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Attempting to give up smoking is not easy. Nicotine contained in cigarettes is a powerful and addictive drug making it very difficult for many people to kick the habit of smoking even though they are aware of the danger to their health. There is currently much evidence to suggest that nicotine is as addictive as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol. There is no safe limit to smoking, just one cigarette will reinforce the addiction.   Therapies than can help quit smoking Most smokers that have successfully quit the habit have been shown to try and give up smoking two or three times, or more, before they finally kick the habit. When conventional methods to quit smoking have been tried and failed, there is now a growth in popularity for smokers to look outside these mainstream approaches and turn to complementary or alternative therapies and medicine for a solution and help to stop smoking. Medication Therapy Many people stop smoking with the help of medicine. Quit smoking medicines aim to reduce any nicotine withdrawal symptoms, reduce the urge to smoke, and therefore they boost your chances of quitting. Research has shown that these quit smoking medicines can double or triple a person's chances of quitting. It is often recommended that the success of any of these medicines can be enhanced when used in conjunction with behavioural quit smoking methods, like group support and counselling or some of the complementary or alternative therapies available. These medicines can be presribed by your Doctor who can usually give you advice on any other medicines and methods would be useful to help you cease smoking. Nicotene Replacement Therapy (NRT) This is a type of treatment that uses special products giving small and steady doses of nicotine which help stop cravings and relieve symptoms that occur when a person is trying to quit smoking. These products include nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray, and nicotine lozenges. These do not require a Doctors prescription they are usually supplied by a Pharmacist Hypnotherapy to Stop Smoking The use of hypnotherapy has seen many people abandon smoking and manage to stay successful ex-smokers. Hypnotherapy has enjoyed a high success rate with smoking cessation and stopping smoking is said to be one of the most common reasons why people consult hypnotherapists Hypnosis is basically a state of relaxation affecting both your body and mind. In this state the subconscious and conscious parts of the mind start to work on the same concepts at the same time thus your mind becomes open to cleverly worded influences and suggestions. These will help you stay mentally calmer, more physically relaxed, reduce any stress you may feel as a result of not smoking and how to cope with the inevitable situation of being around other smokers Often these stop smoking sessions will include hypnotherapy techniques, including techniques teaching self-hypnosis, positive affirmations and suggestions. Often you will be given a stop smoking tape or CD to take away enabling you to continue to reinforce the suggestions when required. 'Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit.' - New Scientist v136 Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) Cognitive behaviour therapy is a psychotherapy technique that focuses on identifying negative thoughts and developing new ways of thinking about situations. The therapy has proved to be effective in helping many people stop smoking. It is usually considered to be a short term solution typically 4-8 sessions can be sufficient. When a person uses cognitive therapy to help quit smoking, the therapists focus will be on:- Increasing the patient’s confidence in their ability to stop smoking by exploring any lack of conviction about quitting and introducing ways of coping with stress and urges to smoke. The therapist will work with you to develop responses to these thoughts, and have you practice them until they become almost automatic. Acupuncture used as a therapy to stop smoking Acupuncture is successful with smoking cessation and has turned a growing number of cigarette smokers into permanent ex-smokers. However anyone eager to try Acupuncture Therapy as a means to quit smoking must realise that they must be serious about stopping they should be at the stage where they are ready to put down cigarettes for good. Acupuncture can help you quit, but it can’t make you quit. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese Therapy that involves inserting extremely thin needles into specific parts of the human body. The areas the needles are applied to will correspond to the meridians or pathways providing energy to the affected body area, in the case of smoking cessation, needles are inserted in the areas that will affect energy flow to the mouth, lungs and respiratory system as well as parts of the brain that generate cravings for tobacco smoke. Acupuncture makes no use of drugs or medicines but is sometimes used in conjunction wih herbal therapies and has been successful therapy in helping many people stop smoking Laser Therapy The use of Laser Therapy as an aid to stop smoking is a relative new treatment available to help people quit their smoking habit. Laser therapy is very similar to Acupuncture in concept but instead of using needles low level "cold lasers" are used to stimulate parts of the bodies surface mainly on the face, ears, hands and arms.It is a pain free and drug free solution usually requiring a relatively small number of sessions The application of the low level lasers stimulates endorphins by concentrating them on certain areas of the body. Smoking a cigarette has a similar affect of realeasing endorphines This release of endorphines (which is similar to the release experienced by smoking tobacco) will greatly diminish the physical dependency and addiction to nicotine, in addition it will alleviate the withdrawal symptons, cravings and stress which are normally experienced when quitting smoking. In general endorphine release also leaves you feeling much calmer and relaxed. Water Therapy There is a very simple and inexpensive way of helping anyone to quit smoking and has been used successfully by many people. Drinking water instead of smoking a cigarette will help get rid of the craving for nicotene which happens during the inital weeks. Increasing your water consumption is a well known method of flushing toxins from the body the same apples to eradicating nicotene from the body. Quite often doubling your intake of water can be a good method of removing nicotene and many other toxins if practiced regularly. Water therapy is often us in conjunction with other therapies and also reinforcing the will of people who have stopped smoking but occasionally feel the odd craving for just one more cigarette. back to top ^

A guide to Complementary Therapy Stop Smoking Specialists Hypno1 (Dr. Dylan Morgan) 249a Otley Road West Park Leeds LS16 5LQ Very experienced. Satisfaction guarantee. Much free information. Hypnotherapy, counselling, stop smoking, weight loss, stress, blushing, phobias, addictions, insomnia ,blushing, sport enhancement and more. Visit our websites use the link above Timica Therapy Centre. Gayle Joubert 3 Elm Close Twickenham Middlesex TW2 5JR TelNo: 0208 274 2806 Hypnotherapy, Psychotherapy, Energy Healing, EFT, NLP. OCD and Anxiety Disorders specialist. Specialising in self-esteem, confidence, phobias, panic attacks, depression, stress, relationship counselling, stop smoking, past life regression and hypnosis in childbirth. Tel: 01329 823112. Hampshire: Fareham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Gosport. Surrey: New Malden, Kingston, Wimbledon, Richmond, Twickenham, Surbiton. , back to top ^       To promote you business on this page please use our Application Form ( to change any details on an existing entry please use our Contact Us form to indicate the details to be changed) The charge for a listing on this page is a one-off fee of £20 payable via Paypal (you do not have to be a member of Paypal they now accept most major Dr. and Cr. cards) (After your form has been successfully submitted you will be directed to a page where you can make the relevant payment)   Sample Layout Business Name Address or Location Details (40 words max.)   back to top ^       Stop Smoking E-Books Scores of self-help books and booklets have been written on the subject and have proved to be very successful, we have included some that will help you in your quest to stop smoking.   You CAN STOP SMOKING Now! "Have You Tried Almost Everything On The Planet That You Ever Heard Of & You *Still* Just Can't Manage Quitting Smoking?" Then you finally arrived at the right place at the right time, because Q.S.S.P. is guaranteed to help you quit... ...and it doesn't matter if you are a 'die-hard' smoker or you just aren't sure that you can really Quit Smoking For Good... because now you CAN stop smoking permanently - and you can do it without gaining any of that unwanted extra weight that usually happens when we quit! Click Here!   back to top ^

Stop Smoking Tips and Benefits

Some helpful tips for anyone contemplating becoming or remaining a non-smoker

• Be aware of and think about the harmful effects of smoking.(Harmful effects of smoking)
  
• You must have the will and create the correct mindset to give up your smoking habit.
  
• Once you make the decision to stop smoking it is important you set a set yourself a specific date and a plan for quitting.
  
• Quit smoking one day at a time. It is important not to think too far ahead, do not worry about next year, next month, next week or even tomorrow. Try to concentrate wholly on today and avoid smoking from the time you wake up until you go to sleep.
  
• Consult your Doctor he/she can put you in touch with suitable agencies, support groups and can give advice on any type of therapy you may be considering.
  
• Seek out counsellers and self help support groups, as well as your doctor this information will be available from your local Hospital, Health Centres and Local Health Authority.
  
• Set up a support group of your own by telling friends, relatives and even co-workers of your decision to quit smoking, ask for their support, tell them how you would appreciate them not smoking around you, leaving cigarettes near you and try to remember not to offer you cigarettes.
  
• Try change your environment especially your home, get rid of any cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work.
  Ask people not to smoke in your home.
  
• Do not carry cigarettes on your person, many people find it useful to carry a reminder list of why they are giving up smoking, all the advantages that will ensue and a reminder of all the dangers and disadvantages that come from the smoking habit.
  
• Take the time, frequently, to remind yourself that you are positively helping yourself when you stop smoking, avoid any negative thoughts suggesting that you are drepriving yourself of pleasure by quitting smoking.
  
• Try to drink plenty of Water and Fruit Juice, these will help rid your body of toxins especially Nicotene, research shows that dryness from lack of drinking can increase cravings.
  
• Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, try to substitute them for sweet sugary thing that may bring about weight gain ( usually a strong excuse for many people not wanting to quit smoking )
  
• Try to take more exercise, this helps to take your mind off smoking and will reduce stress helping you relax replacing the need for cigarettes.
  
• Deep breathing exercises are often useful when you feel a craving for a cigarette.
  
• Keeping your mind busy by reading, puzzles, listening to music etc will stop you thinking about smoking.
  
• If you encounter a crisis, small or large (car problem, late train, family illness, traffic jam etc.) keep reminding yourself that smoking will not help solve any of these situations, it will just lead to a bigger problem...a possible relapse into nicotine addiction.
  

Be proud of not smoking and constantly remind yourself :-
I will lower my risk of cancer, heart attacks, shortness of breath, strokes, early death, cataracts, and skin wrinkling.
I will feel healthier and have more energy, whiter teeth, better taste perception and fresher breath.
I will no longer expose my family and others to the dangers of my second-hand smoke.
I will make myself, my family, and friends proud of me.
I will remove the worry for myself and my partner that I have a healthy baby
I will have more money to spend.
I won't have to worry: "When will I get to smoke next?"

Some of the Benefits you can expect when you Quit Smoking
•Better health and a longer life
•More freedom
•More money - Stop smoking today and it is estimated the average smoker can save over £150,000 over the next forty years!
•More energy and confidence
•No more worries about what you are doing to your body!
•Increased libido!
•Younger looking skin
•More in control of your life (more professional and social opportunities too!)
•You will smell better
•Your sense of taste will improve
•Your body will be clear of poisonous toxins like nicotine

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Harmful properties and effects of smoking

It is now recognised that tobacco smoke contains chemicals that are injurious to both smokers and nonsmokers alike. Breathing even small amounts of tobacco smoke will be harmful

Tobacco smoke contains at least 4,000 chemicals, and at least 250 are recognised as being harmful, these include hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia, furthermore of these 250 chemicals 50 are capable of causing cancer, they include :-

Arsenic
Benzene
Beryllium (a toxic metal)
1,3–Butadiene (a hazardous gas)
Cadmium (a toxic metal)
Chromium (a metallic element)
Ethylene oxide
Nickel (a metallic element)
Polonium-210 (a radioactive chemical element)
Vinyl chloride

Virtually every organ of the body is harmed by smoking leading to a decline in a person’s overall health leading to millions of people having health problems caused by smoking.

Cigarette smoking is know to the leading cause of cancer and death from cancer. It causes cancers of the lung, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach, and cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia. It also causes heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), (chronic bronchitis and emphysema), and cataracts. Regular smokers are at higher risk of developing pneumonia and airway infections.

Smoking during pregnancy puts women at risk of having their babies born prematurely and with an abnormally low birth weight, also women who smokes after pregnancy increases her infant’s risk of death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Men who smoke are at greater risk of erectile dysfunction Smokers are 50% more likely to suffer from impotence or erectile dysfunction.

Smoking causes unattractive problems like bad breath, stained teeth. gum disease and diminishes your sense of taste. More seriously smoking causes an increased risk of cancer in your lips, tongue, throat, voice bok and oesophagus.

Smoking has serious effects on eyes including eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts and can even lead to permanent blindness.

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen to the skin causing degeneration and premature aging of the skin causing it to look grey and dull.

Passive Smoking (Second-hand Smoke)
About 90% of the smoke from every cigarette ends up in the air.
This can cause lung cancer, heart disease, asthma and sinus problems in people who have never smoked.

It is estimated non-smokers living in an evironment with smokers have about a 25 % increase in risk of death from heart attack and are also more likely to suffer a stroke, some authorities pu this figure even higher. One recent study in the British Medical Journal found that exposure to second hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease among non-smokers by as much as 60 percent.

Passive smoking is especially risky for children and babies and can cause low birth weight babies, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), bronchitis, pneumonia, and middle ear infections.

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When the PROBLEM IS SMOKING

This article is a response to a letter in the NCHP&HR Journal from Edward John McClurg. The parenthetic remarks in the article have specific relevance to Mr. McClurg, a tutor in Quality Management Systems, though others may find them illuminating.

I AM NOT GOING to describe a technique for dealing with smokers so much as a methodology: the broad lines of my approach. It should be clear as you read on why this is so.

In dealing with a smoker my first assumption is that I am dealing with at least two systems. One, which is usually the greater, is the part which has determined to stop smoking. The other is the system which is controlling the smoking.

(A business parallel is to take the former as an enlightened Management who has determined to implement a new BSI standard, and the latter as a department which is stubbornly sticking to the old "tried and trusted" ways.)

My first job is to ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS - a task I emphasised in my article on Diagnosis. I cannot make intelligent changes until I know the answers to the following questions. (The equivalent managerial questions are in brackets.) The order is not significant.

* How does it feel when you want to smoke, and how does it take place? (Could you introduce me to the department that is giving the trouble?) These stand for a whole string of questions directed at getting a firm idea of the smoking subsystem (the problem department) that has somehow to be changed.

* A further question on these lines is: Is the subsystem based on ideas, feeling or habits? I.e. Is it more like a voice saying, "You need a cigarette", or a feeling of needing one, or simply an habitual action. (Is the subdepartment acting according to rules, or on gut feeling or on sheer force of habit?)

* How have you tried to stop? (How have you tried to implement the change?) It is obviously helpful to try to discover what has been tried and WHY is failed.

* What are the advantages of stopping? (What are the advantages of implementing the standards?) This question must be asked of the non-smoking will and also the smoking subsystem (Management and the recalcitrant workforce.)

* What are the advantages of continuing? (What are the advantages of not implementing the change?) Again ask both parties.

It is possible that you will only get honest answers from the smoking subsystem in a trance. (You may only get an honest answer from the workforce when you have their trust and the Manager is not breathing down your neck.)

* How and why did you start smoking? (How and why did the current work practice originate?)

* What do your family/friends feel about the smoking? (How is the key department affected by outside pressures from other businesses etc?)

The above are simply a selection of the more central questions. I also devote time to getting to know other things about the person. Of particular importance are their interests, professions etc, because you can put things over much better if they are related to things they know about. (Just as I am trying to put the ideas in this article over in a way which I hope will mean a lot to Mr. McClurg, as a tutor in Quality Management Systems.)

Broadly speaking, you know the most important things about a person if you know the things to which they will respond, and how they respond. It does not matter if the response is favourable or unfavourable. Things they do not respond to are irrelevant in any brief therapy. (The important thing about a company or department is the things they respond to and how.)

There is a world of difference between a pregnant woman stopping smoking for her baby and an aggressive businessman stopping for his own health. Their minds are very differently organised; their motivations are very different; the similarity of goal conceals an enormous difference in the tasks.

(There is a world of difference between changing things in a company like The Body Shop and changing things in Saachi and Saachi. Their managerial structures and styles are very different; their motivations are very different: the similar goal of applying a certain standard conceals an enormous difference in the tasks.)

Only when I have spent at least half an hour on this preliminary task do I begin work. As I have been going along I have, of course, been noting down promising lines of approach. And many of my questions will have been devoted to checking out whether these will work or not.

(Only after a detailed study of the organisation and the problems involved in the company will a consultant begin to make recommendations. But he has been noting promising lines as he goes on, and many of his questions have been devoted to clarifying or eliminating these options.)

Discussion
I will then discuss what steps the client is able to take without needing much help. (Find out what the Management might be able to implement easily without much help.) Often there are obvious things which have been overlooked: for example suppose that a person smokes by habit in the toilet only since an ashtray has been installed. The removal of the tray will stop that part of the habit easily.

In many cases the bulk of the task lies in this area of things that can rather easily be changed by conscious effort, if you know how. (In many cases most of your changes are to management style rather than to the actual functioning of a particular department.)

Notice that there is no ONE piece of advice. Each person may have failed to notice a different specific point that could easily be changed. Erickson once noticed that a retired policeman always bought his cigarettes from a store next door. By getting him to agree that it would be better to walk across town to buy them he reduced the habit enormously. But it is unlikely that this specific technique would work for many clients.

Induction
I seldom waste time on inductions which focus on some irrelevant subsystem such as hand levitation, eye closure, formal relaxation etc etc.

(As a consultant I seldom bother to make changes to any systems other than those centrally involved.)

I will begin with a theme of great interest. This may well be smoking itself.

Just lie back comfortably, close your eyes, and start to think as vividly as possible about wanting a cigarette.

I will then ask detailed questions as the client goes through the whole process of smoking a cigarette, to hold his or her attention on the process.

On the one hand this gives great insight into the attractions of smoking - the only pleasure for one woman was the sight of the smoke in front of her eyes. On the other hand you will find it acts like any other attention focussing induction. All other subsystem close down; relaxation ensues; there is total absorption in the functioning of the internal system of smoking and the hypnotists voice; that subsystem opens up in the face of my non-judgemental questions.

(Just let the rest of the company have some time off, and let me just watch the way in which this particular department functions at present. The consultant then watches and asks questions. On the one hand he finds out in great detail what is happening at present. On the other hand he is at the same time getting the company functioning in a way which makes it easy to change. The subdepartment is listening to him; it is not distracted by messages from all other departments; it begins to open up and trust him.)

This stage may go on for five or ten minutes (five or ten hours) or longer.

I next start to make suggestions. (The consultant then starts to make recommendations.) My preferred style is not to use the bludgeon, but to put things in a way which seem perfectly natural to the particular systems I am working with. It is for this reason that there is no one way. For example, with a pregnant woman it is often very easy to get her to visualise the face of the unborn baby: this activates a very powerful system of protection for her child. When she thinks of smoking, the baby's face cries. When she stops, it laughs. You may repeat this several times. This "technique" obviously is quite unusable in a businessman.

(It is generally better, wherever possible, to get a consensus rather than to use brute force. There is no one recommendation that applies in all cases. In one subdepartment money is a powerful motive, in another it is job security, in another is may just be that intangible, morale.)

In practice, then, I never make the same suggestions twice in the same language: everything is subordinated to the overwhelming importance of the unique personality structure of the present client. (If I were a consultant I would never trot out standard recommendations: everything has to be tailored to the overwhelmingly important fact that each company is distinct.) I may use metaphors and images, evoke physical sensations such as nausea; represent true facts graphically: watching two drops of pure nicotine killing a labrador in five minutes makes a vivid picture, as does the fact that tobacco leaves make a good substitute for toilet paper in countries where it is grown; regress the client back to the time of starting to smoke; evoke feelings of love - for members of the family harmed by the smoke; arouse feelings of pride or ambition; use a desire for a clean house which may be linked to the idea that the body is a house for the soul; intensify a desire for a holiday or other good that can be saved for with the £700 or more that is going up in smoke each year and so on. To list all these "techniques" in detail would take up many volumes, even if I were simply to present a single script for the main line, let alone go through all the variations which are involved in modifying such a script to fit a wide range of subjects.

Tying it up
Towards the end I will normally incorporate a suggestion on the following lines.

You will be healthier, wealthier and wiser as a non-smoker. But it will not necessarily make you perfect. No-one is perfect. Anyone can make a slip. Neither of us can be certain that at some time in the future, near or far, perhaps at a party or time of uncommon stress or illness you will not find yourself tempted to smoke another. And it might well be that it would be the best thing to do at the time. All I want you to remember at that time is the thought: "YES, I CAN HAVE THIS IF I CHOOSE, BUT IT WILL COST ME AT LEAST £30!" (My standard fee in 1994)

I will generally talk a bit more about the above, pointing out that most people, if they start again, rapidly return to previous levels of smoking which will cost far more than the £30 another session will cost (£20 if on reduced income).

The purpose of this section is two-fold. The first is that the thought itself is a great deterrent. Few people would ever pay £30 for a cigarette. The second is to motivate a quick return to me, which will make stopping again much easier. There is commonly a feeling of guilt at failing, or a feeling of letting the therapist down, or a feeling that he could have been expected to give life-time cover: these are counteracted by the above.

Furthermore I very much want to know about anything that does go wrong, so that I can perhaps get it better next time. Failures are far more important than successes. Anyone, with any technique, can get some successes but you only improve by minimising the failures, which means making it as easy as possible for them to come back to you if they start again.

SUMMARY

1. Find out as much as possible about the two primary systems of interest, and all other systems, internal and external which are involved. (Study the business and its economic environment in detail.)

2. Decide on a strategy of changing these systems, based on their real nature in the individual, not on some abstract idea. (Plan realistic changes.)

3. Discuss and arrange changes which can be made at the level of conscious will. (See what can be done with the Management.)

4. Induce a trance which is tightly related to the smoking subsystem. (Get to talk to the problematic department.)

5. Implement the planned changes at that level also. (Change working practices there.)

6. Tie it up with suggestions of return if there are problems. (Arrange for further contacts if there are problems.)

* Throughout look for as much feedback as possible. (Ditto.)

Ecologically soundFinally I would like to highlight my overall philosophy in hypnotherapy, which may throw light on the overall approach I have used above.

We all know of ecological disasters resulting from introducing, perhaps for good reasons, a new species into an ecosystem.

We may all know of instances where a new work practice or rule or law, introduced for a good reason, has had dismal consequences.

We all know how a person's personality may suffer from the undue influence of parental or other ideas which do not suit the person concerned.

HYPNOSIS PROVIDES POWERFUL TOOLS FOR INTRODUCING NEW SYSTEMS OF THOUGHT, FEELING OR BEHAVIOUR INTO THE COMPLEX SYSTEM OF THE HUMAN MIND. T MUST BE USED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR THE EXISTING SYSTEM.

I am dismayed by hearing of hypnotists who forcibly slam into a mind powerful suggestions with no regard for their compatibility or otherwise with existing thoughts or patterns. I am as dismayed by the thought of removing a smoking habit by means of a forceful repression as I would be by the thought of dealing with a difficult workforce by simply locking them up in a room. Each may seem to work brilliantly in the short-term, but could have dire long term consequences.

Ideally I am striving to attain a sufficiently complete knowledge of all relevant workings of that system which is the client in front of me AND the even more complex social system of which she or he is a part, so that any changes that I make are in harmony with those systems while also being viable and able to flourish there. (I am striving to attain a sufficiently complete knowledge oall relevant departments of the business I am helping AND the even more complex network of business connections and the economy as a whole, so that any changes I make will harmonise with what is there while also being viable long term.)

That is what I mean by holistic, or ecologically sound, or simply doing a good job.

Reprinted from The Journal of the National Council for Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapy Register, Spring 94. (with the Authors permission)

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The Rise and Fall of Smoking

Origins and the rise of Smoking

There is evidence that tobacco was first grown over 5000yrs. ago. Native to the Americas it stayed there until the era of the great explorers. Columbus is credited with introducing tobacco to Europe in the mid 15th Century.
Who introduced it to Britain is disputed, Sir Walter Raleigh, Robert Grenville and Sir Francis Drake are likely candidates all being travellers to the New World in the late 16th Century. However Raleigh is undoubtedly the man who first introduced tobacco to the court of Queen Elizabeth 1st
The next 2-300yrs. saw an increase in popularity of tobacco smoking among the general public until what can be considered as it’s heyday, the first half of the 20th. Century. During this time it was not without enemies.His Holiness Pope Clement VIII, threatened excommunication to anyone who smoked in a holy places, In Russia it was declared a deadly sin by Michael Feodorovich, the first Romanov Czar. Punishments were brutal and severe, slitting of the lips or a terrible and sometimes fatal flogging. In countries like Turkey, Persia and India, the death penalty was seen as the only cure for the evils of smoking tobacco.
In England things were somewhat more ambivalent. King James 1st published a dissertation proclaiming tobacco “an invention of Satan”. However he was soon to change his mind and nationalised the growing tobacco industry in England and reduced tobacco taxes (which were around even then).
The true heyday was yet to come:-
War Years
The war years (both the first and second world wars) actively encouraged cigarette smoking, rationing of cigarettes for the troops was introduced.
Speaking to people who had relatives or friends who took part in the First World War they tell of soldiers who smoked to avoid the stench of the trenches.
Later in the Second World War serving soldiers, sailors and airman received a free allowance of cigarettes; they were even flown out to them when serving overseas.
A neighbour of mine, who was enlisted in the second world war, tells this story of early recruitment days, one of his first experiences was a lecture from his regiments Chief Medical Officer who gave this advice to the young recruits “Your mother has probably told you to stay away from smoking drinking and loose women” well you are in a different world now, smoking makes you happy and relaxed, drinking makes you forget many of the horrors you encounter and loose women well,,,,,,,,,,,, (not too PC)

Hollywood.
Hollywood in the 1940’s and 50’s managed to make smoking “cool”. In old black and white films everyone seems to be smoking. Who can forget the images of popular actors like Bogart and Robert Mitchum, who never seemed to be seen without a cigarette drooping from their lips. Hollywood can also take a lot of responsibility for the growth in the number of women who took up smoking during that period. It was seen as very sophisticated and beautiful young women everywhere were seen coolly lighting cigarettes. The ultimate in sophistication was those scenes where handsome young men would light two cigarettes at once then hand one to their beautiful companion.

The Decline of Smoking
As early as 1858 fears about the effects on smoking on health were first raised in The Lancet.
Despite the claims of the immensely rich Tobacco Industry that smoking was harmless and even healthy the 1950’s saw the tide turning.
In 1950 an article was published in the British Medical Journal claming a link between lung cancer and smoking.
In the 1960’s the US Surgeon General declared that smoking causes lung cancer, the UK banned cigarette ads on television and the US imposed health warnings on cigarette packaging.
The next thirty years saw many changes.
• Advertising of tobacco within the media was virtually eradicated.
• Health warnings on cigarette packs was made more obvious and introduced in many more countries.
• Smoking on public transport came under attack and many countries started to introduce bans.
• A ban on smoking in restaurants, public buildings and places was starting to grow support. In fact in 1994 MacDonalds banned smoking in all of its restaurants.
• In the US nicotine is declared addictive and pronounced a drug.
• The Tobacco Industry was coming under increasing attacks and lawsuits, by Governments and the general public,c were successfully prosecuted.

From 2000 there has been increasing attacks on smoking
• The British Medical Association claimed there was no safe level of environmental smoke.
• In 2003 New York City bans all smoking in public spaces.
• In Britain, Ireland introduces a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places, including restaurants, pubs and clubs from 31 March 2004.
• Scotland joins the banning of smoking in all enclosed public places in 2006
• In 2007 England catches up with the other UK countries and announces a smoking ban in bars and restaurants.
In 2008 we have reached the situation where much of the civilised world successfully operate smoking bans in varying degrees of severity
The wheel seems to have turned full circle, back to the attempted controls of the 15 & 16th centuries only the punishments are not so extreme.

David Bates
www.therapiesguide.co.uk

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