I went from hopeless drunk to sober in just one day

Susan Laurie talks about how a unique therapy session helped her finally overcome years of alcoholism, and why she’s sharing her story to give hope to others

There are hundreds of thousands of alcoholics in the UK, many fearing they’ll never beat the booze, and that it will eventually kill them. Susan Laurie was one of them. She’s not any more.

After years of drinking round the clock, and trying everything from rehab, AA meetings, counselling and even Buddhist chanting to try to break free from the grip alcohol had on her, the mum-of-one finally beat the booze four-and-a-half years ago in just one therapy session.

Laurie, who lives in Surrey, has now written a book about her journey – From Rock Bottom To Sober Forever – and hopes her story will give hope to others battling the booze.

Laurie, 53, said: “I need to stress that I was as bad as it gets with alcoholism. I just couldn’t stop, even though I knew it was killing me and I was losing everything. It’s absolutely terrifying, I was so frightened.

“Then a single, unique therapy session destroyed any desire for alcohol and the hold that it had over me. He crushed and terminated my dark shadow and it simply vanished.”

Here, Saturday asks about her story... When did you become dependent on alcohol? I was a binge-drinker as a student and in my 20s, though actual alcohol dependency didn’t happen until my 40s. But alcohol always had a negative effect on me.

Unknowingly, I was using alcohol to be more confident and felt I needed it to meet people (I felt out of my depth with people I wrongly perceived as being superior in some way). Once it has a grip, you feel you can’t function without it. How much were you drinking at your lowest point? I drank at least two bottles of wine a night for years, but in the end I was drinking wine and vodka around the clock. Being awake was to drink, and drinking was to pass out. I drank heavily through my 30s as a functioning alcoholic, then was an out-of-control alcoholic for 10 years. I wiped out most of my 40s. What effect did your drinking have on your family? They threatened to leave, hid my alcohol, sent me to rehab. They tried everything. My son moved in with his dad and my husband left to work at the opposite end of the country. They were sad, frustrated, frightened, then angry. No one can love an alcoholic, because it robs the person of their true personality. How did the drinking affect your health? I lost weight, had grey skin, my hair was falling out, I was frequently incontinent, had heartburn and an ache in my liver. When I tried to stop drinking, I was violently sick and had hallucinations. What did you lose? Friends, dignity, the respect of family, my ability to work, my son, my husband, my happiness, and my moral compass. How did you initially try to beat it? Alternating drinks, having days off alcohol, changing what I drank and then rehab, AA, counselling, numerous attempts at hypnotherapy, church, Chinese medicine, Buddhist chanting. I spent thousands of pounds on stints in rehab and different hypnotherapists. Why do you think so many methods didn’t work for you? Once alcoholism has a grip, it’s one of the most difficult things to beat. It’s more powerful than I ever imagined, I never thought I could become an alcoholic because I’m a strong person. How did you finally beat booze? One session with Tim Phizackerley (britainsfastesthypnotist.com). Tim was completely different. I only had one session – that’s all he needs. Although a session lasts most of the day, because it’s much more than hypnotherapy, it’s a combination of techniques.

He combined an intensive (and exhausting) mix of hypnosis regression, Percussive Suggestion Techniques (PSTEC), interspersed with talking, wisdom and common sense to gradually unravel and extinguish, one by one, every issue which underpinned my alcoholism. He quite simply made each misguided belief, destructive emotion and deeply upsetting memory completely disappear forever.

I’d done enough talking about myself and my drinking to develop my own theories about why I drank. Tim was able to unearth missing pieces which were holding me back and perpetuating my cycle of self-destructive behaviour. He took me back to events and situations I’d chosen to forget. He then used a tool called PSTEC, something he invented. It uses a unique audio track and tapping, he developed it to make difficult things much faster and simpler to achieve.

This is from the heart, I’m not in any way involved with Tim and his work. I just wish other people who are suffering like I was had access to him or someone he’s trained. What he did for me was so miraculous. In the past when I was trying to stay sober, it would be a daily, grinding, exhausting battle. But I never, ever, even think of alcohol now. Are you ever tempted to drink? Never. I can happily be around people who drink and I don’t notice. In the past, that would be torture. It will be five years in March since I last drank. Why did you write the book? I want to help people. It’s tragic. It’s also very frustrating that shocking statistics are shared about the UK’s alcohol problem, but no one is talking about the reality of the treatment options. n From Rock Bottom To Sober Forever is published independently, priced £10.99. Available now.