There’s a reason so many people want to quit smoking, not only is it one of the leading causes of preventable illness and death, but it has a huge impact on not just your physical health but your mental health too.
The cravings come with their own set woes, the longer it takes for your next hit, the more stressed you become, the feeling of need starts to eat away at you, causing you to become distracted, overwhelmed and generally feeling awful and nobody wants to feel like that.
With that said, it’s also very easy to become addicted to smoking and most people, if not all, use it as a crutch, a coping mechanism to deal with the stresses life throws at them. It could be anything from work, financial stress, emotional stress.
It doesn’t matter how you started, whether the intention was to deal with something emotionally, or whether it was a bit of fun that became a dangerous habit. There is a reason you can’t quit. In this blog, we’ll be discussing why we get so addicted to smoking, why we attach it to the emotional stressors in our lives and how exactly Hypnotherapy can help you kick the habit.
Why do we get so addicted to Smoking
Addiction to smoking all comes down to one thing, Nicotine. Nicotine is a chemical found in Tobacco that can trigger neurotransmitters in your brain that help regulate both your mood and your behaviour by releasing Dopamine.
Dopamine is the chemical that controls pleasure, and motivation. It promotes the good feelings we all want, so it’s no surprise that when it starts to fade, it leaves you wanting more, that’s when the addiction begins. Your body begins to crave nicotine, while you crave the dopamine hit. It’s the reason it’s so hard to quit.
Why do we attach smoking to stress
It’s not just the Dopamine that can cause you to crave a quick cigarette. Many psychological factors can trigger cravings for Nicotine. Let’s take a look at how your routine can impact your addiction, let’s imagine you’re at work, you take a coffee break, and light up a cigarette. Your brain pays attention to that, and from then on, you now associate the smell of coffee with nicotine, triggering the need every time you drink coffee.
The same can happen with social events. You’re out with friends, maybe you’re at the pub, you go out for a smoke and you begin chatting while smoking, the more you drink the more you smoke. Suddenly your brain now associates drinking with smoking.
These are only two examples, there are so many things that can easily trigger Nicotine cravings and that rush of Dopamine. I bet even just reading this is making you crave a cigarette. You can imagine how easy it is for the human brain to attach smoking to emotional stressors. Stress is a leading factor for addiction, when you’re stressed, you want to feel good, when you feel good, you perform better, so you destress and get that Dopamine hit the best way you know how, by smoking, but the problem is, that feeling doesn’t last for very long, and you’re back to feeling stressed, if not more stressed because that’s what addiction does.
The good news is, despite how easy it is to get addicted to Nicotine, there is a way out. Let’s dive into how Hypnotherapy can help you quit for good.
How Hypnotherapy can help you quit
Giving up smoking can be one of the best things you can do both for your physical health and mental health. So how can Hypnotherapy help you quit and how is it different from replacement therapies?
Hypnosis is centred around getting to the root of the issues at hand. It works by breaking the negative cycles and behaviours that trigger your addictions, giving you suggestions to change your perspective around smoking, and allowing you the space to choose not just a healthier coping mechanism but healthier habits.
We’ll dive deep into your psyche to target the motivations behind smoking, these could be anything from boredom, stress, emotional lack, or past events that have harmed your emotional well-being and regulation. We’ll also get to the root of the unconscious triggers such as your routine, and the things you relate to smoking, ie. coffee and social events as mentioned above.
Once we’ve reached the root causes behind why you smoke and the triggers that lead to cravings, we’ll offer suggestions to change your thoughts around smoking and healthier coping mechanisms. We’ll also make suggestions surrounding your health and the impact smoking can have, which can be anything from how it makes you smell, to the damage it’s doing to your body.
Each suggestion and elimination of underlying causes for your addiction will allow you to entirely change your perception of smoking, depending on your receptivity, you will be able to walk away from your appointment smoke-free at last.
Several studies have shown over the last 10 years, Hypnotherapy has been able to successfully help people quit smoking. No wonder it’s growing at the speed it is. If you would like support quitting smoking for good, get in touch with us here and book your session.
