For many women, menopause is a stage of profound change. Alongside the hot flushes, disrupted sleep, and mood shifts, there is often a quiet increase in drinking. A glass of wine may feel like a reward at the end of a long day, but during menopause the body’s response to alcohol changes. What once felt harmless can now amplify symptoms, drain energy, and unsettle your emotions.

This isn’t about blame or guilt. It’s about understanding what your body is going through, and knowing there are supportive tools to help you feel better.

How alcohol affects menopause symptoms

Women in midlife are especially sensitive to alcohol’s effects. As oestrogen declines, alcohol is more likely to:

• Trigger hot flushes and night sweats, disrupting sleep and leaving you more tired the next day.
  
• Intensify anxiety and low mood, making emotional swings feel sharper.
  
• Undermine bone health, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
  
• Affect heart health, especially when drinking regularly above recommended limits.
  
• Add hidden calories, making weight management harder at a time when metabolism is already shifting.
  

According to the British Menopause Society’s Women’s Health Concern fact sheet (2025), alcohol can worsen common menopause symptoms such as disturbed sleep, weight gain, and hot flushes. Their advice is clear: reducing alcohol, even slightly, can make symptoms easier to manage while lowering long-term health risks.

The emotional side of drinking during menopause

Hormonal changes don’t just affect the body — they also affect how women feel. Anxiety, sadness, irritability, or loss of confidence are common. Alcohol may seem like a quick solution, but in reality it tends to intensify these emotions.

Stress plays a major role too. Work demands, family responsibilities, or caring for ageing parents often peak in the same years as perimenopause and menopause. Alcohol can feel like a coping mechanism, but the relief it brings is temporary. The cycle is familiar: drink to relax, sleep lightly, wake at 3 a.m., feel foggy and unsettled, then struggle through the next day. Over time, this erodes self-esteem and resilience.

“It looks like a friend, but makes the road bumpier”

Hypnotherapist Ailsa Frank has supported many women who notice their drinking creeping up during menopause. She says:

“Alcohol often looks like a friend during this transition, but it actually makes the road bumpier. With the right tools, women can feel calmer, improve their sleep, and cope better — all without relying on alcohol.”

How hypnotherapy can help

Hypnotherapy works by guiding the mind into a relaxed, receptive state where unhelpful patterns can be reshaped. Unlike willpower alone, which often feels like a daily battle, hypnotherapy changes the automatic responses that drive cravings or habits.

• Cravings reduce because the association between alcohol and relaxation is softened.
  
• Stress responses settle as the nervous system learns calmer patterns.
  
• Sleep deepens when the mind lets go of anxious thoughts.
  
• Confidence grows as you experience small wins and feel in charge again.
  

According to Psychology Today, hypnosis activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the body’s natural “rest and digest” state — helping to reduce anxiety and rewire stress responses. This makes it easier to choose healthier ways of coping, even in moments of pressure.

Why hypnotherapy recordings work so well

For many women, recordings offer a private and practical way to build consistent change. The repetition matters. Listening daily or several times a week helps new pathways embed, turning small wins into steady transformation.

In the Feel Amazing App, two recordings are especially supportive:

• Amazing Menopause – created to ease anxiety, improve sleep, and restore vitality while encouraging healthier choices.
  
• Take Control of Alcohol – designed to help reduce or stop drinking in a natural, sustainable way.
  

Together, they support both sides of the experience: physical symptoms and the emotional habits that surround alcohol.

The power of consistency

Hypnotherapy isn’t a quick fix. It’s a gentle, cumulative process — much like training a muscle.

• In the first week, many women notice a calmer mindset or slightly better sleep.
  
• By week three, cravings feel less automatic and easier to pause.
  
• After a few months, drinking often feels less like a reflex and more like a conscious choice.
  

Ailsa explains: “The subconscious mind loves repetition. Each time you listen, you’re reinforcing a calmer, healthier version of yourself. Over time, that version becomes your new normal.”

Women who use recordings regularly often describe feeling more settled in themselves. They stop needing alcohol to feel calm, because their mind is already learning a new, steadier pattern.

A story of gentle change

Helen, 51, had always been a light social drinker. As night sweats and work stress ramped up, wine became a nightly ritual. “It felt like the only way to switch off,” she said.

After three weeks of listening to Amazing Menopause most evenings and Take Control of Alcohol on alternate days, she noticed she was falling asleep more easily without a drink.

“I still have difficult days, but the recordings help me feel settled. I’m choosing what I drink now, not needing it.”

Gentle ways to get started

If you’re considering cutting down, you don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Small choices add up:

• Choose two drink-free days this week and notice how you sleep.
  
• Swap the first glass for 10 minutes with a recording and a warm drink.
  
• Create a calm-down routine at 9 p.m.: dim lights, short stretch or breathing exercise, phone on silent.
  
• Plan low-alcohol alternatives you actually enjoy.
  
• Speak kindly to yourself if you slip. Progress is rarely a straight line.
  

What you may notice as you reduce alcohol

Many women report:

• Fewer flushes at night and steadier sleep.
  
• A clearer head in the morning and more even energy.
  
• An easier relationship with food and weight.
  
• A softer inner voice and more confidence in daily choices.
  

These aren’t dramatic overnight changes. They are steady signals that your body is rebalancing and your mind is learning a calmer way to cope.

A compassionate next step

If you recognise yourself in this, you are not alone. Menopause is a natural transition, and alcohol doesn’t need to make it harder. You don’t have to stop overnight — you just need to begin.

Start today with the Feel Amazing App.

• Listen to Amazing Menopause to ease symptoms, improve sleep, and restore vitality.
  
• Pair it with Take Control of Alcohol to gently reshape evening habits and build healthier routines.
  

Even ten minutes a day can spark change. When your subconscious begins to shift, your choices follow — and with each choice, life begins to feel lighter, calmer, and more your own again.