Everyone needs their own reason to stop smoking

Many years ago I used to be a smoker. Then one day I decided to stop. My reason was my children as I didn't want them breathing in my smoke. I wonder what your reason might be?

 Over the years I have met many smokers. I was even a smoke stop advisor in the NHS. Then I tried to help people with Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) patches or gum or some other NRT product but sometimes nothing seemed to help.

Since becoming a hypnotherapist I understand a lot more about smoking but the thing I have found most is that different people have different triggers to help them stop. It doesn't matter what information is out there or who nags them some people will only stop when they find their reason.

Recently I helped a man who had been smoking for 42 years. I will call him Richard (Not his real name as I will never disclose any information that could identify a client).

Richard said he had wanted to stop smoking for years and he had been one of those people who had tried all the NRT products and tables but nothing worked. So what was the reason that he came to see me? He thought it was to stop smoking but the real reason soon became apparent. He had poor health connected with his smoking but that hadn't stopped him. Financing cigarettes wasn't a problem. Other people like his GP telling him to stop didn't make him change.

Following our discussions I discovered that he had been feeling lonely and bored and the cigarettes were a habit that he was reinforcing. After probing deeper he told me that he was going to see a lost member of his family. Suddenly he had a goal and a reason to stop as he would not be able to travel with his health issues unless he did something now.

He had found the solution to his problem. With my help and CBT hypnotherapy he is now a non-smoker. His reasons was completely different to everyone's thoughts. Health reasons should have been at the top of the list but a previously unknown reason for stopping gave his drive as he could visualise the meeting.

If you want to stop smoking look for a different reason and get help. Like Richard you may have wanted to stop any times before but you probably didn't find the right reason then.