[thechat] new topic - hypnosis

[David McCreath]

Bob Davis wrote:

> Ok, since I'm beginning to feel a little sorry for bringing up the Silk 
> thread (hey, I just like the way it tastes, think it's better for me 
> than not drinking it) 


Troublemaker. (Oh, and in reference to an earlier question in that 
thread, there are a few soy products producers in Central Texas. Whole 
Foods Market carries a lot of locally produced stuff down there.)

> Over the course of 17 years, I developed a number of habits around 
> smoking that are hard to break. 


The habits and context were always harder for me than the drug addiction 
itself. I smoked for seven years before finally quitting the first time 
when I was 26. My impetus was a child in my life. I never smoked around 
him and only when I was away from home, so I sort of tapered off. Then I 
got sick for a week and didn't smoke that whole time. After I got better 
I decided to see how long I could go without a cigarette. It turned into 
three years, surprisingly enough.

What finally to got me was when I started playing live in a band again. 
I played with some friends kind of informally during those three years 
of being a non-smoking smoker (that's how I thought of myself -- one day 
at a time and all that), and then we decided we should play a show. It 
was great fun, and everything went really well, but as soon as I was off 
stage, I grabbed a beer and a cigarette by reflex. I thought about my 
record of three years and decided, "Oh, okay. One. It's a big night." 
That one turned into another 3 years of on and off. (The child and his 
mother were a much smaller part of my life by that point, so that 
particular reason to not smoke was vastly diminished. I still never 
smoked around him.)

I finally stopped again when I moved to Alaska from Texas. My wife flew 
ahead and my dad and I drove the Alcan with all our stuff in a trailer. 
Again, I just decided to see how long I could go, and it's been another 
3 years. Fortunately, I don't hang out with *anyone* up here who smokes. 
(And I'm not playing in a band.)


For me the committment was always the biggest hurdle, and for some 
reason the "I'm not smoking today" thing has always worked. Of course 
some days were hard, and it gets easier as it goes, but by making the 
one day committment to not smoking, I think I felt less pressure than 
saying "I'M NEVER EVER EVER SMOKING AGAIN!"

The other thing that helps, although it's ancilary, is thinking about 
the bastards that get my money when I buy a pack. I think about the 
people who run RJR/Nabisco, etc. and say to myself: "Screw you. I'm not 
going to pay you to make me sick." (That rationale doesn't keep me from 
buying Oreos, however. :) )

> Have any of you tried hypnosis for anything?


Nope.
Good luck, Bob. "Not Smoking. It's a Good Thing. (TM)"


David