Jay,
DH & I went to a hypnotist almost four years ago, and stopped smoking on the spot. We had both smoked over 30 years, two packs a day, menthol cigarettes. I threw my cigarettes away on the way to the hypnotist, and have never touched another one. DH has had a couple of back slides, once when his dad was dying, but he doesn't smoke anymore, either. Quitting with hypnotherapy was the easiest thing I've ever done, and was totally pain free.

If your brother in law lives here in OK, I can email you my hypnotist's name and website. He now lives in OKC. I have no affiliation with the man other than he gave me the opportunity to stop smoking PAIN FREE, and I'll always love him for that! He does individual sessions, and records your session on a CD. You are supposed to listen to your CD every day for 21 days to "fix" the quitting habit. He also gives you an "On the Go" CD to listen to in the car, which is basically affirmations to repeat out loud.

I had tried to stop smoking many times in the past, and always failed. I truly don't think I could have stopped smoking by myself without the hypnotherapy. The cost was minimal. It seems like we paid $180 for both of us to go, which was a reduced family rate since we went together, but had individual sessions. He guarantees the hypnosis will work for you, and offers half your money back if he can't help you stop smoking. The relaxation techniques and breathing exercises he teaches you would probably help your brother in law with his pain and stress management. I highly recommend hypnotherapy as a painless way to stop smoking.

Thanks, Wolflover. Is there a way to email you via the forum (on another one I belong to, we can). If not, I'll give you a addr for me. Don't know if BIL would use this or not, but it's certainly worth passing along to him. Yes, we're in OK, maybe 4 hrs (give/take) from OKC....depends on who's driving :-) Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks, again. JO

JO,
Click on "My Page". There will be a link on that page that says "Send Me an Email". GW will sent me an email from you through that link. I tried to send you an email through your page, but you don't have that option enabled.

Your brother in law would not have to believe that hypnotherapy works for it to help him. I have Attention Deficit Disorder, so it's harder to hypnotize me than most people. I really didn't think I was ever hypnotized, but I obviously was, in order to have stopped smoking "cold turkey" after 32 years of being a smoker. I never went into a "trance" or anything, like you see on comedy shows. I was fully aware of my surroundings throughout the entire session. My husband stayed in the room with me. Hypnosis is nothing but a form of deep relaxation. Some people are against it though, because they don't understand how it works.

BTW, you might want to Google hypnotists in your area, since you are so far from OKC. I would google the largest city close to you, and you will probably find many good hypnotists in your area. Sometimes it might take more than one session to break the habit, so you'd want to be close in case your BIL needed a second session. Fortunately, DH and I only needed one session, each. Good luck to your BIL. What I loved most about hypnotherapy was because there was no pain involved. :) I am not into that excruciating pain you have when you try to kick the nicotine habit!!

I was hypnotized too and never smoked again (it has been over 9 years now), but I still had a very rough time of it. I ended up depressed for awhile and on anti-depressants.

Now I am having severe thyroid problems and the cravings have returned. There are herbal cigarettes (no tobacco or nicotine, although they do have some tar) that I am thinking of trying to get me through the slump. I have heard they do not taste good, but maybe the "act" of smoking might help?? I haven't found a store that sells them, but they can be bought on ebay and other internet sites. I will not give in to the old nicotine addiction by buying a regular pack of cigarettes.

trying again! lost my first reply :-/
I think I have the email fixed now; my apologies....I somehow overlooked it, I guess, when I registered. Thanks to both of you for your help. It's greatly appreciated! BIL goes to OKC to the VA so the drive may not bother him. I'd personally prefer a referral rather than a google or phone book search, but I'll pass on both ideas to him. Thanks, again, to both of you!!

Nicorette gum did it for me....replaced the drug so I could taper off gradually and I replaced the "mouth habit" with hard candy, cookies, nuts etc.
Yep...I gained 20 pounds....but I haven't smoked in 9 years and have no desire to.
Linda C

Alexb - I wouldn't use the nicorette inhaler as it does contain nicotine, but it is a good idea for those wanting to quit. I did get some of the herbal cigarettes, they are strong, not something I would want to smoke on an everyday basis.

Hypothyroid people have a slowdown of metabolism and other body functions, nicotine increases metabolism. I felt good when I smoked, it was only after I quit that I started having the hypothyroid symptoms - the smoking was masking them. A google search for smoking and the thyroid will bring up a lot of hits. I do also crave salt (especially Cheetos, which I hated just a year ago) and know there is something else going on with me, waiting on some blood tests now. Maybe an aldosterone problem?

I managed to quit 11 years ago with willpower alone. It is difficult and unless you really want to do it for yourself, no amount of nagging from your doc, spouse, kids etc... is going to do any good. Indeed, patronising pressure from others can actually make you less determined to quit.

One valuable tip I can give is this. When you do decide to come off the ciggies, don't tell anyone else. The last thing I needed when I came off them was people asking every five minutes 'how are you getting on not smoking?'. By the time they notice you aren't smoking any more, hopefully you'll be over the worst.

Wow, thank you bonebloodyidle!! I thougt for a long time I was the only person who just wanted privacy to do what I needed to do. I started to try one more time today. I didn't tell my DH, I didn't tell my MIL, I just quietly picked up and washed all the ashtrays and put them away, and smoked down my last pack yesterday. Then got up today with no smokes. I'm drinking a lot of water, chewing a couple pieces of gum and eating a few mints. So far so good. I agree that the pressure, nagging just pushes me in the opposite direction. And of course the wonderful "you have just got to do something about this" or sliding the "we" in there in place of 'you". Come on, you are talking to me and telling me I "have" to do something not you do something. Sorry for the tangent, I'm a little tense but not as bad as it's been before. I know intentions are good, but this time I just hope the privacy last till I'm over the worst of it. Sometimes the best support is no support and being there as a just in case.

I used the patches for three weeks. They really took away the cravings. It was hard for a while tho, the old habits about when you light up take a while to go away. I have had a few (and I mean only a few) puffs off BF's cigs, but basically I quit 3 1/2 years ago.

You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A friend of mine used one of those electronic cigarettes and she was able to stop. Took her just a week and now she doesn't even use the e-cigs anymore. She's been clean since December, and she told me she doesn't get tempted even when people around her smoke. You might want to try that.

Unfortunately, the most important element in quitting smoking is the desire of the smoker to quit. If that's not there, hardly anything will work. I tried the gum, patches, hypnosis. You name it I tried it. I finally got to the point that I wanted to quit badly enough that I quit cold turkey. Some people (almost everyone) finds a substitute to help them thru. My crutch was toothpicks. I spent at least 4 months chewing on toothpicks and apologising to strangers for having a toothpick in my mouth all the time. The desire for nicotine goes away pretty quickly. It's the habit of taking out the pack, shaking out the cigarette, getting the match or lighter, lighting the cigarette. Those are the things that are difficult to quit. It's the busy work with your hands that you miss the most. I spent at least a year, maybe more, reaching for that cigarette after giving up the toothpicks. Other people suck on hard candies, but the idea is the same. I believe that tobacco is more addictive than crack cocaine. (I, of course, have never tried it, but I quarantee nothing can be as bad as cigarettes.) I quit for the last time in February 1993 and it was well worth it. For the first year I did not put myself in positions where I would want a cigarette. No happy hour with the office gang. No coffee in the morning. Limited contact with friends and family who smoked unless they agreed not to smoke around me. Harsh? Not when you realize that this is your life your talking about. If they love you they will respect your wishes. After about a year, I could begin to add these things back into my life without feeling tempted. It IS worth it.