Stop chocolate cravings with hypnotherapy

Chocolate has a special place for a lot of people. It’s the treat after a hard day, the bar in the car, the one square that somehow becomes the whole thing. If you call yourself a chocoholic, half joking, you may also have noticed that the joke isn’t always that funny.

People often talk about chocolate addiction. It isn’t an official diagnosis, but the cravings can feel very real. I’m Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist with 17 years in practice, and this page explains how to stop eating so much chocolate, how I work with cravings and what you can try yourself.

Signs you might be addicted to chocolate

You plan your day around when you’ll next have some
One piece rarely stays one piece
You buy chocolate for later and it’s gone the same day
Stress, tiredness or boredom make the craving much stronger
You eat it in secret, or hide the wrappers
You’ve given it up before, for Lent or January, and gone straight back

Why chocolate cravings are so hard to resist

Chocolate combines sugar and fat with a texture that melts in the mouth, which makes it very rewarding to eat. It’s also tied up with comfort and treats from childhood onwards, so it carries a lot of emotional meaning. The brain learns that chocolate means relief or reward, and the craving starts to arrive whenever you want either of those.

Banning it completely can backfire for some people, because the more forbidden it feels, the more the mind fixes on it. The work is less about banning chocolate and more about loosening the automatic pull, so you get to decide how much you want.

How hypnotherapy can help with chocolate cravings

In hypnosis we work on the moments when the craving is strongest, such as the afternoon slump, the drive home or the evening on the sofa. We rehearse those moments with a calmer response, and look at what the chocolate is doing for you, like comfort, a break or a reward, so those needs can be met in other ways too.

You stay in charge of what you eat. Some people want to stop eating chocolate altogether, and others want to enjoy it now and then without it running the show. Either way, you’ll still be the one making the choice each time, and how much sessions help varies from person to person. What they can do is make passing on the extra bar feel less of a fight.

Hypnotherapy isn’t a treatment for an eating disorder. If you make yourself sick, skip meals or eat large amounts and feel out of control, please speak to your GP or Beat first.

How to stop eating chocolate: things you can try today

Keep it out of reach. If it’s in the cupboard, it’s in your head. Buy a single bar when you want one, rather than multipacks or sharing bags.
Notice when the craving shows up. Write down the time and how you felt. You’ll often find a handful of predictable moments.
Ride the wave. Cravings rise and then fade. Set a ten minute timer, do something else, and see what’s left when it goes off.
Eat regular meals. Long gaps between meals can make cravings for sweet things harder to manage.
Slow down. If you do have some, sit down and actually taste it, rather than eating it on the move.
Plan a different treat. For your hardest moment of the day, have something else ready, such as a hot drink, a walk or ten minutes of something you enjoy.

Chocolate cravings are often part of a wider pull towards sweet food, which I cover on my sugar addiction page. If chocolate is mostly about stress or low mood, see emotional eating, and if it’s part of evening grazing, see snacking.

When to talk to your GP or Beat

If you often eat large amounts and feel out of control, or you make yourself sick, skip meals or exercise to make up for eating, please talk to your GP or call Beat on 0808 801 0677.

You can call Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, even if you’re not sure whether what’s happening counts as an eating disorder. Its helplines run on weekdays from 3pm to 8pm. The number above is for England, and there are separate lines for Scotland (0808 801 0432), Wales (0808 801 0433) and Northern Ireland (0808 801 0434).

If chocolate is part of eating that feels out of control more generally, the NHS has a clear guide to the signs of binge eating disorder. Your GP is a good first step if anything there sounds familiar.

Common questions

Is chocolate addiction real?

Chocolate addiction isn’t an official diagnosis, but the cravings people describe are real. For some people chocolate becomes the main way to cope with stress, tiredness or boredom, and that can make it very hard to cut down.

Should I give up chocolate completely?

That’s your choice. Some people find it easiest to stop altogether. Others want to enjoy it now and then without the cravings taking over. We can work towards whichever feels right for you.

Why do I crave chocolate at certain times?

Cravings tend to be linked to cues, such as a time of day, a place, a mood or tiredness. Once the brain has learned that chocolate follows those cues, the craving arrives on its own. Changing your response to those cues is a big part of the work.

How many sessions will I need?

That depends on how long chocolate has been your go-to and how strong the cravings are. If they mostly show up at one or two times of day, one 90 minute session aimed at those moments might suit you. If chocolate is tied up with stress, comfort or evenings on the sofa, it’s worth booking three, so each of those gets proper attention. We can decide together on a consultation call.

How do sessions work?

We meet one to one over Zoom, so you can join from home. We base each session on the moments your cravings hit hardest, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to between sessions.