Stopping smoking

[MRK-3]

Has anyone had hypnotherapy to help them stop smoking? if so did it work? I just can't stop and I know I need to since my HA and 2 stents fitted, but since my husband's death I need my ciggies more now.

[Chappychap]

You've recognised the imperative to stop smoking, so already you're farther ahead than many, who just stop their ears and blindly puff away despite having a heart condition.

When I was recovering in hospital following a heart bypass I was impressed with a guy on the same ward. He was tackling his breathing exercises like a Trojan, determined to be out of bed and back on his feet at the earliest possible moment. But it turned out he was just desperate to get outside for a cigarette. It's so sad, those dedicated medical professionals had invested so much effort in giving him a second chance and he was just throwing it all away. Oh well, I guess it's a free country.

But back to your question, the method that allowed me to quit smoking was the Alan Carr book allied to nicotine lozenges. But do bear in mind nicotine lozenges, patches, or vaping are only short term crutches to help you quit. Cigarettes cause cancer and heart disease, but even though nicotine on its own seems less deadly with respect to cancer it's still a problem for heart disease. So think of them as an interim step to help get to your final goal of becoming totally nicotine free.

There's no magic solution, but no matter how tough the journey just remember that life is so sweet, chucking any of it away would be a terrible shame.

Good luck!

[RufusScamp]

My experience of hypnotherapy (not for smoking) many years ago, is that it will only help if you really want it to. It may strengthen your will-power slightly, but it can't make you do something against your natural inclination.

[Bazmack48]

I had hypnotherapy to stop me smoking over 35 years ago and I haven’t smoked since. Never looked back. I had been smoking since I was 9!

[MRK-3]

I have been smoking for nearly 53 years.

[Dovaston]

I have stopped for seven years now with the aid of Hypnotherapy. The Therapist told me that it would only work if you had the right mindset and were determined to give up ! Your comment that you need cigarettes now more than ever would suggest you may not be ready !

[Tyronefitsimmons]

f you value your life, then the answer is just do it, if you do nothing , then nothing will change , we all know smokes are loaded with nicotine and other (drugs) substances, so take the plung and stop , gently of course

[Hidden in reply to Tyronefitsimmons]

No offence intended, and I appreciate the spirit of your comment, but that’s the talk of someone that’s never been truly addicted to anything. If it was as easy as ‘if you value your life’, people wouldn’t die from alcohol or drugs, because they would simply stop at the point there were physical consequences, or perhaps never even start in the first place. The argument also applies to smoking given it’s now scientifically accepted that, although they act on the brain in very different ways, nicotine is every bit as addictive as drugs like cocaine and heroin. It’s not about whether you value your life or not, it’s about successfully reprogramming a body that has become physically dependent on ingesting a chemical. Wanting to stop is part of it, absolutely, and that aligns to your comment, but wanting to stop is probably the smallest part of stopping. It’s the degree of physical dependence, including withdrawals, along with the emotional and psychological impact, that make quitting cigarettes one of the hardest things to do. Ask a room full of recovering alcoholics and addicts, and most would tell you binning the fags was, if not THE hardest, certainly right up there with their other substances of choice.

[Tyronefitsimmons in reply to Hidden]

Charlie G What you have just said we all know that, but doing nothing as I said, every thing stays the same, yes it takes guts , , and yes I did smoke in my early years, but in my profession I saw many people die and was with them at the very moment, so come on Charlie don't be one of them , , Tyrone.

[Hidden in reply to Tyronefitsimmons]

Sorry, Tyrone, no clue what you’re talking about tbh. If you see my other reply, I quit over 6 years ago, and ever starting smoking is my one regret in life. Anyone that smokes should absolutely stop and stop now, but my comment to you was that it’s not about valuing your life. It’s about the physical and psychological consequences of addiction. The tiny minority of smokers who can quit without any significant difficulty are a rarity, for most people it is an incredibly hard and prolonged process, and I maintain that you’re speaking with the attitude of someone who has never experienced true addiction. Whilst said with the right intention, comments about valuing life are irrelevant and unhelpful, but I suspect we’re going to have to agree to disagree.

[Hidden]

I can’t comment on hypnotherapy, but I’ve been stopped for 6 years now. I also gave up alcohol for around 12 years having developed a physical and psychological dependence in my late teens, and I can tell you that cigarettes were by far the hardest of the two. Other people I know that have had serious drink or drug problems would say exactly the same, particularly if you have a lean towards addictive tendencies. There is a genetic component to how receptive people are to nicotine, too, which again sometimes ties to other family history of substance use and dependence even if you don’t have any issues yourself.

I tried to stop for about 8 years before I finally did. Going cold turkey never worked - no matter how much I genuinely wanted to quit, I’d try and pick a fight with family and friends for the excuse to have a smoke, sometimes within 24 hours of stopping. GP gave me an inhalator, only to find out from the smoking cessation service some months later that with my smoking habits and CO levels, it wouldn’t touch the sides. Tried patches with no joy at all. Then gum. Had some success using the oral medication Champix, and stopped for about 7 months - it blocks the receptors that nicotine binds to, so all that actually happens to discourage you is not getting the ‘pleasure’ or rush you usually would from smoking. Ultimately went back after my then 3 month old went to clinic at a specialist hospital for a check up and we were still there 3 weeks later, 60 miles from home. The time after that was lozenges, where I managed 4 months.

Whilst it has the support of the nhs to some extent, this will probably be met with very mixed opinions, and you may well have already tried it, but success finally came for me with vaping. I was actually dead set against it, felt it was just substituting one for another and it was still inhaling stuff, but a friend asked me what I really had to lose if I was still smoking 30 to 40 cigarettes a day anyway. So I went and got advice around nicotine strength and devices etc., and was stopped on cigarettes completely within a couple of days. Very, very slowly weaned down the nicotine content over the course of about 18 months, treating it just as I would a cigarette i.e. not using it indoors at home, or in places where you can’t normally smoke. I finally spent about 3 months vaping liquid with zero nicotine in it, and found I was barely reaching for it. Stopping the vape more or less just happened. Got up one day and realised it was lunch time and I hadn’t vaped. That was more than 4 years ago. I still have my vape and a small bottle of liquid (with no nicotine) tucked in a drawer, but it’s an insurance policy - my one regret in life is ever starting smoking, my only other one would definitely be starting up again, so I hang on to it ‘just in case’.

My chest is better. My fitness is better. I’ve saved a legitimate fortune in money. I no longer smell stale and nasty. My breath isn’t rank. I’ve reduced and continue reducing my cardiovascular, respiratory and cancer risks. Without the vape, I probably would have just continued smoking, so for me it was the lesser of two evils, and the choice definitely paid off. I haven’t had a heart attack, though, so would not advise you to vape or use an ecig without seeking further advice.

[Wellington19]

Why not try shiatsu

[MyJinksy]

I had acupuncture to stop smoking and it has worked for the last 35 years. Good luck, it helps to have a goal to do with your ciggie money. I put mine in a piggy bank each time I would have bought them. At the end of a year I had a brilliant holiday.

[essdobs]

For me, acupuncture worked. It gave me something to fiddle with (in my ear) and I also took up cross stitch. I was rubbish at it, but it needed both hands so couldn’t smoke, my triggers were the pub and phoning people, so didn’t do either for a couple of weeks or so, and the triggers became far less quite quickly. Look into acupuncture as I didn’t like the idea of hypnosis....each to their own though! Also I think doctors surgeries offer a stop smoking clinic too?

[Sprinterknot]

Please give it a go. I had one session years ago, my husband was in the same room. never smoked since. The idea is you must want to stop. Find a good one.

[Qualipop]

As a fellow smoker I totally understand and sympathise. Over the years I tried everything, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, patches, vaping. Right after my heart attack the smoking cessation nurse got me down to just one a day using patches. That one a day was a huge mistake. I'm back smoking again and lockdown has made it far worse.I'm disabled so I can't go for walks and haven't left the house since before Christmas or seen a soul. Now is NOT the right time. My GP can't understand why my lung function results are off the scale and better than he would expect in a 20 yr old. Whatever method you try you have to be in the right frame of mind to start with and you have to want to stop. I tried vaping but couldn't find one I could stand the taste off. You need to find out just what it is a bout smoking that makes you do it. Is it actually the nicotine or the hand to mouth action. For me it's just having something in my hand. Then find the best method for you that replaces that trigger. I stopped while pregnant, I stopped while in hospital so why can't i do it now? I detest the smell; the house stinks, I stink, I'm aware that people don't want to come into the house. Hypno certainly helped me. Acupuncture did nothing but in the end it's wanting to stop that's the only thing that works.

[Cookie2020]

HiMake a special day to stop and on that day clear all ash tray’s and lighters and off course any fag’s you have left.

Day 2 wash down all your furniture and curtains including all paint work.

Day 3 your house/flat will start to smell nice and smoke free.

Also when you feel you need a hit off nicotine go for a walk every time try this for the next 21 days and after time you should slowly give up.

Just to let you no I was a heavy smoker for 30 years and the above worked for me GOOD LUCK 😉

[Hidden]

1. You have to genuinely WANT to stop smoking.2. Read the Allen Carr book (get it from Amazon).

Thats what worked for me.

I stopped after 30 odd years of smoking.

Good luck!

[MRK-3 in reply to Hidden]

I read the book did nothing for me.

[Niki_]

My Aunt smokes for 35 years 2+ packs a day and she did Hypnotherapy and it 100% worked for her .. 10 years not a single cigarette! Now I will say her friend did it with her and it did not work for her friend... so I think it’s very individual

[rubyred]

I tried hypnosis, cold Turkey, reducing with a view to quit. There was also some medication back in eighties to nineties.

The one that worked for me was champix prescribed through the NHS stop smoking classes. I have no idea if these classes still exist.

They work by artificially manipulating the feel good bits in your brain. The bits that when you take a puf and go arrrrrrrrr.

To stop smoking is so so hard. You can do it but you need some proper support.

As said I used the champix been stopped now for 10 years and counting. I love the freedom of not smoking.

Sending you hugs for your journey. Xx

[daviduk1976]

Just thought I would add the Allan Carr book. Make sure its the thicker one. I'd read it anyway, its a great read and you will slow down your intake either way. He encourages you to smoke away whilst reading it.I just stopped smoking after my HA, I am 2 weeks after and haven't bothered since. I started at 17 finished at 44.

[valspia]

You're on your way to quitting. You've acknowledged it's a problem, the first step. I quit 3 years ago and it was hard, no doubt about it. You can do it!! Think about the ways that would work best for YOU. For me personally gradually cutting down and cutting out certain cigs a day worked. My first was none while talking on the phone, etc. You'll be so proud of yourself. You can do it!!

[Challiefan]

I tried hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and Alan Carr's book over a period of years. None of them worked.

Then I tried Bupropion (Zyban) tablets, prescribed for me by the nurse at my Doctor's surgery. They worked really well. Made smoking taste really God awful, which was one of the reasons why they were so effective.

I'm now 2 1/2 years smoke free, and I'm sure I'll never smoke another cigarette again in my life. Apart from anything else, it was so difficult kicking the habit that I don't want to have to go through all that again.

Good Luck!

[cowparsley]

I had finally,after years of trying,given up smoking,then my husband died suddenly and guess what,I started again so I do understand what you`re going through.I first gave up after hypnotherapy but needed a second session after a couple of months.At the time I was really committed to giving up.Three months after his death my son,who is zero tolerance on smoking,read me the riot act,I realized he was right and stopped there and then.I didn`t need any more hypnotherapy as I knew how much better I felt not smoking.What I`m saying is,wait until you feel really determined to stop but don`t try til you`re ready and book as many sessions as you need or can afford.It will work .One day you will wake up after years of trying and say now is the time,I can do it.I`m so sorry to hear about the death of your husband,especially in these difficult times.If you need to chat anytime please do so.Best wishes Jen xx

[The_Voice]

I'd tried everything to stop for a while before my 4 MIs, and still continued for 3 months after I had them. But I guess nothing will work unless you have the motivation to NOT do it anymore. Mine was simple: stop now, or it WILL kill you. It was quite easy after that, and I've been smoke free ever since. I also replaced the death sticks with a low nicotine vape, which has helped keep me clean.

[EMBoy]

Just over 19 months ago, I collapsed due to bradycardia and I can remember smoking 3 cigs wile waiting for the ambulance. Those were my last 3 cigs. Being rushed into hospital and fitted with a pacemaker were enough for me and I was able to stop smoking immediately by cold turkey, and I think I have been successful so far is because I wanted it more than anything. The first 10 days or so were quite hard, but not neatly as hard as I was expecting, and after that it was plain sailing. I had smoked for 49 years and had tried patches, lozenges and twice I went cold turkey for a couple of months each time, but started again. This time though, it has been different.

There are umpteen ways to give up, and if hypnotherapy is the one for you, then go for it. I wish you all the best. If you can quit, you'll feel the benefits immediately and it really is worth the effort.

Good luck.

[Saltysailer]

Enjoyed smoking , MI 30 mins after coffee and fag on sailing dinghy. My last cig no problem as I knew continuing would undo the work of the cardiologists who saved me . 3 years later still no cigs

[Redsea]

Hello, I didn't have hypnotherapy to stop smoking, I just had a cardiologist who was very stern and told me " one more cigarette and you will die" that was as I was having a heart attack! I have not touched one since and it is22 months now. But I am two stone heavier which has caused depression , of course lockdown hasn't helped but if someone said have a cigarette you will be ok, I would be tempted, and days when I feel down I would love one, but I can't and will not take the risk. You have lost someone very dear to you, and I understand how you are feeling, sometimes it's a crutch to keep us going, don't be too hard on yourself. I wish I could seal my mouth, I feel disgusting. Good luck for the future, things will hopefully be better soon.

[Hidden]

5 Feb 2020 left smoking cold turkey and used vap 3/6 mg to satisfy cravings never touched Cigeratte from that day still usinf vap (MTL) 3/6mg about 4 to 5 ml per day

[Hidden]

Just to add first 2-3 weeks are hell after quitting consipation, constant cravings,no sleep, irritability, no appetite, bloating and fluctuating sugar levels and headaches. After a month things are different your cravings are gone and life as usual.

[MRK-3 in reply to Hidden]

God that sounds awful

[Palpman]

Smoking cessation via vaping is by far the easiest.

I still vape after stopping smoking 9 years ago but no nicotine for me and no flavour either.

It's the act of smoking and blowing out vapour that I enjoy.