I am consolidating! After trying to write two blogs, as well as posting on my Facebook Page and everything else in Social Media, I'm spending January - February 2013 putting things together.
Follow me on my new Wordpress Blog:
http://hypnobehaviorist.wordpress.com/
I'll be transferring all of my Relaxation Suite and Quitter's Edge posts to the Hypno-Behaviorist blog.
I'll also be posting recipes, hypnosis information and, for good or ill, random thoughts.
JOIN ME~ http://hypnobehaviorist/wordpress.com/
Cheers,
Meg
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Monday, March 26, 2012
Reasons People Smoke -- Part 2
In my last post, I told you about a question I ask all of my Quit Smoking clients: Why do you continue to smoke? Here are MY responses to their answers:
1. I'm under so much stress. I need smoking to reduce the stress.
Smoking does not reduce stress. If you think it is reducing your stress, you are believing your own bulls--t. When you smoke, your blood pressure goes up and your heart rate goes up. This the opposite of reducing stress. Several things are going on here when you have a cigarette because you feel stressed and you THINK the cigarette is helping you:
a. You are breathing deeply, which is a good thing to do if you are stressed and if you weren't filling your lungs with smoke, it would be one of the best things you could do. Your body is craving oxygen when you are feeling the "fight or flight" response when you are feeling stressed. When you are breathing smoke deeply into your lungs, your poor body is expecting oxygen, but you are tricking your body. It's not actually reducing your stress.
b. You are leaving the situation that is stressing you. Your client ticked you off, so you slammed down the phone, you grabbed your cigarettes and you went outside to calm down. Leaving the situation is a GREAT thing to do. Smoking a cigarettes are only an excuse to leave.
c. When you are putting nicotine in your body 10, 15, 30 times a day for years, your body starts to expect it. If it doesn't get its fix, you start to go through withdrawal. This is true. But unless you always wake up in the middle of the night to have your fix then you are able to go through eight hours or so. Your withdrawal symptoms are not as strong as you think they are. So you are probably not as addicted to the cigarettes as you think you are. (If you are a bad sleeper, and you get up and have a cigarette because there is nothing else to do while you are awake in the middle of the night, that is not the same thing as being woken up in order to have a cigarette because you need the nicotine. Don't confuse them. VERY few people are so addicted to nicotine that the withdrawal symptoms wake them up. Truthfully, I've never met such a person, and I have worked with hundreds of smokers.)
2. I'm afraid I'll gain weight if I quit smoking.
This will only happen if you are replacing smoking with food. Or, you are rewarding your smoking cessation by eating. For example, "I quit smoking, I deserve a second piece of cake at the office birthday party." "I don't know what to do with my hands now, I might as well eat potato chips while I watch TV."
I will agree that smoking does curb your appetite. (you didn't think I'd admit that, did you? Come on, if I tried to convince you that smoking did NOT curb your appetite, I'd lose all credibility with you.) Most smokers who quit using hypnosis do not gain weight, or they gain a little bit -- a few pounds because they quit in the middle of winter -- which falls off when the snow melts. You move more when you quit smoking and you have more energy. When you quit using hypnosis, you come up with lots of healthy activities to replace the smoking. Chew gum, drink water, call people on the phone, take a walk, visit a colleague down the hall. There are thousands of things you can do, instead of smoking.
3. Cigarettes were my best friend.
What kind of friend makes you sick and even kills you, and charges you money to do it? Cigarettes happened to be around when you got divorced or moved to a strange city, but the cigarettes never, ever helped you. Either you made it through this difficult time all by yourself - which means you are much stronger than you though, OR you made it with your friends and family at your side, in which case, they will help you again when you decide to quit smoking. You do know who your friends really are - cigarettes are not your friends.
4. I'm afraid I'll fail and hate myself.
You've been smoking for a long time. As I've said before in this book, you've been smoking 10/20/30 cigarettes a day for how many years? 15? 20? 40? How many times did you practice smoking? A lot, right? Anything you've ever done well, you had to practice: Learning to use a fork or knife; drive a car, tie your shoe, typing, flipping a pancake in the air, played the piano, threw a strike (baseball or bowling) etc, etc. The first time you tied your shoe, you probably threw the shoe, threw yourself on the floor and cried. But you can do it now, can't you? (You have my permission to throw your shoe right now and as many times as you picked up a cigarette after you said you quit.)
If you quit before and went back to smoking, let me tell you something profound -- You didn't fail!!! You just aren't finished yet. If you keep going, you can't fail. Pretty cool, huh?
1. I'm under so much stress. I need smoking to reduce the stress.
Smoking does not reduce stress. If you think it is reducing your stress, you are believing your own bulls--t. When you smoke, your blood pressure goes up and your heart rate goes up. This the opposite of reducing stress. Several things are going on here when you have a cigarette because you feel stressed and you THINK the cigarette is helping you:
a. You are breathing deeply, which is a good thing to do if you are stressed and if you weren't filling your lungs with smoke, it would be one of the best things you could do. Your body is craving oxygen when you are feeling the "fight or flight" response when you are feeling stressed. When you are breathing smoke deeply into your lungs, your poor body is expecting oxygen, but you are tricking your body. It's not actually reducing your stress.
b. You are leaving the situation that is stressing you. Your client ticked you off, so you slammed down the phone, you grabbed your cigarettes and you went outside to calm down. Leaving the situation is a GREAT thing to do. Smoking a cigarettes are only an excuse to leave.
c. When you are putting nicotine in your body 10, 15, 30 times a day for years, your body starts to expect it. If it doesn't get its fix, you start to go through withdrawal. This is true. But unless you always wake up in the middle of the night to have your fix then you are able to go through eight hours or so. Your withdrawal symptoms are not as strong as you think they are. So you are probably not as addicted to the cigarettes as you think you are. (If you are a bad sleeper, and you get up and have a cigarette because there is nothing else to do while you are awake in the middle of the night, that is not the same thing as being woken up in order to have a cigarette because you need the nicotine. Don't confuse them. VERY few people are so addicted to nicotine that the withdrawal symptoms wake them up. Truthfully, I've never met such a person, and I have worked with hundreds of smokers.)
2. I'm afraid I'll gain weight if I quit smoking.
This will only happen if you are replacing smoking with food. Or, you are rewarding your smoking cessation by eating. For example, "I quit smoking, I deserve a second piece of cake at the office birthday party." "I don't know what to do with my hands now, I might as well eat potato chips while I watch TV."
I will agree that smoking does curb your appetite. (you didn't think I'd admit that, did you? Come on, if I tried to convince you that smoking did NOT curb your appetite, I'd lose all credibility with you.) Most smokers who quit using hypnosis do not gain weight, or they gain a little bit -- a few pounds because they quit in the middle of winter -- which falls off when the snow melts. You move more when you quit smoking and you have more energy. When you quit using hypnosis, you come up with lots of healthy activities to replace the smoking. Chew gum, drink water, call people on the phone, take a walk, visit a colleague down the hall. There are thousands of things you can do, instead of smoking.
3. Cigarettes were my best friend.
What kind of friend makes you sick and even kills you, and charges you money to do it? Cigarettes happened to be around when you got divorced or moved to a strange city, but the cigarettes never, ever helped you. Either you made it through this difficult time all by yourself - which means you are much stronger than you though, OR you made it with your friends and family at your side, in which case, they will help you again when you decide to quit smoking. You do know who your friends really are - cigarettes are not your friends.
4. I'm afraid I'll fail and hate myself.
You've been smoking for a long time. As I've said before in this book, you've been smoking 10/20/30 cigarettes a day for how many years? 15? 20? 40? How many times did you practice smoking? A lot, right? Anything you've ever done well, you had to practice: Learning to use a fork or knife; drive a car, tie your shoe, typing, flipping a pancake in the air, played the piano, threw a strike (baseball or bowling) etc, etc. The first time you tied your shoe, you probably threw the shoe, threw yourself on the floor and cried. But you can do it now, can't you? (You have my permission to throw your shoe right now and as many times as you picked up a cigarette after you said you quit.)
If you quit before and went back to smoking, let me tell you something profound -- You didn't fail!!! You just aren't finished yet. If you keep going, you can't fail. Pretty cool, huh?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Reasons Why People Smoke -- Part 1
I ask all of my Smoking Cessation clients a number of questions before we get down to the hypnosis session.
How long have you been smoking? How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? etc.
There are two questions I love to ask, because the answers are predictable. How old did you start smoking? and Do you remember WHY you started?
I've worked with hundreds of smokers and almost all of them started smoking as a teenager, in college, or just after college. (It's a rare person who started smoking at age 30.)
Even more predictable is the answer to the second question: Why did you start? A few say that they grew up in a house where people smoked. A few say they went to Europe where everyone smoked. But most people say, "I thought it looked cool" or a variation on that answer -- "Everyone else was doing it." "I was rebelling." "I wanted to be in the cool group."
Then I ask, "Do you think you are cool now?" Nobody says yes to that one.
Conversely, why don't you quit?
Here are the answers to that question I've heard the most often:
- I'm under so much stress. I need smoking to reduce the stress.
- If I quit, I'm afraid I'll gain weight.
- Cigarettes have been my friends. They were there when I got divorced and when I lost my job.
- I'm afraid I'll fail and hate myself.
- I've failed and I don't want to fail again.
- My life is miserable and cigarettes are my only reward.
- My wife won't have sex with me and she says it's because I smoke. But I'm afraid that if I quit, and she still won't have sex with me, it's because she hates me.
- Smoking gives me a reason to get out of the house or work.
- I need a release when I'm at work. Cigarettes are the release.
- I love smoking. If I could, I'd smoke two at the same time.
- I hate smoking, but my husband/wife/parents/partner smokes and I might as well.
- It's my only connection to my reckless youth.
- My parents smoked into their nineties. I'm sure I'll live that long, too.
- I'm so addicted to nicotine; I can't quit.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Quit for Your Pets
So you don't have any children and you live alone -- so what's the big deal if I smoke in my house?
It's a big deal if you have pets.
Recently, one of my clients told me that her family dog, the one she grew up with, died from a malignant tumor in his nose, most likely induced because there were six smokers in the house. So I thought I'd learn something more about this. Are you hurting your pets?
You better believe you are.
Quitting smoking will not only reduce risks of cancer and other diseases in smokers, it will reduce the risks in your dog or cat. (and probably your ferret, parrot or monkey, too, but I couldn't find studies on those animals)
Studies clearly indicate that exposure to environmental factors, such as second-hand tobacco smoke has devastating consequences for cats, increasing their likelihood of contracting lymphoma. In a study done by Tufts University and the University of Massachusetts, a cat exposed to second hand smoke had double the risk of getting lymphoma. If the cat had lived with a smoker for five years or more, the risk tripled.
Researchers at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital found that dogs exposed to second hand smoke were 1.6 times more likely to get cancer. The most common form of cancer was nasal cancer. Most dogs with nasal cancer will not live longer than a year after diagnosis.
And your dog and cats don't just inhale smoke; the smoke particles are also trapped in their fur and ingested when they groom themselves with their tongues.
Mary Suchowiecki, a veterinarian at Just Cats in Stamford, CT, says she is sees other serious conditions in her patients that live with smokers. “I see many cats with asthma and other respiratory ailments that are caused by second-hand smoke.”
Dr. Suchowiecki says that allergies can be caused by second-hand smoke, too, so that the animal is miserable. “Atopic, or inhalant, allergies are common with both cats and dogs. Breathing in, or directly contacting, airborne particles in the environment, including tobacco smoke, will activate atopic allergies.” The symptoms may include respiratory problems, but cats and dogs more typically develop itchy skin – to the point that they are ripping their fur and leaving bald spots. She continues, “I tell the owners, ‘Even if you smoked cigarettes outside, your cat can be sensitive to the smoke on your clothes. The best cure is no exposure at all. Quit smoking.’”
So many smokers tell me that they smoke to reduce their stress, but they are profoundly mistaken. Smoking doesn’t reduce stress; your heart rate and blood pressure goes up when you smoke.
Spending quality time with your pet will, absolutely, reduce your stress; whereas smoking could reduce the life span of your pet, as well as your own.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
"I Could Quit Any Time I Want!"
I have questions about that statement. I hear this all the time. Someone finds out I'm a hypnotist and that person turns to their friend and says, "Hey, this person is a hypnotist. Why don't you quit?"
And the smoker says.... well, it's the title of this post. I don't know how to respond to that statement -- or if I should at all. My first reaction is to ask, "Well, why DON'T you quit?" But I'm afraid that it will be taken the wrong way. I really want to know the answer, but I think the smoker will become immediately defensive. Smokers, in general, are a defensive group. Strangers yell at them. Children and spouses nag. They have been ostracized from buildings. I'm a hypnotist, so I'm actually quite sensitive about their defensive behavior. I'd feel that way, too, but this means I don't know the answer to that question and I don't know how to ask it any other way.
Everyone knows that smoking is a stupid thing to do. So why don't you quit? People who think or know that they could quit any time are not looking for a hypnotist. They don't want to quit. But WHY NOT?
These are my ideas, but I'd love to hear from smokers.
1. I've quit before and I did fine, so it will be easy when I feel like quitting again.
2. I don't smoke that much, so it will be easy to quit.
3. I'm not ready.
4. I like smoking.
5. My aunt/uncle/grandfather - whoever - smoked until he was 95. I'll live that long, too.
6. I smoke American Spirit, (or I roll my own) so I am not putting the same chemicals in my body that other smokers do.
If you have an answer to this question, please reply!
And the smoker says.... well, it's the title of this post. I don't know how to respond to that statement -- or if I should at all. My first reaction is to ask, "Well, why DON'T you quit?" But I'm afraid that it will be taken the wrong way. I really want to know the answer, but I think the smoker will become immediately defensive. Smokers, in general, are a defensive group. Strangers yell at them. Children and spouses nag. They have been ostracized from buildings. I'm a hypnotist, so I'm actually quite sensitive about their defensive behavior. I'd feel that way, too, but this means I don't know the answer to that question and I don't know how to ask it any other way.
Everyone knows that smoking is a stupid thing to do. So why don't you quit? People who think or know that they could quit any time are not looking for a hypnotist. They don't want to quit. But WHY NOT?
These are my ideas, but I'd love to hear from smokers.
1. I've quit before and I did fine, so it will be easy when I feel like quitting again.
2. I don't smoke that much, so it will be easy to quit.
3. I'm not ready.
4. I like smoking.
5. My aunt/uncle/grandfather - whoever - smoked until he was 95. I'll live that long, too.
6. I smoke American Spirit, (or I roll my own) so I am not putting the same chemicals in my body that other smokers do.
If you have an answer to this question, please reply!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Myth of Will Power When Quitting Smoking
"I have no will power. After a few days (hours, weeks, whatever) without a cigarette, I cave in and I feel like such a loser."
Sound like you? Please, PLEASE don't beat yourself up! It's not your fault.
We hypnotists spend a lot of time talking about your conscious and your subconscious mind. Your conscious mind is not able to process very much at any time. According to research on information processing, your conscious mind is only able to process approximately 50 bits of information per second. Your subconscious mind, on the other hand, processes approximately 11 million bits per second.1 You use your conscious mind for important things: You make decisions in your conscious mind. You choose a different driving route when you see traffic on the road in front of you or you weigh the pros and cons of making a job change in your conscious mind - the part of your mind that is rational, analytical and objective.
Your will power is in this part of your mind. Will power is a wonderful thing given to us by Mother Nature. If you are starving, weak and tired, instead of just falling over and caving in, you marshal your forces, so to speak, get up and find food. Or if you are at a party, but you are tired, you can also marshal your forces and get a second wind so that you can party for a few more hours. You made a conscious decision. The problem with will power is that it doesn't last very long. If you don't find food, you are going to fall over and die; or, after a few hours of partying, you are going to have to go home and sleep, no matter how strong your will power is.
Your subconscious is immense. You have stored everything you've ever learned in your subconscious: the multiplication tables; how to drive a car; the lyrics to your favorite songs; how to put on your pants or tie your shoes; throw a ball. These are all "programs" that you stored in your subconscious. Your subconscious mind processes information about 220 times better and more effectively than your conscious mind - you can now turn the key of your car, turn on the turn indicator and turn to your left to check for drivers behind you, all at the same time -- without having to think about it. The process is automatic. You have stored all of your habits - your programs - in your subconscious, the good ones and the bad ones. And smoking is one nasty habit.
How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? Ten? Twenty? Forty? And how long have you been smoking? Ten? Twenty? Forty years? You stored your smoking habit in your subconscious a long time ago and you have practiced being a smoker over and over again so that this program is deep in your subconscious.
Your conscious mind knows perfectly well that smoking is a really stupid thing to do. And your subconscious just goes blythely along doing what you programmed it to do all those years ago: I drink coffee, I automatically reach for a cigarette. My boss pissed me off, I automatically reach for a cigarette.
I'm in the car and I don't have anything else to do, I reach for my cigarettes. Habit. A deeply-rooted habit.
If you are having a hard time quitting smoking by using your will power, give yourself some slack. There is nothing wrong with your will power and you are not a loser. You are looking in the wrong place for help.
1. Zimmerman, M. (1989). In R. F. Schmidt & G. Thews (eds.), Human Physiology, pp. 166-173. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
2. Lovitch, Michael, The Will Power Myth. www.TotalHealthBreakthroughs.com, Jan. 6, 2009.
Next post: "I Can Quit Any Time I Want"
Sound like you? Please, PLEASE don't beat yourself up! It's not your fault.
We hypnotists spend a lot of time talking about your conscious and your subconscious mind. Your conscious mind is not able to process very much at any time. According to research on information processing, your conscious mind is only able to process approximately 50 bits of information per second. Your subconscious mind, on the other hand, processes approximately 11 million bits per second.1 You use your conscious mind for important things: You make decisions in your conscious mind. You choose a different driving route when you see traffic on the road in front of you or you weigh the pros and cons of making a job change in your conscious mind - the part of your mind that is rational, analytical and objective.
Your will power is in this part of your mind. Will power is a wonderful thing given to us by Mother Nature. If you are starving, weak and tired, instead of just falling over and caving in, you marshal your forces, so to speak, get up and find food. Or if you are at a party, but you are tired, you can also marshal your forces and get a second wind so that you can party for a few more hours. You made a conscious decision. The problem with will power is that it doesn't last very long. If you don't find food, you are going to fall over and die; or, after a few hours of partying, you are going to have to go home and sleep, no matter how strong your will power is.
Your subconscious is immense. You have stored everything you've ever learned in your subconscious: the multiplication tables; how to drive a car; the lyrics to your favorite songs; how to put on your pants or tie your shoes; throw a ball. These are all "programs" that you stored in your subconscious. Your subconscious mind processes information about 220 times better and more effectively than your conscious mind - you can now turn the key of your car, turn on the turn indicator and turn to your left to check for drivers behind you, all at the same time -- without having to think about it. The process is automatic. You have stored all of your habits - your programs - in your subconscious, the good ones and the bad ones. And smoking is one nasty habit.
How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? Ten? Twenty? Forty? And how long have you been smoking? Ten? Twenty? Forty years? You stored your smoking habit in your subconscious a long time ago and you have practiced being a smoker over and over again so that this program is deep in your subconscious.
Your conscious mind knows perfectly well that smoking is a really stupid thing to do. And your subconscious just goes blythely along doing what you programmed it to do all those years ago: I drink coffee, I automatically reach for a cigarette. My boss pissed me off, I automatically reach for a cigarette.
I'm in the car and I don't have anything else to do, I reach for my cigarettes. Habit. A deeply-rooted habit.
If you are having a hard time quitting smoking by using your will power, give yourself some slack. There is nothing wrong with your will power and you are not a loser. You are looking in the wrong place for help.
1. Zimmerman, M. (1989). In R. F. Schmidt & G. Thews (eds.), Human Physiology, pp. 166-173. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
2. Lovitch, Michael, The Will Power Myth. www.TotalHealthBreakthroughs.com, Jan. 6, 2009.
Next post: "I Can Quit Any Time I Want"
Friday, November 18, 2011
Great American Smokeout - November 17, 2011
Among many things I learned: it's easier to hypnotize people in a park than you would think. Smokers came in many varieties. Some only smoked on the weekends when they drink, another smokes three packs a day. Predictably, he's a truck driver. (He thought I was psychic, because I guessed it. The truth is, few people can smoke that much and work -- except truck drivers.) One is on the construction crew building the 9/11 Memorial.
All in all, this was a very gratifying project. As soon as I learn how to edit my video, I'll post it!
Next blog: The Myth of Will Power
Friday, November 11, 2011
Are You Addicted? Part 2
(See Part 1!)
Nicotine is a substance.
Smoking is a behavior.
One of the first questions I ask my potential clients, on the phone "Do you think you're addicted to smoking?"
Many of my clients say, “I am psychologically addicted to smoking.”
Now, we’re getting somewhere.
It is beneficial for the tobacco companies for you to think you are addicted to their product. Every time you repeat the “oh, I’m so addicted to smoking, It will be so-o-o-o-o hard for me to quit,” the tobacco companies hear the chich-ing of a cash register and their stock price goes up.
We had to sue the tobacco companies to discover they were putting substances into their cigarettes to make them more addictive. Now, we know.
Did they have to change the formula of their products? No.
The tobacco companies realized they could turn what should have a detriment – we manufacture a product that is addictive and kills people -- turn into a positive for them. They embraced it.
What really galls me; this new PR spin isn’t even costing them. Now that the pharmaceutical companies have created products to “cure” your addiction, the tobacco companies don’t need tell you that you have a terrible addiction. Big Pharma is doing it for them because THEY want you to think the only way to get you off your addiction is for you to buy their product.
When do smoke your first cigarette? With your first cup of coffee? Outside on the deck before you go to work? In the car? Walking to the subway?
Go through your day. You barely even think about the actual smoking. You might think about how to smoke, where to smoke, making sure you have time to smoke, but you don’t actually think about smoking.
Most smoking is habitual. I'm not saying that it's easy to change your habits - ask anyone who has quit biting their nails or eating sweets - but you can do it.
Nicotine is a substance.
Smoking is a behavior.
One of the first questions I ask my potential clients, on the phone "Do you think you're addicted to smoking?"
Many of my clients say, “I am psychologically addicted to smoking.”
Now, we’re getting somewhere.
It is beneficial for the tobacco companies for you to think you are addicted to their product. Every time you repeat the “oh, I’m so addicted to smoking, It will be so-o-o-o-o hard for me to quit,” the tobacco companies hear the chich-ing of a cash register and their stock price goes up.
We had to sue the tobacco companies to discover they were putting substances into their cigarettes to make them more addictive. Now, we know.
Did they have to change the formula of their products? No.
The tobacco companies realized they could turn what should have a detriment – we manufacture a product that is addictive and kills people -- turn into a positive for them. They embraced it.
What really galls me; this new PR spin isn’t even costing them. Now that the pharmaceutical companies have created products to “cure” your addiction, the tobacco companies don’t need tell you that you have a terrible addiction. Big Pharma is doing it for them because THEY want you to think the only way to get you off your addiction is for you to buy their product.
When do smoke your first cigarette? With your first cup of coffee? Outside on the deck before you go to work? In the car? Walking to the subway?
Go through your day. You barely even think about the actual smoking. You might think about how to smoke, where to smoke, making sure you have time to smoke, but you don’t actually think about smoking.
Most smoking is habitual. I'm not saying that it's easy to change your habits - ask anyone who has quit biting their nails or eating sweets - but you can do it.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Do You Think You Are Addicted to Nicotine? Part 1
All right, it's a trick question. What is your definition of addition?
Here’s one:
Addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. Addiction has been extended, however, to include mood-altering behaviors or activities.
Some researchers speak of two types of addictions: substance addictions (for example, alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking); and process addictions (for example, gambling, spending, shopping, eating, and sexual activity). There is a growing recognition that many addicts, such as polydrug abusers, are addicted to more than one substance or process.
(From the Medical Dictionary: The Free Dictionary)
Is smoking a substance or a behavior?
Answer: Nicotine is a substance. Smoking is a behavior.
Nicotine is an addictive substance and I am not going to try to convince you otherwise.
So is heroin. So is caffeine. I know what you’ve read and heard, “Oh, nicotine is one of the most addictive substances in the world. More than heroin!” But really, is it?
Ask yourself: If you had to go to the depths of the Bronx at two o’clock in the morning, walk up stairs reeking of urine, to a rat-infested lair to score your cigarettes, would you still do it? I ask my clients that question and very few say yes.
For most of you reading this blog, you must admit, if you had to score your cigarettes that way, you would have quit a long time ago.
When I hear that “more addictive than heroin” quotation from a physician, I press him/her on the issue. What do you mean? After a few minutes of quoting the headlines of medical journals and popular media, the doctor says that it’s hard to quit smoking because cigarettes are legal, cheap and everywhere.
Tobacco is, most certainly, one of the most widely-used addictive substances in the world.
So, how addictive is it?
Lots of people, including me, are addicted to caffeine. When I get up in the morning, I look forward to my one daily cup of coffee. It smells so good and it helps me wake up. If I don’t have my caffeine fix, I get a headache and I am an absolute bitch until I do get it. I admit it; I have a caffeine addiction. When I quit drinking coffee, which I have done several times for various reasons, I progressively cut down for 5-6 days and then I’m off caffeine. No more headache; no other withdrawal symptoms -- Just a feeling of nostalgia whenever I walk past Starbuck’s. (I’m originally from Seattle, people!)
Is nicotine addictive? Sure. But I think that for most people, it is more like a caffeine addiction than a heroine addiction. I can't imagine the reaction of the doctor if I'd asked to be admitted to an addiction program when she recommended I stop drinking coffee. (and don't worry about me now, I'm drinking coffee with my doctor's approval) I’ve had too many clients who came in absolutely convinced that they had a terrible addiction, and they walked out of my office smoke free, with no withdrawal symptoms.
How can that be if smoking is so addictive?
Here’s one:
Addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. Addiction has been extended, however, to include mood-altering behaviors or activities.
Some researchers speak of two types of addictions: substance addictions (for example, alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking); and process addictions (for example, gambling, spending, shopping, eating, and sexual activity). There is a growing recognition that many addicts, such as polydrug abusers, are addicted to more than one substance or process.
(From the Medical Dictionary: The Free Dictionary)
Is smoking a substance or a behavior?
Answer: Nicotine is a substance. Smoking is a behavior.
Nicotine is an addictive substance and I am not going to try to convince you otherwise.
So is heroin. So is caffeine. I know what you’ve read and heard, “Oh, nicotine is one of the most addictive substances in the world. More than heroin!” But really, is it?
Ask yourself: If you had to go to the depths of the Bronx at two o’clock in the morning, walk up stairs reeking of urine, to a rat-infested lair to score your cigarettes, would you still do it? I ask my clients that question and very few say yes.
For most of you reading this blog, you must admit, if you had to score your cigarettes that way, you would have quit a long time ago.
When I hear that “more addictive than heroin” quotation from a physician, I press him/her on the issue. What do you mean? After a few minutes of quoting the headlines of medical journals and popular media, the doctor says that it’s hard to quit smoking because cigarettes are legal, cheap and everywhere.
Tobacco is, most certainly, one of the most widely-used addictive substances in the world.
So, how addictive is it?
Lots of people, including me, are addicted to caffeine. When I get up in the morning, I look forward to my one daily cup of coffee. It smells so good and it helps me wake up. If I don’t have my caffeine fix, I get a headache and I am an absolute bitch until I do get it. I admit it; I have a caffeine addiction. When I quit drinking coffee, which I have done several times for various reasons, I progressively cut down for 5-6 days and then I’m off caffeine. No more headache; no other withdrawal symptoms -- Just a feeling of nostalgia whenever I walk past Starbuck’s. (I’m originally from Seattle, people!)
Is nicotine addictive? Sure. But I think that for most people, it is more like a caffeine addiction than a heroine addiction. I can't imagine the reaction of the doctor if I'd asked to be admitted to an addiction program when she recommended I stop drinking coffee. (and don't worry about me now, I'm drinking coffee with my doctor's approval) I’ve had too many clients who came in absolutely convinced that they had a terrible addiction, and they walked out of my office smoke free, with no withdrawal symptoms.
How can that be if smoking is so addictive?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Easier to Quit If You Hang Out Where You Can't Smoke - Like New York City
Very soon, you won't be able to smoke in New York City parks, the beach or Yankee Stadium (!!).
Not much else you can do but quit!
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Smoking-Ban-Sneaks-Up-On-New-Yorkers-Still-Puffing-Away-121610529.html
http://ow.ly/4Slgx
Not much else you can do but quit!
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Smoking-Ban-Sneaks-Up-On-New-Yorkers-Still-Puffing-Away-121610529.html
http://ow.ly/4Slgx
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Cost of Smoking and a Nifty Calculator
You know how much your cigarettes cost you - you shell the money out every time you buy a pack. In NYC, they cost $11/pack. Yipes. In Connecticut, they are $10/pack.
Look at what else your cigarettes are doing to your bank account and check out the calculator at the bottom:
The cost of your health
Life Insurance: Generally, your premiums are 3 times more if you smoke than if you don't smoke. Health Insurance and Medication: Many more health insurance companies are starting to charge more for health insurance plans that cover smokers. Smokers go to the doctor more; they have more heart attacks; they have more medical problems than non smokers. If you are going to the doctor more, because of your smoking habit, add in the cost of your co-pays and your prescription medication. For more on smoking and life insurance costs: http://money.msn.com/health-and-life-insurance/article.aspx?post=275e30eb-bad5-4884-929b-d459e2a823a1
Dental health: A yearly whitening costs $2-300. What about the mints and gum you buy to mask the smell of your breath?
The cost of your home, car and possessions
Home Insurance: Higher home owner's and car insurance premium payments.
Lower Value of Your Car, Home and Possessions: Many potential buyers are put off by the smell of tobacco in a home. It will be harder for you to sell your home. Same with your car. Used car sales people will knock off $1000 on your value of your car if you are trying to trade it in. (by the way, if your friends and family say they don't think your car/house smells, they are lying to save your feelings.)
Insurance on House and Car: Insurance companies know that smokers are more likely to start a fire in the house and more likely to cause a car accident.
Other costs
Getting a date: This is not a financial cost, but it's certainly a personal cost. Fewer people want to date a smoker and people find smokers unattractive. (Even smokers find smokers unattractive!)
Less Social Security: The average smoker dies at 66. So you would be paying in to Social Security or your pension, but you'll never have a chance to spend it.
Smokers Earn Less Money: Studies have found that smokers earn between 4% to 11% less money than their non smoking counterparts. Interesting.
Cleaning Costs: Cleaning your car or taking your "smoking coat" (the one you wear outside when you smoke in the winter) can add up to $100 a year.
The American Cancer Society Cigarette Cost Calculator:
http://ow.ly/4GPjW
Look at what else your cigarettes are doing to your bank account and check out the calculator at the bottom:
The cost of your health
Life Insurance: Generally, your premiums are 3 times more if you smoke than if you don't smoke. Health Insurance and Medication: Many more health insurance companies are starting to charge more for health insurance plans that cover smokers. Smokers go to the doctor more; they have more heart attacks; they have more medical problems than non smokers. If you are going to the doctor more, because of your smoking habit, add in the cost of your co-pays and your prescription medication. For more on smoking and life insurance costs: http://money.msn.com/health-and-life-insurance/article.aspx?post=275e30eb-bad5-4884-929b-d459e2a823a1
Dental health: A yearly whitening costs $2-300. What about the mints and gum you buy to mask the smell of your breath?
The cost of your home, car and possessions
Home Insurance: Higher home owner's and car insurance premium payments.
Lower Value of Your Car, Home and Possessions: Many potential buyers are put off by the smell of tobacco in a home. It will be harder for you to sell your home. Same with your car. Used car sales people will knock off $1000 on your value of your car if you are trying to trade it in. (by the way, if your friends and family say they don't think your car/house smells, they are lying to save your feelings.)
Insurance on House and Car: Insurance companies know that smokers are more likely to start a fire in the house and more likely to cause a car accident.
Other costs
Getting a date: This is not a financial cost, but it's certainly a personal cost. Fewer people want to date a smoker and people find smokers unattractive. (Even smokers find smokers unattractive!)
Less Social Security: The average smoker dies at 66. So you would be paying in to Social Security or your pension, but you'll never have a chance to spend it.
Smokers Earn Less Money: Studies have found that smokers earn between 4% to 11% less money than their non smoking counterparts. Interesting.
Cleaning Costs: Cleaning your car or taking your "smoking coat" (the one you wear outside when you smoke in the winter) can add up to $100 a year.
The American Cancer Society Cigarette Cost Calculator:
http://ow.ly/4GPjW
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Are You a "Social Smoker"? You Are Kidding Yourself
[I lifted the material in this blog entry from two publications, http://www.fitsugar.com/Health-Risks-Social-Smoking-15625455 and Harvard Health Publications]
"Occasional smoking," one or two cigarettes a week or 1/2 pack just when you drink with a certain group of friends, etc. can, and usually is, the beginning slide down a slippery slope. If you are an Occasional Smoker, please pay heed.
There is no safe level of smoking. I know you are saying that you are OK with it, but that is now. First you mooch, then you feel guilty about mooching, so you buy a pack, then you have the cigarettes, so why not smoke them? Then you buy another pack. Now you're a Smoker.
Dr. Rebecca Schane researched "light and intermittent smoking" and has much to say on the subject. There are many health risks associated with social and occasional smoking. These include "heart disease due to high blood pressure and cholesterol-clogged arteries, weakened aorta, premature death from cardiovascular disease, cancers (lung, esophageal, stomach, and pancreas), respiratory tract infections, delayed conception in women and poorer sperm function in men, slower recovery from injuries, cataracts, and poorer-related quality of life
"Additionally, social smokers are typically in social situations with other smokers, thus making them more vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke. Plus, social smokers are putting those around them at risk by smoking and thus producing secondhand smoke for those around them in their environment"
So if you consider yourself a Social or Occasional Smoker, quit NOW while it's easy.
How to do this?
1. Throw away any cigarettes you have.
2. Stay away from the smokers when you are drinking alcohol. Put your drink in your smoking hand and put something else in your other hand -- a glass of water or a straw.
3. No mooching.
4. Think about how your mouth and throat feel when you wake after an evening of smoking. Most people admit that they feel pretty disgusted in the morning after.
5. Realize that this really can be easy.
Over and out.
"Occasional smoking," one or two cigarettes a week or 1/2 pack just when you drink with a certain group of friends, etc. can, and usually is, the beginning slide down a slippery slope. If you are an Occasional Smoker, please pay heed.
There is no safe level of smoking. I know you are saying that you are OK with it, but that is now. First you mooch, then you feel guilty about mooching, so you buy a pack, then you have the cigarettes, so why not smoke them? Then you buy another pack. Now you're a Smoker.
Dr. Rebecca Schane researched "light and intermittent smoking" and has much to say on the subject. There are many health risks associated with social and occasional smoking. These include "heart disease due to high blood pressure and cholesterol-clogged arteries, weakened aorta, premature death from cardiovascular disease, cancers (lung, esophageal, stomach, and pancreas), respiratory tract infections, delayed conception in women and poorer sperm function in men, slower recovery from injuries, cataracts, and poorer-related quality of life
"Additionally, social smokers are typically in social situations with other smokers, thus making them more vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke. Plus, social smokers are putting those around them at risk by smoking and thus producing secondhand smoke for those around them in their environment"
So if you consider yourself a Social or Occasional Smoker, quit NOW while it's easy.
How to do this?
1. Throw away any cigarettes you have.
2. Stay away from the smokers when you are drinking alcohol. Put your drink in your smoking hand and put something else in your other hand -- a glass of water or a straw.
3. No mooching.
4. Think about how your mouth and throat feel when you wake after an evening of smoking. Most people admit that they feel pretty disgusted in the morning after.
5. Realize that this really can be easy.
Over and out.
Friday, December 10, 2010
If Obama can quit, so can you!
President Obama Quits Smoking
Go for it.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Great American Smokeout 2010 a Success
The phone was ringing on Nov. 10, the Great American Smokeout 2010! Nothing like a little push to help people quit smoking. (a push, and a 50% discount).
12 more people have quit smoking as a result of the Smokeout. (I've been checking on them and they are all doing just fine.)
The evil-doers at Philip Morris is quaking in their boots.
I can't wait to do this again next year!
12 more people have quit smoking as a result of the Smokeout. (I've been checking on them and they are all doing just fine.)
The evil-doers at Philip Morris is quaking in their boots.
I can't wait to do this again next year!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
1/2 Price offer to celebrate Great American Smokeout 2010
I am offering a half-price smoking cessation hypnosis program for smokers who decide to quit smoking on Thursday, November 18 – the Great American Smokeout.
Since 1977, the third Thursday in November has been designated as the Great American Smokeout by the American Cancer Society. On this day, smokers are encouraged to abstain from smoking all day or, at least cut back the number of cigarettes they smoke. Every year millions of smokers participate in the smoke out. Often, this simple step -- of not smoking for one day -- leads to a permanent cessation of smoking.
Since 1977, the third Thursday in November has been designated as the Great American Smokeout by the American Cancer Society. On this day, smokers are encouraged to abstain from smoking all day or, at least cut back the number of cigarettes they smoke. Every year millions of smokers participate in the smoke out. Often, this simple step -- of not smoking for one day -- leads to a permanent cessation of smoking.
The 1/2 price offer is an opportunity to reach more smokers; ones who hadn’t consider hypnosis.
Smokers ready to quit should go to the Contact page of my website, http://www.relaxationsuite.
Monday, August 16, 2010
How to Talk to a Smoker
As a hypnotist who specializes in smoking cessation, I receive several phone calls a month from frustrated, scared spouses, parents, grandparents and friends for advice on how to help the smoker in their lives quit. I feel their fear and frustration, but smokers quit when they are ready and nagging does not help.
Anyone who has a 13 year-old or was a 13 year-old knows that if you nag, the person who you are nagging will just dig his heels into the ground with a “Don’t tell me what to do” scowl. Stop nagging and use a different approach.
I submit the following tips on how to help the smoker in your life quit smoking.
I submit the following tips on how to help the smoker in your life quit smoking.
1. In a short (five or ten minutes), poignant conversation, tell the smoker you care about him and you would do anything he asks to help him quit. This is not an intervention. You are telling him how smoking is impacting you and other people (even pets) in the smoker’s life. Be specific: “Our son smart enough now to know the dangers of smoking and he’s scared you are going to die.” “I don’t want to see you wither away from cancer.”
2. Promise that you will never, ever bring the subject of quitting smoking again, until he is ready to discuss it.
3. Renegotiate your terms. You are doing something hard - you are going to stop nagging. You now have the power to change the arrangement the two of you had. If the smoker smoked in the house, send him outside. If he smoked in the car, ask him to stop. If he’s already smoking outside, you can still change the terms to “never smoke where I can see you or smell you.” The operative word here is “negotiate.” If the smoker says no to your first offer, ask for something else.
4. If you are paying for the cigarettes, on any level, STOP. If your spouse or child is depending on you for an allowance or other funds, tell him you will not fund the smoking habit. Do the math with smoker – “Cigarettes cost $7 a pack and you are smoking a pack a day. That’s $50 a week.” Deduct the amount of the cigarettes from the allowance. If you do not give him an allowance, but he lives rent free, start charging rent, at least the amount of the cigarettes.
(Be fair and give him one month’s warning if you start charging rent.)
5. Do not use children to plead your case or nag for you. You may scare the child or scare her more than she already is. However, if the child has come to you asking, “Why doesn’t daddy quit smoking?” or “I’m afraid Grandpa is going to die because he smokes,” you may refer the child to the smoker to answer the question. “I don’t know the answer, but you can tell Grandpa how you feel about this.”
6. Do not offer to pay for the patches, acupuncture or hypnosis sessions because smokers may say to himself, “If it doesn’t work, it’s not costing me anything.” Smoking costs money and a smoker needs a financial incentive to quit. You can offer to reimburse the cost of the patches or sessions after he has been smoke-free for six months or a year.
7. Keep your promise not to nag.
Monday, August 9, 2010
In The Beginning
Nothing like starting with a cliche.
I am a hypnotist. I’m not a physician; I’m not a psychologist. And clearly, I'm not a writer.
I help people with bad habits – over eating, fear of public speaking, trouble sleeping, etc., and a large part of my hypnosis practice is helping people quit smoking. I have helped hundreds of people quit smoking.
I’m writing this blog so that I could reach more people who want to quit smoking than I can in my one-to-one hypnosis sessions.
I do not care what you do to quit smoking. Just quit! I have a lot to say on this subject and a lot of it will help you quit.
Some options on how to quit:
- Going Cold Turkey
- Nicotine Patches
- Acupuncture
- Nicotine Gum
- Pharmaceuticals
- or Hypnosis
They all can work for you.
My bias, of course, is toward hypnosis; but I support anything that will help you quit. We will discuss all the smoking cessation modalities in this blog.
Being a smoker is being a pariah. My clients tell me that people shout at them as they stand outside a building. I would never do that to a smoker. I don’t hate smokers -- I help smokers. I’m writing this blog to give the readers - the ones who smoke - information and real support.
(Besides, why would I love a job working with people I hate?)
My Primary Life Goal is to live in a world where the tobacco companies have gone out of business and no one smokes because they don’t want to.
I will work on my Primary Life Goal until I achieve it. And I will.
I will work on my Primary Life Goal until I achieve it. And I will.
Just watch me.
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