Let’s face it, everyone on earth knows that smoking is bad for your health. Many smokers really want to quit.  The main aim here is to introduce hypnotherapy as a serious option to help smokers quit this life-threatening addiction.

Bone-Numbing Facts and Figures.  According to The World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco smoking is a major problem on a global scale. Smoking tobacco kills about 6 million people yearly.

Moreover, around 600,000 deaths per year are caused as a result of second-hand smoke (passive smoking). On a global scale, over a billion people smoke. Thus, one person dies every 6 seconds from a tobacco-related disease.

Due to many years of research, the link between smoking and cancer is now undeniable.

Further, tobacco use is directly linked with the following:

• Heart disease
• Cardiovascular Disease: including stroke and peripheral artery disease.
• Lung Cancer
• Diabetes
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). These include conditions such as emphysema as well as chronic bronchitis

Further, in the United Kingdom alone; smoking is responsible for more than 1 in 4 deaths by cancer. In addition, smoking is an overall factor in nearly a fifth of all cancer cases.

Lastly, in the United States it is estimated that more than 16 million Americans have a disease that is directly related to smoking.

Not surprisingly, smoking has been identified as a major risk factor in several different types of cancer, such as:

• Lung
• Larynx
• Esophagus
• Mouth
• Throat
• Kidney
• Bladder
• Stomach
• Cervix
• Pancreas

Again, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 70% of lung cancer is attributable to smoking alone.

Quitting Nicotine: How tough it is?  Despite the fact that many smokers wish to quit, nicotine, a highly addictive substance found in cigarettes, makes stopping smoking tough.

Interestingly, recent research shown that there is a marked decrease in the level of monoamine oxidase levels in smokers. Monoamine oxidase is an enzyme responsible for the breakdown of dopamine.

Thus, as part of the addiction cycle, this results in higher levels of dopamine; which reinforce the desire for cigarettes.

This process is due to an ingredient other than nicotine found in cigarettes.  Nicotine itself increases levels of dopamine, affecting brain pathways that control pleasure and reward.

In many longterm cigarettes smokers, changes to the brain pathways contribute to the addiction, as well as to the compulsion to smoke despite rational knowledge of the serious adverse health effects.

The Cost of Smoking.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the total cost to the United States of smoking is more than 300 billion dollars a year. A 176 billion of this is directly for medical care.

With these statistics, it stands to reason that all avenues of exploration to help smokers quit must be explored.

Hypnotherapy for Stopping Smoking.  In a meta-analysis of 59 studies on hypnotherapy and stopping smoking Green concluded that although,

Hypnosis cannot; as yet be regarded; as a well-established treatment for smoking cessation.
Nevertheless, it seems justified to classify hypnosis as a “possibly efficacious”
treatment for smoking cessation

In a study by Elkins 30 smokers were given 3 hypnotherapy treatments to help them stop smoking.  At the end of the treatment, 81% reported that they had stopped smoking and 48% were still not smoking a year later.

Another study by Carmody concluded that hypnosis when combined with Nicotine replacement products compares favorably with standard behavioural counselling.

Clinical studies into Hypnotherapy and Stopping Smoking. Early studies suggest that hypnosis, when combined with other treatments, could be beneficial in the area of stopping smoking. As in other cases, not enough reliable, clinical studies have been carried out into the area of hypnosis and the possible benefits.

It would be interesting to see how hypnosis fares both as a stand alone treatment and in combination with other more established methods.

The lack of clinical research is surprising especially when one considers the cost, both personally and to health services.

Sadly, at the present time hypnosis is not an approved therapy by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Due to the complex issues involved in the habit of cigarette smoking, early studies indicate that a combination of techniques may be the best solution. After all, different people respond to different stimuli.

If you wish to cease smoking, I encourage you to seek out the availability of hypnosis in your area.