| You can stop smoking if smoking is inherited in your | | | | For instance, if parents were harsh in the treatment |
| genes. Research shows that whilst genetic factors do | | | | of a smoker growing up, who then was encouraged |
| play a part in smoking behaviour, this is only a small | | | | to smoke on every visit to relatives, this of course |
| part. Environment, or nurture as well as nature, plays | | | | influences the smoking desire. A person with an |
| a part too. | | | | unhappy or less educated background is more likely |
| Studies of a correlation between smoking and genetic | | | | to smoke, and having cigarettes all around this person |
| factors have come up with three correlations | | | | reinforces the smoking behaviour. |
| between smokers and their families: | | | | The good news is that using methods like EFT, |
| 1. The age they start smoking | | | | unhappiness can be lifted out of your system. When |
| 2. How likely they are to carry on smoking | | | | there is no longer the need to drug unhappiness, the |
| 3. When they stop smoking | | | | desire for smoking reduces considerably. |
| Whilst these factors are significant, they are not | | | | What remains is a simple program that covers the |
| huge. In other words, you can quit even if everyone | | | | following: |
| in your family is a smoker. | | | | A. Education about the dangers of smoking and the |
| One of the things that are targeted in quit-smoking | | | | true joys of natural living |
| programs is the beliefs of the smoker. A belief is a | | | | B. Options that involve something more exciting than |
| very strong psychological incentive, and can be a | | | | being around smokers |
| strong influence on stop-smoking treatment. | | | | C. Behavioral coaching for situations where one is |
| So how do you change a belief? The answer is that | | | | surrounded by smokers |
| cannot change a belief per se, what you can change | | | | Whilst this may mean more than one quick session |
| is that an opinion that was once a belief is no longer | | | | for smoking cessation, a structured program like this |
| so. | | | | is more likely to produce long-lasting results and true |
| A belief is an absolute truth, something that we | | | | freedom for good. All I can say is that if you are an |
| believe to be true based on all the evidence given to | | | | ex-smoker-to-be, you can succeed. It is merely the |
| us plus the way we have stacked up this evidence in | | | | route to success that changes. True success feels |
| a logical order. Now logic is like building a wall. First you | | | | good whatever route you take to it and whatever |
| have one brick, then you have another, then another, | | | | genes you have inherited. |
| building brick upon brick till you have a wall. The | | | | References about smoking and a genetic link: |
| strength of this wall depends on how good the bricks | | | | Uhl, G.R.; Gold, L.H.; and Risch, N. Genetic analyses of |
| are. What if there was a brick somewhere near the | | | | complex behavioral disorders. |
| bottom that was flawed? Remove this brick, and the | | | | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
| wall collapses. Take all the good bricks, build again, | | | | 94:2785-2786, 1997. |
| and you have a much stronger wall in place. | | | | KS KENDLER, PS MC NEALE, COG LA COREY, CA |
| Using methods like EFT (Emotional Freedom | | | | PRESCOTT A population-based twin study in women |
| Technique) with NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), | | | | of smoking initiation and nicotine dependence |
| the belief that "I am a smoker because all my family | | | | Psychological Medicine, 1999 - journals.cambridge.org |
| are smokers" can be shown to be merely a flawed | | | | Page 1. Psychological Medicine, 1999, 29, 299-308. |
| opinion. This is replaced by the stronger wall which | | | | Personality and the inheritance of smoking behavior: |
| says "My family are smokers, I choose to render | | | | A genetic perspective, Behavior Genetics, Springer |
| these genes ineffective and become a non-smoker". | | | | Netherlands, ISSN 1573-3297 (Online), Behavioral |
| Along with genes leading to flawed opinions, one is | | | | Science, Issue Volume 25, 1995, Pages 103-117. |
| exposed to family emotions and family temptations. | | | | |