You continue to smoke because the nicotine you have been inhaling over a time period has changed your brain chemistry to create powerful urges or triggers, to smoke.

The urges arise because every puff on a cigarette sends a rapid nicotine " hit " to that part of the brain that makes you do things, creating an association between the drug ( nicotine ) and the action.

This has, in effect, rewired your brain.

These urges are triggered because nicotine has trained the part of the brain that gets you to do things, to light up a cigarette whenever you find yourself in a situation where you would normally smoke; socialising, drinking alcohol, with your coffee, driving, after a meal.

This answer the conundrum - why do smokers who don't smoke every day often find it hard to stop ?

Because they encounter the situations in which they would normally smoke.

The nicotine in the cigarette has forged that link, so that they get an unaccountable urge to smoke.

When you try to stop gradually each remaining cigarette becomes more rewarding and thus makes a stronger link ( reinforces the association ) with the situation in which you smoke.

Breathing is a very powerful tool in stopping smoking.

Research in the US looked at a part of the brain called the Insula- and found a possible link to cigarette craving.

An aspect of the Insula function is cue recognition / association - hence craving.

They found that people who had suffered a stroke that had damaged the Insula

tended to crave cigarettes less.

The Insula is important in controlling breathing - it has been proven that people who did simple breathing exercises craved a cigarette less.

Present Thoughtfieldhypnosis feedback shows that over 80% of clients stop

smoking with one hypnosis session.

A session to stop smoking is adapted specifically for each client.

To explain we must look at the way nicotine works.

People think it must be psychological because it doesn't fit their model of how drugs should work, but it is not - it's simply because of the way nicotine acts on the brain.

It's not about keeping the levels topped up in your body ( to avoid cravings ) so much as as the link that's formed between smoking and the situations in which you find yourself smoking.

You don't have to enjoy smoking to find it difficult to give up - smoking may do absolutely nothing for you - over 50% of smokers say they don't get any enjoyment from smoking.

The potential for success when stopping bears no relation to how much you enjoy it.

Nicotine affects the part of the brain that you may not have any conscious mind awareness of.

Your brain knows that you are in a situation in which you normally smoke, so you instinctively light up a cigarette, or look for one to light up.

Using the conscious part of your brain to counter this is difficult, because as a smoker your Subconscious Mind holds a " Program " that reinforces smoking, encourages it and accepts it.

Rule 8 of the Rules of the Mind holds true here.

Your Subconscious Mind does not not judge this " Program " - it has been given this ' Program " over time and the " Program " has become entrenched.

Your Conscious Mind runs this " Program ".

With Hypnosis we change this " Program " and empower the client to reinforce the changes and thus stop smoking.

After 8 hours nicotine levels are halved and after 48 hours there is no nicotine left in the body

For every day you continue smoking after your mid thirties, you will lose an average of 6 hours of life.

Smokers are effectively living an 18 hour day until they stop.

The moment you stop smoking you start to recover life expectancy at a rate of 6 hours a day.

This means it's urgent but never too late.

No matter your age, you will always benefit from stopping today, rather than tomorrow or the day after.