Barack Obama Doesn't Want to Quit Smoking

Look, as a therapist who helps people to quit smoking for a living, I am a compassionate guy. The headline above isn't intended to be a knock on the new President, it's a statement of fact based on my experience.

The reason I say he doesn't want to quit is this: here is a man who has demonstrated a degree of determination that is virtually unparalleled. To become President of the United States, you really have to want it... and that's an understatement.



When it comes to quitting smoking, or changing any habit or behavior, determination is the number one prerequisite for success. When I think of a man like Barack Obama, who has made so many sacrifices in order to achieve what he's achieved, I believe that when it comes down to it, he can do anything he truly wants to do.

About three years ago, my best friend quit smoking after 15+ years - cold turkey. He did it because he refused to smoke around his newborn son. He made a decision to quit, and he instinctively knew that nothing could ever make him smoke again against his will. He admits that at times he has missed smoking, and has really desired a cigarette, but he would never give in to the desire because he knows the consequences.

So when you read all the articles in the news about how Obama is going to "try" to quit... or he's "struggling" with his "addiction," keep in mind that no one is forcing him to smoke, that thousands of people quit every year - for their children, their families, themselves - and that any honest smoker must admit the problem isn't that they can't quit... it's that they haven't yet harnessed the right motivation.

If you can't see clearly the benefits of quitting... or the consequences of continuing to smoke... then you won't really want to quit.

Therefore, if Barack Obama truly wants to quit, then...

Yes, he can.

Change I Can Believe In? Stop Smoking, Mr. President-Elect!

Atlanta’s Stop Smoking Expert, Sean Wheeler challenges President-Elect Barack Obama to Quit Smoking on World Hypnotism Day - January 4th, 2009. Wheeler will hypnotize 88 smokers to quit the habit for good at a free event in Marietta, GA.

Atlanta, GA -- Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist Sean Wheeler has challenged President-Elect Barack Obama to stop smoking in conjunction with the 5th Annual World Hypnotism Day on January 4th, 2009. Obama recently admitted that he still struggles with the habit to Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press.



Each year, 390,000 Americans die from the effects of smoking, according to the American Red Cross.

“I challenge our next President to set an example for the American people,” said Wheeler, a certified member of the National Guild of Hypnotists. “I think he should take a stand, be a true leader and say to every smoker in America that ‘Yes, we can’ become smoke-free.”

January 4th is the day when hypnosis professionals in more than 20 countries around the world promote the benefits of hypnotism. At this year's seminar in Atlanta, the biggest free stop smoking event in Georgia’s history, anyone - even Mr. Obama - can learn to become smoke-free.

“Many thousands of people have used hypnosis to quit, including some well-known celebrities like Ellen Degeneres and Matt Damon,” Wheeler explained, “it only makes sense that Mr. Obama would use a proven method that would allow him to serve as a role model for the entire country.”

Wheeler is well aware of the implications of such a powerful figure using something as commonly misunderstood as hypnosis.

“Some people might worry I’d try to make him a Republican,” Wheeler laughed, “but hypnosis doesn’t work like that. If it did, I’d try to persuade him to change his mind about the Bailout Bill.”

The free event will take place in the Cabernet Room of the Doubletree Hotel on Windy Hill Rd from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on Sunday, January 4th, 2009. Information on how to register for the event is available at www.purehypnosis.com/worldhypnotismday.

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Sean Wheeler is available for media interviews at 678-488-7362. Members of the press can find more information online at http://www.purehypnosis.com.

About Sean Wheeler

Sean Wheeler is a Board Certified Hypnotist with the National Guild of Hypnotists and the founder of Pure Hypnosis, LLC. He is the author of The Stop Smoking Solution - Atlanta’s premiere Smoking Cessation blog, and his articles have been published all over the web. Additionally, Sean Wheeler has appeared on CNN, CNN Headline News and TBS. He has performed as master of ceremonies, entertainer and speaker at venues including Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, as well as for academic and scientific organizations throughout Georgia and the Southeast.

L.A. Times: Obama and Smoking - Now's Not the Time to Quit?

An amusing editorial from the Los Angeles Times advises Barack Obama NOT to quit smoking now... that he should wait until after he's served as President before giving it up.

Why?

Because the author - Amy Goldman Koss - quit smoking 10 years ago and suffered through the cravings, the mind-battles, the associations and all the other difficulties people encounter when quitting without the right guidance.



I encourage you to read the article, then return to this page and view the youtube videos below. They are interviews I conducted with two ex-smokers who used hypnosis to quit... without experiencing withdrawal, cravings, irritability or weight gain.

Barack Obama is perfectly capable, not only of quitting for good, but also of keeping his composure, sanity and his recently publicized svelte physique.

So read the article for a perspective from someone who did it the wrong way, and then watch the videos below for a perspective from some people who did it the right way - with hypnosis.

VA Testing Chantix on Vets Without Warning of Dangers

Here's an article from the Washington Times which details the problems with testing drugs on a very vulnerable portion of the population - veterans of the armed forces returning from duty in Iraq.

The pertinent section to you as the reader involves Chantix, the drug that has been linked to depression and suicide in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere.

Click here for the full article at the Washington Times.

Here's the portion that pertains to Chantix:

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[President-Elect Barack] Obama, [Rep. Bob] Filner and other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called for an investigation into a smoking cessation study, which Mr. Peake immediately initiated.

The experiment tracked 240 veterans taking the drug Chantix to examine which forms of counseling were more beneficiary - smoking clinics or through a separate counselor. James Elliott, an Army infantryman who was wounded in Iraq, says the drug caused him to experience a mental breakdown and a showdown with police who used a Taser to subdue him in February.

Mr. Elliott said the VA didn't warn him about new FDA concerns that Chantix was linked to psychotic behavior and nearly 40 suicides until nearly a month after his disturbing incident occurred earlier this year.

The internal investigation confirmed that Mr. Elliott was not alone. It took medical professionals involved in the study anywhere from 16 to 134 days to notify participants taking Chantix about the new warnings.

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As with any mention of Chantix, I will take this opportunity to remind the reader of my personal stance on psychotropic drugs, which is, quite simply, "don't take them." The benefits very rarely outweigh the risks, and there are nearly always side-effects.

As for the ability of a drug like Chantix to assist you with smoking cessation, my advice is more specific: "you don't need it." You can quit smoking on your own, without drugs, patches, gums, lasers, needles or even hypnosis.

You can do it.

When I use hypnosis with my clients, I give to them what some ex-smokers have given to themselves -- a clear awareness of their motivation, along with a focus on the benefits of being a non-smoker. This not only works, it also produces a feeling of accomplishment and self-sufficiency - independence, if you will... that can only be achieved through learning to use the power of your mind.

Those who are successful quitting through other methods do receive the benefits of being smoke-free, which is fantastic. What they don't receive are the benefits of learning just how powerful they truly are when their mind is properly focused.

It's not just getting the results you desire that's important - it's also the sense of pride you feel that fuels your ability to accomplish other things in life that are perhaps even more meaningful.