Stoptober has begun! How are you faring with your goal to quit smoking? If you watch TV you might have noticed a new round of grim ads aimed to turn you off smoking and bring more awareness to the damage that cigarettes do. Stoptober is a health initiative run by the NHS, encouraging people to quit smoking for good to feel healthier, save money and protect loved ones from second-hand smoke.
There’s certainly an attitude shift in the general public that makes quitting smoking seem more attractive than ever before, but the messages that are put out there about how to go about it can make it confusing. How do you know which method is best?
Public Health England released a statement urging smokers not to try and quit cold turkey because relying on willpower alone isn’t as effective as using a range of aids. Stoptober supports you to create a personalised plan which will help you quit.
The National Council for Hypnotherapy states that hypnotherapy for smoking is common and has high levels of success.
“The reason why hypnotherapy works so rapidly with bad habits and behaviours is because it works directly with your subconscious, bypassing the critical mind and getting to the root of the issue so that changes can be made that support your goals quickly and efficiently.”
Nicotine addiction by itself is reasonably easy to overcome. Within a matter of days your dependency is completely gone, however our thoughts and habits keep the nicotine addiction going. The mind triggers the urge for a cigarette after dinner, or when you get behind the wheel. It’s the subconscious mind that triggers a pang when you’re under stress, or you’ve poured a glass of wine.
This mental battle also explains why most smoking cessation aids like nicotine replacement therapy have such low success rates. NRT only eliminates the physical cravings – but those mental urges, those subconscious thoughts that tell us to reach for a cigarette, they’re still very much in place.
Successfully becoming a non-smoker, therefore, requires smokers to tackle the mental battle head on and that’s where hypnotherapy is so successful.
All you need to do is decide that you’re ready to make the change and then search the database of over 1,800 qualified clinical hypnotherapists to find someone near you.