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.
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