How Counselling Saved My Marriage

You probably know that smoking is bad for your health. You also know that smoking isn't so great for your wallet, with Australia in fact being the most expensive country in the world for buying cigarettes. Despite being armed with all the facts, it can be difficult to stop smoking. If you've tried to quit and been unsuccessful, perhaps it's time you talked about the problem with a psychologist.

An Addiction Is an Addiction

Talking to a psychologist about your addiction may feel like an extreme step. After all, you're addicted to cigarettes, and not opiates or something similar. But an addiction is an addiction, and the therapeutic effects of regular sessions with a psychologist can be beneficial to breaking your seemingly unbreakable habit.

​​Instinctive Impulse

Psychotherapy (often called talk therapy) can be helpful in identifying triggers that pull you back to smoking, despite the underlying desire to quit. The original cause of your habit, which originated many years ago, may be of little relevance now. It doesn't matter why you initially started, and what's more significant is why you continue to be drawn back to this unhealthy habit. Many smokers undeniably find that the habit has a calming effect, and smoking may be an instinctive impulse when faced with stress or anxiety.

Stress and Anxiety

Identifying potential triggers (such as stress or anxiety) and teaching you coping mechanisms (alternative forms of relief) can be effective in breaking a connection that makes it difficult for you to comprehensively kick your habit. Dealing with the causes of stress and anxiety can have a knock-on effect on your smoking. If you can effectively manage these adverse issues and their effects, your instinctive reaction to smoke may decrease. 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Cognitive behaviour therapy is another potentially helpful method. It can be especially beneficial when you're having difficulties dealing with the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. It essentially promotes applying a different perspective to the situation, encouraging you to examine the negative connotations of giving up smoking (such as the denial of pleasure once associated with the habit). Applying a different perspective to these negative connotations can make them easier to process, taking you further along the path to being a permanent non-smoker. 

If you've tried and failed multiple times to quit smoking, and have become frustrated with the yo-yo nature of your efforts, it might be time to discuss the problem with a psychologist. Reach out to a local clinic, such as Therapia Psychology, to get professional help.