In Italy, tobacco sales are controlled by a state monopoly, and no advertising of Italian brands is permitted. Now no foreign brands may be advertised either. The penalties for infraction are severe.
 
In Denmark, leaders of the tobacco industry of that country have agreed voluntarily to cut out all cigarette advertising except in daily newspapers.
And each day brings more news of this land.

Tell Mac the news.

Don't keep it to yourself.

If you are now ready to make up your mind to rid yourself, once and forever, of the cigarette habit, here's just one word of warning: Don't start today!
This may seem contrary to advice you've received before. You're always told "to strike while the iron is hot" . . . that the time to undertake something new is while you're enthusiastic.

But you can't get rid of tobacco craving with a spur-of-the-moment decision. You didn't form the habit overnight, and you aren't going to get rid of it overnight.

We are going to conquer this everlasting routine of lighting up yet another cigarette by applying both a psychological principle and the techniques of self-hypnotism. When you are versed in both of these, you'll be able to face the prospect of cigarette-less days calmly and confidently. But not until then.

When you are ready, there will be no anger and no sudden decision—merely a calm knowledge that you can do it and that you'll make a thorough and competent job of it.


When  you're  ready,  you'll  be anxious to  start

It's going to take time to establish deep, subconscious dissatisfaction with the habit of smoking; but when we succeed, you'll gain a feeling of thorough pleasure from not smoking.

It will also take some time to learn the trick of relaxing, using the "visual imagery" principles of self-hypnosis.

How long? That depends upon how diligently you put yourself to these tasks. It may be a day or two, or it might be a week or more. The maximum should be ten days. During the learning period, in any event, your enthusiasm will grow. You will be anxious to get started. You're anxious now, of course, but wait until you are sure you are ready . . . and able.

When you have actually smoked the cigarette that, you've decided, will be your last cigarette, you will know positively that it will be your last cigarette. You will have no doubts. You will know beyond any question that you have freed yourself permanently from the bondage of smoking.
The use of suggestion to break the cigarette habit is scarcely a new development. The fact is that hundreds of people who couldn't stop smoking even when they had to—victims of Buerger's disease, for example— have been helped by trained hypnotists.

If you don't mind spending the money and time, and if there is a qualified hypnotist available to you, he can help you end your smoking.
On the other hand, if you yourself learn to use these safe, simple techniques on your own, you'll find that they benefit you in other ways. You can whip a siege of insomnia, for example; and you'll become able to relax so effectively that everyday tensions won't wear you out.

Fair enough, you say-but why use hypnosis?

"But isn't self-hypnosis a drastic measure?" you ask. "I'm sure that I can now convince myself that I've got to quit smoking. With what I know about taking a concentration break, and with what I've learned about arguing with advertisers, it should be easy to quit."
A good question. Let's examine it.

The big fact about hypnosis is "heightened suggestibility." The suggestion gets through to the subconscious, and becomes a permanent part of the subconscious, because hypnosis makes powerful suggestion possible.

Self-suggestion (or "autosuggestion"), on the other hand, is confined to the conscious level.

Is there a difference?

There's a great deal of difference.

It amounts to the difference between going to a dentist, who practices with hypnosis, and having your aching tooth extracted painlessly without chemical anesthesia—or sitting in the same chair and having the dentist simply tell you, "This isn't going to hurt."
In self-suggestion or autosuggestion, the conscious mind attempts to influence itself. In self-hypnosis, the suggestions are made directly to the subconscious mind.

During autosuggestion the conscious mind is concentrated upon the suggestion. Therefore the conscious mind challenges the suggestions, raises questions, and applies logic and experience and critical evaluation.

Self-suggestion or autosuggestion, without hypnosis, isn't much different from arguing with yourself.