Give it up for good! Part 2 - Go Sober October

October has become the month for giving something up... or at least abstaining! Two weeks ago I wrote about quitting smoking (Stoptober) and today it's stopping drinking. The new MacMillan cancer campaign is Go Sober in October. So far two people have emailed me for sponsorship and I've been happy to donate to such a great cause. Happy too, to support a relative who is giving up drinking for 31 days. Already she has blogged that she is sleeping better and feeling more energetic and alert... and that was after only a few days!

Recently I worked with a client who has been drinking a bottle of wine every night for some years and after only two sessions of hypnosis with me is no longer drinking and is very much enjoying being in control of his alcohol intake. Now, that's not to say that all clients will experience such a swift change - stopping drinking can be very hard. For some people it's a social habit, or has become part of a switching off or relaxation routine at the end of the working day. Many people self-medicate with alcohol just as they do with drugs and food - using these substances to change their mood. For others, alcohol is an addiction. Interestingly, although many people contact me for help to stop or manage their drinking, they almost always say "I'm not an alcoholic". I guess no-one likes the idea of being addicted to anything, but seeing alcoholics only as those who start drinking alcohol on waking or can't hold down a job and sleep in the park is unhelpful, even though this stereotypical view of alcoholism seems pretty widespread.

Go Sober brings an opportunity for all of us to review our drinking habits and behaviour. So what prompts you to reach for a bottle of wine or a Scotch and how easy do you think you'd find it to give up drinking for a month? Having an incentive such as 'Go Sober' can often help people to 'stay on track' for a set period and it will be interesting to see how many participants modify their drinking patterns and relationship with drink in the longer term. But for now, a big thumbs up and huge cheer goes out to all the charity teetotallers! Well done!

Give it up for good! Part 1 - Stoptober October

Today is the day when thousands of people in the UK are giving up booze or fags for October.

Stopbtober is an NHS driven campaign to encourage people to quit smoking for the month. The rationale is that if people can stop smoking for a month, many will remain non-smokers for good. Anything that helps people (who want to quit) to break their smoking habit is a good thing and giving up for a month shows commitment to quitting. And commitment is essential for success. When clients call me to book for hypnotherapy to stop smoking, I always check out their commitment and motivation level before agreeing to work with them. That may sound harsh, but if someone doesn't really want to quit smoking, and 'deep down' they want to continue, that's what they'll likely do. However, if someone is motivated to stop smoking and really wants to succeed, hypnotherapy makes quitting easier for many people. When I work with clients who want to stop smoking, I first of all listen to details of their smoking pattern and triggers. It could be easy to assume that everyone who wants to quit is concerned about the health implications or maybe the cost of cigarette smoking, but it's important for me to listen to client's rather than make assumptions. If a client wants to stop because they hate the smell on their clothes or breath, or because they're planning to conceive, then me talking to them in hypnosis about the state of their lungs or heart, will not resonate with them and the message won't be absorbed. As with all therapy work I do with clients, listening and asking questions is an important part of the process. Recently I have worked with a woman who wanted to conceive, one who's already pregnant, another who hated the smell of smoke and another who feels it looks unladylike and doesn't portray the image she wants to convey about herself. None were overly concerned about their personal health or their finances! Two men I've seen recently have wanted to break the smoke/drink association and another was concerned that his golf was suffering as his fitness level was (in his view) being impacted by his smoking habit. Many people who want to quit smoking, but don't want to continue their nicotine habit/addiction (by using patches or e-cigs) will choose hypnosis over 'cold turkey' to stop. Some people like the challenge of 'going alone' and that's brilliant. If you choose this route, tell people you're quitting to gain their support. Avoid (if it's feasible) going to places smokers go, until such time that you feel you won't be tempted, and be aware that many people who quit for months or years can 'slip back' by having 'just one' at a wedding or New Year. In fact, telling people you're quitting is wise, whichever method you choose as the potential of 'losing face' can help, and quitting in secret may suggest a lack of commitment - there's no consequence or embarrassment factor if you 'fail'. With my smoking cessation hypnotherapy, I include a Quit4Life self-hypnosis CD to help keep you 'on track' and clients tell me they find this very helpful as it reinforces the work we do in our face-to-face session. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck.