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Self Help for Smokers

So you are thinking about giving up your smoking habit? Remember just how many people eventually give up without any external help - they tap into their own inner strength and determination to see the process through and are able to cope with the withdrawals which come when you remove nicotine from your body. Some people put on extra weight because they 'comfort eat' to overcome the edginess which goes with quitting nicotine, others may reach for another beer at the pub, others chew constantly on gum or resort to the aid of nicotine patches. Whatever your chosen route to giving up your smoking habit, remember that you are more likely to succeed when you know you are ready and totally determined. Follow through the exercises below to determine your level of resolve to give up, then read through the options available when you consider you need some extra help to succeed.

Consider the following questions for a while. Relax and fill in your answers

• Are you ready to quit?
• Are you the one making the decision to quit?
• Is the decision yours and yours alone?
• Are you under pressure to quit from family, friends or the boss?
• Are you working in a non-smoking environment?
• Do you make regular long haul journeys where smoking is banned?
• Have you been advised to give up smoking by a doctor?
• Do you suffer from health problems related to smoking?
• Does your smoking impact on the health of someone around you- perhaps an asthmatic?
• Are you currently overweight?
• What is your current weekly number of units of alcohol consumption?
• How much more than a non-smoker do you spend on washing powder, dry cleaning, air fresheners, tooth paste, mouth fresheners, chewing gum, home decorating?
• How often have you triggered a smoke alarm?
• Are you truly comfortable with smoking?
• Are you happy with the money you spend on tobacco?
• How well do you cope when you are denied access to a smoke because of a meeting overunning?
• Are you truly comfortable with the health risks related to smoking?
• Can you easily and comfortably justify your habit to others?
• What would a year's tobacco money buy you instead of tobacco?
• Who will support you?

The above questions are just a guide to get you started with your decision

• Do I continue with a habit I am truly comfortable with or
• do I quit and is the decision to quit mine and mine alone?

If you are still stuck try the next exercise!!

Find two sheets of A3 paper

• Give one the title THE ADVANTAGES OF SMOKING AND WHY I ENJOY SMOKING
• Give the other the title THE DISADVANTAGES OF SMOKING AND WHY I THINK ABOUT QUITTING
• Make numbered lists on one, for example, smoking makes me feel relaxed, I feel comfortable with my friends because they all smoke. On your other page make a similar numbered list, for example I spend too much money on tobacco, I get a regular cough. YOU KNOW what to put on each list!

Stick your two posters up in the bathroom- they will greet you each morning! Add new ideas to each over a couple of weeks.

Then

Sit down, relax and review and compare the lists on each poster!!!

Still not convinced whether to continue or quit smoking?!!!

TRY THE NEXT EXERCISE!

Test your inner strength to continue smoking by sticking to the rules!

• Throw out your ash trays.
• Replace the ashtrays with heat resistant salad bowls.

Leave until the bowl overflows with ash.

• Put the date and time on the cigarette stub and store in a resealable clear freezer bag. Watch the bag fill up.
• Store your clothes for several days in a sealed bag before washing.
• Collect and store all your receipts for tobacco purchases for two weeks. Add up the cost, multiply by 26 and you have an estimate of your yearly outlay.
• Buy a Peak Flow Monitor from your pharmacist and record your best efforts at breathing for two weeks. Compare with the average for your height and age.
• Sit back and assess the results of the last exercise!

Do you want to quit smoking?

Are you convinced you are happy smoking?

YOU WANT TO QUIT?

You may find that following the task above is enough of an incentive to find the strength to quit alone.

OR

Pop along to your local NHS Stop Smoking centre and speak to an 'expert'. You will get free advice and prescriptions for nicotine patches, Zyban (a drug) and support. Decide for yourself whether or not you are comfortable taking a drug to help you quit, check out any side or harmful effects and the success rates of any treatments.

Many pharmacists now offer advice and methods to help you quit.

OR

Seek help from a hypnotherapist. Yes, you will have to pay, however the cost may be less than endless prescriptions or nicotine patches. You will succeed if you want to quit. Hypnotherapy will deal with the withdrawal symptoms as the nicotine leaves your body. You will be much less likely to reach for another habit, for example overeating or drinking after hypnotherapy!! A good long term solution when self help and willpower fail.

YOU ARE HAPPY AND COMFORTABLE CONTINUING TO SMOKE

• There is no law yet which makes smoking an illegal pastime.
• You still have choice.
• You will have to be very organised each day to know when and where you can smoke.
• IF after going through the exercises you decide that smoking is your choice, you are comfortable with the habit, hypnotherapy can help you cope with the stressful restrictions placed on smokers today!
• GOOD LUCK with your decision!

Whether you want help to give up smoking or to continue change.TOGAIN will help you

call us on 0845 6441098

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