Quit Smoking – Now What?

Once you have quit smoking cigarettes there are many situations that can tempt you to go back to that old habit of smoking. Here are some tips to help you stay a non-smoker:

Many people who have smoked have been doing it for such a long time that it is how they see themselves. They see themselves as smokers. Now that you have stopped smoking see yourself as a non-smoker. Take time in the day to visualise and feel how it feels is being a non-smoker.
Many places are associated with smoking. For example you may go to the same place in […]

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All forms of smoking detrimental to cardiac health

Studies suggest that smoking with waterpipes, also referred to as shisha and hookah, may be associated with even greater toxin exposure because sessions are longer and involve more and larger “puffs,” leading to smoke inhalation as much as 100 times higher than that associated with cigarette smoking.

“Electronic cigarettes may be moderately effective in helping smokers quit, but they need the same marketing restrictions as cigarettes to avoid uptake by young people and non-smokers,” said Professor Joep Perk.

The ESC advocates regulation of electronic cigarettes as a tobacco and medical product in the European Commission’s Tobacco Products Directive. Scientific evidence shows that […]

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I feel like an outcast!

These days it’s getting harder and harder to smoke. Not only are there regulations on where you can smoke but society itself regards smoking as seriously anti-social.

More and more people are shying away from people that smoke, almost as if they are outcasts. This attitude is having an impact on smokers in two ways;

They are quitting smoking as they feel left out. It’s quite ironic because usually people started smoking to fit in.
They ignore what society is saying and continue to smoke cigarettes as an act of defiance.

Although smoking is a bad habit I don’t always agree with the way […]

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Nicotine, second hand smoking. Big Deal!

When tobacco is smoked nicotine is released into the air. This nicotine is then deposited on the clothes and surfaces near the smoker. If you want to see this take a picture off of the wall of a house where smoking is done indoors.

So what’s the big deal with this? Nicotine is easily absorbed through the skin and when it is it has the same effect as smoking it. In other words it is the equivalent of second hand smoking; it has the same adverse effects of smoking.

Just imagine picking up a young child after smoking. The nicotine on […]

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Do you subconsciously want to quit smoking?

The cause and the benefit of your smoking habit reside in your subconscious mind. The reason why hypnosis is so successful in helping people to stop smoking cigarettes is that it addresses the programing in the subconscious mind.

It has been my experience that everybody starts smoking to fit in. This desire stems from the fact that there is safety in numbers and this leads to the subconscious mind thinking that smoking cigarettes is associated with safety and survival.

Interestingly as more and more people quit smoking there is now a subconscious urge to stop smoking cigarettes because you do not fit […]

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Quit Smoking and Nicotine

Nicotine is produced by the tobacco plant and can be regarded as a biological pesticide. The tobacco plant produces nicotine in the roots and then exudes it from the leaves to prevent insects from eating the plant.

When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed through the wall lining of the small air sacs in the lungs. When sniffed or chewed, it is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the nose or mouth. Nicotine can also be absorbed easily through the skin which is the main cause of second hand smoking.

Regardless of how nicotine is absorbed, it enters the bloodstream where it […]

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A Fast and Effective Way to Overcome Stress and Anxiety

In the past hypnosis was used very successfully for the treatment of anxiety, stress and what is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For whatever reason, hypnosis after the 70’s was ignored or played down as a treatment for these conditions.

However times have changed and hypnosis is now playing a bigger part in the treatment of these conditions. In fact hypnosis has been described as a simple, safe and elegant way to remove the effects of stress, anxiety, trauma and PTSD. The reasons for this are:

Hypnosis is fast and does not need long periods with frequent visits.
Hypnosis is non-intrusive […]

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Can smoking cigarettes lead to cocaine abuse?

It has long been thought that nicotine in tobacco products can act as a gateway drug, increasing a person’s likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well.
Most drug users report smoking cigarettes or alcohol abuse before trying drugs. This model has been very controversial as to whether smoking, alcohol or marijuana leads to later drug use.
In a current study by Columbia University, New York it was found that mice exposed to nicotine showed an increased response to cocaine. Researchers also studied humans to see if the results from mice paralleled the effect on humans. It was found that […]

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Is what they say about quitting true?

Just recently I came across this blog;

“When we quit smoking, most of us go through a fair amount of junkie thinking – the internal battle between our addiction and ourselves. Early on in smoking cessation, the dialogue can seem relentless. It’s often persistent, annoying and exhausting. It is however, temporary, and the less attention you give to unhealthy thoughts of smoking, the better. Thoughts of smoking just one cigarette have been the ruin of many good quitting efforts. It’s important for you to realize ahead of time that these mental contortions are a normal part of the recovery process.”

There are […]

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Am I ready to quit?

I recently had a client who wanted to quit smoking but was not ready as he had a very emotive issue in his life. He wanted to quit smoking cigarettes but his partner had just left him. I think that you would agree that in most cases this is very emotional.

Now he could have come to me to quit smoking with hypnosis but the likelihood of it being effective I believe would have been quite slim. In this case his thoughts are taken up by the emotions of his relationship breaking down.

What I am getting at is that to successfully […]

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