Compulsive habits and repeating patterns
Compulsive habits are rarely about the thing itself. Alcohol. Recreational drugs. Food and weight-related compulsions. Different behaviours — often the same loop underneath.
A lot of people stop one compulsion and then watch another one slide into its place. That isn’t failure. It’s the pattern doing what it does.
This is longer-form therapeutic work. We map the loop, change what’s driving it, and build stability over time — especially when compulsive habits sit alongside anxiety or panic responses.
Sessions: online worldwide and in person in London (Barbican & Bounds Green). I also work with young adults.
What I help with
- Alcohol use that feels automatic or hard to stop
- Cannabis and recreational drug habits
- Food and weight-related compulsions (bingeing, restriction–reward cycles, night eating)
- “High-functioning” compulsive behaviour that looks fine externally but is costly underneath
- Sensation-seeking patterns where one habit replaces another
- Compulsive patterns in young adults (exam stress, transitions, identity pressure, social coping)
If binge drinking cycles are part of your pattern, start here: Alcohol habits.
How habit loops work
Most compulsive behaviour runs on a simple learning cycle:
Trigger → sensation or urge → behaviour → relief → stronger learning next time
The brain isn’t always chasing pleasure. More often it’s chasing relief, regulation, or sensation. Over time, the loop fires faster and with less conscious choice. Compulsive habits can also show up in smoking — including relapse loops and “just one” patterns.
Substitution is common. Stop one behaviour and another can pop up in its place. That’s not you being hopeless. It’s the underlying drive trying to get met.
What I don’t work with
I don’t work with sex compulsions. That’s a specialist area and I’ll refer you on appropriately.
If someone is medically dependent or at risk during withdrawal, that needs medical support first. We can still talk about whether this work fits alongside that care.
Family patterns
Compulsive patterns often run in families. Having a parent with alcohol use problems is associated with higher risk in children, through a mix of genetics and early learning. It’s a risk factor, not a life sentence.
12-step programmes
12-step programmes can be genuinely helpful for many people. I also understand why some people don’t want them for personal reasons. Either way, we can work with the habit loop and the substitution pattern underneath.
- Map your loops: triggers, sensations, urges, behaviours, and the pay-off
- Identify what the behaviour is doing for you (relief, numbness, stimulation, grounding)
- Reduce fear of urges and sensations so you’re not fighting your own body
- Plan for substitution so progress doesn’t just shift sideways
- Build a practical relapse plan so a wobble doesn’t turn into a spiral
Evidence note: Habit loops are reinforced by reward learning and cue–craving associations. Approaches that address triggers, expectation and behavioural rehearsal tend to be more effective than relying on willpower alone. Peer support models (including 12-step) can also be useful for some people.
I use cognitive hypnotherapy to update automatic responses, expectation and identity-level beliefs, as part of the way I work with clients over time. Breathwork can be useful too — but only in a regulating way (slow, non-forceful), so it helps your system settle rather than ramps sensations up.
Readiness matters: you don’t need perfection, but you do need willingness. If you’re being pushed into this by someone else, the pattern usually finds another outlet.
How we work together
This isn’t a one-off session. We work over time to change the pattern underneath the behaviour.
We’ll start by getting really specific: when it happens, what you feel in your body, what your mind predicts, what you do next, and what you get from it (even if it’s short-term relief).
- A clear formulation of what’s driving your pattern (so it stops feeling random)
- Tools for urges and high-risk moments that are realistic, not heroic
- Support for building new regulation routes that don’t rely on the compulsion
- A plan for what happens when life gets messy (because it will)
- Optional coordination with other supports (GP, services, or peer support) where appropriate
FAQs
I’m a therapist, not a detox service. I work with habit loops and compulsive patterns, often before things hit crisis point, and sometimes alongside other support. If you’re medically dependent or at risk during withdrawal, you’ll need medical input first.
No. 12-step programmes can be useful for many people, but they’re not for everyone. We can work with the habit loop regardless, and you can decide what support feels right.
Because the underlying drive (relief, regulation, sensation seeking) is still looking for an outlet. Part of the work is planning for substitution so your brain doesn’t just swap one compulsion for another.
Yes. I work with young adults too, including compulsive coping patterns around alcohol, weed, food, and high-stress transitions.
If you want to talk this through, start here: