Stopping GHB addiction with hypnosis

Edwin Selij
November 21, 2017

Most people think of drug addiction as a drug that gives you energy for parties, but downers can be just as popular. The most popular (and dangerous) downer is GHB. GHB is the abbreviation for gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. This little substance occurs naturally in our bodies, which is precisely why it is popular because how do you prove use? In the process, it is also used as a narcotic and sometimes even for people with insomnia.

However, are you not undergoing surgery and not suffering from insomnia according to a doctor? Then it's best to stop using GHB.

What is GHB?

GHB, then, is a drug with a high probability of "passing out." Therefore, it is also used by malicious people as a drug of dryness to then do something to someone. It is therefore also called the "date rape" drug.

In some cases, you may also suffer from amnesia, which means you can't remember what you did while under the influence (or what happened to you).

The GHB is often a liquid drug, but it can also be made in powder form. It usually uses lye water, sink plunger and GBL (an industrial detergent). This also often makes GHB more toxic if you buy this drug from a dealer and therefore not prescribed by a doctor (then it also has a different name).

GHB is easy to overdose, especially with all the other toxins added during its manufacture. Because it is difficult to find in the body, doctors sometimes cannot do much to prevent death after an overdose. Do you have a friend who has overdosed? If so, always tell the ambulance personnel. They can then provide appropriate treatment to prevent the worst-case scenario.

Effects of GHB

GHB has a number of positive effects that can explain addiction to GHB. You can get a euphoric feeling, increased sex drive and a sense of calm.

However, there are downsides that are cited by nearly 70% of users. That's 7 out of 10 GHB users who experience negative effects, namely:

  • Excessive sweating
  • Unconsciousness
  • Nausea
  • Hallucinations of sounds and/or images
  • Headache
  • Surrender
  • Fatigue
  • Talking like you're drunk
  • Memory Loss
  • Confusion
  • Clumsiness

So by itself, this is not a substance that you can become directly addicted to, like heroin, but if used repeatedly, you can become addicted to GHB.

Why do you get addicted to GHB?

GHB is therefore addictive if you use it repeatedly, much like alcohol. Over time, the body becomes addicted to it. However, this does not fully explain why someone becomes addicted to GHB, since they are still able to stop at the beginning.

Tom Waits once said "Reality is for people who can't handle drugs."

The reverse is unfortunately also true a drug addiction is often something for people who cannot handle reality. There is often something going on in the GHB addict's life that he wants to escape from.

In some cases, this involves severe insomnia.

In most cases, these are other issues, such as debt, insecurity, or unresolved trauma.

The numb feeling that GHB then gives is the ultimate way to escape from your own problems and have some peace of mind.

In the process, drug use is often a group event. It is social and something you do with friends. Social factors therefore often play an important role when starting with GHB, such as peer pressure.

Is rehab dangerous?

Rehab from GHB is difficult. This is because you may experience withdrawal symptoms. These can last from 3 to 12 days. So some people need a long time to not give in to the urge to use GHB.

The withdrawal symptoms include:

  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
  • Vibrations
  • Sweat

Getting off GHB

However, withdrawal from GHB does not have to be dangerous, but it can be. If you use it only recreationally and especially find that you can't stay off it during parties, you can be treated at home to permanently quit GHB.

However, do you use GHB daily? Then the withdrawal symptoms can be severe, and then you are also more likely to suffer long-term withdrawal symptoms. In that case, guidance from a physician is wise.

Therefore, always consult with your doctor about the right approach if you want to stop using GHB. He can refer you to specialists in this field.

Hypnosis and GHB

During rehab, we work on more than just the physical factors of rehab. Problems that you have escaped during addiction must also be addressed. Because of this, the addiction can put a lot on you at once when you get sober again.

In fact, relapse into addiction is relatively common (2 to 5 times more common than other drugs), which is why it is important to resolve underlying issues that may have led to the addiction.

This is often done with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), neuro linguistic programming (NLP) and that in combination with hypnosis. In fact, hypnosis enhances the effects of CBT.

Tracing the cause of GHB addiction

Initially, it is important to identify the cause of GHB addiction. Was it repeated participation with friends because of peer pressure? Or were you participating now because you were eager to escape other feelings or thoughts?

Both include follow-up steps, such as steps to help you with:

  • Ignoring peer pressure
  • Managing emotions better
  • Trauma processing

Ignoring peer pressure

Especially if you have not yet passed your 20s, it is sometimes difficult to resist peer pressure. You want to "fit in with the group," even if it means doing things that don't actually feel right.

The real question, then, is why you find it difficult to ignore peer pressure. This depends on the beliefs you hold about the group and about yourself. For many people, this has to do with self-confidence. If this is the case, hypnotherapy can help improve self-confidence in several ways.

This is done through hypnotic suggestions that you can also repeat during self-hypnosis, such as:

"I don't have to prove myself to anyone."

"I decide which group I want to belong to, which is not automatically the group I've been hanging out with for years."

In addition, you will also get tools to remove yourself from situations where there is a high likelihood of encountering GHB.

For example, you can receive a guided visualization in which you see and experience yourself walking away when someone at a party suddenly pulls out a small bottle of liquid to turn the party into a drug party. The advantage of this type of visualization is that it significantly increases the likelihood that you’ll simply walk away without feeling guilty toward the people at the party.

Because you have "experienced" leaving before, it becomes easier to actually leave.

Managing emotions better

Emotions play a vital role in our survival. Generally speaking, we want to get rid of unpleasant emotions by removing the cause of those emotions. For example, you don’t have enough money, which upsets you (= negative emotion), so you take on a side job, which allows you to have enough money again (= positive emotion).

In some cases, however, drugs are seen as the solution to eliminate negative emotions rather than practical work to remove the negative emotion. In fact, drugs work much faster than finding a side job.

Hypnosis can also help you cope with negative emotions, so you don’t have to turn to drugs. For example , if your anxieties cause you to have panic attacks, you can use techniques to calm yourself quickly.

Even having a plan to solve problems can help you suffer less from anxiety or other negative emotions. With this, a therapist can also help you.

Processing Trauma

For some people, trauma can be a reason to use drugs. Victims of sexual abuse and child abuse , for example, may turn to GHB to forget their traumatic experiences.

In this case, for example, you may be suffering from PTSD. A condition that allows you to relive the traumatic event.

Hypnosis can also support treatment for PTSD . Processing the trauma can also reduce your dependence on drugs.

Uncovering Unknown Cause

Do you actually not know why you’re addicted to GHB? Then a hypnotherapist can help you use regression therapy to identify the cause. Through regression, you go back to a moment when a belief formed that ultimately led to your GHB addiction.

Regression allows you to look at that event with more emotional distance, allowing you to see it in a different light. This may already be enough to stay off GHB if you only use it recreationally and not yet daily.

In addition, there are many other techniques to help you stop GHB addiction.

Would you like to learn more about hypnosis—either for yourself or to help others? Then come to a workshop and check out the courses offered by the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands.

Sources:

https://scholar.google.nl/scholar?hl=nl&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=GHB+drug+abuse&btnG=

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376871600001915

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1997.tb03640.x/full

https://www.drugs.com/illicit/ghb.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X11002765

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037687161730203X