Quitting Smoking is Easy

“Quitting smoking is easy – I’ve done it thousands of times” – Mark Twain

In the UK the powers that be have decided to run a campaign to help people to stop smoking. They call it Stoptober.

As a Hypnotherapist I have helped lots of people become smoke free – and that’s how I like to refer to it – becoming smoke free. When you stop or give up something, there is a feeling of loss. When you are free from something, there is a feeling of relief.

I became smoke free after smoking for 17 years.

I had tried to stop smoking before that, but had always failed. I tried nicotine replacement with gums, and patches and even electronic vapes, but I always felt like it was a poor substitute for an actual cigarette.

You know why? – because it was.

I was still feeding my body with this pernicious drug, but not in the way it wanted it. By drip feeding it nicotine, I was keeping it hooked, but never satisfying it.

I used to think ‘If I could just have a cigarette I would feel so much better because I would get rid of the cravings’.

This was wrong – having a cigarette, or any kind of nicotine, is the only way to keep the cravings in place. You’re never getting rid of them, you’re just postponing them for a bit.

The only way to get rid of cravings is to not have any of the drug.

When I went cold turkey – no nicotine at all – it took 2 days for the drug to leave my system. I had done some work with hypnosis and so this was fairly easy to deal with. It was no worse than feeling a bit hungry. Honestly – that was as bad as it got. Then, 2 short days later, I was free.

Forever.

I cannot explain how good that makes me feel. Not only do I feel like I’ve conquered something that had tripped me up for years, but I also feel like I’ve taken control of a part of my life that I had felt was lost to me. I feel more positive about my health, I have more money and I no longer stink the place out!

I’m not here to tell you to quit smoking – only you can decide when it’s the right time for you.

I just want you to know that it’s going to be a lot easier than you think – especially if you get the right help.

Stoptober – great idea or waste of time and money?

In the UK the powers that be have decided to rename October to Stoptober. There is a large marketing campaign and no doubt millions of pounds are being used to market this initiative, which is aimed at helping people to stop smoking.

A worthy cause.

But is this money well spent? 

Is it useful to try to tell people to stop smoking for a month? 

In my humble opinion this fails on a number of levels.

Firstly, as an ex smoker I resisted any attempt people made to get me to sop smoking. It just made me more determined that ‘I would be the master of my own destiny’, ‘make the choices I wanted to’, ‘ live the life I chose’. Of course, in retrospect this was just my nicotine riddled brain trying to make excuses to keep feeding myself a drug, but at the time any and all attempts to get me to stop smoking only strengthened my resolve to do as I chose.

Secondly, why stop for a month? Statistically if you can stop for at least a month you are more likely to stay a non smoker, but statistics do not tell the entire story. I would suggest that most people who continue to smoke fail quickly – I know I frequently did on the numerous attempts I made with patches, gum, electronic cigarettes, cold turkey etc. Occasionally I would go for a moth of two, but when it came time to give up my alternative nicotine source I was generally smoking again pretty quickly.

The main problem I have with the concept of quitting for a month is that mentally you are then preparing yourself to start again in November. You are looking forward to it. You are telling yourself if I can just get through the next month then everything will be OK – you are torturing yourself with denial. When I finally managed to be free of smoking for good I made the decision with absolute certainty that I would never smoke again – and it worked. The first couple of days were a bit annoying but at some time on that second day I had a moment of pure joy as I realized I had done it – I was free! 

Thirdly there is the cost aspect. At a time when there is cost cutting all over our public sectors and the NHS is being squeezed to the point that cancer sufferers can’t get the drugs they need, I think we should be spending our money more wisely. Yes prevention is better than cure. Yes I would rather they spend money on stopping someone getting ill than treating the illness. Yes we should help people to stop smoking. How? By investing in the most effective way to help change a habit, thought or idea – Hypnosis. It’s not just for entertainment. It is a powerful amazing therapy that helped me and thousands if not millions more to be permanently smoke free – and Happy about it!

The last issue I have with Stoptober is that I think it’s being used for the wrong thing. For the reasons I have already stated I think stopping smoking is for life and should be thought of in those terms from the start. So what could we stop for a month and see some benefits? Take aways? Alcohol? Coffee shop visits? How would your life improve? How much money would you save? What would you do with that money? A treat for yourself or maybe a donation to charity as a treat for your soul?

Maybe it’s a thought we should stop thinking for a month. Maybe it’s a word we stop using. Maybe it’s something we should START….

Whatever works for you, do it! 

If you need a helping hand to make changes in your life Hypnosis is a great tool.

Talk Therapies is based in Coventry, UK.

For a One to One session or if you have any questions please call on 07429 749936 or email to talktherapies@gmail.com

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