different methods to help quit smoking

There is a lot of research into smoking cessation that is fairly easily available on the internet. I've never seen independent scientific research that didn't find hypnotherapy to be the most effective way to quit smoking. The most popularly quoted of these is from New Scientist Vol 136 issue 1845-31.

A good summary of this research as well as information on the success rates of later treatments that weren't available then can be found at

By posting that link, I am in no way recommending the services offered there, it is literally just the layout of the information, I don't know them from Adam and found them by Googling "New Scientist Vol136 issue 1845-31.

Frankly, from the experience of my own smoking cessation clients, I wouldn't touch Champix or Zyban with a bargepole. Although they do help some people, those who suffer from the side effects are worse off than they were to start with (one of my clients had tried to kill himself, almost successfully, after going into a deep depression caused by these side effects). The nicotene replacement therapies are ineffective and a waste of tax payers money / your money (depending on whether you use the clinics).

Well done Raya on cutting down on your smoking that is a step in the right direction. It is one that I tried and it was working about 20 down to 10 then I was in a car accident, very stressful job and of course any excuse went back to 20 a day.

My family had nagged me for years to pack up but it's got to be you that wants to give up the dreaded weed, so one day I decided that's it I'm giving them up. Didn't like the idea of patches because like Bannick said there's the side effects that are involved, went for hypnotherapy. It didn't quite work was stupid and had half of one a few days later, the other half the next day, and for some unknown reason 2 ciggies 3 days later sobbed my heart out and havn't smoked since.

Not saying it was easy peasy but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Gave up in April 2006 and even managed to survive my stressful job and a mental break down without giving the thought of restarting to smoke again.

My home, car and me no longer smell and food really tastes so much nicer. Hypnotherapy isn't for everyone but it worked for me as since then I've used it for anxiety and now having treatment for my fear of flying.

Smoker for 39 years, ex smoker for 3+ years a lot happier as well as richer and not neccessarily money wise.

I tried Zyban a few years ago....didn't want to smoke, but really didn't like the way it made me feel. It's hard to describe - but I just didn't feel 'right'.
Tried hypnotherapy a couple of years ago and that worked for a while, but then I thought I was 'cured' so had one or two and was right back on them.
At the beginning of this year, a friend and I went to an Allen Carr seminar. It was a half day thing and there was a money back guarantee. We both thought it sounded too good to be true, but decided to go anyway.
There was a real mix of people - all ages. The guy that ran the seminar was an ex-smoker and he started by telling us that we would smoke throughout the morning - and then stop. He sent us out for cigarette breaks about every half hour!
When he sent us out for our 'last cigarette ever' only half the group actually went. The other half said they didn't want/need one.
That was January and I've had one or two since then (a glass or two of wine makes me think I can be a casual smoker for about 2 minutes) but my friend hasn't had one since.
I'd highly recommend it. If you google Allen Carr's Easy Way you should be able to find local seminars.

Good Luck!

LA

Raya, best thing you can do for your health is to stop smoking. I smoked 20+ cigs a day for 23 years and stopped in March this year. I work part time as a therapist and full time during the day in corporate environment. Lots of people wouldn't believe me when I said I smoked. Ok, not easy to stop, for me it was my 38th birthday and getting older and I wanted to for my health, did not want to be told that I "had to" stop. I can't believe I now dont smoke and it is so great to be free of being addicted. For me it was cold turkey, a few crystals, black pepper essential oil (to sniff when a crave came, but also to burn in an oil burner at home), rescue remedy, and an educational website that I will pm you as I am not sure if I can post here.

The hardest thing was the mind telling me I wanted one at certain times, sometimes it hits me but now I think how lucky I am not to have to smoke.

Let go of the fears of stopping and embrace the new healthy you and please know that you can do it and your life will be so much better. Well done on your post, you have taken the first step and please know that here you have friends to help and support you.

You can do it........

Love Rach x

It is great to hear from people who have managed to give up.. Rachel, LA and Cis because it seems like there is a very big mountain in front of me but there are people here who made it over and lived to tell the tale!

I've definitely decided against Champix and Zyban - after reading your reply Bannick I did some research myself. Too risky.

LA - I read Allan Carr's book many years ago but didn't realise he did seminars so I might investigate further.

Thanks Rachel for your message - I have pm'd you.

Thanks all for taking the time to reaply, much appreciated.xx

Moxibition works very well for addictions.

You might want to look at this option:

Norbu

i gave up in may,
no books no tapes no patches,
all these things just draw it out in my opinion,
will power is the only way,
the first few days were hell but after that it was great,
you can do it you just have to be strong,
there is no easy way or shortcut

I smoked 40 a day and one day woke up and decided that enough was enough. I took nothing. I just decided in my head to stop...and I did. it's the only way. If you try to rely on yet another 'crutch', then you're going from one dependence to another.

HI,

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I simply run out of cigarettes one night and I decided to see how long can I do without them....one day, two days...and it was like I never smoked before... It was hard only when others smoked around me in the first few weeks...

I smoked for 20 years or so, had tried a few times to stop but always craved and ended up having a puff here and there and before I knew it was back on 20 a day. :rolleyes: Realise now I never really wanted to give up.

When I did realise I did actually want to stop smoking I happened upon a book someone had given me a few years before, Allen carrs Easy Way to Stop Smoking. REad it once and couldn't wait to stop! I stopped and haven't so much as thought about wanting a smoke since!

The only difficult bit was having a drink in the first few weeks. So I didn't really drink! absoltely no problem now! 😀 Couldn't recomment this book/method strongly enough.

Good luck to all! 🙂

Well, how weird is that!! I haven't been on here for ages and just thought I'd come on and have a look and here was this old thread of mine from last year and I have only just given up smoking! Well, I finally gave up two months ago and I did it with Champix. I spoke to so many people who were successful with it that I went to the doctors and got all the facts and decided to give it a try. It worked for me for a while but I did come off fairly soon as I didn't like some of the side affects. I'm now not smoking, but struggling a fair bit. Weight gain, irritability, anger, feeling low etc. So, phoned the doctor yesterday who put me in touch with a smokestop advisor who rang today. Do you know what she suggested? NICOTINE GUM!! I couldn't believe my ears - I haven't had any for two months and she wanted me to go back on it! Anyway, ended up with her saying she didn't know how to manage me!!

I'm feeling strangely positive since that phone call and will manage myself thank you very much.

Good luck to anyone else out there giving up or trying to stay stopped. Despite the negative post I do think it is slowly getting easier.

Oh Raya, that's completely rubbish. I've never smoked and I can't imagine how hard it must be to give up (having known loads of smokers, and only two ex-smokers). The two people who gave up gave up in exactly the same way. Both bought bicycles as a cheap way to commute - and ended up giving up smoking as they got more into their cycling. One's not been smoking since 1997, and the other since 2001. And both are still cycling.

Oh, hang on - a lass at my gym told me that she really got stuck into the gym because she stopped smoking and didn't want to put on weight. I think she stopped as a New Year's resolution. To be honest she looks gorgeous, and has definitely got stuck into her gym training.

Perhaps then joining a gym might help you with the non-smoking transition? I know that you know this, so forgive me for boring you by saying that exercise will relax you, help you lose weight, will improve your mood... and will improve your circulation (i.e. lose that grey smoker skin tone). And it'll also give you a healthy appetite.

I think when you are doing something like this it often helps to support your body and mood by eating a really nice healthy diet of foods you enjoy. That'll help with the weight-gain bit too. The only trick to eating healthily is planning - that's all you need. So, thinking at the end of the week about what you'll be eating next week - and shopping for the ingredients, including healthy snacks. What can be helpful is making your lunch the night before, and thinking about your next day's evening meal and defrosting anything needed, and thinking about your breakfast. And yes, you should always eat breakfast.

Good luck, and well done on your success so far.

Ava x

We smoke for a reason, to fill a void in our lives. The reason many people go back to smoking is because the void is still there after stopping smoking.

The trick is to fill the void, that was there long before you began to smoke. We smoke to cover up anger, sadness, sorrow, guilt, anxiety, lack of love - you get the picture.

The best advice I can give anyone who has an addiction, is to heal what is troubling you, in other words heal the root cause, if you do this, you will no longer need to smoke.

I work at a Drug and Alcohol abuse centre and they have Ear Acupuncture to help them stop (and for other things too), I don't know the success rate (sorry, I will have to ask) as I am only there 1 afternoon a week, but I do know that they leave something in the ear, looks like a pin head in a certain spot for the client to tweak when they feel the urge to smoke.

...The trick is to fill the void...

That's an interesting perspective, and one I have heard of in the treatment of heroin addiction. The [url]Calton Athletic Recovery Group[/url] is a social group and football team made up of recovering addicts. You may recall them from the [url]opening credits[/url] of Trainspotting. They emphasise replacing heroin with healthy activities which help them feel and look good... namely sport and exercise. I know that's not the type of 'void' you are speaking of, but one of the main comments from drug addicts when they give up... is the boredom. Calton Athletic aims to fill that space with football (team sport) and all of its associated social, physical and personal goals.

Ava x

...The trick is to fill the void..

Or you could look at it like this... the void never existed before you started smoking. It is the smoking that created the void. The void appears when the nicotine leaves the system, usually after an hour which is why most people smoke around 20 a day.

So the nicotine addiction AND the psychological addiction to smoking have created this empty feeling or void. If you lose the addictions, both physical and psycholigical, then the void goes with them.

I tried to stop smoking loads of times without letting go of the psychological addiction and it was torture! Each time I would get off the nicotine I was still left with that miserable deprived feeling that I was missing out on smoking. And of course I ended up smoking again, first a borrowed puff, then a borrowed fag and next thing Iwa back buying 20 a day! :rolleyes:

Sorry to ramble on, (I've had wine!) please anyone wanting to to stop smoking give the Allen Carr book or CD a go. I found it fab, a real eye opener and frees you froom the psycholigical addiction by changing the way you think about smoking, why you smoke, why it doesn't make sense and all that....

...honestely, the book makes a whole lot more sense than I am doing here. 😀

Or you could look at it like this... the void never existed before you started smoking...

I think we may be talking about a different type of void - but I understand the point you're making and it sounds reasonable. I've not read Allen Carr's book and am not a smoker, but I have heard other folk speak favorably of it. Well done on giving up - that is excellent - and it's especially nice that you are so enthusiastic about the way you gave up. Fabulous!

Ava x

I think we may be talking about a different type of void

Yes, I think so! 🙂

I recommend that Allen Carr method to anyone who asks how I managed to stop smoking easily enough - and even those who don't ask!!! 😀

I'm not talking about the void that was created by the nicotine, the void existed long before the addiction began.

We then use whatever substance it is to fill the original void.

So, the void I am speaking about is the void which led to taking the substance in the first place.

If you lose the addictions, both physical and psychological, the original void doesn't necessarily go away, you have to heal at the level of the original void ie. the root cause

Or you could look at it like this... the void never existed before you started smoking. It is the smoking that created the void. The void appears when the nicotine leaves the system, usually after an hour which is why most people smoke around 20 a day.

So the nicotine addiction AND the psychological addiction to smoking have created this empty feeling or void. If you lose the addictions, both physical and psycholigical, then the void goes with them.

I tried to stop smoking loads of times without letting go of the psychological addiction and it was torture! Each time I would get off the nicotine I was still left with that miserable deprived feeling that I was missing out on smoking. And of course I ended up smoking again, first a borrowed puff, then a borrowed fag and next thing Iwa back buying 20 a day! :rolleyes:

Sorry to ramble on, (I've had wine!) please anyone wanting to to stop smoking give the Allen Carr book or CD a go. I found it fab, a real eye opener and frees you froom the psycholigical addiction by changing the way you think about smoking, why you smoke, why it doesn't make sense and all that....

...honestely, the book makes a whole lot more sense than I am doing here. 😀

Just as an aside, many people give up smoking only to start again some years down the line - a prime example of the original void not having been healed.

...or another new void may have surfaced?

People are changing and evolving throughout their lives. What is important when you are 15 and started smoking may not be important when you are 35 and trying to give up, or when you are 45 and start again. My feeling would be to brush yourself down and start/try again... and not to keep looking back to the past for the solution/cause of your problems. We are all flawed individuals and no matter how much work we do on resolving our issues there will always be a weak link.

Ava x

That's true, or another new void may have surfaced.

Sometimes you need to look back in order to move forwards. Many of our issues lie in childhood, so it depends where the void lies actually.

I'm not talking about the void that was created by the nicotine, the void existed long before the addiction began.

We then use whatever substance it is to fill the original void.

So, the void I am speaking about is the void which led to taking the substance in the first place.

If you lose the addictions, both physical and psychological, the original void doesn't necessarily go away, you have to heal at the level of the original void ie. the root cause

I can't say I had a void that I decided or happened to fill with smoking! Or maybe it was somethiing I wasn't aware of. If I were filling a void, wouldn't I fill it with something like chocolate or chip butties or exercise even, instead of going for the really awfully difficult and stinky task of learning to smoke?!

Maybe I'm voidless because I can honestly say I will never smoke again. 🙂

I can't say I had a void that I decided or happened to fill with smoking! Or maybe it was somethiing I wasn't aware of. If I were filling a void, wouldn't I fill it with something like chocolate or chip butties or exercise even, instead of going for the really awfully difficult and stinky task of learning to smoke?!

Maybe I'm voidless because I can honestly say I will never smoke again. 🙂

I can't speak for you because I am not you, but sometimes the need is unconscious, and not conscious, so many times we aren't aware of the real need that lies behind the compulsion to eat or smoke, or take drugs etc

As for going for something other than smoking, some smoke, others take drugs, others eat too much. It doesn't matter what the choice of distraction is, it will be one thing for one person, and another for another person.

The interesting thing about drugs and smoking is that they satisfy an imbalance in the brain as a result of emotional trauma, they temporarily calm the activity of certain centres in the brain where trauma resides.

Hence why they are the choice of many people.

Hi all,

To quit or not to quit smoking is a very personal choice. Unless the smoker himself has firmly decided to quit, it is very difficult to convince him to quit. Smoking becomes a addiction due to stress or due to boredom. In case your friend decides to quit smoking, it is very important for you to support him and help him overcome this addiction.

Jimmy.

I would also strongly recommend Alan Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. My partner read it and has not wanted a cigarette since, as did my parents. It is predominately based around tacking the psychological addiction to smoking.

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