Why is it that smokers cannot stop smoking?

Most people are aware of the answer to this question. The simple answer is that nicotine is addictive. It is not that smokers are not aware of the harmful effects of smoking. There have now been so many articles and pieces of research that indicate the dangers of smoking that there can be no mistake about the consequences. People know about the dangers of smoking but the warnings are not enough to enable them to stop. Many smokers say they would like to stop but find it very difficult to do so.

The surprise is that so many young people take up smoking knowing the dangers and the fact that it is addictive. The advertising by tobacco companies is highly successful in getting people to start. The way this happens is very subtle and it is helped by the nature of the product and the type of addiction it causes.

The first experience of smoking is not very enjoyable in that the taste is initially unpleasant. The new smoker assumes, because of this experience, that it will not be difficult to stop. The social pressures to smoke can also be great. The need to feel part of a social group is vital to young people. Smoking is seen by many young people as being an essential way of social interaction and a way to indicate that they are part of the group. It may very well be a plus point that adults tell children it is dangerous. Smoking a cigarette is an indication that a young person is anti-establishment . It is a way of rebelling. Compared with many other activities it is a very safe way of demonstrating that you are prepared to take risks. There are no immediate consequences to this risk-taking behaviour. It does not kill you straight away. The formula 1 motor racing is an ideal medium for advertising since it associates smoking products with risk taking.

The effects of nicotine are then essentially hidden.

For a long time the tobacco companies argued that tobacco was not addictive! They tried to define addiction in the way that it might be seen for other chemicals such as heroin or alcohol. If a person takes more of these addictive substances it is clear that they have taken more because their behaviour changes. There are clear signs of the intoxicating effects of the substances. Someone who is drunk or on heroin behaves in a very different way to someone who is not. The same cannot be said for tobacco or nicotine. If a person takes an additional cigarette there is no obvious change in behaviour. They don't appear to be intoxicated. It is interesting to note that the warnings on the cigarette packets do not include warnings of addiction.

The latest research

If you observe a smoker's behaviour very little seems to change as they smoke a cigarette but there are some very real changes taking place on the inside. Recent research has highlighted the way that nicotine works on the chemicals of the brain in two ways. Firstly it has been shown to increase the amount of dopamine in the brain. This is a chemical which affects the nervous system in a way that leads the individual to experience pleasure. The nicotine causes the dopamine in the brain to rise but the chemicals in a cigarette also work on an enzyme whose role is to break down dopamine. The enzyme is MAO B. Scans of smokers and non-smokers show that the levels of MAO B are much greater in the non-smokers than in smokers. The result is that the smoker feels that the cigarette makes them happier.

Recent research at Oxford University has hypothesised that there is a genetic link to nicotine addiction. Genetic make up would seem to determine how fast an individual metabolises dopamine. If you are someone who metabolises it quickly then you are likely to be more susceptible to the effects of smoking. The cigarette is likely to give you a quick feeling of well-being. If you are slow at metabolising the dopamine then the link with the cigarette will be less strong.

How difficult is it to give up smoking?

The above discussion notes some of the current research into nicotine addiction. It, however, largely ignores the psychological elements of the addiction. Most methods of stopping smoking have a low success rate. For example, use of nicotine patches will only help 20 % of the people who try this approach to stop smoking. This is not entirely surprising as it is the equivalent of feeding the habit by another method.

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy is a way in which the psychological and social addictions to smoking can be tackled. People who are smokers see themselves as being members of a particular social group. They are SMOKERS. They may see themselves as people who:

need cigarettes to keep them calm in stressful situations.

need cigarettes in order to communicate with others easily.

need cigarettes to help them get through. the day.

They convince themselves that cigarettes help them relax, concentrate, and give them confidence. They are also sure that they cannot give up because they are weak willed .....or they don't need to because they are only a casual smoker......... The more times they have tried to give up smoking the more they are convinced that it is difficult to stop.

SMOKERS don't know what other people do to control anxiety. They don't know any alternatives to turning to a cigarette as a prop. The fact is that non-smokers face all the same problems that smokers face and they have ways of dealing with situations which don't require them to have a cigarette.

Making the change

The NON-SMOKER status is the one which smokers want but they don't know what it is like or what it feels like and so they find it very difficult to get there and difficult to stay there if they make the first step.

Using hypnotherapy in a counselling format, the therapist can help the client to learn what it would feel like to be a NON-SMOKER. Using imagination they can be led to make the seismic change needed to develop this new way of being. Using hypnotherapy they can also be taught to deal with situations that trigger the need to smoke. They can rehearse what they will do if they feel the need to have a cigarette.

Relaxation

Another way in which they can be helped is that they can be given relaxation techniques supported by a cassette tape which will help them to keep calm and to relax when they are experiencing the relatively mild withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping smoking.

The first step is to decide to change and to be determined not to ever return to smoking. If the new non-smoker is aware of the benefits that being a non-smoker will bring they are helped in making this life change. These benefits can be spelt out during counselling sessions and made more real with the use of hypnosis. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool that can help people who want to make life changes. Giving up smoking is just one of these major life changes. Hypnotherapy can help with making this change.

Please contact Richard Croston directly on 01225 720103 . He works at the Bridge Street Centre of Complementary Medicine in Bradford on Avon.