Hypnosis to Quit Smoking Works Better Than Pharmaceuticals

Hypnosis to quit smoking has a much better track record than pharmaceuticals. Hypnosis works to eliminate the smoking habit at its source, the subconscious mind. Pharmaceuticals work only with one of three components of quitting smoking, nicotine dependence.

Quitting smoking causes three types withdrawal symptoms arising from nicotine dependence, dependence upon other tobacco additives and big time behavior modification. Commonly used pharmaceuticals treat only nicotine withdrawal, the most transient of withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine stimulates dopamine production in the brain resulting in sensations of pleasure. The pleasure is quite brief, however. As soon as the effects wear off, there is an urge to smoke again. It is commonly accepted that nicotine is the big obstacle to quitting smoking. Actually, nicotine withdrawal peaks, on average, in three days and is typically not severe. Nevertheless, pharmaceutical remedies are directed toward nicotine dependence.

Pharmaceutical therapies for nicotine dependence include two methods. The oldest method is the nicotine patch. The patch takes the edge off nicotine withdrawal by gradually lowering levels of intake. Nicotine gum, introduced later, works the same way. Using these products, however, tends to extend the dependence on nicotine as they are typically used beyond the duration of actual nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine gum, particularly, has a tendency to further dependence.

Another pharmaceutical approach is blocking nicotine receptors in the brain that trigger dopamine production. Chantix, the popularly prescribed new drug, works by this mechanism. Chantix is troublesome in that it carries some undesirable side effects such as nausea, or suicidal impulses in vulnerable people.

Another component of smoking withdrawal is other tobacco additives. Manufacturers of cigarettes add up to 600 non-tobacco ingredients. Though each of these ingredients is approved for use in foods, burning them in tobacco transforms them to as many as 4,000 new chemical products. Some of these additives and their derivatives may have addictive properties not related to nicotine dependence. They may also work by different mechanisms that are unaffected by pharmaceuticals designed to reduce nicotine dependence.

One way a habitual smoker may remove the component of additives to smoking dependence is to switch to one of the brands without additives, such as American Spirit or Nat Shermans. In addition, switching to cigarettes without additives may improve results with pharmaceuticals used to treat nicotine dependence.

The last component of smoking withdrawal is adjusting to not smoking. As smoking is well integrated with many of a person's daily activities, giving up cigarettes means developing new behaviors for doing a lot of things. All of this conscious adjustment can cause irritability, anxiety, and feelings of frustration. It is interesting to note that these are the very same symptoms that occur with nicotine withdrawal. A person who quits may misinterpret his discomfort with adjusting to nonsmoking behavior as nicotine withdrawal. Thus, nicotine withdrawal may be getting more credit than it deserves when it comes to quitting smoking.

Hypnosis to quit smoking has an excellent track record when it comes to helping people stop smoking. Habits, such as smoking, are controlled by the subconscious mind. Hypnosis works directly with the subconscious mind to change habits. Although many cognitive approaches to quit smoking work, hypnosis works faster. It is the easy way to quit smoking.