GHB addiction: supporting withdrawal with hypnosis

January 30, 2016

From the week it was in the news. In rural areas, many young people are addicted to GHB. This obviously poses a big problem because GHB is really not good for your health. That's not surprising for a drug where rim cleaner, yes really, is an ingredient to make it. Unfortunately, it is super addictive though. That's why in this article I'm going to discuss how GHB works and how to kick the habit with hypnosis.

What is GHB?

GHB is an abbreviation for gamma-hydroxybutanoic acid. It occurs naturally in small amounts in your body( 1). Therefore, it is often difficult to determine if someone has used GHB. The drug was previously used as an anesthetic for surgery. So it is a real downer. What you often see in the drug world is that people who use uppers and cannot sleep as a result use GHB as a sleep aid.

GHB effect

The use of GHB can cause strange effects, such as people sleeping standing up all night, bent over or not. People who are just short of passing out. You then no longer have to think about problems but can become completely absorbed in a television program, music or your friends or just become completely unconscious.

You can also wake up after GHB use without knowing what you did before you used GHB. This is where your so-called "drug buddies" can take advantage by telling you all kinds of stories or actually doing things with you while you are still out on GHB.

People who use GHB report that it feels like you are somewhat tipsy and warm at low doses and you feel very drunk at high doses. However, correct dosing of GHB is very difficult and it is therefore also common for users to accidentally overdose and die from it or at least become unconscious.

Letting someone sleep it off can be life-threatening, so always call an ambulance if you are unsure if GHB use is going well. Because of this effect, GHB is also used by people who want to abuse others, and GHB is also known as the rape drug. This is because you are totally defenseless if you have had just a little too much GHB. Memory loss also makes it difficult for a victim to determine what actually happened and who did what. In addition, it is difficult to prove that you were drugged because it is no longer detectable in your blood within 8 hours.

So an addiction to this drug also makes you vulnerable to malicious people around you.

GHB addiction

Initially, GHB is mentally addictive, much like XTC. Because it makes you drowsy and makes you feel warm and nice, this is a drug used to escape reality and take a break from everyday problems.

Unfortunately, GHB is also physically addictive. Therefore, it is wise to go to withdrawal under supervision so that you can phase it out gradually. Stopping GHB at once can lead to hallucinations, psychosis and seizures.

This is comparable to abruptly stopping morphine in the hospital. I know someone who did that in the hospital and, after his afternoon nap, momentarily forgot who he was until the nurse said his name. At first, he tried to “escape” from the hospital, but after his successful attempt, he realized that perhaps he did belong in the hospital after all. This is a clear sign of severe memory loss and a psychotic episode. The confusion and panic were intense, and if you’re trying to kick a GHB habit, the effects are much worse. That’s why it’s important to taper off GHB use under professional supervision until the body is no longer dependent on it.

GHB withdrawal

Before you go to rehab or during rehab, it's important to stay focused on your goals. Isn't it nice that when you no longer need GHB you can remember the good times? You can't be fooled about what happened when you woke up.

Isn't it nice that you then don't risk overdose because you just don't take GHB anymore and so it doesn't matter if you used an extra half a drop or not, because you just don't use it. Isn't it nice that you can then enjoy friends and family again without craving a cap in the back of your mind? Isn't it nice that you can then function normally again and do keep your job?

Keep those images in mind as you go through withdrawal, and as a therapist, it’s important to keep the (soon-to-be) former addict focused on these goals. This makes the withdrawal process mentally easier than if the focus is primarily on how physically unpleasant withdrawal is. GHB detoxification in the Netherlands takes place with the support of clinics. You can often receive a GHB substitute that makes detoxification easier. Nevertheless, you may still experience withdrawal symptoms.

During and after detox, psychological support is provided to combat mental dependence. Hypnosis can also play a role in this, and it helps you stay focused on your goals during detox and stay off GHB after detox.

Hypnosis and therapy

Because GHB is a drug that impairs thinking, addiction often begins primarily because the addict wants to escape a problem. This could be a trauma, but it could also be something else that evokes intense emotions. Through regression therapy , it is possible to identify the underlying problem that led the addict to turn to GHB ( 2).

Next, we examine the beliefs that led to that problem and how you can deal with it differently and more productively. Because turning to GHB is never the solution. This can be achieved, among other methods, using the “Voice of the Future” technique. As an addict, you then look back on the moments when your addiction began and on moments during your addiction to see what you would say now to the person you were back then. This can provide insight into the things you’ve learned in the meantime that, as an addict, can help you recover and prevent relapses. A case study shows that an addict who received this technique during hypnotherapy had not relapsed at least six months and one year later ( 3).

Beliefs about behaving well

The problem with adopting the right behavior to deal with things is often the belief that such behavior isn’t possible for you—that it isn’t possible for the addict. Of course, none of that is true.

That’s why hypnotherapy will always help build your self-confidence and positively change your beliefs about what you can and cannot do. In this way, you’ll gain the self-confidence you need to address your problems or traumas and find a place for them in your life.

Reclaiming your place in society

Reframing beliefs is also important if addiction has made you stubborn about how the world works. Everyone ultimately has their own worldview, but if it is too negative, it can be destructive. For example, you may be convinced that no one will give an ex addict a job, when that is not at all true for every employer.

Reframing beliefs will help you better find your place in society after addiction.

This applies both to finding a job and to finding a new social circle that makes you feel better and doesn’t lead you back to addiction. Wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to say no all the time because you’re now spending time with people who don’t use drugs?

Drug use often includes rituals. If you have a ritual for using GHB, a hypnotherapist will identify that ritual and get you a new ritual in its place in which GHB no longer plays a role.

The more motivated you are to quit addiction, the better the therapy works( 4).

Hypnosis in support of other therapy

In addition, hypnosis also supports other therapies. For example, hypnosis can be combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. Hypnosis works especially when you really want to kick the habit and especially with addictions that are also physically bad for you. In addition, you are also more hypnotizable if you are prone to addictions.

Would you like to learn more about (self-)hypnosis for behavioral change? Then check out the events and training programs on this site.

Do you help people with recovery, or does that sound interesting to you, and would you like to incorporate hypnosis into your program? Then check out the hypnosis training courses and events offered by the Hypnosis Institute of the Netherlands.

Also pin this handy infographic as a reminder:

Sources: