Quit Smoking Hypnosis - Does It Work?

The fact of the matter is smoking will kill over 1 billion people in the 21^st century unless measures are enforced and implemented which lower the numbers that do smoke worldwide.  For the current smoker there are many options on the market to help one quit.  The problem lies in the fact that it can be quite difficult in ascertaining whether the products and or quit smoking services do ultimately help the individual to stop smoking.  Currently on the market there are a range of products and services and these include: stop smoking medication, nicotine patches or nicotine replacement therapy, hypnosis and hypnotherapy, and acupuncture – these are the major ones.  But which one’s work? In this referenced hubpage I will show that quit smoking hypnosis is the most successful means in enabling people and helping them to stop smoking.

Nicotine patches have been on the market for quite some time and many smokers will use these in attempt to kick the horrible habit.  From personal experience, I still wanted to smoke whilst I had them stuck to my arm and from speaking to many of my friends and colleagues who had also tried them, the story was the same.  We are told that nicotine is this all powerful highly addictive substance which is the foundation for our addictions, yet I still wanted to smoke when I had the nicotine patch on my arm.  When I tried the nicotine lozenges, the story was the same – I still wanted to smoke - clearly indicating that some part of my addiction was psychological and not just chemically induced.

Currently there are newer products on the market that are being prescribed by many medical professions to help people quit smoking.  Champax (or Champix) is one such drug.  The purpose of the drug is to block receptors that would formerly uptake the nicotine.  So in layman’s terms, the drug is designed to make the smoker feel like he or she has already smoked and hence, doesn’t ‘feel’ or ‘crave’ a need for a cigarette.  There has been some alarming stories recently being published in the press that link suicide and the consumption of this medication.  The drug has also been found to bring about very serious side effects and these have included: nausea, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, sleepiness, dizziness, irritation, seizures just to name a few.  But regardless, what is the success rate? Are people taking this drug and stopping smoking successfully? A recent clinical trial of Varenicline (champix/ax) found that from weeks 9 through to 12 of clinical treatment, 43.9% of the study participants had given up smoking and from weeks 9 to 52 of the trial, 23% had remained smoke free.  So in effect, after a year taking the medication you have just under a 25% chance of remaining smoke free.  Can we do better?

Hypnosis and hypnotherapy have long been associated with helping people quit smoking.  Nearly everyone knows someone who has reportedly quit smoking with hypnosis.  However is there evidence for such claims, can hypnosis and hypnotherapy actually help the individual quit smoking?  The results overall are quite mixed from research trials but looking at a recent study, there seems to be growing evidence that hypnosis can help the individual quit smoking.

A recent study by Elkins and Rajab from a TexasUniversity found that after three sessions of quit smoking hypnosis, 81 participants were successful in quitting smoking immediately after treatment. At a 12 month follow up, 48% had remained smoke free. From this study alone there seems to be quite enough evidence to suggest that hypnosis can be successful in helping those quit the habit.  Combined with the fact that hypnosis and hypnotherapy reportedly do not have any major side effects, measured up against anti smoking medication, hypnosis to quit smoking it seems should be the first step in helping people quit the habit.  Further research clearly needs to be done to ascertain whether this trial holds true but there is seemingly enough evidence to suggest that quit smoking hypnosis and hypnotherapy are excellent means to help the individual stop smoking.  If you’re in a situation where you might consider using hypnotherapy to stop smoking, why not find a local hypnotherapist to help you stop smoking for good?

Reference List

"Consumers, docs warned of side-effects seen for stop smoking drug Champix." Canadian Press, The (n.d.): Newspaper Source Plus, EBSCOhost (accessed August 9, 2010).

Jorenby, Douglas E. 2006. "Efficacy of Varenicline, an α4β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Partial Agonist, vs Placebo or Sustained-Release Bupropion for Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Trial." JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association 296, no. 1: 56-63. E-Journals, EBSCOhost (accessed August 9, 2010).

2004. "Clinical Hypnosis For Smoking Cessation: Preliminary Results of a Three-Session Intervention." International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 52, no. 1: 73-81. E-Journals, EBSCOhost (accessed August 9, 2010).