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Not Smoking At Home Or Work

Changing Daily Routines and Behaviors Can Aid In Quitting Smoking

By Randy Gilchrist, Psy.D
These days smokers are always hearing or reading "No." Whether it's in the workplace, a favorite restaurant, or the smoker's own house, "Not in here!" is getting more and more frequent.

But even though these smokers know that smoking indoors is hazardous to their health and others', many of America's estimated 4.5 million adult smokers can't help feeling like a bad child who's always being punished. Maybe you're one of them.

But wait! Aren't you at least thinking about quitting? Then maybe it's time to re-program this "deprivation" into an opportunity.

This is not some New-Age mumbo-jumbo suggestion. On the contrary, it's derived from a scientific study just published in the American Journal of Public Health. The researchers found that workers whose employers enforced a non-smoking policy at work doubled their likelihood of successfully quitting.

And on a more personal level, those smokers who decided not to smoke in their homes were almost 10 times as likely to be successful quitters as smokers in homes where smoking was permitted.

So, choosing not to smoke in your own home not only decreases the amount you smoke and the hazardous effects on others around you, it will help you quit!

That's what we mean about changing your thinking. If you think of not smoking at home as an opportunity, you've changed two major aspects in progress toward becoming a non-smoker: you've changed your behavior and you've changed your thinking.

Changing your thinking from the negative to the positive feels a whole lot better too. Instead of focusing on "I can't smoke here," and all the similar "I can't"s, you'll be thinking "I am choosing to make my home smoke-free."

So, clean those ashtrays and put them away. Your non-smoking guests, your family, your pets, and your own body will celebrate your achievement!

* Chung-won Lee and Jennifer Kahende, "Factors Associated with Successful Smoking Cessation in the United States, 2000," American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 97, No. 8, August 2007.
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Randy Gilchrist, Psy.D., is on the cutting edge of the use of clinical hypnosis and other therapeutic methods to help people successfully manage stress and anxiety and rid themselves of harmful addictions. Dr. Gilchrist is a licensed psychotherapist with advanced training in clinical hypnosis from world-renowned expert Michael Yapko, Ph.D., and possesses the special ability to connect and facilitate change with even the most challenging clients.

EDUCATION
* B.A., Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
* M.S., Marriage and Family Therapy, Utah State University, Logan, UT
* Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego, CA

CLINICAL HYPNOSIS TRAINING
* Clinical Hypnotherapy - Michael Yapko - Director of the Milton H. Erickson Institute San Diego, CA