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The Day The Smoking StoppedTHE ROTRONICLE/May-June 1987Well, the day the smoking was supposed to have stopped never came, but people got ready anyway. The pressure was there. And a suprising number of people stopped independently of regulations telling them to do so. On Tuesday, May 5, at 5 o'clock, two days before the anticipated state prohibition of smoking in the workplace, 52 Rotroners attended a special group hypnosis session in the EA/EB conference room. By all reports the session was extremely popular. Nearly every participant experienced the deep relaxation that hypnosis induces, a cooling out so satisfying it prompted some to say there should be a fifteen minute relaxation class at the end of every work day. Organized by Safety Manager John Hoester man, the program was conducted by area hypnotherapist Frayda Kafka CHT, who has a practice in Kingston. At this writing, six weeks later, 14 people who attended the one group session are still not smoking. Many others were off for a day or a week or longer. For smokers especially who had never before lived a full day as an adult without a cigarette, the experience was an eye-opener. If they didn't quit for good this time, they know now they can.
The Rotronicle interviewed Ms. Kafka for follow-up tips to pass on to the people who have stopped and also for the people who almost did. Here's what she says: "The experience of quitting cigarettes is different for every body. For some it's a habit; they stop and forget it and go about their business. For them, it's simple. Others climb the walls for a few days - or weeks or months. And then there are people who have not smoked for years who still think of themselves as smokers. "At six weeks, some of the people who stopped are going to be smoking again. They can now think about quitting again. They aren't failures and should not think that they are. They can take what they learned and from a more experienced place begin again. Some people quit smoking forever by just doing it again and again and again. And that's okay. No judgment. "For those who are smoking again, the thing to do now is set another specific quit date. They can help themselves by telling everyone they know they're going to stop. They'll want to lighten up their diet and start exercising more. And take stock of individual smoking habits. If they smoke more on the weekend, they might ' consider stopping on a workday." Or vice versa. Stop when it's easiest. Don't beat yourself up. Some people learn by trial and error. "Even if you are one of the people physiologically addicted to smoking, know that you will get over it eventually. For a while, simply not smoking has to be your top priority. The withdrawal symptoms may last for weeks or even months, but they will not go on forever. Self-hypnosis com bined with breathing techniques can accellerate the healing process. Hypnosis is a tool. It helps. It is not magic. And self-hypnosis is a skill that can be learned and practiced by anyone. Combined with a firm decision to stop, it smooths the road for the addicted smoker."
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