Cornelius Counselling Addiction Drugs Alcohol Tobacco Cannabis Cocaine

Why anxiety is often the root cause of addiction

Most of us experience events in our lives at some time that are triggers for emotion and can transform into acute stress and the development of anxiety. Everyday events, the fast pace of life today, with technology making more and more demands on our time, become catalysts that grip the nervous system and strain the digestion through the impulses being connected to the solar plexus.

Anxiety is characterised as a sense of helplessness in the face of negative emotions stemming from a lack of control of life events.

The problem is the way it develops into a more complex condition that compounds the initial tension and uncomfortable feelings.  There can be an uncontrollable urge to prevent experiencing some recurring negative event.  Attempts to avoid the anxiety becomes more intense and pronounced.

Many find it to be constricting, all consuming emotion that can be paralysing leading to a strong sense of vulnerability through a burgeoning sense of threat or danger.  The strategy in finding a way out to alleviate it, and the various solutions open to society can themselves be further paralysing and restrictive actions, removing natural cognitive patterns and behaviours.  This is all counter productive in an individual’s right for peace and happiness.

The paralysing grip of anesthetising substances

What I am leading up to is the paralysing grip of anesthetising substances that may initially appear to be a manageable solution, but soon take control of your life. In this section I have discussed four of the main substances leading to addiction that stem from anxiety, stress, anger, which may be related to the workplace, relationships, partnerships, adverse childhood experiences and which constitute the main focus of my practice. Perhaps I can help YOU?

Perhaps You Need Help?

The four key addictions I deal with are listed below however there are others. Click on the relevant photo below or scroll down the page for further information on each issue. Or get in touch with me via the contact page, phone or email.

Drug Addiction – Cannabis and Cocaine

Using drugs such as cannabis and cocaine can start out as a dare in school and feel grown up, or it can be a pressure to be part of a social group that escalates and at the same time debilitates the user.

It becomes the friend in times of trouble and emotional trauma but has an underlying power and control over the will of the user. The problem is that it moves from a comfort to a nightmare and we see cases of drug related crimes and deteriorating relationships, inability to carry on working, unexpected car accidents, mental fatigue and inability to cope.

Consumption of cannabis has grown substantially beyond even cocaine particularly in the West

World Health Organisation

Statistics from WHO tell us that consumption of cannabis has grown substantially beyond even cocaine, particularly in the West. Similar to tobacco, it may be affordable, but has devastating side effects over the long term. Constant use, over a number of years can cause illnesses such as lung disease and bronchitis, leading to pneumonia as well as trachea.

Alcohol Related Problems and Dependence

Alcohol is a powerful and potentially destructive substance, but it has been widely accepted throughout the world for centuries. It is easily produced and more widely available than a great many other substances whose effect on mood, perception and behavior are regarded with fear. The use of alcohol in a negative way is an issue that impacts on all walks of life in our society today. Unfortunately, it is no longer just the domain of alcoholics but reaches from suburban housewives, young adults to city professionals, and many are using or misusing alcohol to cope with the stress of modern living.

The Department of Health provides statistics showing that there were over a million alcohol related admissions to hospital in 2009/10 which increased from 12% in 2008/9. The NHS and Department of Health recommend the following :

– Men should not regularly drink more than three to four units of alcohol a day; and
– Women should not regularly drink more than two to three units per day.

Most people who have alcohol-related health problems are not alcoholics; they just drink more than the recommended level over a long period of time. Most people who become addicted to alcohol start by drinking socially, but quickly learn that alcohol provides some relief from the stress and pressure of daily living. Society today is changing and now we see binge drinking escalating in our young adults. This, of course, can be responsible for health problems later in life such as cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, cancer and heart attacks. High levels of alcohol consumption can also be responsible for poor sleep patterns. At these high levels of consumption you are likely to develop aggressive mood swings and altered behaviour which may cause distress and damage to family relationships.

Having lived in a relationship with an alcohol dependent partner, I experienced the reality of its destructive influence on my daily living and the effect on those in the immediate environment.  Life was a rollercoaster with its inevitable negative influences –  this past experience has given me the resolve to focus on helping those in this situation with the help of counselling and hypnotherapy which is very therapeutic and successful for those who genuinely wish to bring change to their lives.  This process helps those who have already stopped the dependence to continue on the road to recovery and as a teetotaler.

A major risk is that you will become an alcoholic – a drinker trapped by your need to keep drinking. A large percentage of the world’s population is dependent on alcohol and disabled by drinking, and this ranks among the world’s major public health problems.

Hypnotherapy and counselling represent very positive ways forward in seeking to control your consumption or change behaviour, as well as help and support for family members who have to cope with alcoholic behaviour.

I offer a free consultation to anyone wishing to find out more about the healing benefits of hypnotherapy, so please do not hesitate to contact me.

Tobacco, Cigarettes, Roll-ups and Cigars

Millions of people have a habit that is so well ingrained that it almost seems as if it is a reflex action – smoking has its own form of satisfaction. Do you light up the first cigarette each morning when you get up? From then on it’s a cigarette every half hour, perhaps a pack and a half a day?

You may have forgotten the original reason why you started this habit, or found it started with no apparent reason?

Now that you feel you want to end the habit, you have felt it is more or less impossible. All the convincing health data and scare tactics of the media don’t seem to influence you.

With the price of cigarettes rising to almost £10 and over for some brands due to recent consecutive budget increases, why not consider hypnosis to help you stop? If you want to change your behavior you must recognize the reason or reasons why you smoke and this cause lies in your subconscious.

I am able to help you stop smoking in one session of one-and-half hours and recommend a further session to reinforce this treatment. The technique that I use is that of the London College of Clinical Hypnosis which has proven success in smoking cession.

Success will differ according to the individual. It is necessary to realize that not everyone responds to hypnosis and if the need to cease smoking is not absolute, then it may influence your success.

I offer a free consultation to anyone wishing to find out more about the healing benefits of hypnotherapy, so please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many Reasons For Dependence

Those individuals I have been able to help have found the difficulties associated with giving up a habit – the numerous reasons why they maintained the habit range from some of the following:

  • A childhood habit that becomes a way of life
  • Social acceptance in groups or companionships
  • Boredom and lack of motivation
  • Dis-functional marital relations – a way to cope – feeling trapped
  • Overwhelming responsibilities from broken relationships and children to support
  • Parents divorced when children were young
  • Parental addiction and abuse

These issues can lead to insecurities through life.

My Clients Driven To Change

From these points we see a pattern but deep down, those clients I see genuinely want to stop the habit and change their life. I try to help them see that in order to stop, we need to deal with the underlying reasons that keep the habit in control. So, whilst having a hypnotherapy treatment will immediately remove the desire to use the drug (I emphasise that it must be the recipient’s genuine wish to stop) it is important to understand what issues motivate it need to be addressed.

“The genuine excitement I experience in a recovering user is wonderful to see, as they find their life changing for the better.”

Mary White

The genuine excitement I experience in a recovering user is wonderful to see, as they find their life changing for the better, and realise they can be who they want to be without it. It may mean dealing with that dis-functional relationship and having the courage to move on – nothing lasts forever and people change over time – what may have worked in the beginning may not work today.

The Impact of COVID 19

Being forced into an environment through lockdown that is toxic, and possibly abusive can lead to acute anxiety

Another issue is the past year of Covid19 and the pandemic that still rages in the world, and how this has changed not only our lives but the whole world. Being forced into an environment through lockdown that is toxic, and  possibly abusive can lead to acute anxiety and a feeling of not knowing how to cope or see the way out, or the way forward for the future.

Some of the most stressful experiences are hidden within relationship breakdown and divorce, death of a loved one, losing or changing jobs and having to move home.

Other relationship experiences that can manifest and affect self-esteem are bullying by partners, colleagues and/or family members creating guilt issues.

The relief from anxiety can be the key to unlocking the solutions

Talking through serious issues such as these can help to find a way through and out of a situation, or to understand and release negative emotion; things may not be as bad as they seem when faced alone. The relief from anxiety can be the key to unlocking the solutions.

Hypnotherapy and Meditation Solutions

Using hypnotherapy as meditation will help individuals to see that they hold the key within themselves and this inner wisdom needs to be allowed to surface and to guide them on their journey of recovery and leave the fog of negative thoughts and habits in the past. There may be some immediate discomfort – withdrawal, struggling to eat normally, moodiness for a while, but consider the bliss of that freedom when the anxiety and addiction disintegrates.

First Light of a New Dawn

Allowing that inner light of positivity to shine through in the meditative hypnogogic state will change your life.

First light of a positive new life beyond anxiety and addiction using hypnotherapy and meditation

For more information contact:

MARY WHITE
Cornelius Counselling & Hypnotherapy
marywhite@corneliuscounselling.co.uk
01732 822 172 or 07990 981 004