SMOKING
Maybe you don’t even remember the original reason you began to smoke. Maybe you just found yourself smoking one day without any apparent reason.
But maybe you do have a reason for smoking. Maybe you smoke to be nice to yourself. You wake up in the morning and your work day looms before you with no reward in sight. You light up and get a quick lift….a little more prepared to greet the day.
Or maybe you’re home alone a lot and feel cut off from the outside world. Cigarettes can serve as a friend and lessen those feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Maybe you smoke to relieve stress. The pressure at work builds all day and there doesn’t seem to be a way to let off steam, so you have a cigarette. If nothing else, reaching for a cigarette lets you look forward to a few moments of pleasure.
Maybe you find cigarettes a comfortable prop in social situations. Something to do with your hands as you attempt conversation. Cigarettes can be a bonding experience, too….pulling you into a group as you offer or accept a cigarette. Or maybe you’d miss being part of the group that huddles outside the building during break time… laughing, griping, gossiping and supporting one another.
Maybe you believe that smoking makes you feel more sophisticated, confident or outgoing. Or maybe you believe that smoking controls your weight.
Think about all the possible reasons you have for smoking. Notice that each of them has a positive purpose. It isn’t wrong to nurture yourself, to decrease your stress, to feel comfortable in social situations or to control your weight. What you are accomplishing with cigarettes has value. It’s just that the habit you created to meet a need is one that ultimately destroys, rather than supports.
There is nothing that can be said about the ill effects of smoking that you have not already heard many, many times. And maybe the idea that you could meet those same needs with a new behavior or habit seems outright impossible. But it isn’t!
Perhaps you’ve tried to give up this habit before, only to go back to it. There’s a reason that happened. It’s because you were talking to the rational part of your mind…where your will power is located. Your conscious mind. But habits, including smoking, are not established by the logical, intellectual part of your mind. Rather, the reasons that keep a habit going are located in the subconscious part of your mind.
You’ve been arguing with a part of your mind that already agrees with you! If you are willing to rely on another part of your mind….a very powerful part…..your subconscious can provide you with specific, constructive alternatives to smoking that will be both satisfying and truly beneficial.
Your subconscious mind that urges you to smoke knows nothing about lung cancer, premature aging or the cost of cigarettes. That stuff is filed over in your conscious mind. Your subconscious mind is merely trying to take care of you because somewhere it was programmed to use cigarettes to meet those needs. It’s your computer! You can change the programming.
Why choose hypnosis to stop smoking?
Because multiple-session hypnotherapy has been shown to be BY FAR the most
effective quitting strategy!
However, if you are still uncertain and would like more information, articles or
testimonials from successful ex-smokers please check out this link:http://www.iwanttoquitsmoking.com
Before you schedule your appointments you need to be sure that you want to stop smoking for your own reasons. If you are not really sure of this, wait awhile and try some of the ideas listed below to begin breaking your smoking triggers. This may provide you with some insight into how you really feel about ending your smoking habit:
· Hold your cigarette in the opposite hand.
· Smoke in totally different locations. For example, if you always smoke out on the deck, smoke outside the front door instead.
· Change brands. Not pleasant? That’s exactly what we’re striving for!
Ready? Here’s How…
At Mind & Body Care you will find a warm, friendly atmosphere where your concerns will be treated with respect.
1. So now that you’ve decided you’re ready, check your calendar and determine when you can come in for 3 visits.
2. Call and make 3 appointments. The first two sessions should be a day or two apart. The third visit can be about a week later. Office: 847-534-7991 or Cell: 847-309-6731
3.
The total cost for all three visits, to become a non smoker for the rest of your
life, is $225 to be paid at the end of your first session. If
something comes up and you cannot make one of your appointments, it is fine to
reschedule.
-The cost for using hypnosis to stop smoking is tax deductible -information about this is provided below.
4. In order to insure that you feel supported, calm and confident about the future, you will be given a voucher for a free booster session if for some reason you should experience a cigarette craving during the next 6 months.
I.R.S. Tax Credit for Hypnosis?
You May be Eligible to Get Reimbursement for your Weight Loss and/or Smoking
Cessation Hypnotherapy Programs with an I.R.S. Tax Credit, or at the very least,
claim your Stop Smoking program as a medical deduction!
Tax laws passed for 2003 onwards mean you could possibly get a tax credit that
reimburses you for money paid for smoking programs. If you do not qualify for
the credit, you can claim Stop Smoking programs as a
medical deduction.
You can also claim weight loss programs as a medical deduction if you were
advised by a physician to lose weight.
Tax credits are credits on your taxes! Medical deductions are medical expenses
claimed that exceed 7.5% of your gross annual income. Give the receipt to your
tax preparer, and they will file for you.
The information below is presented as a courtesy from Academy of NLP & Hypnosis
and is quoted from pages 12 and 15 of IRS Publication 502 year 2003.
Stop-Smoking Programs
You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay for a program to stop
smoking. However, you cannot include in medical expenses amounts you pay for
drugs that do not require a prescription, such as nicotine gum or patches that
are designed to help stop smoking.
Weight-Loss Programs
You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay to lose weight if it is a
treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity,
hypertension, diabetes or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for
membership in a weight reduction group and attendance at periodic meetings. You
cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa as medical
expenses, but you can include separate fees charged there for weight loss
activities.
How to Report
You can take this credit only if (a) you were an eligible trade adjustment
assistance (TAA) recipient, alternative TAA recipient, or Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension recipient in 2004, (b) you cannot be claimed
as a dependent on someone else’s 2004 tax return, and (c) you met all of the
other conditions listed on line 1. If you cannot be claimed as a dependent on
someone else’s 2004 tax return, complete Form 8885, Part I, to see if you are
eligible to take this credit.
To claim the credit, complete Form 8885, Health Coverage Tax Credit, and attach
it to your Form 1040 or Form 1040NR. Report the credit on Form 1040, line 67, or
Form 1040NR, line 62, and check box c. You cannot claim the credit on Form 1040A
or Form 1040EZ.
You must attach invoices and proof of payment for any amounts you include on
line 2 of Form 8885 for which you did not receive an advance payment. If you
file your return electronically, attach the invoices and proof of payment to
your Form 8453. Proof of payment may include a pay stub if insurance is through
a spouse's employment, a bank check, or bank statement for premiums that are
automatically deducted from your account.
If you claim this credit, you cannot take the same expenses that you use to
figure your health coverage tax credit into account in determining your:
Medical and dental expenses on Schedule A (Form 1040)
Self-employed health insurance deduction, or
Archer Medical Savings Account (MSA) distributions.
If you choose to claim it as a medical expense instead, your tax preparer will
help you with that also.
Do or Do Not; There is no Try
If you aren't familiar with the Star Wars movie series (http://www.starwars.com), the mythical story paints a clear picture of the battle of good versus evil, and touches people on many levels. Perhaps that explains at least part of the movie's popularity: Star Wars reflects the emotion and the fear and the excitement and the good and the evil inside each of us.
The Star Wars movies follow the Jedi Knights who possess amazing powers provided by "The Force". Ben Kenobi, one of the Jedi, tells Luke Skywalker what The Force is: "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." Ben goes on to tell Luke, "You must learn the ways of The Force..."
The wisdom of the Jedi and The Force found in the first three Star Wars movies can help you quit smoking if you'll apply that wisdom. You must learn the ways of The Force to quit smoking.
Ben taught Luke about The Force in the first movie, Star Wars. He tells Luke, "A Jedi can feel The Force flowing through him." Luke asks, "You mean it controls your actions?" Ben explains, "Partially. But it also obeys your commands."
The Force will obey your commands to "quit smoking." You are not destined to smoke for the rest of your life. You DO have control over your own destiny and the actions that you take. Use The Force now to take charge of whether or not you smoke or quit.
In the second movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke travels to a remote planet to receive training from Yoda, a Jedi master. During the course of Luke's training, Yoda provides many nuggets of wisdom that can help you become a non-smoking Jedi.
"A Jedi must have the deepest commitment. The most serious mind," Yoda tells Luke. The same holds true for you if you want to quit smoking. You must commit yourself fully to the task of quitting. You can't quit halfway. If you plan to quit, you must quit completely. Get serious about your commitment to quit.
Later, Yoda tells Luke "A Jedi's strength flows from The Force, but beware of the dark side." The dark side of The Force is the evil side of The Force. In many ways you might think of the dark side as your smoking addiction, or the cigarettes you smoke, or even the cigarette companies.
Luke asks Yoda, "Is the dark side stronger?"
"No," Yoda responds. "No. Quicker, easier, more seductive." Wow! Doesn't that just about sum up smoking? It's much easier to continue smoking rather than to quit, so seductive is the habit. No one said becoming a smoke-free Jedi would be easy!
Luke then asks Yoda, "But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" Yoda answers, "You will know when you are calm, at peace, passive."
A great way to begin beating your smoking habit it to practice relaxation techniques. If you find yourself giving in to your cravings when you are stressed, you are turning to the dark side! Relax! Breathe deeply. Clear your mind and sit quietly. Learn to control your stress with your mind, not with cigarettes.
One day, after Luke learns to move and float rocks using The Force, his X-Wing fighter spaceship sinks into the swamp near Yoda's home. Luke exclaims, "We'll never get it out now."
Disappointed, Yoda says to Luke, "So certain are you. Always with you what cannot be done."
Luke replies, "Master, moving stones around is one thing. But this is totally different."
Somewhat disgusted by now, Yoda shouts "No! No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."
Half-heartedly, Luke says "Alright, I'll give it a try."
"No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try," Yoda tells Luke.
How many times have you said I'll TRY to quit smoking, knowing full well that you don't really believe you can quit and don't really plan to quit? You must understand that quitting is not a game. Quitting is real life. If you are going to quit--QUIT! Don't just try. QUIT! If you stumble and start smoking again after quitting then quit again until you quit forever. Quit, or quit not. There is no try.
After Luke "tries" and fails to levitate his X-Wing out of the swamp, he tells Yoda "I can't. It's too big."
Yoda then gives Luke another lesson. "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? [Yoda is barely two feet tall]. And well you should not. For my ally is The Force, and a powerful ally it is."
The Force is a metaphor for God or religion or faith. Countless smokers have told how their faith in God has helped them to quit smoking. By placing your faith in a higher power, you allow the infinite power of the universe (whatever you consider that to be-- not trying to advocate any particular religion here) to help you quit smoking. You remove the total burden from yourself. You'll gain strength from asking God to help you quit. You can move mountains with the help of your faith and prayer.
Luke didn't have the faith he needed to get his X-Wing out of the swamp. "You want the impossible," he tells Yoda.
Moments later, Yoda effortlessly raises the X-Wing out of the swamp and over to the side. In disbelief, Luke says, "I don't believe it!"
"That is why you fail," Yoda tells him.
Belief is absolutely critical to your success. Studies show that believing that you have the ability to quit is one of the most important indicators of future success. If you believe you have the ability to quit and believe that you will quit, you are much more likely to quit than someone who has no faith in themselves. Believe, and be free of cigarettes!
Later in the movie, Luke sees a vision of his friends, in which their lives are in danger. Luke feels that he needs to cut short his training and go to their aid. Yoda and Ben both encourage Luke to stay and continue with the training, fearing he will be at risk unless he completes his training.
Luke tries to assure them that he is ready. "I feel The Force," he tells them.
"But you cannot control it. This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted by the dark side of The Force," Ben warns.
Similarly, when you are in the process of quitting, you must constantly guard against the dark side of temptation. Don't get sucked in by the notion that you can have "just one" cigarette. Remember, as Yoda says, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." As time goes by, you will learn how to deal with your cravings and how to handle stress, without smoking. But it takes time. If you smoke just one cigarette, expecting to be able to control your urges, you're in for a real surprise. Just one puff can put you back at a pack-a-day habit in no time.
Luke finally leaves Ben and Yoda and goes to help his friends. He ends up fighting Darth Vader, a Jedi Knight who has turned to the dark side of The Force. Vader's plan is to turn Luke to the dark side and utilize his powers to further his own evil plans. "Join me and together we can rule the galaxy," Vader tempts Luke.
Cigarettes tempt you with inflated claims of looking cool, feeling relaxed and fulfilled. Unfortunately, cigarettes have an ominous dark side. Do you need it spelled out? You know cigarettes cause numerous health problems, cost a lot, and make you smell bad. Make sure you evaluate the temptation for what it really is: the desire for self-destruction.
If only our lives were as simple as buying a movie ticket! Good things in life take effort and work. Apply the lessons here to your own quit smoking program and you'll find you can make some of your own special effects!
May The Force be with you!
"Star Wars" and other information are copyright and trademarks owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. or their respective owner.** Article © Copyright Fred Kelley of QuitSmoking.com.