- Quit today using hypnosis. (or set your date & announce it) In the long run, it’s the easiest, least toxic and most effective technique of smoking cessation. Play your stop smoking CD every night. Use EFT frequently throughout the day.
- Do not carry cigarettes. Get rid of ashtrays, lighters, and cigarette cases. Wash clothes and coats that smell like smoke. Clean out the ash trays in your car. Wash curtains & sheets & blankets & quilts. Wash down the walls. It will surprise you.
- Consider yourself a non-smoker. Do not even concern yourself with next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow. You are a non-smoker and non-smokers don’t even think about cigarettes.
- Work on developing the attitude that you are doing yourself a favor by not smoking. Do not dwell on the idea that you are depriving yourself of a cigarette. You are ridding yourself of full-fledged smoking because you care enough about yourself to want to quit.
- Be proud that you are not smoking. You are a non-smoker… now & forever.
- Be aware that many routine situations are triggers for that old cigarette habit. Situations which will trigger a response include: drinking coffee, alcohol, sitting in a bar, driving, social events with smoking friends, card games, reading, the end of meals. Try to maintain your normal routine while quitting, but change it for a few days if necessary. If any event seems too tough, leave it and go back to it later. Do not feel you must give up any activity forever. Everything you did as a smoker, you will learn to do at least as well, and maybe better, as a non-smoker.
- Make a list of all the reasons you want to quit smoking. Keep this list with you, preferably where you used to carry your cigarettes. When you find yourself reaching for a cigarette, take out your list and read it. Know & remember that your family loves & needs you & that they want you around for a long time!
- Drink plenty of water. It will help flush nicotine and other poisons out of your system. Chew vitamin C tablets. Keep your mouth fresh by brushing your teeth more often. You smell better since you quit.
- To help avoid weight gain, eat vegetables and fruit instead of candies, high fat foods or pastries and other unhealthy snacks. Celery and carrots can be used safely when you feel the need to put something in your mouth. Chew sugarless gum. Learn about healthy eating habits, no fried food, portion control, lots of veggies, chicken, fish, easy on the salt, give up sugar. It’s a lot easier than it sounds and the benefits are priceless.
- If you are concerned about weight gain, do some moderate form of regular exercise. I can put suggestions pertaining to this in the hypnosis CD. If you have not been exercising regularly, consult your physician for a practical exercise program, which is safe for you. Exercise is an excellent way to reduce stress.
- If you encounter a crisis, (e.g. a flat tire, flood, blizzard, family illness) remember, smoking is no solution. Smoking will just complicate the original situation while creating another crisis, a relapse into the nicotine addiction. Breathe deeply & do EFT (see EFT page)
- Don’t smoke. Ever. No matter how long you have been off cigarettes, don’t think you can safely take a puff! Never take another drag on a cigarette again. Ever. You are a non-smoker. Don’t start the habit all over again.
- Don’t debate with yourself how much you want a cigarette. Ask yourself how you feel about going back to your old level of consumption. Smoking is an all or nothing proposition. Let it go. There is always something better to do than smoke! Drink water, or chew a vitamin C tablet. Call a friend for support. Exercise. Go take a walk or do some side bends. Get a pair of 2 or 3 pound dumbbells & use them. Walk the dog or play with the kids or grandchildren. Clean the house or the bathroom.
- Save the money you usually spend on cigarettes and buy yourself something you really want after a week or a month. Save for a year and you can treat yourself to a vacation.
- Practice deep breathing exercises if you have a craving. Breathe deeply, but comfortable for you. Deep breathing triggers an automatic relaxation response. Let the old desire pass, it’s just there because it’s a habit, nothing more. Don’t ever give in again. Do anything to refocus your mind away from the thought of a cigarette.
- Go places where you normally can’t smoke, such as movies, libraries and no smoking sections of restaurants.
- Take a shower or a bubble bath. Most people don’t even think of smoking when they bathe.
- Tell people around you that you have quit smoking… family, friends, co-workers, neighbors… everyone you know! Be proud!
- Remember that there are only two good reasons to take a puff once you quit. You decide you want to go back to your old level of consumption until smoking cripples and then kills you. Or, you decide you really enjoy withdrawal and you want to make it last forever. As long as neither of these options appeal to you – NEVER TAKE ANOTHER DRAG !
- Learn EFT & practice it every day. If you learned an anchor, use that too.
- You are a non-smoker now. There is ALWAYS something better to do than smoke.
- Contact me today to make your appointment! I am certified hypnotherapist Margaret Arthur, at Hypnotic Solutions in Cincinnati, Ohio. 513-772-9400
Hypnotic Solutions Ohio
Medical Hypnotherapy in Cincinnati Ohio
