Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was by Chris Holmes

Title: Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was (Volume I: The Biggest Medical Mistake of the 20th Century)
Author: Chris Holmes
Format: Book
Source: Amazon.com
Price: $36
Rating: Good


Most hypnotists work with smokers at some point, and even those that don't will still field a lot of questions about smoking cessation. I've found in my own practice that no matter what I advertise, I get smokers calling me to ask if I can make them quit. In short, the nature of cigarette smoking is something every hypnotist spends some time thinking about.

British hypnotherapist Chris Holmes spent so much time thinking about it that he wrote a book, in two volumes, about the subject. Not surprisingly, he finds grounds to disagree with a lot of what the establishment has told us about nicotine and cigarette smoking. While I can pick a number of nits with his book, overall I have to say that Holmes' views make good sense and are presented in an enjoyable format.

Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was (Volume I: The Biggest Medical Mistake of the 20th Century) presents a rollicking look at why hypnotherapy works when Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) doesn't. The title is slightly misleading—the book is as much about hypnosis as it is about nicotine. A glance at the cover of the book (all black with a skull and crossbones above the title) leads the reader to expect an investigative expose, rife with uncovered details of how nicotine came to be regarded as an addictive drug rather than a deadly poison.

If you are expecting an investigative work, the book falls short. Though some studies are noted, especially in the later chapters, Holmes' work is not primarily investigative. He does restate his arguments a number of times without presenting new evidence, a technique that reminds me a bit of simply repeating a suggestion enough times that the unconscious mind accepts it—a fine technique for hypnotherapy, but a little bit annoying in a book.

Ultimately, the work is aimed more at potential clients than at hypnotherapists. In one sense, it's an expanded pre-talk. It makes the argument that hypnosis is the best tool for smoking cessation, but it doesn't provide a working hypnotist with much specific information on how to do a good smoking session for a client. I'm not criticizing; I just want to be sure that my readers (mostly hypnotists) know what they're getting.

Before I discuss the numerous good points about Nicotine: The Drug that Never Was, I'd like to briefly address a few flaws.

First off, there are several contradictions in argument. The author claims that the success of NRT in clinical trials was the result of the widespread myth of nicotine addiction, yet he also claims that the myth arose alongside the use and marketing of NRT. That timeline doesn't work; if the myth is part of the marketing, then the myth couldn't have influenced the initial trials involving NRT. Similarly, he insists that smokers don't actually know the effects of nicotine, which may well be true. But he then argues that smokers in patch trials must have recognized the presence of nicotine, thus enhancing the placebo effect and invalidating the results. Either smokers know the effects of nicotine or they don't—you can't have it both ways.

That said, most of Holmes' arguments stand up to scrutiny. More on that later.

There are a few other points I didn't like, but only a few. For instance, in his explanation of hypnosis, the author is somewhat derisive of stage hypnotists, though he stops short of calling for total condemnation and legislation to ban performance hypnosis. As readers of my blog already know, I believe performance and clinical hypnotists can work together for mutual benefit. I don't believe in deriding one to bolster the other.

Likewise, Holmes' attacks on the accuracy of animal testing of NRT are marred by his rants on the immorality of the same, undermining his argument. Finally, he makes some unsubstantiated claims that NRT producers funded the trials of NRT, thus biasing the results. While that may be true, speculation without evidence again undermines the author's otherwise convincing arguments.

Those criticisms aside, the book is otherwise quite good. It is built around clear, simple, common-sense arguments about the nature of nicotine. For example, Holmes debunks the idea that smokers enjoy nicotine; if that were the case, he argues, teens would be sneaking nicotine gum to each other, and smokers on airplanes would gladly wear the patch so as to enjoy transatlantic flights. I'd give more examples, but I'm sure the author would like it if you read his book to learn more.

Holmes provides "Case Mysteries" as interludes between his chapters, and these are highly entertaining and illuminating. Filled with anecdotes about quirky clients and unusual cases, the interludes do a lot to spice up the book, especially for the hypnotists amongst the readers. One such interlude de-constructs the work of Allen Carr, a British smoking cessation guru. By the time Holmes is done with Carr, there is not much left; it's a great read that made me laugh out loud.

The book is self-published, but relatively free of the numerous typos and grammatical errors that plague many self-published tomes on hypnosis. The author might have benefitted a bit from working with a professional editor, if only to rein him in now and then. Holmes comments that his wife took on the job of telling him when to stop trying to be funny. While I do believe humor has great value, and I did guffaw a number of times while reading, there were other times when I wish that Mrs. Holmes had been more strenuous in her duties.

I especially enjoyed this book's discussion of hypnosis and the subconscious mind. Holmes compares talking to the conscious mind to effect change as being like trying to persuade the receptionist of a major corporation to make a company-wide policy decision. The subconscious, he explains, is truly the CEO. That's a brilliant comparison I now use with my own clients.

Overall, I can point out a number of minor flaws in Nicotine, but in the end, the arguments make sense. Just as importantly, they are presented in an entertaining and insightful way, making this book useful to hypnotists and those who would like to stop smoking. I'd like to check out Volume II when I get a chance.