Most every smoker wants to quit at some point in time. Although the anti-smoking campaign isn't quite up to par, most smokers know that cigarette and pipe smoking leads to disease. In fact, 90% of all lung cancers are caused by smoking. So with such overwhelming scientific medical evidence available, why do they continue to smoke? The simple answer is nicotine. The more complex answer is behavioral conditioning, otherwise, known as "the habit". Both are very powerful contributors to the continuation of smoking in our society. Add to this the cultural aspect associated with smoking and you have a very powerful formula for addiction.
However, there are several scientifically studied stop smoking aids available for smokers to use. There's nicotine replacement therapy which hopes to supplant the nicotine found in the tobacco. But it has only a slightly better success rate than quitting cold turkey. Then there's Chantix and Zyban, both considered non-nicotine pills. These use different pathways to achieve smoking cessation, but many are afraid to use them because of their potential side-effects on a person's behavior.
So, there are options available for people that do have proven levels of success. But what about the alternative forms of therapy available for smokers? We read a lot about liquids and shots that have some mysterious mix of chemicals and herbs. Those aren't really studied scientifically, so we won't comment on them here.
Hypnosis though, is an interesting art to look at. I recently spoke to a hypnotist in Dallas and asked her if she had any clinical studies that looked at the effectiveness of hypnosis as a tool for smoking cessation. She told me there were no scientific journals for hypnotism and she herself had not been able to find any published articles on the subject. She did tell me though, that she had a pretty high rate of smoking cessation at her practice. She claimed the results of her hypnosis to quit smoking was above 50%. Now I don't know if those clients remained smoke-free for say, at least 6 months or not, and she didn't offer any more information than that.
However, I do know that most in the scientific community feel the success rate for hypnosis is right around that of quitting cold turkey - or somewhere between 3 - 8%. In fact, a recent article was published out of New Zealand, reviewing 11 studies which compared hypnotherapy with 18 different control cessation methods. The researchers concluded that hypnotherapy had no greater effect on 6-month quit rates than other stop smoking methods or no method (cold turkey). Finally, they state that randomized controlled studies did not support the claims of uncontrolled studies which claim hypnotherapy as a superior stop smoking method.
What does this mean? Well, it means that hypnotherapy might or might not have a chance to help a smoker quit. Many people are desperate to quit and will try anything. Maybe, just maybe hypnosis is the key to unlocking their ability to quit. However, I wouldn't expect it to be effective for everyone. As I've said all along, it is important to match your stop smoking aid with your addiction, personality and behavioral tendencies. If you are one of those holistic people, then maybe hypnosis is right up your alley.
However, there are several scientifically studied stop smoking aids available for smokers to use. There's nicotine replacement therapy which hopes to supplant the nicotine found in the tobacco. But it has only a slightly better success rate than quitting cold turkey. Then there's Chantix and Zyban, both considered non-nicotine pills. These use different pathways to achieve smoking cessation, but many are afraid to use them because of their potential side-effects on a person's behavior.
So, there are options available for people that do have proven levels of success. But what about the alternative forms of therapy available for smokers? We read a lot about liquids and shots that have some mysterious mix of chemicals and herbs. Those aren't really studied scientifically, so we won't comment on them here.
Hypnosis though, is an interesting art to look at. I recently spoke to a hypnotist in Dallas and asked her if she had any clinical studies that looked at the effectiveness of hypnosis as a tool for smoking cessation. She told me there were no scientific journals for hypnotism and she herself had not been able to find any published articles on the subject. She did tell me though, that she had a pretty high rate of smoking cessation at her practice. She claimed the results of her hypnosis to quit smoking was above 50%. Now I don't know if those clients remained smoke-free for say, at least 6 months or not, and she didn't offer any more information than that.
However, I do know that most in the scientific community feel the success rate for hypnosis is right around that of quitting cold turkey - or somewhere between 3 - 8%. In fact, a recent article was published out of New Zealand, reviewing 11 studies which compared hypnotherapy with 18 different control cessation methods. The researchers concluded that hypnotherapy had no greater effect on 6-month quit rates than other stop smoking methods or no method (cold turkey). Finally, they state that randomized controlled studies did not support the claims of uncontrolled studies which claim hypnotherapy as a superior stop smoking method.
What does this mean? Well, it means that hypnotherapy might or might not have a chance to help a smoker quit. Many people are desperate to quit and will try anything. Maybe, just maybe hypnosis is the key to unlocking their ability to quit. However, I wouldn't expect it to be effective for everyone. As I've said all along, it is important to match your stop smoking aid with your addiction, personality and behavioral tendencies. If you are one of those holistic people, then maybe hypnosis is right up your alley.
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