Craig Foster
Marketing Manager
Austin, TX
I've been a smoker for 23 years and I was smoking almost a pack a day when I decided to quit. I've now been tobacco free for two months. Smoking had such a negative connotation to me in the way that I looked at myself because I told myself how bad it was for me and I still couldn't manage to quit permanently. I've tried the nicotine patch, but then I would just smoke while I was on the patch. I quit cold turkey a couple of times. Unfortunately, after my last attempt to quit, I was a groomsman in a wedding and thought that one cigarette wouldn't do anything; the next thing I know I was smoking a whole pack.
I felt like the nicotine controlled me and dictated my life. If I went to a business meeting, I had to be sure to wash my hands and bring my breath mints to avoid the social stigma in the professional world. Smoking gave me this pervading sense of gloom and I always felt like I was weak and kind of a loser. I was chained to cigarettes. Before I left the house I had to have my cigarettes with me and sneak outside because I didn't want my kids to see me. I had my secret smoking life and my nonsmoking life to other people.
When it comes to something as difficult as stopping smoking, I knew that I needed all the help I could get so I did a google search for hypnosis in Austin and found A New Day Hypnosis. I'd read enough to understand that the myths surrounding hypnosis weren't true, so I didn't have any hesitation about it.
I quit smoking after the first session. Every day gave me a little more confidence and now I feel entirely separated from the addiction. I rarely feel any kind of cravings anymore and I feel really good about that. The hypnosis has helped me to relax and remind myself of what I'm trying to do and keep focused on my goal. Subconsciously, hypnosis reinforced the good habits and now that I don't have to hide my habit, I feel so relieved.
Hypnosis has helped to lessen my urges and cravings for the cigarette. It was the impetus to get me over the hump. I have a better sense of well being and I feel a lot more in control. One of my personal goals has been to run more consistently, so now so I'm training for a 10 K. I'm breathing better and it's been great because I have a lot more energy. I can take a deep breath and walk up a flight of stairs without becoming winded.
I would definitely recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop smoking. I believe in the power of communicating internally with your subconscious to reinforce positive habits. When you make yourself more aware and these behaviors become a part of you it's one more tool that you have to fight the addiction.
I like the way that I feel about myself and I don't want to be the person that I was again. I can't imagine myself ever going back to smoking and I'm going to keep on top of it. I know that I don't want to smoke again and I feel more confident about my ability now than I've ever felt before. I've been to bars and I've gone through all the situations that would have caused me to relapse and I haven't done it, so that reinforces the fact that I know that I can do it.