday but just one won’t hurt...’ 

This is when an NLP Parts Integration exercise can bring alignment back to the client. By gently discussing the intentions and strengths of the conflicting parts, one client lost her worry of being unable to socialise and has happily quit knowing that she’s healthier and still able to have fun.

NLP is a catalyst for change.

There are many more ways NLP can help, from using Presuppositions to help identify more choices, to unblocking old beliefs.

Whilst there isn’t one solution that fits all, NLP is a truly valuable and effective catalyst for changing your relationship with alcohol.