So you want to stop smoking?

We're not born to smoke

“The UK suffers thousands of deaths every year through road accidents, accidents at home and at work, murder and manslaughter, suicide, poisoning, overdoses and HIV infection.  Smoking kills around six times more people than ALL THOSE PUT TOGETHER”

Public smoking in western countries is increasingly polarised against the smoker.  ….Meanwhile smokers invent even more ingenious self-justification for their “pleasure”.  Social pressures however, don’t make it easier to give up – they just add to the stress of the embattled smoker and his or her consequent need for another fix”. Dr Harry Adler and Karl Morris.  How to Stop smoking now and forever.  

No magic pill

There is no single magic approach to stopping smoking.  It’s a learned behaviour (we’re not born smokers).  There is a major psychological element as well as chemical dependency.  No single formula, system or product will do the job. All they do is make the manufacturers richer.  That’s why so many attempts fail.

Whilst there is no quick, easy way to quit smoking, some NLP interventions enable the person to understand why they smoke and make the necessary steps to re-learn their unwanted behaviours.  The ex smoker needs to make changes on many fronts to ensure a solution for the future.  Giving up a lifetime habit will, above all, require a change of mind.  It is possible to become a non smoker easily and effortlessly but only if you want to.

As I said, there is no magic wand or pill.  The solution always involves a huge psychological element and depends entirely upon the person’s attitude, beliefs and a preparedness to change their lifestyle.  We’re all as different on the inside as we are on the outside and we are three dimensional beings.  NLP involves the mental process. Once you understand the issues involved, the rest is common sense, which is all within your control.

Whilst many smokers insist they enjoy the habit, they persistently try to give it up but most of the time only paying lip service to stopping.  It’s the idea of giving up that seems to appeal to them, especially if someone close to them hates it or they’re embarrassed about being a smoker.  They nearly all accept that it’s anti social. It’s human nature to want to be accepted and smoking makes people feel excluded.  Now, with the smoking ban in bars and restaurants, their self esteem gets lower and lower as they feel more and more rejected. Their “pleasure” becomes harder to enjoy as their place in life amounts to stolen moments outside in the wind and rain.

A sense of anger, desperation or guilt must follow and with it, even more stress (which is the paradox because most cite stress as the reason they smoke – believing it helps them relax).  All amounts to greater dependence on the drug that offers only temporary relief.

The power of any habit lies in the subconscious mind which is why making rational decisions which emanate from the conscious mind and relying on willpower have little to no effect.  A shift in focus should be the goal for any unwanted habit.  

No guarantees

There can be no guarantee. If in the minutest part of any individuals’ psyche is a desire to continue smoking, they will.  Simple as that and anybody who has tried and failed to quit will know what I mean.

All of us have different experiences and different reasons for smoking but at Bromley Health Management, we believe that if some basic NLP techniques are followed, armed with advice, tailored to the individual, and all parties committed to the process are completely honest with each other, the chances of quitting increase.  Those willing to follow the process with an open mind can guarantee success themselves.

What happens when you stop smoking?
Source :  QUIT

20 minutes
•    Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal
•    Circulation improves in hands and feet

8 hours
•    Oxygen levels in the blood return to normal
•    Chances of a heart attack start to fall

24 hours
•    Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body
•    The lungs start to clear our mucous and other debris

48 hours
•    Nicotine is no longer detectable in the body
•    The ability to taste and smell is improved
•    Nerve endings start re-growing

72 hours
•    Breathing becomes easier as the bronchial tubes relax
•    Energy levels increase

2 – 12 weeks
•    Circulation improves throughout the body, making walking easier

3 – 9 months
•    Breathing problems such as coughing, sinus congestion, shortness of breath and wheezing improve
•    Overall lung function is increased by 5 – 10%

1 year
•    Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

5 years
•    Lung cancer death rate for average smoker (one pack a day) decreased by almost half
•    Stroke risk is reduced to that of a non –smoker 5 – 15 years after quitting
•    Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and oesophagus is half that of a smoker’s.

10 years
•    Lung cancer death rate similar to that of non-smokers
•    Precancerous cells are replaced
•    Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decreases

15 years
•    Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker

Bromley Health Management offers a unique approach to smokinc cessation.  For more information call FREEPHONE 0800 093 1178 to arrange an initial FREE consultation.

Sunday, 30 March 2008

© 2008 Bromley Health Management