Smoking cessation & hypnotherapy are two words that have been tied together with much controversy as success stories are revealed along with other not so successful leading to an odd divide in opinion both popular and medical on the benefits of hypnosis as a way to overcome an addiction to smoking cigarettes.

So is hypnotherapy & hypnosis actually helpful to people looking to quit smoking?

To know this we must understand what hypnosis actually is because this is where the biggest problem lies … in misunderstanding. Hypnosis only works if you WANT it to work and while skeptics may think this is a load of tosh those that open themselves up for hypnosis can gain the benefit because this is not mind control, this is not brainwashing this is just a helpful tool that can influence the brain. This influence comes from the subject who has undergone hypnosis to be at a heightened state of suggestibility which can allow therapists (or even yourself) to implant certain suggestions and reactions that are crudely put implanted into your subconscious to be at beck and call later on. This suggestibility is just that .. a suggestion which can be rejected if the subject does not want it so it is not brainwashing or mind control just a way to shortcut new behaviors and thoughts into your everyday life.

That being said can this work for smokers? Well let’s just look at the statistics of relapse from people trying to quit:

• 34% of smokers try to quit smoking cigarettes every year.

• Less than 10% of those that attempt to quit relapse and fail.
• Approx. 30% of people who join a smoking cessation program succeed increasing their chances beyond the norm
• Hypnotherapy boasts over 60% success rates!

Why is this so high and people are still arguing about it?

Possibly because those that go in for hypnotherapy are open minded enough to be actually able to take advantage of the benefits of the process while those going in with skepticism are the same people who are skeptical and negative of all stop smoking programs but try anyway because they approach everything from the wrong point of view.

This comes down two the two most important things in smoking cessation: Willpower & a Change of Mindset

Without the right frame of mind NO smoking cessation, hypnotherapy or anything will work for you in the long term because you have not consciously and unconsciously chosen to be a non smoker.

With this in mind some programs for smoking cessation, hypnotherapy included are discussed in the link below that will help you kick your habit if you want it more than you simply need it!

http://www.kick-addiction.com/nicotine-addiction/treatment/

There are many ways tips and old wives tales for dealing with the short term problems when quitting smoking but helpful tips for quitting smoking in the long term are often ignored even though many people can quit for a few weeks then relapse again. The reasons for this is because many smokers can gather the motivation and energy to overcome the cravings and physical withdrawal symptoms until the nicotine is flushed from their body’s and they no longer feel the physical dependence they once had and ignore the psychological aspect of being an addict which may seem like an ugly word but applies more than you might think.

So to combat the psychological aspect of smoking and nicotine addiction here are some helpful tips for quitting smoking beyond the immediate issues:

• Find something to fill in the times that you smoked! One big stumbling block for smokers is that they feel a deep hole in their life which was once filled with the action smoking, buying smokes and taking breaks to smoke. Add up the time you spent doing these things and ask yourself what will you do instead? Find something to fill this time at home and at work, many people find exercise the best remedy once they know that the feel good chemicals of exercise are a good replacement high and it is also healthy. You can also take up other hobbies and interests but makes sure you always have something to distract you from the reminder of smoking and eventually these new healthy habits will become ingrained just as your smoking used to be.

• Break from all smoking related things. This does not mean you should abandon your smoker friends but make sure you let them know it is not ok to smoke around you and ask them to be supportive not because you condemn their choice but because you want to be healthier. Avoid places lots of people smoke and even change your routine so you do not go past the places you used to buy smokes … a new way of life requires adjustment and that is what this is… a new way of life!
• Cultivate a non-smoker mindset. Again this helpful tips for quitting smoking does not mean you have to become a non-smoker Nazi condemning people for their choice but instead it is a way of thinking that allows you to think of yourself not as an ex-smoker who had to do get off the habit but someone who chose to be a non-smoker for all the benefits that that brings to your own personal experience and life!

For more helpful tips on quitting smoking that will change your life and attitude on smoking to give you the best chance at quitting smoking for good click below to find a range of self help treatments that can have you smoker free, healthy and breathing easy!

http://www.kick-addiction.com/nicotine-addiction/treatment/

“Have you got a plan to quit smoking?” I asked.
“Plan? I am just going to stop and that is that!” my friend replied.
“Like the last two times then huh?” perhaps I should not be so sarcastic but she does this every time!

To be honest that is just the way my friend Sally is, she makes decisions on the spur of the moment which makes her a fun and lively girl but when she said he was going to quit for the 3rd time I had to ask if she had methods of how to quit smoking cigarettes before she went on her merry way, doomed to another failure and increasingly worse smokers cough.

Her answer of course was “no”, she had no methods and no plan because she blamed the last two attempts that failed on the stresses she was under or the environment she was in without taking any responsibility for herself. This time though she agreed to sit down and come up with a plan with some methods and rules for herself to overcome this unhealthy addiction for good.

Do you have a plan to quit?

If not, you may be like my friend Sally, headed for another failure all because you did not spend just a little bit of time and maybe a little bit of extra money to secure a success from their quitting goals. This is your health and your family’s health you are dealing with after all!

Methods of how to quit smoking cigarettes do not need to be long winded just some basic things written down to help you along. I tend to divide them into three sections.

• Goals – Write down realistic goals with dates on them to keep. It could be the exact date you will go cold turkey or it might be how many you will reduce smoking every day. As long as it is written down and carried with you as a reminder

• How to deal with Cravings – Some people suffer badly from the cravings caused by the nicotine addiction you have built up over your time smoking. IT is important to have a plan on what to do when they hit, typically you need to distract yourself. Go clean up your office or home might be one or think of people playing tennis (bizarre but true it helps! Must be the repetitive back and forth is soothing) or anything lese that has nothing to do with smoking.
• Reasons – One of the most important things you need to do is to change your mindset from that of a smoker to that of a non-smoker. To do this you need good solid reasons for why quitting will be good … write down all the benefits you will see, extra money, health, family; whatever is MOTIVATING to you!

This really helped Sally in her attempt but it did not make it a breeze for her. One thing that did help her was her decision to use a self hypnosis course that really worked as she had been hypnotized before and knew its power.

For more information on hypnosis to quit smoking cigarettes and other self help options click below to find out more to become a healthier, happier person.

http://www.kick-addiction.com/nicotine-addiction/treatment/

When you quit cigarette smoking you will find yourself looking for help as soon as the cravings hit and it all becomes too hard. This is perfectly normal and understandable but many people simply take whatever option of help is put in their way first often to the detriment of their quit cigarette smoking goals!

To combat this here is a quick list of help available to smokers looking to kick their habit and be happier, healthier (and have a wallet with more cash in it too!)

1. Products
There is a range of cessation treatment products designed to wean smokers of cigarettes and hold off cravings by feeding the nicotine addiction that is a large cause (but not the only one) of the need to smoke again.
You can purchase nicotine patches, nicotine gum (like Barack Obama), nicotine spray and inhalers too. These are all designed to help with nicotine cravings but they will not stop you smoking cigarettes if you have a strong psychological addiction to them which most people have. They can be a useful addition to your attempt to quit though as long as you do not put all your faith in them!

2. Support Groups
There are many support groups and therapy groups available for smokers which can be located through local medical centers and hospitals. One problem with therapy and groups like this though is that everyone else is hooked like you and all you do is talk about smoking which can be a distraction from quitting sometimes! IT can generate more stress than it solves and the quitting rate from these is quit poor. However if you have no support from anyone else in your life this may be the best option because everyone needs personal support going through this rough time.

3. Hypnosis
Many may scoff at the thought of quitting cigarette smoking through hypnosis but more and more people who are open to the idea have found some relief with hypnosis. This is because it does not change the way you think with mind control as many may think but instead it is a tool to slightly reprogram the way you think but only if you want it to. Skeptics should keep away from this but if you believe in the power of the mind and what6 hypnosis can do it has produced decent results. As a note you can also do self hypnosis with many audio courses available on the internet to help you quit smoking cigarettes.

4. Neuro Linguistic Programming
This term has a mixed reaction in the psychological sciences, some discredit it but under various different names extremely successful life coaches like Anthony Robbins have taken the core concept and shaped it to change millions of people’s lives for the better. The basic concept is that through language and certain ways of thinking you can reprogram the way you think. Much like hypnosis it requires an open mind but NLP practitioners have shown it can be a powerful ally to strengthen resolve and change life habits.

5. Lung Detoxification
This is something you rarely hear about but has had many success stories also. The basic premise is that your lungs are filled with tar and gunk from smoking cigarettes for so long and to quit cigarette smoking you must detox your lungs and clean them out. While this is simply a great idea for your health it has the added benefit that it actually puts you off cigarette smoking once it is done because the rapid detox effect leaves the body unused to smoking and makes it quit un-enjoyable.

If you would like more information on the self help aspect of quitting cigarette smoking click below to find out more about how you can help yourself healthier, happier and smoke free without horrendous cravings.
http://www.kick-addiction.com/nicotine-addiction/treatment/
Make this attempt to quit be the successful one.

If you are thinking of quitting smoking cigarettes then you must know how bad they are for you and those around you and I applaud your decision. You have also probably heard many nightmare tales of how hard it is to quit which may be scary and demotivating. To help you kick your addiction to cigarettes and the addictive component nicotine here are 10 tips and ways to quit smoking cigarettes that can show you it can be done and it is not as hard as people can make it out to be if you have a plan!

1. Write a list of reason you LIKE smoking
It may seem counter to your needs to quit smoking but ignoring why you like smoking and why you continue to smoke is important so that psychologically you can overcome these things or leave them behind or replace them with something. Ignoring them simply means when cravings hit those reasons subconsciously attack your reasoning and resolve.

2. Make a list of reasons it will be hard to quit
Wow, I sound so negative so far which I am sorry for but bear with me! Honesty is massive part of overcoming an addiction to nicotine and cigarettes because many people try to quit without being honest with themselves first and those people usually fail on that attempt. So write down a list of reasons you think might make it hard to quit or the reasons you know from experience have made it harder.

3. Write a list of reasons you want to quit
Ok now we are getting more positive! Again HONESTY is the big word here for the same reason stated before. You need as many solid positive reasons for quitting cigarettes so that these ways to quit smoking cigarettes work! HINT: List them in a positive way so instead of writing “Scared of lung cancer” write “I want to be healthy and live a long life!” … negative reasons are not as strong as positive ones.

4. Write down a list of ways to tackle cravings
When the cravings hit all reasoning and resolve can suddenly go out the window as you may already have experienced and is not something to be ashamed of. You just need a way to overcome these things, having something to distract you from the cravings is a very important things to do whether it is to get your joggers on and hit the pavement or if you are at work to maybe chew some gum, get a coffee or clean up your office space.

5. Compare lists
Now you have a few sheets of paper (or for some people nearly a book!) you can compare your negative and positive reasons. This is important because often if you have more reasons you like smoking compared to reasons you want to quit smoking cigarettes then you may not be ready to quit and might need to find some more reasons and support to quit. Also if your list of things to do to overcome cravings do not have an answer to all your reasons why quitting might be hard then you may need to revisit the former list and add to it. Once you have done this not only have you been introspective enough to see things clearly and plan ahead you have created the base work for a contract with yourself to quit which is a cornerstone of quitting cigarettes for good.

6. Set a quit date
Having firm goals is important when dealing with addictions and when looking for ways to quit smoking cigarettes this is a vital step. Having a set date you set for yourself and can plan for means you will not make snap decision when you are not ready and you will also force yourself to commit to a date than a vague “I will quit next week” then that week never seems to come …

7. Throw out all smoking paraphernalia
Get rid of them when that quit date hits! Get rid of your smokes, if you hold on to any cigarettes it is a temptation and a subconscious easy way out .. if you are serious break the fags and toss them out, if you can’t do that you are not ready to quit. Also get rid of lighters and anything else that has to do with smoking in your space.

8. Busy your hands and mouth
One part of the addiction to cigarettes that people ignore in favor of concentrating on the dependency effects of nicotine is the habit that has formed over many years of the actual ACTION of smoking. IF you carry some toothpicks you can suck on or some nuts you can crack open and eat you will busy your hands looking for a familiar action, no need for anything terribly elaborate just keep them busy or they may stray to a cigarette.

9. State your intention to quit smoking cigarettes
Tell your friends, tell your family and tell your co-workers that you plan to quit smoking cigarettes for a two reasons. One, you need a support network to help you so it is good to get as many well wishers and helpers as you can. Two if you are not announcing it does not become REAL to you and is less substantial because it is like you are a keeping a secret often as many do not want the stigma of people knowing they failed if it comes to that which is just another excuse!

10. Stay Positive, Quit positive
Research has shown that those that quit when in a good and positive mood stand a much greater chance of achieving their goal. IF you plan to quit and map out your ways to quit smoking cigarettes while under stress of when depressed it does not bode well as a negative reason as has been mentioned is no where near as strong as positive ones!

This list may only scratch the surface of all the challenges and ways to quit that you may need to kick your habit for you particular situation. If you want to be armed with all the tools & information that can give you every chance to be smoke free forever click below to find out more.

http://www.kick-addiction.com/nicotine-addiction/treatment/

Many publications and even some commercials have made statements that nicotine is a poison that kills, but is it true? Nicotine is said to be both a bad habit that people can just lay down, but others claim that it is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. The claims that nicotine is used in insecticides have been circulating for years, so is it? All of these informational tidbits sound unreasonable and unbelievable; however the part about just laying them down seems reasonable. Which is the truth and which is fiction? Is nicotine deadly, or just someone’s mission to put the tobacco industry under? Here we will expose some of the most common myths and shed light on the truth about nicotine addiction.

Myth: Those addicted to nicotine products are weak, or else they would just quit the habit!

Fact: Any type of addiction is not centered on strength, because even the strongest people fall victim to something. Since everyone has their vice, we cannot make the general statement that smokers or chewers are simply weak. Nicotine addiction, just like all other addictions, has some habits associated; however the actual addiction is far more than just a habit. In order to quit it takes much dedication, education, withdrawals and a strong support network.

Myth: Nicotine is not addictive and if it is it is not as bad as illegal drugs.

Fact: Nicotine is highly addictive, regardless of what the cigarette manufacturers have said in years past. While in treatment most nicotine addicts have claimed that their cessation of illegal drugs was easier to quit than cigarettes. Nicotine if often compared to the addiction of heroin and cocaine. Addiction is addiction, it simply doesn’t matter to what!

Myth: Nicotine could not be a poison or they couldn’t sell it.

Fact: Nicotine is derived from the leaves of the tobacco plant, which is meant as a deterrent to insects chewing on it. It is used in pesticides and said to be deadly in even a small drop. It is true that nicotine is used in pesticides and is more deadly than arsenic or strychnine. It can be sold because it is administered in such minute quantities that it doesn’t kill immediately, just slowly through years of consumption.

Myth: Gums, patches and other cessation products are the only way to quit.

Fact: The latest research has shown that all the cessation products are no more effective than a commitment to stop by the person along with some professional treatment. Education about how nicotine affects the body and changing the mind altering effects is the most effective manner by which to stop all nicotine usage.

Myth: Nicotine is not an addiction.

Fact: Nicotine addiction is as real as any other addiction on the books. In fact, some professionals believe that it is one of the most addictive because it is somewhat accepted. It is not illegal, leading some to believe that it must be ok, since it isn’t forbidden.
Those suffering from nicotine addiction should be taken very seriously. They must have help to stop the cravings, withdrawals and negative effects of this drug on their body. It is true that nicotine is out of the bloodstream within 72 hours from last ingestation, however that doesn’t mean that the cravings stop for another several weeks. Cessation is not easy, but it can be done with commitment, education and the help of others.

Overview | Treatment

With every news report there is something about the harms of nicotine and how cigarettes are the new killer. Most offices, businesses and even restaurants have begun banning the use of cigarettes in and around their buildings. Some entire cities have ban smoking all together not only because the personal harms, but environmental as well. Those that suffer from nicotine addiction have trouble quitting with this being one of the toughest addictions to quit. The difficult feat of laying cigarettes or other nicotine products down is often discounted by others making the journey even more trying. Read on for more information about nicotine and what one, who is addicted, might expect or experience.

It Is Just A Cigarette Or Chew, What’s The Big Deal

The problem with the fact that it is just a cigarette or chew is that it contains a deadly ingredient. Nicotine is derived from the leaves of the tobacco plant, but it is actually very poisonous. Small drops of undiluted nicotine can kill a person much faster than arsenic or strychnine ever thought about. Another part of the chemical makeup of nicotine is that it takes only seconds to cross into the brain and alter hundreds of neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain). This leaves the smoker or dipper with an increased sense of peace or ‘awhhh’, with the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that has been found to increase mood and control emotions within humans. So, products containing nicotine, being highly addictive, change the chemical makeup of the brain, therefore leaving the individual with a quick addiction that is very hard to quit.

What Happens When A Nicotine Addict Tries To Quit

Of the millions that smoke most express the desire to quit or reduce the amount of nicotine laced products that they ingest. However, only 6% of them are successful, through any cessation method that they choose. This is because within a few hours of the last signs of nicotine the body begins waging a war on the well intended victim. Symptoms are both physical and mental and are comparable to light withdrawals of their more illegal counterparts. Symptoms can include anxiety, cognitive deficiencies (can’t think straight), changes in mood, increased appetite and cravings. Because these symptoms overwhelm most people and can last for up to two hours, the addict gives in. This is not an easy feat, just look at the statistics, only 6% successfully quit!

The Habit In Nicotine Addiction

Many people from professionals on down to the average citizen commonly refer to smoking and chewing tobacco as a habit. While the rituals associated with nicotine use may well be a habit, the addiction is far more than that. The only habits with smoking or dipping is the behaviors leading up to ingesting, lighting, purchasing, holding…get the point? When cravings are a part of the equation and the individual experiences any type of craving or discomfort while longing for the next nicotine fix, they are addicted. And, while there are no hard or fast rules as far as time lines, most people become addicted to nicotine products within a few months, not years like some claim.

Harms Of Nicotine

The harms of nicotine are quite lengthy, however here we will highlight the most common. These are the most commonly associated diseases of nicotine usage:
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Cancer
• Trouble with the throat, esophagus, tongue, mouth
• Increased risk of breathing diseases, COPD
• Malnutrition

Can Addicts Quit?

If the person’s heart is beating and they are breathing air on their own, they can give up nicotine. It takes education, support and a few days to rid of the changes that the nicotine has made within the brain, but it is possible. In fact, nicotine has left the bloodstream within 72 hours of the last ingestion. Withdrawals may be harsh for the first two to three days, but after that point the blood has returned and the body slows the desire for nicotine greatly. This is not to say that some will not experience the urge or craving because that can drag on for weeks, however with each day it diminishes. In order to quit, most people need an intervention. Either a family member or other loved one to stand by their side, supporting their desire to quit. There are many treatment options that individuals can try to help ease the cravings and withdrawals during this initial period. However, research has show that the most effective way to end nicotine addiction is to make a commitment within that it is a thing of the past and off limits.