Smoking : What are the facts?

Nicotine is one of the fastest acting and most addictive drugs known to mankind. It is a stimulant – not a relaxant. The reason why people think that cigarettes relax them is that they need their ‘fix’ to bring them up to the same level that everyone else is at!

Research suggests that smoking damages the body in minutes rather than years. The chemicals which cause cancer form rapidly after smoking. The damage begins just moments after the first cigarette is smoked.

The harmful effects of smoking on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems are no secret and smokers also have an increased risk of peptic ulcer. We also talked about smoking and the effects on the musculoskeletal system in our last blog – so let’s not waste time here. Let’s talk about the positives and the benefits of not smoking.

The good news is that the changes to your body when you stop smoking can be just as rapid as when you smoked your first cigarette.

Within the first few hours of your last cigarette; Your blood pressure and heart rate return to normal and your chance of a heart attack is reduced. Your oxygen and carbonmonoxide levels return to normal.

Within a few days your bronchioles relax making breathing easier and lung capacity improves. Any smoking induced nerve damage can begin to repair.

Within 3 – 9 months lung cilia re-grow, increasing your ability to handle mucus and to clean your lungs – lung function can actually improve by up to 30%.  Coughing, sinus congestion, fatique and shortness of breath decreases. Your circulation improves and your body’s overall energy increases meaning walking becomes easier.

5 years and lung cancer death rate for the average smoker halves!

10 years pre-cancerous cells are replaced and the rate of lung cancer deaths reduces to almost that of a non-smoker. Your risks from other cancers decreases. 

Can hypnosis really help?

Unfortunately, there are no miracle cures. No-one is able to wave a magic wand and turn you into a non-smoker (sorry!). However, hypnotherapy may be able to help. (Smoking Cessation Sees Strong Results. Retrieved from Science Daily, January 23rd, 2011)

What is important is your determination to succeed – you have got to really want to 

stop smoking. This also means being realistic about when you choose to give up smoking – if you have family, relationship, financial or work pressures which are making you feel overly stressed, then it may be better to try to deal with these before attempting to give up cigarettes. There will be a good time when you can quit smoking.

What would hypnotherapy involve?

A 3 stage process where you are helped to:

– Develop strategies to cope without smoking

– Deal with your stress in a more constructive way

– Stop smoking whilst minimizing the withdrawal side effects

This would involve 3 sessions (a total of 3.5 hours) which includes a follow up session. Self-hypnosis is encouraged between sessions.

For more information give us a call.