What Kind of Smoker Are You?
I recently had an email from an advertising student asking me to give him some advice on designing a system to to help him encourage other people to quit smoking!
So I explained to him that this would be no easy task! As there are millions of smokers out there, some who want to quit, and some who don't. And even the ones who want to quit either aren't determined enough, want an easy fix or just struggle aimlessly even with help!
So encouraging someone else to quit smoking can be a good idea, but a difficult task! Have a look below and see what kind of smoker you are and have a think about what kind of smokers you know.
You as a smoker will fall into one of these categories:
1. Those who don’t want to quit
2. Those that are being pressured into quitting by family / friends /doctors etc.
3. Those who know that they will at some stage, but haven’t made much of an effort so far
4. Those that want to quit
I hate to put it this way but the smokers in no. 1 are (at least for the meantime) for lack of a better way to put it – a lost cause!
It’s a hard and unfortunate to say this, but I’ve openly discussed my techniques and facts with smokers. The ones that agree or at least understand the concepts/ ideas I use are the ones that are in Nos. 3 & 4.
The other smokers simply do not accept my, or anyone’s for that matter, ideas about smoking and quitting, and they will argue through their teeth – that we are wrong! I understand their reasoning too, because I’m a hypnotherapist and I understand that once someone’s mind is made up – nothing will change it, even if it’s facts logic and truth!
I’m just saying this to you because some people don’t want to be helped!
It's difficult to encourage those that don’t want to quit, to quit! We already know that the various diseases brought on by smoking don’t have ANY effect on you, ven when you want to quit. So we can’t threaten someone who doesn't want to quit with illness, financial cost of smoking, family seeing them get ill and even death.
They are convinced that they ‘enjoy’ smoking, that it ‘relaxes’ them and that ‘their granddad smoked till he was 84, and nothing ever happened to him!’. Do you know any smokers like this? I know and meet plenty!
The smokers in category in no. 2 can probably be helped, but it’s dangerous. As i've already described in my other posts and articles, it can be pretty easy to annoy them by taking the wrong approach and they can end up not wanting to give up at all - and also hate you for interfering!
Smokers in category no.4 can be even further divided:
a.) Those that don’t know where to start / are scared that it will be too difficult
b.) Those that have tried various methods including Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) including patches, gums, inhalers, lozenges etc. and have all but given up hope as they’ve failed)
c.) Those that are open to try different methods but who believe that ‘will power’ is the most important factor and have seen every scheme out there and are unwilling to spend a little cash on something new and different
d.) Those that expect to quit in a matter of hours, with a magic pill / patch / potion / solution – those in this category may fit into one of the three above too!
So personally, I think that the best way to help and encourage smokers to quit is to educate them as to the reality about smoking. Namely that:
1. Smoking is NOT as addictive as you have been LED to believe
2. Smoking is in NO WAY WHATSOVER relaxing, uplifting, calming, nerve controlling etc.
3. Smoking is more in the mind that you believe – we are creatures of habit and a lot of relapses and problems are caused by habits and mental cues once you have stopped
4. Smokers rely on cigarettes for things like, companionship, confidence boost, appetite suppressant, to cure boredom, to enjoy yourselves and cigarettes are a HUGE part of your everyday lives – so quitting with a patch, a gum an inhaler or by using a few short breathing techniques is not going to get you anywhere near stopping smoking and then Stay Stopped.
And whey you quit, you absolutely MUST find new ways / sources / things to get the things you got from smoking like pleasure, alone time, confidence boost, stress relief etc.
Check out the rest of my site for more free resources! And I hope this has given you a little insight into my job!
So I explained to him that this would be no easy task! As there are millions of smokers out there, some who want to quit, and some who don't. And even the ones who want to quit either aren't determined enough, want an easy fix or just struggle aimlessly even with help!
So encouraging someone else to quit smoking can be a good idea, but a difficult task! Have a look below and see what kind of smoker you are and have a think about what kind of smokers you know.
You as a smoker will fall into one of these categories:
1. Those who don’t want to quit
2. Those that are being pressured into quitting by family / friends /doctors etc.
3. Those who know that they will at some stage, but haven’t made much of an effort so far
4. Those that want to quit
I hate to put it this way but the smokers in no. 1 are (at least for the meantime) for lack of a better way to put it – a lost cause!
It’s a hard and unfortunate to say this, but I’ve openly discussed my techniques and facts with smokers. The ones that agree or at least understand the concepts/ ideas I use are the ones that are in Nos. 3 & 4.
The other smokers simply do not accept my, or anyone’s for that matter, ideas about smoking and quitting, and they will argue through their teeth – that we are wrong! I understand their reasoning too, because I’m a hypnotherapist and I understand that once someone’s mind is made up – nothing will change it, even if it’s facts logic and truth!
I’m just saying this to you because some people don’t want to be helped!
It's difficult to encourage those that don’t want to quit, to quit! We already know that the various diseases brought on by smoking don’t have ANY effect on you, ven when you want to quit. So we can’t threaten someone who doesn't want to quit with illness, financial cost of smoking, family seeing them get ill and even death.
They are convinced that they ‘enjoy’ smoking, that it ‘relaxes’ them and that ‘their granddad smoked till he was 84, and nothing ever happened to him!’. Do you know any smokers like this? I know and meet plenty!
The smokers in category in no. 2 can probably be helped, but it’s dangerous. As i've already described in my other posts and articles, it can be pretty easy to annoy them by taking the wrong approach and they can end up not wanting to give up at all - and also hate you for interfering!
Smokers in category no.4 can be even further divided:
a.) Those that don’t know where to start / are scared that it will be too difficult
b.) Those that have tried various methods including Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) including patches, gums, inhalers, lozenges etc. and have all but given up hope as they’ve failed)
c.) Those that are open to try different methods but who believe that ‘will power’ is the most important factor and have seen every scheme out there and are unwilling to spend a little cash on something new and different
d.) Those that expect to quit in a matter of hours, with a magic pill / patch / potion / solution – those in this category may fit into one of the three above too!
So personally, I think that the best way to help and encourage smokers to quit is to educate them as to the reality about smoking. Namely that:
1. Smoking is NOT as addictive as you have been LED to believe
2. Smoking is in NO WAY WHATSOVER relaxing, uplifting, calming, nerve controlling etc.
3. Smoking is more in the mind that you believe – we are creatures of habit and a lot of relapses and problems are caused by habits and mental cues once you have stopped
4. Smokers rely on cigarettes for things like, companionship, confidence boost, appetite suppressant, to cure boredom, to enjoy yourselves and cigarettes are a HUGE part of your everyday lives – so quitting with a patch, a gum an inhaler or by using a few short breathing techniques is not going to get you anywhere near stopping smoking and then Stay Stopped.
And whey you quit, you absolutely MUST find new ways / sources / things to get the things you got from smoking like pleasure, alone time, confidence boost, stress relief etc.
And this is what I do when I help people and it is all down in my ebook – I show smokers that to successfully stop smoking you must go through Two Stages:
Stopping Smoking and Staying Stopped – both take hours to do and understand!
The first stage is all about why you smoke – learing some truths about nicotine, cigarettes, beliefs and helping you to realise that you have been kidded and it’s is a mind trick. And the second stage is about ensuring that NOTHING makes you smoke again. So that means minimizing and preventing withdrawal symptoms, cravings, pangs, anxiety and irritability, weight gain, dealing with stress and also very importantly – ensuring they adopt the correct Mental Approach.
Basically you shouldn’t look at stopping smoking as if you are ‘quitting’ or ‘giving up’ because subconsciously you'e telling yourself that this is a punishment! Instead you should look forward to the things you are going to gain!
Check out the rest of my site for more free resources! And I hope this has given you a little insight into my job!
posted by Daniel Fargher at
4:51 PM
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