If you want to stop smoking with hypnosis but can’t afford a hypnotherapist, then a cheap alternative for you are the hypnosis audio sessions. Audio programs are becoming increasingly popular and can be as helpful as attending hypnotherapy programs run by therapists. Not only are these hypnosis programs very much affordably but also offer you the flexibility to listen whenever you like, wherever you like and for as long as you like. Surveys of people who have tried out audio hypnosis program confirm that not only these programs made it easy for them to give up smoking but were also relaxing for the mind and body and allowed them to cope with stress.

If you are really interested in successfully quitting smoking, you need to change what smoking means to you and the impact it has on your life. Hypnotherapy is a highly effective tool that can help you develop a strong commitment to give up smoking. The treatment will focus mostly on benefits and reasons for quitting and will try to address the problems that draw you towards smoking in the first place. If you choose to stop smoking with hypnosis programs, you can expect to receive support and assistance at every stage of the treatment, together with several hours of hypnosis sessions that will change your outlook on smoking.

You may be one such person. You’ve read the quit smoking information and may have tried a number of times. Many people use one method to quit smoking after another, ranging from the ‘cold turkey’ approach to the patches and gums. There is more stop smoking advice on the net than you can shake a stick at.

If you are like most people, if you fail with your quit smoking plan, it’s a disappointing experience, typically accompanied by a big self-inflicted guilt trip. If you want to quit, you need to understand that the best method to quit smoking is the one that fits your individual physical makeup and psychological profile.

You probably have heard the benefits of quitting from your doctor. In fact, they might have told you that the patches or gums were one of the best ways to quit, with a high success rate. A friend who quit a few years ago may have endorsed the ‘cold turkey’ method, with a supercilious, “it’s just mind over matter!” So why didn’t either of these work for you? The fact is that you are, like everyone else in this world, an individual. What works for another person may not work you.

First I want to tell you that I quit smoking many years ago. I quit using hypnosis relaxation and visualization techniques (self-hypnosis) and willpower. There really weren’t many other methods to quit back then.

Today people can quit with a number of means. Many people after visiting their doctor will choose the patch. Although you don’t need a prescription anymore, I have talked with many people who were prescribed a certain dosage which corresponded with the amount they were smoking. The idea behind the patch is gradually decreasing the nicotine eases the withdrawal factor. This does work for some people, but many people just don’t have any luck with it.

The problem with the delivery system of the patch is that it pumps nicotine into the bloodstream. Some people a nicotine rush that can make them feel as though they want to jump out of their skin. It can cause dizziness, which can make driving a real problem. Other people become ill and vomit. So be aware that not only does the patch not work for everyone, it has some very strong drawbacks as well.

Another method to quit smoking is nicotine gum. Although the problems may not be as severe, nicotine gum also has side effects similar to the patch. Many people complain of an upset stomach or dryness of the mouth.

Firstly, I want to congratulate you. You have become a non-smoker, and you are a real achiever as you have probably done it by a method other than hypnotherapy – if you were using hypnotherapy, you wouldn’t need to read this article today. Now you want to stay a non-smoker and this is the second step – to stay a non-smoker no matter what happens in your life.

Before I explain how hypnotherapy can assist you not only to stay a non-smoker but also to avoid all possible side effects of quitting smoking, like withdrawal symptoms, gaining weight, drinking more or being cranky, I need to make sure that you understand and remember the most important message.

Each day, even each minute, of staying free from smoking makes you stronger, healthier and adds to success. Even if you failed and have had a few smokes, keep going. It does not mean that you are a failure, it just means that you will find better ways; but if you want to succeed, you will succeed.

And congratulations again – you stopped smoking. How can hypnotherapy help you now?

Firstly, if you stopped smoking using some nicotine replacement products (such as patches or lozenges), you may still be addicted to nicotine. In this case you can use the deep hypnotic trance to remove the addiction to nicotine. When in a deep trance, you can access the deepest part of the subconscious mind that is steering the body and you can remove the addiction instantly, letting go of any withdrawal symptoms. You will sleep like a baby and your body will replace the nicotine in a natural way, so you will feel great.

Secondly, if you stopped smoking by using a prescription medication, like Zyban, Prexaton or Champix, you may need some assistance when you stop taking the medication. This kind of medication should be used with caution and only when prescribed by a doctor, and if there are side effects they also need to be reported to your doctor because they may be serious. The medication helps to let go of the physical addiction, but when it is stopped, hypnosis can be used to strengthen and extend its positive effects.

If you stopped “cold turkey”, without any help, it is quite likely that you are still addicted and you fight the withdrawal symptoms and cravings. And it may be that you succeeded through this difficult phase, just having an occasional craving from time to time. Congratulations, you are doing well, but even if you do not smoke for a long time, it is better to balance the body in hypnosis and remove even the last remaining traces of addiction.

The next step is to make sure that you are not affected by the habit of smoking. Habit is the automatic reaching for a cigarette in some common situations. It usually takes at least six weeks to replace old habits, but they may also kick in when we are unguarded – even years down the track.

Most new non-smokers stay vigilant during the first few weeks, avoiding cigarettes after food or during breaks at work, but then they may become drunk and they automatically start smoking at the pub, or strong stress hits all of a sudden and they find themselves smoking. Hypnotherapy allows old habits to be removed instantly and completely, because automatic habits are stored on the subconscious level, exactly the level on which this automatic reaching for a cigarette comes from.

The final step is to remove all psychological reasons for being a non-smoker. This is where hypnotherapy is absolutely brilliant. Smoking is most often a psychological addiction, not just a physical one. The physical addiction is not that difficult to overcome – even with the cold turkey approach – and without any help it takes only a few weeks. However, most smokers use cigarettes to help them deal with stress or anxiety, to have “me time”, a short break, or to overcome strong emotions, etc.

This kind of psychological addiction is the reason that many people who quit smoking feel strong cravings in some situations, even years after they had their last cigarette. When you look at it closely, this craving usually has a strong emotional component, but on the body level it can be blinded by a cigarette, or by a drink, or by some food. So you smoke or eat to deal with stress or emotions.

Hypnotherapy can assist in two ways – firstly, by finding and implementing better ways to deal with stress and better ways to feel good when you are upset, etc. When it is done with hypnotherapy, we make sure that the smoking is replaced with an acceptable behaviour, instead of overeating or drinking as usually happens when people quit smoking. The danger of putting on weight is closely associated with trying to fill this empty hole, as some of my clients call it, with something else other than smoking.

However, you can do much more with hypnotherapy. With a skilled and experienced hypnotherapist, you can address the real reasons for your psychological addiction and let them go, leave them in the past. Hypnotherapy uses a wide range of therapies performed in hypnosis. The psychological addiction is always a very personal issue and requires a personal approach, because everybody has different reasons for smoking, different triggers, different events from the past affecting them, and different subconscious beliefs. The skilled and experienced hypnotherapist who combines counselling and psychotherapy with hypnosis can help you not only to resolve the psychological cravings but also the underlying issues, even depression and anxiety.

1 Choose your quit date
Think carefully about this date, as that first day may be a tough one. Would a weekend be better? Also, make sure it gives you enough time to prepare yourself. Two weeks may seem a long time away, but it will soon arrive and at least you will be ready for it. Note the date in your diary or calendar.

2 Know what you are up against
How much do you currently smoke? What times of day do you tend to have a cigarette? Where are you? Does a certain mood make a difference? Ideally, monitor your habit for a week, keeping notice of patterns that emerge. Be honest as this is for your benefit. If you want to change, you need to know exactly what it is you are trying to change.

3 Risks of smoking / benefits of stopping
Do some research so you are clear on why smoking is a problem. Whilst there, seek out information on the benefits of quitting. Benefits begin minutes after your last cigarette and continue for the next 15 years. Knowing this information will help remind you of why you want to change.

4 Reasons for quitting
Put pen to paper and detail as many reasons as possible for why you personally want to quit. How will your life be different? You have researched the benefits to your health and you could add these to your list, especially those that hit home. Make sure you ‘own’ what you write. “I am doing this for my health” is better than “my doctor said I should”.

5 Withdrawal symptoms
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. When you quit, it is likely you will experience withdrawal symptoms as you are no longer taking in nicotine and your body is working to remove toxins from your body. Symptoms can include: cravings, restlessness, anxiety, depression, tiredness and dizziness. Take the time to discover other symptoms, because forewarned is forearmed. Bear in mind, after just three weeks the symptoms should all be over.

6 Set up rewards
Never underestimate the impact a reward can have on changing your behaviour. To help you be successful, it is worth setting up daily, weekly and monthly rewards as well as a long-term one. These will begin once you quit smoking. Choose rewards that are meaningful to you and that you will not receive any other way. Depending on the time passed, make your rewards worthy of your efforts. So your monthly award will be greater than your daily award. For your long-term reward, you should wait a minimum of six months without smoking and it should be something major. Remember the money saved on cigarettes can be used for your rewards.

7 Introduce strategies
How are you going to occupy yourself during those times when you would normally smoke? If you can keep busy when a craving hits for just five minutes, the craving is reduced. Try to consider all situations: work, home, evenings and weekends and consider as many strategies as possible. Ideally they should occupy your hands, mouth and mind. Here are some ideas: chew gum, eat lollies, fruit or nuts, drink a glass of water, knit, exercise, do some gardening or cooking, see a movie, read, clean your teeth, take up a hobby, play computer games. Whatever you choose, make sure it is readily available to you on quit day.

8 Obtain support
Try to arm yourself with as much support as possible. Consider family, friends and colleagues. Do you know anyone who has quit? How will you contact them? What is their availability? Then there’s practical support, which includes nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). NRT will help you wean off the nicotine and comes in varied types. Speak to your doctor if this is of interest to you. You may also consider telephone helplines. Do your research to find out the relevant one for your country and have their number handy. Finally, don’t forget yourself as a source of support. Perhaps you might like to say an affirmation that is meaningful to you. For example: “I am healthier and wealthier each day I go without a cigarette”.

9 Know your barriers
It is important to consider those things in your life that may cause you difficulties in your quest to quit. Getting prepared now, means you will have strategies in place if the need arises. Think about your home, work and social life. Are there others who smoke? How will you handle it? Is there anyone who will tempt you to smoke or laugh at your efforts? How will you respond? What about smokers coming into your home? Will you ban smoking? What will you do instead of taking a cigarette break at work? Do you go to places where smoking is common? How will you manage? Are there other activities you could do?

10 Tweak your routine
Smoking is part of your daily life. As such it would help if you could change your routine slightly. Think about small changes you could make so that you do new things instead of when you would normally smoke. The strategies you have identified in the earlier activity may help you establish new habits. So for example, instead of smoking in bed first thing, you go straight downstairs and prepare breakfast.

11 The night before quit day
Before going to bed, gather up all your smoking paraphernalia: lighters, matches, ashtrays, left over cigarettes and throw them in the bin. If you have sentimental attachments to lighters or ashtrays, store them away where you cannot see them. Make sure you have your strategies in place and get ready for a new, healthier life.

Unfortunately many people who make a New Year’s resolution whether to join a gym and get fit, go on a diet and loses weight or quit smoking cigarettes soon find their level of commitment and determination starting to wane and their personal goal moving further away rather than closer.

Making a commitment is however the first step and if you have decided to stop smoking New Year’s Day but then quickly give into temptation and begin smoking another cigarette then you need to learn from your mistake and begin the whole process of quitting smoking again until you finally succeed.

One way to stay committed is to have a list of strong reasons to stop smoking and then to know what the benefits of stopping smoking are.

One of the first benefits you will notice will be the amount of money you save. Smoking is an expensive habit that gets more expensive each year and once you stop smoking you will have more money to do and have some of the things that you always wanted but could not afford.

Another benefit is that you wont have to stand around outside in the cold, wind or the rain during the winter months, plan your day around your nicotine habit or feel uncomfortable in situation were you cannot smoke.

The most important benefit that comes after giving up smoking will be the health benefits that begin to occur after you smoke your last cigarette. These include an overall improvement in health and energy levels as your body begins the process of repairing itself after the damage caused by smoking.

However stopping smoking will be one of the hardest things you do all year or in your entire life for that matter and to increase the chances of success it is important to plan ahead before you stop smoking and make sure you are prepared and have decided on the stop smoking method or product you plan to use.

Smoking cessation methods and products include NRT products such as the nicotine patch, gum or inhaler or alternative methods such as acupuncture, aromatherapy or hypnosis but which ever way you choose to stop smoking it is your level of commitment that will be the most important factor on your side.

So anything that our body cannot use is either stored or eliminated. Anything that comes into our body from cigarette smoking is not needed by our body. I never heard of a normal human being having a deficiency of any of the more than 4000 chemical compounds that a burning cigarette supplies to us. So what isn’t stored is released. Nicotine is one of the chemicals that leaves our body quickly. So quickly that it is felt almost immediately upon the cessation of your last cigarette. That’s the normal discomfort that a smoker feels that they associate with needing another cigarette. Some think it’s a craving, but it’s not. It’s just a mild sensation that goes away when you smoke. In most smokers it is so mild that if they are distracted by anything they will completely forget they were looking for a smoke.

So here’s what happens within 24 hours of your last smoke:

The human body is amazingly resilient. Within the first 20 minutes of quitting, the healing process begins. The benefits will continue to improve your health and quality of life for years. When you quit smoking, the benefits begin within minutes of your last cigarette.

At 20 minutes after quitting:

Blood pressure decreases
Pulse rate drops
Body temperature of hands and feet increases

At 8 hours:

Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

At 24 hours:

Chance of a heart attack decreases

So I’m sure you have some personal reasons to quit smoking, and it’s time to start focusing on them until you are so fed up with smoking and not having the control you want that you are ready to quit right now.

If you can muster up that kind of intensity on your own, that’s great! If not, don’t worry, all is not lost. Either way, when you need some help quitting smoking, there are a number of options available. One of the most common options is nicotine replacement therapy or NRT. You might know it as the patch. Another form is drug therapy, where your doctor will prescribe a powerful anti-depressant drug like wellbutrin to help you stabilize your emotions so you can quit. Another method with great success is hypnosis to quit smoking.

o Within 20 minutes, your blood pressure, pulse rate and the temperature of your hands and feet return to normal.
o Within 8 hours, oxygen level in the blood increases to normal as carbon monoxide in blood decreases.
o In 24 hours, your risk of heart attack starts dropping.
o In 2 days, your nerve endings start to regrow, and your senses of smell and taste improve.
o In 3 days, breathing gets easier and lung capacity increases.
o Within 2 weeks to 3 months, circulation gets better; lung function improves up to 30%, and walking gets easier.
o Within 1 to 9 months, lung cilia regrow; coughing, sinus problems and shortness of breath decrease, and you’ll have more energy.
o After 7 years, ex-smokers’ mortality rates approach those of people who have never smoked.

It is very common for an individual to experience the following symptoms or side effects after you don’t smoke anymore.

o After you stop smoking, you might feel a little lightheaded or dizzy. This is due to the fact that about 40% of the oxygen in each red blood cell is replaced by carbon monoxide when you smoke.
o After you quit smoking, you might cough more. Smoking causes your body to produce extra mucus to try and protect your lungs from the additives in tobacco. The toxins in tobacco smoke paralyze and eventually kill the cilia (hair like cells) that wave back and forth to sweep particles out of the lungs. Once you stop, you don’t need the extra mucus; therefore, the cilia that are left move back into action and you cough to eliminate the excess mucus.
o After you don’t smoke anymore, you might experience feelings of withdrawal. This is due to your entire body being used to the artificial stimulation of nicotine and the 4,000 plus other chemicals in tobacco smoke.
o After you quit, emotionally, you may feel slightly depressed, anxious, antsy and jumpy. It is also quite normal to experience insomnia or have trouble concentrating.

I am often asked if there is an herbal to help with smoking. The primary quit smoking herbal I would suggest would be lobelia. Lobelia’s common name is Indian tobacco. Lobelia contains about 0.48% pyridine (piperidine) alkaloids composed mainly of lobeline with lesser amounts of lobelanine, lobelanidine, and other alkaloids. Lobelia, also contains resin, gum, lipids, and chelidonic acid. Lobelia is a very effective expectorant. Although it has a long history as an herb to curb smoking, it also has a long history in the use of asthma.

Lobelia causes broncho-constriction and is a respiratory stimulant. Lobelia also binds to nicotine acetylcholine receptors in ganglions, thus promoting the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine. It is this action on adrenal hormone secretion that is responsible for lobelia’s therapeutic effects. Lobelia is used to lessen nicotine withdrawal, as it has a similar action to nicotine.

Ingestion of toxic levels of lobelia as a quit smoking herbal usually result in vomiting thereby lessening the likelihood of a fatal outcome. As with any intensive dietary program, you should consult a healthcare professional.

There are many benefits of quitting smoking. Within one month of quitting, you will decrease your heart rate, and the level of carbon monoxide in your blood will also decrease, as will your risk of heart attacks. The long term benefits are multiple, including reducing risks for strokes, lung cancer, stomach cancer, bladder cancer, coronary heart disease, such as heart attack, chronic lunch diseases and chronic cough. If you have been a quitter for 5 years or more, your risk for a stroke is the same as the risk of a non-smoker. If you have been a quitter for 15 years or more, your heart attack risk is the same of a non-smoker.

You will need to have a serious mental commitment to quitting, if you choose to do so. You should have a quit date, as this is helpful in preparing your mind. You should mentally refer to yourself as a non-smoker and this can also prepare yourself mentally, for when you really are a non-smoker. You should get rid of all of your cigarettes and things that may tempt you to smoke from your home, workplace and car. Visit your chiropractor in Schaumburg for more healthy and helpful tips for smoking cigarettes.

Get Plenty Of Exercise

During your withdrawal period, there may be times when those cravings start to overwhelm you. Try exercising to distract your mind and body. Studies show that high levels of exercise help combat these symptoms effectively. The exercise releases endorphins into your system, thus removing the temptation to smoke, and making it much easier to quit smoking cold turkey.

Eat a Healthy, Well-Balanced Diet

Eating well is the second step to being able to successfully enjoy the benefits of quitting smoking. Your body has built up and stored all kinds of toxins over the years you’ve been smoking. A well-balanced diet is essential in flushing those out and cleaning up your body. Studies have shown that eating high levels of raw fruits and vegetables, especially those containing high levels of vitamin c and citric acid, also help to cut the cravings most experience when they quit smoking cold turkey.

Get Plenty of Support

One of the most difficult things about deciding to quit smoking cold turkey is that most people do not have an adequate support system in place ahead of time. Make sure that you have plenty of friends and family members who will rally around and encourage you when you decide to quit smoking, and you will increase your chances of success by more than 50%. Finding and joining a smoking cessation support group is even better, as you will be interacting with others who are going through the same things you are.

To begin with, let’s calculate the money you spend every year by figuring out how many pack of cigarettes you smoke per day and multiply that number by 365. Right now, the current average price for a pack of cigarettes plus taxes is around $4.50, and using this figure, a pack a day smoker burn through $1,643 per year.

Be forewarned that smoking is a very expensive habit, and never exclude the possibilities that as nicotine addiction goes deeper (which it would, and in rather short time too), you may find yourself upping the number of cigarettes to more than 2 packs a day over the course of years. The annual smoking expense above is an accurate long term average, valid even for those currently smoking under a pack a day.

Until you quit smoking, the financial consequences of lighting up stretch far beyond the cost of cigarettes. For instance, try quoting a 20-year health and term life insurance now and you’ll find non-smokers paying a breathtaking $3,000 less every year in premiums than smokers. It doesn’t matter even if you think “Oh… I never have any intention to buy health and life insurance anyway”, the huge uninsured medical bills associated with illness from smoking in long-run will be an effective wallet-burning substitution.

Need to sell your car? On a trade-in, dealers can easily knock off more than $2,000 just because the car’s interior has been smoked out. The same applied to homes as well, only on a bigger scale. What’s more – numerous studies and surveys found that smokers earn anywhere from 4% to 11% less than their non-smoking counterpart. That’s another few hundred dollars down the drain every year.

These costs don’t even factor in the new paint or wall treatments for your rooms, the professional drapery and carpet cleaning, or the hefty bill for teeth cleanings just to get the yellowish stains and odors out. You need to do them regularly or your social life may go limbo. How often have you clean your clothes one extra time just to remove that smoke residue tainted there? Let’s get all these totaled up and it’s not something negligible.