In it to QUIT it A smoking addiction can easily take over your life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We speak with clinical hypnotherapy expert Andrew Major to get some tips for stubbing out this bad habit, for good Writing | Kathryn Wheeler
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ccording to the Office for National Statistics, 58.4% of people who smoke cigarettes say that they want to quit. And yet 7.2 million people in the UK are still smoking. So what’s the hold-up? When it comes to addiction, the answer is never straightforward. A plethora of reasons, from genetics to the environment we live in, can affect the ways that we respond to stimulants, meaning that the journey to giving up the habit can vary hugely from person to person. But, as Andrew Major – a clinical hypnotherapist – points out, making the decision to quit in the first place can be a big challenge in itself. “Many people believe that smoking helps them relax, relieves stress, and gives them time out away from daily work or family
pressures,” Andrew explains. “So, making the decision to stop smoking for good can seem like a daunting task, as it involves letting go of a crutch that smokers may believe helps them cope.” It’s true that smoking, on the surface, can feel like it’s benefiting our mental health – calming anxious minds and relaxing our bodies. Despite this, Andrew points to studies which suggest that smoking can actually lead to poor mental health in the long term, as the cigarettes temporarily increase the feel-good hormone dopamine, encouraging the brain to switch off its own dopamine production. “A lot of my clients say that they smoke to help them deal with stressful situations,” says Andrew. “But in fact, turning to chemical substitutes to relieve stress when you’re having a bad day actually increases the risks of depression and anxiety, because smoking >>>
February 2020 • happiful.com • 47
