The government have stated that they aim to cut the number of smokers by 50% over the next 10 years.  Estimates show that currently approximately 21% of the population smokes with the aim to reduce this to 10%.

Please read more …Plans to achieve this involve increased measures to stop children and young people starting smoking and to cut the number of illegal cheap imports.  The NHS will offer every smoker help in stopping smoking as smokers currently costs the NHS £2.7 billion where 80000 deaths per year are attributed to smoking.

There are also plans to change how cigarettes are presented and marketed with talks of taking all branding off cigarette packets and banning vending machines.  This is further to the new Scottish legislation which bans cigarettes being visibly displayed in shops. 

Health campaigners have criticised the plans as having no detail, however, with the huge cost to the NHS and the massive death rate attributed to smoking, the focus on reducing these figures has to be a positive thing.

Hypnotherapy is one of the most effective ways to stop smoking.  The NHS supports smokers by using behavioural and cognitive behavioural techniques to help smokers give up as a well as offering NRT (nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum).  Many therapists, including myself, include these techniques within hypnotherapy to maximise the effectiveness of private therapy and as time moves forward, it is hoped that hypnotherapy can to smokers who may feel this would be their preferred choice.

For more information about stopping smoking, please go to my Stop Smoking page – http://www.personalempowerment.co.uk/applications/stop-smoking