Tobacco & Cigarette Smoking Addiction
Recently while waiting in a queue for a take-away I got chatting with a woman when she asked me what I did for a living. As usual when I mention to people that I'm a hypnotherapist and a stop smoking specialist, she beacaue quite intrigued. It then emerged that she smoker forty a day and had been doing so for about twenty years.
She asked me what my secrets were and I revealed a few things she didn't know. One of those secrets was about tobacco and cigarette smoking addiction and the relevance of the mind in a smoker's lifestlye.
I mentioned that smoking wasn't 100% nicotine addiction based, or anywhere near that close in fact. I was then surprised to see that she became a little defensive and said that she was addicted and just couldn't stop, she just couldn't do it!
I went on to explain about how over those twenty years she'd tied smoking to many activites and now it was more her mind that made her smoke than her addiction to cigarettes. But she was still having none of it! " just can't stop, I'm addicted and ...I'm addicted... that's why I smoke!
So I asked he a question: How many cigarettes did you say you smoke a day?.... forty?
She: Yes.
Me: And how many hours of the day are you awake?
She: About sixteen.
Me: So you're awake about sixteen hours a day and asleep for the rest - that's eight. And in those sixteen hours that you are awake you smoke forty cigarettes - thats about two and a bit every hour isn't it?
She: Yes that's right.
Me: Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night FOR a cigarette? Not woken and then had one, but woken especially to have a cigarette?
She: No not that I can remember
Me: So if you're so addicted to nicotine how is it that you smoke forty in sixteen hours when you're a wake but not a single one, in the twenty years that you've been smoking, during the night?
She: I don't know I'm addicted.
Me: Surely if nicotine was that addictive of a substance your body would MAKE you wake up to have a cigarette every half an hour, or you would have to chan smoke a pack every morning to get the nicotine fix you'd missed out on, wouldn't it?
Me: Why is that you don't smoke?
And without a moments hesitation her response was
She: Well, when I'm a sleep I don't think about smoking do I?
I let this sink in for a moment.
And then I said: What has thinking got to do with smoking and addiction?
The look on her face when it clicked was brilliant!
She realised that she only smoked because she thought she had to smoke - and that is the same situation every single smoker out there finds himself in - he thinks he has to smoke. But when he can't smoke - when he's asleep - he doesn't smoke!
Smoking isn't just about being addicted to nicotine, it's also a lot about what your mind believes. What it believes it will get if you smoke and what it believes it will lose out on if you stop.
Tobacco & cigarette smoking addiction are not as powerful as your mental addiction.
She asked me what my secrets were and I revealed a few things she didn't know. One of those secrets was about tobacco and cigarette smoking addiction and the relevance of the mind in a smoker's lifestlye.
I mentioned that smoking wasn't 100% nicotine addiction based, or anywhere near that close in fact. I was then surprised to see that she became a little defensive and said that she was addicted and just couldn't stop, she just couldn't do it!
I went on to explain about how over those twenty years she'd tied smoking to many activites and now it was more her mind that made her smoke than her addiction to cigarettes. But she was still having none of it! " just can't stop, I'm addicted and ...I'm addicted... that's why I smoke!
So I asked he a question: How many cigarettes did you say you smoke a day?.... forty?
She: Yes.
Me: And how many hours of the day are you awake?
She: About sixteen.
Me: So you're awake about sixteen hours a day and asleep for the rest - that's eight. And in those sixteen hours that you are awake you smoke forty cigarettes - thats about two and a bit every hour isn't it?
She: Yes that's right.
Me: Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night FOR a cigarette? Not woken and then had one, but woken especially to have a cigarette?
She: No not that I can remember
Me: So if you're so addicted to nicotine how is it that you smoke forty in sixteen hours when you're a wake but not a single one, in the twenty years that you've been smoking, during the night?
She: I don't know I'm addicted.
Me: Surely if nicotine was that addictive of a substance your body would MAKE you wake up to have a cigarette every half an hour, or you would have to chan smoke a pack every morning to get the nicotine fix you'd missed out on, wouldn't it?
Me: Why is that you don't smoke?
And without a moments hesitation her response was
She: Well, when I'm a sleep I don't think about smoking do I?
I let this sink in for a moment.
And then I said: What has thinking got to do with smoking and addiction?
The look on her face when it clicked was brilliant!
She realised that she only smoked because she thought she had to smoke - and that is the same situation every single smoker out there finds himself in - he thinks he has to smoke. But when he can't smoke - when he's asleep - he doesn't smoke!
Smoking isn't just about being addicted to nicotine, it's also a lot about what your mind believes. What it believes it will get if you smoke and what it believes it will lose out on if you stop.
Tobacco & cigarette smoking addiction are not as powerful as your mental addiction.
Labels: Smoking
posted by Daniel Fargher at
6:18 PM
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