To quit, cigarette smokers have to handle two different aspects of smoking – the physical addiction and the social habits associated with cigarettes.

In my studies I’ve learned three techniques that are quite different and each work well for some people.

Cold Turkey: This is where you just stop. When you go Cold Turkey you basically just work through both the addiction and the social habit part of smoking at the same time. It can be hard work and take dedication and support.

Most people who really successfully quit smoking and stay off cigarettes for the rest of their lives do it through Cold Turkey quitting. Some of them have a plot and work with a Quit Coach of some sort to consider how they are going to quit, and what support systems they will place into place to make quitting simpler. So, Cold Turkey is the most “successful” method of quitting – and many people don’t succeed at this method the first time. Sometimes it’s the first Cold Turkey, and other times there may be a relapse, and it will be the next Cold Turkey. Every time though your resolve gets stronger, and you get closer to becoming a non-smoker!

Drugs: Drug therapy helps with the addictive part of cigarettes allowing the smoker separate the addiction and the social habits and work to develop new social habits first. Once those are in place, then they can wean themselves of the drugs. Two drugs that have been used to help stop smoking are Nicotine Replacement therapy (NRT) which can help with the physical cravings for nicotine, and withdrawal symptoms, and anti-depressants, which can have a positive effect on the whole system.

Once the smoker has developed new social patterns and feel stable in them, then they can wean themselves off of the nicotine more easily.

Hypnosis: There have been many claims and studies about the value of hypnosis in smoking cessation. Hypnosis can be a powerful addition to other therapies as it works on the sub-conscious or unconscious mind. Most cigarette cessation techniques focus on the conscious mind, or willpower. Research shows that willpower is just not our strongest trait as humans. When we combine the power of the conscious mind with the unconscious mind we can verifiable results (double-blind studies and all) that hypnosis can be up to 100% more effective than other treatment methods – especially when combined with support and/or drug therapy.

Many of us who have struggled with these issues wish that there were one simple pill that would make it so that we could wake up the next day and never smoke again. So far, no go. On the other hand, many people have had tremendous success with hypnosis, especially audios used over time (21 days in a row is ideal), and combined with other methods.

This article was written by Lutetia Smythe who helps people achieve their dreams and live a life free of tobacco using new forms and techniques with hypnosis. Check out her new site at Stop Smoking Hypnosis [http://www.thenewhypnosis.com/stop-smoking-hypnosis/quit-smoking-with-hypnosis/].