Is ni****ne an addiction? Yes — but probably not for the reason you think.
Under DSM-5-TR and ICD-11, To***co Use Disorder meets the same diagnostic criteria as opioid or alcohol dependence: craving, tolerance, withdrawal, continued use despite harm. Clinically, it’s real.
But here’s what the research also shows: most of smoking’s harm comes from combustion: tar, carbon monoxide, nitrosamines — not ni****ne itself. And ni****ne withdrawal is mild-to-moderate: uncomfortable, but nowhere near as dangerous as opioid or severe alcohol withdrawal.
Lifetime transition-to-dependence rates for ni****ne run 32–67% (Anthony et al., 1994; Lopez-Quintero et al., 2011) — high, but ni****ne has also been legal and socially normalized for a century, which inflates that number relative to restricted substances.
The conclusion I keep coming back to: ni****ne dependence is pharmacologically real, but it’s sustained by learned associations and identity, the “smoker” or “vaper” self-image, as much as by chemistry. That’s exactly the terrain hypnotherapy works in.
Full references in the new book, co-authored with Freddy H Jacquin.
The book is available on Amazon.
****neDependence ***coUseDisorder
New Empowered You
Delen
Certified Hypnotherapist
👍 Overcome Anxiety, Burnout, Get into Shape
🌱 Become Your Best Self
Olga Willemsen, Ph.D. 🌟 Certified Hypnotherapist
Overcome Anxiety, Get into Shape, Improve Your Sleep!
🌱 Guiding personal transformation & growth
🔑 Break free and become your best self
🌟 5-week regressional hypnotherapy & coaching program
I’ve just co-authored a book with Freddy Jacquin, a renowned hypnotherapist who has personally helped more than 25,000 people quit smoking.
Freddy H Jacquin has spent 30 years refining a smoking-cessation protocol, helping roughly 5,000 people in 2006 alone. “Mindset and Actions of a Quit Smoking Master Hypnotherapist: Changing Lives by Changing Minds” is what helped his clients succeed, and I contributed three research annexes that ground his clinical experience in the pharmacology and psychology literature:
Is ni****ne really addictive,
Does smoking relieve stress, and
What actually happened after the smoking bans?
Over the next few posts, I’ll share what’s in those annexes because the answers surprised even me.
The book is available now on Amazon.
***coDependence
14/06/2026
I’m always honored when clients take a moment to reflect on their journey.
This work isn’t just about solving a problem — it’s about feeling seen, empowered, and capable of creating real, lasting change.
Through a personalized combination of hypnotherapy and coaching, I help clients reconnect with their inner strength and move forward with clarity.
If you're ready for change, you're not alone. Let’s talk.
📩 Book a free discovery call or learn more on my website www.new-empowered-you.com
10/06/2026
Before You Try Ozempic: What the Evidence Actually Shows About Long-Term Risks and Weight Regain
Something shifted in the past two years in how people talk about weight. Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Rybelsus: names that a few years ago only endocrinologists used are now part of everyday conversation.
In the United States, 12.4% of adults reported currently using a GLP-1 medication (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) specifically for weight loss by late 2025, up from 5.8% in early 2024 (Statista, 2025). In Europe, the numbers are much smaller, still under 1% in most countries, but the trajectory is steep and the media coverage even steeper.
If you are one of the millions of people weighing this option, or you know someone who is, this post is for you. I want to give you the same balanced, research-grounded picture I wish more mainstream sources would provide:
what these drugs actually do
what the evidence says about serious risks (including ones that appear or worsen months to years into treatment)
what happens to your weight when you stop, and
why the biological and psychological story behind obesity so often gets left out of the conversation.
Continue reading the post:
https://www.new-empowered-you.com/glp-1-weight-loss-risks/
29/05/2026
SSRI-Induced Weight Gain and What the Evidence Actually Shows About Reversing It
When Weight Loss Isn’t Just Calories
You were slim before the antidepressant. The weight came during treatment, quietly and consistently, despite nothing changing in your eating. You have tried the standard approaches. The weight stayed.
Some of you stopped the medication months or years ago. The scale did not follow. Others are now on a GLP-1 medication and wondering what happens when the prescription ends.
This post maps what the research shows about why this weight behaves differently from ordinary lifestyle weight gain, and which evidence-based approaches give the best chance of sustainable reversal.
Continue reading the article:
https://www.new-empowered-you.com/antidepressant-weight-gain-reverse/
08/05/2026
Weight management involves more than just calories and metabolism.
Your thoughts, emotions, and long-held beliefs are the “software” that runs your metabolic “hardware”.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, a hormone that promotes insulin resistance and abdominal fat storage, while limiting beliefs like “I will never stick to a diet” can trigger self-sabotage.
In this part of our series, we look at the psychological dimension: how tools like hypnotherapy can calm the stress response and make healthy behaviors feel effortless rather than like a constant struggle.
Read the article here:
https://www.new-empowered-you.com/psychology-of-sustainable-weight-loss/
Transform your hypnotherapy practice with expert guidance. Are you ready to enhance your skills in smoking cessation hypnotherapy? Join us in this comprehensive learning experience designed by the legendary Freddy Jacquin. Gain access to tried and tested protocols, essential learning materials, and life sessions to bolster your confidence and success. Start your journey to becoming a master quit smoking hypnotherapist today!
Most therapists — and almost every smoker — are working with the wrong model. 👇
Smoking doesn’t relieve stress. Ni****ne is a stimulant that raises heart rate and blood pressure. Smokers report HIGHER baseline stress than non-smokers (50% vs 31%, Pew Research).
What smoking “relieves” is the withdrawal stress that smoking itself created. It’s a trap.
And here’s the part that changes everything: quitting improves mental health with effect sizes comparable to antidepressants (Taylor et al.).
This is why willpower fails — and why the Freddy Jacquin protocol works.
Download the Mindset Book — link in in the comments .
17/04/2026
Most of us were taught that weight loss is simple arithmetic: eat less, burn more.
What if that framing is exactly why so many people stay stuck?
In my latest blog post, I explore the science of food sequencing, research from Weill Cornell Medicine showing that eating the same foods in a different order produces measurably different blood glucose and insulin responses.
No new foods. No calorie deficit. Just order.
I also look at why the low-fat craze of the 1980s was later described by Harvard researchers as a "failed experiment," and what the evidence says about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, including what happens to most people within ten months of stopping them.
This isn't about another diet. It's about understanding your body's hormonal logic and working with it, not against it.
Read the full post here 👉 https://www.new-empowered-you.com/food-sequencing-for-weight-loss/
Exciting news for fellow hypnotherapist! I’ve teamed up with the renowned Freddy Jacquin to offer you an exclusive online training on smoking sensation. Drawing on Freddy‘s 30+ years of experience and 25,000 success stories, this comprehensive program is designed to give you a structured approach to help your clients quit smoking effectively. Join us to elevate your practice and boost your confidence in achieving consistent results. Find the link in my bio. training
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