A news article today talks about the cost of smoking to a region of the UK (not Cornwall, further up north). Smoking and the subsequent health issues cause an increase in burden to the NHS and other services. Even some company private health plans are putting up the cost for smokers. Everyone can see this cost, even smokers who want to give up understand health issues it could bc creating in them. Of course as well as the health issues from smoking, smokers are well aware of the personal cost. I am staggered by the cost of a packet of cigarettes and how people can afford to smoke, how can then afford not to quit smoking?!
Even with this huge financial and health benefits the truth is smoking can be difficult to quit without the right help. Yes, some people are successful at giving up overnight. My mum was one of those. A particular visit to the hospital and facing the truth about what her smoking would do to her short term health and mobility was enough to end the 30 year habit overnight. She is vey much in the minority though. The clients I see who want to stop smoking have usually tried everything under sun first whether that is will power, patches, gum, electric cigarettes, Alan Carr and whoever is the latest stop smoking guru.
So why can it be so hard when the incentives are so strong? I believe one of the issues is that people focus on the physical addiction related to smoking when the psychological reasons for smoking can be stronger. I can easily change the taste of cigarettes for clients wanting to stop smoking. I will never forget the client who couldn’t stand the thought, sight or smell of porridge, to the extent if someone was eating porridge in the same room as him he had to leave. So, replace the smell/taste of cigarettes with porridge and job done you would have thought. Judging from the text I got when he got in to his car, which he smoked in regularly you would have thought so! He has to drive home in the middle of winter with all the windows open and his head sticking out of the window!!
Easy right? Well not quit. Which is why I never offer stop smoking single sessions and always focus on the emtional reasons why people smoke. The client did stop smoking completely after about the 3rd session. Some stop sooner, some take a little longer. Think back to when you started smoking? Was it behind the bike sheds with your mates at school? What was that about? To feel part of the crowd? To feed accepted? You’ll be surprised how these feelings and associations with cigarettes remain with you well past the time they are needed. Stop the emotional link to cigarettes, you make quitting smoking so much easier.
You may be ready to quit smoking, if so Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help you do exactly that.