Smoke Free Christmas!

Monika Drozd, Hypnotherapy in London December 20, 2012

The Christmas rush is already here. Millions of Britons are out on the streets searching for those special gifts. We rush, we spend, we stress, and… we smoke! Smoking statistics produced by ASH in 2012 estimated that there are still about 10 million adults who smoke cigarettes in Great Britain. Every year over 100,000 smokers in the UK die from smoking related causes.

Lack of time and empty pockets will put stress on even the calmest person and if you are a smoker you will have equipped yourself with plenty of cigarettes! Smokers often report that cigarettes help relieve feelings of stress. Unfortunately, this is very far from true.

We try to prepare and plan for every minute of the coming festive time. However, our busy city lifestyle sometimes makes it impossible to stick to the schedule.

We try to watch our spending but this is also impossible. National Statistics showed that in December 2011 an estimated £42.1 billion was spent in the retail sector. Even more shocking is the fact that last year we spent £594 million on unwanted Christmas gifts - at least 1 in 10 of the gifts we received was not really what we wanted.

Professor Andy Parrott from the University of East London suggests that nicotine dependency exacerbates stress (Parrot, 1999). Stress levels are higher in smokers than in non-smokers. Also, adolescents who start to smoke increase their level of stress as they increase their level of smoking. Finally, smoking cessation leads to a significant reduction in stress.

The choice is simple. Quit now, and have more fun and less stress this Christmas and walk into a new 2013 completely smoke free. There are many different ways to assist you in this process, for example, Hypnotherapy, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), self-help books, NHS schemes or even just willpower.

Advanced senior Hypnotherapist Monika Drozd at Smoke Free Lady, (Harley Street Clinic) says: “Hypnotherapy helped me to quit, but, whichever way you choose to stop is good, so long as it works for you.”

Monika also adds: “If you quit now your stress levels will decrease and your energy levels will increase, just in time for the Christmas celebrations.”

Everybody will agree that Christmas is about spending time with family and friends. Quitting would be the very best present for you, and those who love you, this Christmas.

Sources:

Parrot, A.C. (1999) Does Cigarette smoking cause stress. American Psychologist, 54 (10), 817-820.

ASH (2012) Facts at a glance. Smoking Statistics. [Accessed online on 12 December 2012 via http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_93.pdf]"