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Smoking is a deadly habit, but this is old news. Smokers, non-smokers and everyone in between are acutely aware of the physical harm tobacco inhalation does to the body; that much has been made clear by constant public health campaigns against cigarettes. But the consequences of smoking are much more varied than cancer and heart disease. Smoking also affects relationships, and it is particularly dangerous to the relationship between the smoker and his or her kids. Therefore, if there is any good reason to quit smoking, it is to improve and nurture the parent-child relationship.
The way that smoking harms the parent-child relationship is two-fold. On one level, smoker’s tend to base their activities around their opportunities to smoke; they build a social life around smoking and this can lead to less time spent with children in an effort to feed the tobacco habit. Additionally, many smokers also do not want their children to be aware of their smoking habit and thus they hide it , keep it a secret, and find ways to avoid spending time with their children in order to keep them from witnessing their smoking. On the second level, smoking takes years of a person’s lifespan. For example, people who smoke a pack a day can expect to take, on average, ten years off of their life. Those are ten years that could be spent with children and grandchildren.
As a particularly strong psycho-social habit, smoking is indeed difficult to give up. But it is not impossible to quit smoking, and using kids as a motivator can be an especially powerful weapon against tobacco use.
One very good quit smoking option is quit smoking hypnosis; this involves re-programming smokers’ attitudes and beliefs towards cigarettes so that they are no longer dependent on them for emotional gratification, stress relief or any other form of psychological soothing. Quit smoking hypnosis is quite often done by way of a hypnotherapist, but it can also be done alone. It does indeed take willpower and courage to engage in quit smoking hypnosis, but it is a most worthwhile endeavour: quit smoking hypnosis results in a mentally and psychologically healthier and tobacco free future. And most importantly, quit smoking hypnosis means more time with the kids.
Smoking is a psychosocial habit that wreaks havoc on a person’s mental and physical health. If you are someone you know is struggling with a smoking habit, and are concerned about how it could be negatively impacting your kids, then contact us today or share your own ideas and experiences with us in the comments below.