Alexia Grant
Accounts Mgr/Student
Austin, TX
I've been a smoker for 18 yrs and I haven't had a cigarette for about two months now. I've tried to quit smoking with cold turkey and it didn't work for me. I was able to quit during my pregnancy, but I started smoking pretty much immediately after my son was born. I never tried the patch or gum because for me it was more about the habit. I could go without the nicotine, but when I made the decision that I wanted a cigarette there was no stopping me. I felt out of control and it was very uncomfortable. I wanted control of my own life and I didn't feel like I had that.
You hear people say all the time that they just put down the cigarettes, but that wasn't me. In the past, I would be pulling my hair out and white-knuckling and pretty much driving everyone around me to distraction. I've actually had people thrust cigarettes at me before and make me start smoking again because my behavior was so bad.
I heard about A New Day Hypnosis when my girlfriend found it on the internet. We researched group hypnosis classes and that didn't look good, so we just kept investigating. I saw Laura's interview on austinist.com and read more about her. I liked the fact that she got very good ratings from everybody who'd worked with her.
I had a little bit of concern about using hypnosis because not everyone is trustworthy, so I started out feeling a little bit suspicious. Everyone walks into situations like this with a little bit of skepticism, but it was nice to find that Laura was trustworthy and professional.
I quit after the first session. I noticed that I had fewer cravings and a better attitude. I feel more in control now and more confident because I've accomplished something for myself. Hypnosis has definitely cut down on the cravings and urges. The most important benefit for me has been getting the nudge that I needed to quit. I would recommend a New Day Hypnosis because it's helped me and that's kind of a big deal based on my experiences trying to quit in the past. I'm confident that I'm not going to pick this up again because I've gone this long and I feel really good about it.