When I help people to stop smoking in Glasgow, there's often a pattern to the problems that people face when they try to quit smoking especially here in Scotland, I'm not sure if it's the same in the rest of the World but it might be!

Stopping smoking is about more than just losing the need for nicotine, there's a set of habits and behaviours that help us in certain ways (no matter how strange that might seem) that we need to learn to reprogramme. If you can change these habits you'll be able to stop smoking for ever much more easily than you could have managed before.

So what are these things that MAKE us smoke? (yes that's right they are MAKING you smoke, because if you could deal with them, you probably wouldn't want to smoke.) This is important because as long as you have the nicotine in your system (from patches or an electronic cigarette) you shouldn't have an urge to smoke, and if you do it's another habit which is MAKING you smoke.

What reasons are making you smoke? Here's a few I often hear.

1. I feel claustrophobic.

When you're under pressure, in work or at home, or even with friends it's easy sometimes to feel under pressure like there's no escape. If you smoke you get to get outside for 5 minutes and take a time out which can really help stress. It gives you an 'escape' card for any situation and a way to end conversations you really aren't into.

Knowing you have that escape route is reassuring and a safety blanket, but is that what actually keeps you smoking?

2. I need it for the stress

When you have that cigarette, it blows away the stress you were feeling before. This is partly true, however... think about it, you've moved away from the stressful situation, you're repeating a COMFORTABLE habit and you're letting yourself breathe deeply and slowly. All of these things would be a great way to deal with stress, with or without the cigarette!

Is it possible that you are smoking a cigarette at the same time as dealing with your stress?

3. I can't imagine myself not smoking A client I recently treated here in Glasgow, said when talking about how she wanted to stop smoking that "I just can't see myself as someone who doesn't smoke, I've done it all my adult life."

If something helps you, is it OK to start doing it right now? If you can't see yourself being different, perhaps you can start practising right away! What would it be like to be able to let go of a habit, which you only have because you've kept doing it for a while.

I'd suggest for someone who really does want to quit smoking forever that perhaps if you ask yourself to change, maybe it IS ok for you to allow yourself to change immediately.

4. I'm hooked on the nicotine

Yes you are! And maybe it's ok for you to use an electronic cigarette or patches, to help you get ready to stop? You'd be better off using patches that just have nicotine in rather than cigarettes which have over 4000 toxic chemicals.

The bottom line, lose the cigarettes and buy some patches.

I hope if you are on a journey of being a smoke who wants to become someone who doesn't smoke cigarettes, like my quit smoking in Glasgow, Scotland, that you enjoy the journey, and get where you want to go to!

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