Welcome to quit smoking
Medication To Quit Smoking Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Medication To Quit Smoking. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Tobacco Hypnosis: "Cigarettes Are My Friend"
from: Wesley Anderson, DCH. He can be contacted through Healthy Life Centers at (888) 865-1870 and www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com
Tobacco Hypnosis: "Cigarettes Are My Friend"
www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com The Stop Smoking Hypnosis people.
Practicing hypnotherapists hear many peculiar statements from smokers who ask for help in quitting. The idea that cigarettes could be someone's "friend" is just one of them. One man believed that he couldn't write music unless he was smoking. Others have been convinced that they couldn't relax unless they were inhaling tobacco fumes. Those people were suffering from what I have come to call "tobacco hypnosis". They had hypnotized themselves into some odd beliefs about the effects of tobacco and smoking.
It's easy to understand how some of the "tobacco hypnosis" beliefs came about. For example, the notion that smoking is relaxing has a basis in fact. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling does result in a relaxation response. The response of the body to deep breathing is so strong that it overrides the drug effects of the nicotine, which is a stimulant that increases muscle tension, raises blood pressure, and constricts circulation. Consider the power of suggestion , too. A great many people believe that smoking is relaxing, so relaxation becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. They relax while smoking because they believe that smoking causes relaxation. The power of that belief empowers the mind to actually reverse the drug effects of the nicotine.
Those kinds of beliefs can make it difficult for smokers to quit. After all, they're not just putting down a bad habit, they're giving up a friend, or worse yet, their ability to relax! Of course, all humans have the ability to relax without inhaling cigarette fumes, taking drugs, or a hot bath. However much some smokers may believe otherwise, we all have the capacity to take a break, or a deep breath, or to change our mood quickly with a smile, an expletive, or a good laugh.
The job of the hypnotherapist is to help clients loosen or blow out obstructing beliefs so that they can quit smoking easily. Humor works exceptionally well with "Cigarettes are my friend". Simply look at the smoker quizzically, and ask, "Do you pull out cigarettes and have long conversations with them about all the things going on in your life? Or, maybe you put a pack on the pillow next to you and say 'Good night' before turning out the lights?" Usually, the response is a surprised laugh, and a smiling "no".
The notion that cigarettes are relaxing can go up in smoke just as quickly. It's simply a matter of explaining the stimulant effects of nicotine, and then having the smoker take a deep breath, hold for a few seconds, and then exhale as if blowing out cigarette smoke. Physical relaxation always follows, and without a single puff on a cigarette! Experiencing the relaxation from a deep breath is usually a strong convincer to a smoker who believed that they could only relax by smoking. And since, people usually relax when going into a hypnotic state, as well, it's easy for the hypnotherapist to have them memorize the feelings for later.
Perhaps the most difficult and oppressive belief for smokers to give up is that cigarettes are "addicting". Surprised that anyone could disagree after all the publicity that's been given to the scientific research that's been done on tobacco? From a hypnotherapist's point of view, the word "addiction" means something different when applied to tobacco versus narcotics like heroin. And, making that distinction can be crucial in helping a smoker quit, because a smoker's belief in addiction can turn into a self fulfilling prophesy of struggle and difficulty, hardly the ideal mindset for successfully quitting.
So what is the difference between heroin and tobacco? Someone addicted to heroin will go into withdrawal, feel sick and experience physical cravings too strong to ignore on a regular basis, say every 6 hours. Some smokers report having no cravings or withdrawal for 8 hours at work, "because smoking is not allowed", although the first thing they when leaving is to light up. Others will forget cigarettes for an hour or two at a movie or church. And, no one seems to be awakened fifteen times a night by nicotine withdrawal. Once awakened a smoker may indulge, but it isn't craving a cigarette that wakes them up in the first place. A heroin addict does not sleep through withdrawal cravings, or put off the next fix for a while just because it's inconvenient.
This is not to downplay the difficulties that so many have had in quitting cigarettes. Their struggles, including cravings and unpleasant physical sensations, have been real, generated by a combination of supporting beliefs, and nicotine. Changing those beliefs is just one of the tools that hypnotherapist uses in helping smokers quit easily and for good.
About the Author
Wesley Anderson, DCH can be contacted through Healthy Life Centers at (888) 865-1870 and www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com
Medication To Quit Smoking News
Great American Smoke Out - WXXA
American Cancer Society Offers Tips to Help You Quit During the Great American Smokeout ALBANY, NY —The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout is Thursday, November 20 and 8.3 million Americans will spend the day smoke-free. If you or ...
Read more...Students speak to adults about smoking - Hannibal Courier-Post
The Great American Smokeout is today, Nov. 20. What are your reasons to quit smoking? In recognition of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, 260 eighth graders at Hannibal Middle School participated in a contest for the best ...
Read more...Couple inspires one another to ‘Kick the Habit’ - Hannibal Courier-Post
Mark Twain once said, “To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did. I ought to know because I’ve done it a thousand times.” Though humorous, it’s the sad truth. More than 70 percent of smokers want to quit and attempt to each year, but ...
Read more...Are you ready to accept the Great American Smokeout challenge? - Cleveland Plain Dealer Blog
Every year, all current smokers are encouraged to quit smoking for one day on the third Thursday in November as part of the Great American Smokeout . If you've been thinking about quitting, this is the perfect time to take action. There are many ...
Read more...National event offers smokers chance to quit - Index-Journal
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call cigarette smoking the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, responsible for more than 5 million deaths each year. More than 45 million people are current cigarette smokers, and ...
Read more...Don't let tobacco cut your life short. Learn how to quit, and live. - Idaho Statesman
You will feel better physically, mentally and emotionally. You will save a lot of money. You will live longer, be healthier and enjoy life more. You will protect your children and grandchildren from second-hand smoke. You will take back control of ...
Read more...ACS calls on smokers to break the habit - Daily Record
WOOSTER -- The Great American Smokeout, an initiative by the American Cancer Society encouraging people to quit smoking, even for one day, is Thursday, a day in which officials say more people will try to quit using tobacco than do on New Year's Day ...
Read more...