How long will you choose to carry on smoking?
I can sympathise with smokers for many reasons, I really can I used to smoke after all. Further more I quit many, many times. I became a professional at quitting the evil habit, but I was even better at starting again!
I fully appreciate how smoking is addictive. Although my belief is that nicotine isn’t addictive, yes not addictive. The fact is, if smoking was addictive you couldn’t sleep for 7 hrs straight without a cigarette, but you can. You can travel to one airport to another for over 12 hrs and cope (real addictions would cause tremors, panic, chills, nausea, muscle cramps, insomnia, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and shaking). Also smoking is a consistent behaviour and real addictions tend to spiral for more of the substance. i.e. Heroin addicts need more and more heroin and want it more often. Smokers stay at a consistent 20 a day.
But here’s the addiction, the associations we have to smoking.
The associations and triggers tend to be the hardest part when quitting smoking. It was for me.
When stressed, we smoke. When socialising, we smoke. When we are bored, anxious and down we smoke.
Our body makes these neuro-associations to smoking, so that when we go through stress (or other situations) our body tells us ‘We NEED a cigarette”. It does this because our body is trying to help us- for example to deal with stress, fill up time when bored, or maybe to calm us when we’re anxious.
Although nicotine patches are great, as well as other helpful aids, we must also re-learn the associations and replace the behaviour of smoking with something more beneficial.
First of all:
We must change the way you think
about smoking. As you think of smoking you will have a picture, perhaps a
feeling, even a sound. Now imagine something you really repulse. Once again you
will have a picture, a feeling and a sound. Now blend the pictures together,
combining the cigarette with the repulsive feelings and sights. For example,
think of smoking a cigarette with plug-hole hair wrapped around it (And its not
your hair!). It certainly changes the way you feel about smoking doesn’t it?
This begins to make new associations from pleasure to repulsion. After a few
times of this with strong repulsive feelings, you may never touch a cigarette
again! Try it!
Then we must break the habit; start doing your daily routines differently.
Instead of going downstairs for a cup of coffee and a cigarette in the morning,
jump straight into the shower instead. We are creatures of habit, now become a
creature of freedom. Begin to break all your other smoking routines, as this
will lead you to new unconscious habits as a non-smoker, without the need to
smoke. Warning: if you don’t create the habits you want you maybe become one of
those smokers who pile on the weight, as your body will need a replacement- and
it might choose it for you.
Once you’ve broken your routine, you
can then replace the behaviour, so make a list of all the alternative behaviours
you wish to replace it with and start taking action on them.
Some examples are:
Starting a new health regime
Chewing gum
Taking up a new
hobby
Drinking more water.
When you get an urge/craving, just sit in the
feeling till it disappears
This alone can help you kick the habit- let alone all the other helpful aids available. Also I have my Stop Smoking CD which will come up with new unconscious empowering beliefs, feelings and replacement behaviours to make things that much easier.
Enjoy a smoke-free life and enjoy each moment!
Your friend
Joseph
My NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) and Hypnosis CDs can work with the following issues:
Develop Self Confidence, Overcome Anorexia, Overcome Anxiety, Overcome Depression, Overcome, Self Consciousness, Overcome Shyness, Stop Blushing, Stop Bulimia, Stop Insomnia, Stop Procrastination, Stop Stammering, Fears, Phobias and Addictions, Overcome Agoraphobia, Overcome Arachnophobia, Overcome Claustrophobia, Overcome Emetophobia, Overcome OCD, Overcome Public Speaking, Overcome Sugar Addiction, Overcome your Alcohol Addiction, Overcome your Drug Addiction, Overcome Your Fear Of Heights, Overcome your Flying Fear, Overcome your Gambling Addiction, Overcome your Shopping Addiction, Overcome your Social Phobia, Stop Binge Drinking, Stop Paranoia, Stop Smoking Now, Physical Well Being, Achieve Weight Loss, Manage Chronic Pain, Overcome Chronic Fatigue, Reduce High Blood Pressure, Relationships, Gain Dating Confidence, Get Over Your Ex Partner, Overcome Jealousy, Overcome Wedding Day Nerves, Stop Male Impotence, Stop Premature Ejaculation, Sports Performance, Acquire Gym Motivation, Improve your Darts Performance, Improve your Football Performance, Career & Learning, Achieve Speed Reading, Enhance Learning and Revision, Overcome Exam Stress
NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) and Hypnotherapy CDs and MP3 Downloads by Joseph Clough, international NLP Trainer, Hypnotist, Hypnotherapist and Coach who runs accredited NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) Training Courses based in Cambridge, NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) and Hypnotherapy in Cambridge Cambridgeshire England.
www.josephclough.com NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) and Hypnosis CD’s, MP3 Downloads and my free e-book with NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) and Hypnosis tracks Being Your Potential – download it now.
www.josephcloughtrainings.co.uk - Affordable Accredited NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) Training, Reclaim Your Destiny NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) Taster Weekend, NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming) and Hypnosis, Coaching and Time Line Therapy Trainings ™
Yet another knife crime – lets get a clear
picture.
Everyday we seem to be hearing more and more news on knife crimes
on youths with deaths on the rise.
It really saddens me, as I am sure it does
you.
First of all for the victim and their loss of
life
Secondly, for their families who loose a child to violence and how
they have to try and cope without their child, brother, sister or
grandchild.
And thirdly, for the youths responsible for the horrible
crime.
Many people would just want to through away the key to those
responsible. And I feel if caught with a knife or weapon there should be
punished rather than the petty warnings some may receive. However we must also
address the cause.
Why do they do it?
There are always reasons and those reasons are
varied.
From feeling isolated from the community and joining gangs for
‘family’ and ‘belonging’ to not being able to see a way out or they feel it’s
the only thing they do.
Although it may be hard to imagine, imagine looking through their
eyes and see, hear and feel the world they live in.
-
Maybe you see you have no way or options to progress in live.
-
Maybe you don’t feel cared, appreciated or loved.
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No sense of belonging.
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Potentially having grown up in poverty and abuse.
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Maybe feeling targeted and condemned by society.
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If you had a few or all of those things how may you react in life?
By no means does it EVER condone those horrible actions and
crimes. However it does make us have a hard look at ourselves. What are WE doing
to change and cure the causes of the vicious crimes? Are we in a way turning a
blind eye and continuing to isolated and label them as no hopers and the disease
of society? Or are we going to take a stand and educate troubled
youths.
Give them options and progress, Give them an opportunity and if
they do well care appreciate and love them. Help resolve their hurts and
negative emotions and beliefs of caused by childhood trauma and neglect. Educate
them that there is more they can have out of life.
I think everyone is doing everything they can given the choices
and resources they have. Like someone who is depressed, phobic, anxious or
addicted; they feel that it’s out of their control – although the answers are
always hidden within them.
So you maybe thinking “What are YOU going to do
Joseph”
That’s something I have thought about a lot recently. And I am
searching and working on opportunities to create change. What ideas can you
think of?
One way is that I am targeting youth charities to come along on a
FREE one day seminar where I truly belief I can help them use all their energy
to create unlimited possibilities through educating them that there are things
they can do.
So if you are interested in coming along, if you’re apart of a
charity who wish to make a positive change email me at joseph@josephclough.com
I wasn’t a bad child, but I was labelled as not clever or good
enough. Many big money makers today who create change in the world were labelled
the same like Sir Richard Branson.
I managed to turn my life around at a young age and have big
dreams to fulfil and one is teaching others the secret of a fulfilling and
abundant life.
What would you do to help? And what stops you? Are only
limitations are those that we put on ourselves.
Your Friend
Joseph Clough
Coach, Therapist, Dreamer, NLP (Neuro Lingusitic Programming)er, Hypnotist, Trainer