Addiction Addiction can be to a behaviour (such as gambling) or to a substance (such as heroine, alcohol or cannabis).  I will concentrate of substance abuse here, and similar Broadly, it is useful to divide addictions into those which are physically addictive (i.e. ceasing using the substance produces physical withdrawal symptoms) and those which are psychologically addictive (i.e. withdrawal causes acute distress, and may lead to symptoms such as panic attacks, which are psychological in origin). Many have simply ceased using the drug, and gone through the withdrawal symptoms without pharmacological support. However, those who are addicted to the most addictive illicit drugs (called Class A drugs in British law) such as heroine or cocaine may be best advised to seek medical help to deal with the physical problems. The Class A drug to which addiction is probably most common is heroin and a brief information page about approaches to heroin addiction can be found by clicking here. Once the physical dependence on the drug has been addressed, there often remains a strong psychological addiction. The powerful nature of this should not be underestimated. There are many functions that the drug has been fulfilling for the recovering addict. These may include relaxing, having a treat or pleasure, forgetting painful memories, or boosting low self confidence, for example, and other ways of fulfilling these important functions may have been forgotten entirely, especially if the addiction is long standing. Experience is that the most effective treatment is usually based on enabling the recovering addict to discover and learn other ways to fulfil these functions. It is difficult to specify the time taken to achieve complete freedom from the psychological urge to return to the drug - this is often related to the length of time the client has been actively addicted. If a person is seeking help with an addiction simply to please others - a spouse, or parents, for example, the likelihood of success is limited. A successful outcome is far more likely if the addict is motivated to become free for his/her own benefit. Certainly, if a person has reached the point of wanting freedom from addiction enough to seek a therapist, the prognosis is usually good. SMOKING My experience is that if the problem is simple addiction to nicotine, hypnosis is not usually the treatment of choice. I advise enquirers first to buy the book by Alan Carr 'The Easiway to stop smoking'. If, having read and understood the book they are still smoking, the book includes details of Alan Carr Smoking Cessation Clinics. These appear to have a very high success rate. Alternatively, for further information, you may wish to visit the Alan Carr Smoking Cessation website, by clicking HERE If this is unsuccessful, you may wish to consult your doctor, as there are new medications developed in recent years that sbhow very high success rates indeed in the treatment of nicotine addiction. What is hypnosis? - for further information, please click here If you have found this website helpful, please take a moment to sign the guestbook, by clicking the link HERE - or you may wish to view the guestbook by clicking HERE Please click here to return to the home page.