How many times and in how many ways have you tried to quit smoking? Are you one of those people who can quit for a while, but if anything happens to upset the emotional balance of your life, you start again with the excuse that you were stressed out? Do you smoke when you’re bored or when you are seeking pleasure or relaxation?
People smoke for different reasons and the urge to smoke is triggered by different stimuli. And just as one person smokes only at parties with a glass of wine, another will be tempted when they are alone or after meals.
Habitual Smokers are characterized by an enjoyment of handling cigarettes, lighting up and watching the smoke as they exhale. They often find a cigarette in their mouths without remembering how it got there. This type of smoker usually has many connections associated with cigarettes like alcohol, eating, reading or working at the computer. Places, activities and situations will trigger the desire for a cigarette. The best way for these smokers to quit is to place barriers between themselves and cigarettes and become desensitized to the connections. A skilled hypnotherapist can help in both of these areas using imagery and cognitive techniques.
Stimulation Smokers reach for a cigarette when they are bored, to give themselves a lift or to get themselves going. When they are not smoking, they are acutely aware of the fact. They need powerful substitute activities to help them overcome the desire to smoke. Suggestions delivered in a clinical setting by an experienced smoking cessation specialist, lessens the intensity of desire and reinforces the determination to quit.
The Coping Smoker is triggered by anger, sadness or stress. Cigarettes have replaced healthy coping habits and the smoker feels helpless without them. This type of smoker is helped tremendously by a loving support system and by learning cognitive coping skills and stress reduction techniques, easily learned with as few as three hypnotherapy sessions.
Pleasure Seekers smoke after meals, when drinking with friends or when they want to relax. What they don’t realize is that the body responds to smoking exactly the same way it responds to a poisonous snake bite. Relaxation is impossible when smoking. Introducing healthy activities or treats and learning relaxation techniques makes quitting easier.
No matter how many times you’ve tried to quit or how long you have smoked, this powerful combination of smoke defeating tools will help to make you smoke free in less than three weeks. Just imagine how great that will feel.
Linda Clements-Urick is a certified smoking cessation specialist. For more information, please call 661-362-0787 or email lindact@earthlink.net .