You can stop smoking
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms (11KB)
If you know a smoker, you know a person who has a body in need of nicotine. Many individuals have tried and tried to quit smoking. Most of the time when going "cold turkey" they feel like their nerve systems are about to come apart. Many have tried one remedy after another. Feeling the hurt of failure at each level in their efforts. According to a resource science person working in the lab at Brown and Williams in Louisville, Kentucky they found in nicotine testing in 1954, that drinking a glass of water after smoking a cigarette helped flush some of the nicotine out of the body. Especially the nicotine that caked in the mouth and throat. Most harmful is the condensed of the smoke and shortness of air reaching into the lungs.
Today the nicotine level has been increased into cigarettes making the craving and body effects more intense. One study has shown that over 85 per cent of the people who are able to break the bondage of the habit of smoking live a more joyful, productive and healthy life.
To most people who are able to quit they will have to have help/encouragement and a friendly back-up system to give them extra support.
Like alcoholics, past smokers who have successfully broken the bondage, can give beneficial support in group meetings and one-on-one buddy back-up influences.
At the start of our program we work with the fact that smokers receive relaxation of their body at the first intake of nicotine. We strive to give strength in quickly satisfying this part of the nicotine craving and immediately start processes to limit the amount of nicotine that is needed for full satisfaction.
Our first goal is to get the smoker to slow down to wean completely off of the need of nicotine if that is their desire.
The program has classes of motivation, self-esteem lifting, group reactions, and free counseling help related to the personal use of tobacco.
People are able to quit or slow down smoking if they truly desire to do so. They will learn new techniques in smoke-intake control. They will learn to take in more air and less smoke.
In this program we will help the person regulate the amount of tobacco intake the participant desires. We will help create packaging of their (1) day level of tobacco intake desired (10 a day) or (5 a day) pack-markings giving (3) levels of usage per cigarette.
As the nicotine level needed is dropped each cigarette is single wrapped with half-way markers on each of them.
A 12-step program is available. Our first achievement is getting the taste of cigarettes being in control. The program includes muscle relaxing and air intake tasting's. Participants attend (1-2 hour) classes by registering for each self-aid class offered. They attend group therapy sessions and receive help, strength, and support to stay focused on their decision. We encourage a water intake of 12 ounces with each intake of nicotine. All of our classes, testing, therapy sessions, and counseling are exclusively offered at Christian Outreach Center, 1525 Poplar Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662. If you live out of the area, we will make an effort to help you with a backup person or group that will encourage and strengthen your efforts. Email your name and email address to christianoutreachcenter@hotmail.com
Help Is Available
With the wide range of counseling services, self-help materials, and medicines available today, smokers have more tools than ever to help them quit smoking for good.
Remember, tobacco addiction has both a psychological and a physical component. For most people, the best way to quit will be some method to change personal habits, and get emotional support. The following sections describe these tools and how they may be helpful to you.
Help With Psychological Addiction
Some people are able to quit on their own, without the help of others or the use of medicines. But for many smokers, it can be hard to break the social and emotional ties to smoking while getting over nicotine withdrawal symptoms at the same time. Fortunately, there are many sources of support out there -- both formal and informal.
Telephone-based Help to Stop Smoking
Most states run some type of free telephone-based program, such as the American Cancer Society's Quitline® tobacco cessation program that links callers with trained counselors. These specialists help plan a quit method that fits each person's unique smoking pattern. People who use telephone counseling stop smoking at twice the rate of those who don't get this type of help. With guidance from a counselor, quitters can avoid common mistakes that may self-destruct a quit attempt.
Telephone counseling is also more convenient for many people than some other support programs. It doesn't require transportation or childcare, and it's available nights and weekends. Counselors may suggest a combination of methods including medicines, local classes, self-help brochures, and/or a network of family and friends.
Welcome to the group.
Have you tried to stop smoking before? If so then you will have a vague idea of what it entails. If not here are few tips to help you on your way.
Set a quit date, and stick to it.
Put your self a 'quit kit' together. This can be a box/tin of things that you can use instead of smoking ie chewing gums/sweets/a note to remind your self why you are quitting. Puzzles/photos of loved ones etc. You get the idea.
Go for a walk.
Deep breathing excercises.
Relaxing bath.
Take up a new hobby where it makes it difficult to smoke anyway.
Online you can post regularly to keep a memo on your progress and if needs be somebody will be able to give you advice/help.
Set a date
Ideally, this should be within two weeks of when you decide to quit.
2. Review past quitting experiences.
Figure out what helped you initially break the habit last time, and try to replicate that behavior. In the same vein, learn from the actions that led to relapse-and try to avoid them.
3. Anticipate challenges.
Minimize your chance of relapse by planning ahead. If you usually take a smoke break with your coworkers, figure out something else pleasurable to do during that time, such as go for a coffee, do some stretching, or call a friend.
4. Limit alcohol.
"We know that half the people who try to quit and relapse were drinking," says Dr. Fiore. "For a smoker that link is so common." Because of this connection, experts recommend that people trying to quit smoking cut down on or abstain from alcohol, especially in the first few weeks after their quit date.
5. Ask your household for help.
Quitting is harder with smokers around. Make quitting a family affair-or at least ask others not to smoke around you.
Get motivated
Maybe you don't care that smoking is bad for you. The key for anyone who's ambivalent about quitting is often choosing a convincing reason beyond the usual warnings. Ask yourself: Does your child have asthma? Do you want younger-looking skin? Do you have cancer in your family? Money is also a big motivator. Calculating how much you spend on cigarettes or promising yourself a big present with the money you save can work. And research shows that financial incentives increase enrollment in smoking-cessation programs as well as short-term quit rates. Other motivational techniques include using a monitor to show the amount of carbon monoxide in your blood or keeping a detailed record of your smoking habits.
Reduce stress
If you're one of the many people who smoke to deal with anxiety, you'll need to find new ways to cope.
1. Breathe deep.
The American Cancer Society recommends deep breathing as a way to curb the urge to smoke.
2. Exercise.
Although exercise has not been shown to increase abstinence rates, there is some evidence that it can help control the weight gain associated with quitting. Exercise is also a great way to ease stress.
3. Relax.
The National Cancer Institute recommends creating peaceful times in your everyday schedule and learning techniques such as progressive relaxation, where you tense each muscle and release it to rid the body of tension.
Nicotine Withdrawal
When smokers try to cut back or quit, the lack of nicotine leads to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is both physical and mental. Physically, the body reacts to the absence of nicotine. Mentally, the smoker is faced with giving up a habit, which calls for a major change in behavior. Both must be addressed in order for the quitting process to work.
If a person has smoked regularly for a few weeks or longer and suddenly stops using tobacco or greatly reduces the amount smoked, they will have withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of the last cigarette and peak about 2 to 3 days later. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to up to several weeks.
Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:
dizziness (which may only last 1-2 days after quitting)
depression
feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger
anxiety
irritability
sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares
trouble concentrating
restlessness
headaches
tiredness
increased appetite
These symptoms can lead the smoker to start smoking cigarettes again to boost blood levels of nicotine back to a level where there are no symptoms.
Smoking also makes your body get rid of certain drugs faster than usual. When you quit smoking, it changes the way your body handles these medicines. Ask your doctor if any medicines you take regularly need to be checked or changed after you quit.
Immediate Rewards of Quitting
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal.
your breath smells better
stained teeth get whiter
bad smelling clothes and hair go away
your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
food tastes better
your sense of smell returns to normal
everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (for example, climbing stairs or light housework).
Cost
The prospect of better health is a major reason for quitting, but there are other reasons, too.
Smoking is expensive. It isn't hard to figure out how much you spend on smoking: multiply how much money you spend on tobacco every day by 365 (days per year). The amount may surprise you. Now multiply that by the number of years you have been using tobacco and that amount will probably shock you.
Multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the upcoming 10 years) and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money.
And this doesn't include other possible costs, such as higher costs for health and life insurance, and likely health care costs due to tobacco-related problems.
chewing gum replacement in which nicotine is taken in through the mucous membrane of the mouth. You can buy it over the counter without a prescription. It comes in 2 mg and 4 mg strengths.
For best results, follow the instructions on the package insert. Chew the gum slowly until you note a peppery taste. Then "park" it against the cheek, chewing it and parking it off and on for about 20 to 30 minutes. Food and drink can affect how well the nicotine is absorbed. You should avoid acidic foods and drinks such as coffee, juices, and soft drinks for at least 15 minutes before and during gum use.
If you smoke a pack or more per day, smoke within 30 minutes of waking up, or have trouble not smoking in restricted areas, you may need to start with the higher dose (4 mg). Chew no more than 20 pieces of gum in one day. Nicotine gum is usually recommended for 1 to 3 months, with the maximum being 6 months. Tapering the amount of gum chewed may help you stop using it.
If you have sensitive skin, you may prefer the gum to the patch. Another advantage of nicotine gum is that it allows you to control the nicotine doses. The gum can be chewed as needed or on a fixed schedule during the day. The most recent data have shown that scheduled dosing works better. A schedule of 1 to 2 pieces per hour is common. On the other hand, with an as-needed schedule, you can chew more gum during a craving.
Some possible side effects of nicotine gum:
bad taste
throat irritation
mouth sores
hiccups
nausea
jaw discomfort
racing heartbeat
Symptoms related to the stomach and jaw are usually caused by improper use of the gum, such as swallowing nicotine or chewing too fast. The gum can also damage dentures and dental prostheses.
Long-term dependence is one possible disadvantage of nicotine gum. In fact, research has shown that 15% to 20% of gum users who successfully quit smoking continue using the gum for a year or longer. Although the maximum recommended length of use is 6 months, continuing to use the gum is probably safer than going back to smoking. But since there is little research on the health effects of long-term nicotine gum use, most health care providers still recommend limiting its use to 6 months.
Nicotine nasal spray: The nasal spray delivers nicotine to the bloodstream as it is quickly absorbed through the nose. It is available only by prescription.
The nasal spray relieves withdrawal symptoms very quickly and lets you control your nicotine cravings. Smokers usually like the nasal spray because it is easy to use. However, the FDA warns users that since this product contains nicotine, it can be addictive. It recommends that the spray be prescribed for 3-month periods and should not be used for longer than 6 months.
The most common side effects last about 1 to 2 weeks and can include the following:
nasal irritation
runny nose
watery eyes
sneezing
throat irritation
coughing
There is also the danger of using more than is needed. If you have asthma, allergies, nasal polyps, or sinus problems, your doctor may suggest another form of nicotine replacement.
Nicotine inhalers: Introduced in 1998, these inhalers are available only by prescription. The nicotine inhaler is a thin plastic tube with a nicotine cartridge inside. When you puff on the inhaler, the cartridge puts out a nicotine vapor. Unlike other inhalers, which deliver most of the medicine to the lungs, the nicotine inhaler delivers most of the nicotine vapor to the mouth. In terms of similar behavior, nicotine inhalers are the closest thing to smoking a cigarette, which some smokers find helpful.
The recommended dose is between 6 and 16 cartridges a day, for up to 6 months.
How to Quit
Smokers often say, "Don't tell me why to quit, tell me how." There is no one right way to quit, but there are some key elements in quitting with success. These 4 factors are key:
making the decision to quit
setting a quit date and choosing a quit plan
dealing with withdrawal
staying quit (maintenance)
Making the Decision to Quit
The decision to quit smoking is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but the real commitment must come from you.
Researchers have looked into how and why people stop smoking. They have some ideas, or models, of how this happens.
The Health Belief Model says that you will be more likely to stop smoking if you:
believe that you could get a smoking-related disease and this worries you
believe that you can make an honest attempt at quitting smoking
believe that the benefits of quitting outweigh the benefits of continuing to smoke
know of someone who has had health problems as a result of their smoking
Why Quit?
No matter how old you are or how long you've smoked, quitting will help you live longer. People who stop smoking before age 50 cut their risk of dying in the next 15 years in half compared with those who continue to smoke. Ex-smokers enjoy a higher quality of life with fewer illnesses from cold and flu viruses, better self-reported health, and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia.
For decades the Surgeon General has reported the health risks linked to smoking. In 1990, the Surgeon General concluded:
Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. Benefits apply to people with and without smoking-related disease.
Former smokers live longer than people who keep smoking.
Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.
Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy reduce their risk of having a low birth-weight baby to that of women who never smoked.
The health benefits of quitting smoking are far greater than any risks from the small weight gain (usually less than 10 pounds) or any emotional or psychological problems that may follow quitting.
20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification,
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases. 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
Introduction
The US Surgeon General has stated, "Smoking cessation (stopping smoking) represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives."
Quitting smoking is not easy, but you can do it. To have the best chance of quitting successfully, you need to know what you're up against, what your options are, and where to go for help. You'll find this information here.
Why Is It So Hard to Quit Smoking?
Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." Maybe you've tried to quit, too. Why is quitting and staying quit hard for so many people? The answer is nicotine.
Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive -- as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Over time, a person becomes physically and emotionally addicted to, or dependent on, nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must deal with both the physical and psychological dependence to be successful at quitting and staying quit.
Where Nicotine Goes and How Long it Stays
When you inhale smoke, nicotine is carried deep into your lungs, where it is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and carried throughout your body. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including your heart and blood vessels, your hormonal system, your metabolism, and your brain. Nicotine can be found in breast milk and even in cervix mucus secretions of smokers. During pregnancy, nicotine freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants.
Staying Healthy
You can learn the Smoking Basics and get in control of your nicotine need/ Stopping
Smoking will give you a wonderful sensation You will notice better
Lung Health in a matter of days.
If you're going to go through the hard work of quitting, you owe it to yourself to stack the odds for success in your favor. That's the purpose of this smoking control web site is to give you the tools to get motivated, make a plan, get ready, quit and stay quit.
Here's what you'll find:
information of Feeling Better: The Benefits Now-and in the Future
A Closer Look at A Timeline for Getting Healthier
We will tell you What Works: in the The Science of stopping Smoking
We will show you how to get ready Preparing Yourself, to quit.
A Closer Look:at How to Start a Smoker's Diary this will be a big help in your mental thoughts in finding strength to quit.
Keeping track of your Quit Day (& Beyond): will help you Stay Avoid Temptations
You will learn the Secrets of Success:by Staying Smoke Free
Take a closer look Closer Look: When You "Cheat" You really hurt the opportunity to be quiter in smoking.
Stop Smoking cessation is not something you would do temporarily. It can't also be taken lightly as there are a number of sacrifices and things at risk. So be sure to take your decision to quit as critically as you can.
Many people agree that the parts of their lives when they have started quitting the habit were the worst. For sure, these ex-smokers did not try just for once, they have done it for maybe even a hundred times before they were able to really succeed and kick off the habit for good. And it might even be possible that you, yourself, have tried quitting for a light of times before and may have even succeeded for brief periods but easily found your way back to your own comfort zones.
So what exactly would help you quit smoking forever?
Quitting is possible, no matter how many smokers believe that they could not break their habit. Your choices of techniques are pretty much vast and there are plenty of ways that you could use, either on their own or in conjunction to other methods. Most of these techniques guarantee the repression of the physical cravings. But we both know that it's the mental cravings that affect all quitters the worst.
Your choices of stop smoking techniques vary from nicotine products such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges, pills and sprays to therapies and medications. But the best way really is your personal preparation and your willingness to start quitting and stay quit.
Nothing beats your personal efforts, despite of the fact that products could contribute largely to the results of your quitting. But this does not happen in an instant, it takes a very long process to develop. So here is how it begins...
It starts with believing. If you do not believe in yourself, you would find it hard to believe in things that would help you kick off the habit. Besides, you are your source of willpower which both drives you towards your starting point and the end of your goal.
If you can believe that you would not hold another stick again, and you have true convictions on this, then it is likely that your drive to stay quit will not tarnish. Then preparation follows.
Preparation does not only involve the materials that would keep you on track. It takes to prepare yourself with a life long absence of smoke. This act is very easy when put in words but doing it would take extra long miles to execute.
Once you become hooked into something, in this case a substance called nicotine, it is likely to find yourself struggling. While your first puffs may not be the best experience you had, your physical and mental dependence on the substance will urge you to stay with it, even if it means that you are continuously sacrificing your body towards health risks. So this only means that living with something you have accustomed your daily living with is something that might cripple you in the initial stages of cessation. But this doesn't mean that you will be crippled for life. In fact, you will be making more out of life by making yourself seemingly crippled at first.
After the preparation comes the actual struggle to fulfill your own plans. This is the hardest part since it is basically the stage you need to deal with. After you have gathered all your will power to begin the process, you will have to face the monsters that will convince you not to continue with the struggle. Here is where all sorts of temptations and stress would come. You will have the urges to give in but it would depend on you if you would sacrifice another day without cigarette or you will relapse with the habit in this stage you will need a number of devices and products to make the struggle a lot more easier. It might be as simple as chewing gum, exercising, or talking to some one when the urge of wanting to smoke comes.
There is an array of different products that work in all possible ways. And these have their own pros and cons so be sure to check into external supports such as online help and experts on the field to make the most out of these devices.
This struggle will continue until you would decide not to go back to your old habit and ignore all the painful struggles you continue to have as you are reaping the fruits of your wise decision.
Yes, the secret to quitting smoking lies in how people learn new information and behaviors.
Psychologists have discovered that people process information in two different ways, with two different 'systems' of learning. One of these - the rational system - processes conceptual information: ideas, facts, figures... This is the kind of learning you did in school, and the kind that you're used to thinking about as 'learning.' Think of it as learning 'on purpose.'
The other kind of learning is different. It's called 'experiential' learning. It happens at a much deeper level, and often without even thinking about it. In fact, you rarely do 'experiential learning' on purpose, but you do it all the time anyway. The experiential system processes perceptual information - that is, information from your senses about your own personal experiences. Your experiential system 'knows' about things on an 'intuitive' level, because it's based on your experiences.
In school, your rational system learned things like the capitols of all of the states, and historical dates and places, and when to use a comma instead of a semicolon. Now, your rational system probably knows that smoking causes cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and a host of other major and minor health problems. This system is the one that knows you 'should' quit smoking.
What does your experiential system know about smoking?
On the other hand, what your experiential system 'knows' is that after dinner, it's time for a cigarette. And it knows that coffee and cigarettes go together. And it knows that if you're feeling stressed out, a cigarette will help, right?
So, what your rational system 'knows' and what your experiential system 'believes' are often very different. For example, you probably know that statistics show that flying is safer than driving. But if you're scared of flying, it is because your experiential system 'believes' that flying is dangerous.
See how that works?
You've probably already figured out that your rational learning doesn't have much impact on your experiential beliefs. So telling yourself about how terrible smoking is because it causes all kinds of diseases doesn't make you not want to smoke. That kind of information is ONLY processed by the rational system, and it doesn't work on the experiential system.
I'm sure you can see the problem here. The desire to smoke is rooted in our experiential system, but it seems that there is nothing we can do with our rational system to change it.
Or is there?
In fact, you CAN tap into your experiential system of deeper learning, if you know how.
And since your experiential system controls your desire to smoke, you MUST tap into this system if you want to become a comfortable, happy ex-smoker.
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Resources
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Quitting smoking - seems like it ought to be easy, but it's not. To help you, we've put together some great quit smoking resources to support your efforts to break your nicotine addiction.
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At first glance quitting seems simple... all you have to do is never smoke again, right? Unfortunately, for most people it never quite works that way. On average, it takes smokers about 7 times to quit for good. The good news is that our Quitting Guide can help you end your nicotine addiction once and for all!
It's great that you're planning to stop smoking soon! Many smokers wonder whether they'll be able to quit. In fact, many ex-smokers once had these same doubts, too. What makes ex-smokers successful is that they stay determined and focused throughout the cessation process.
A good place for you to start in joining in with this group of people that has made up there minds to quit smoking. It reviews the importance of combining a positive attitude with expert advice and practical quit smoking tips.
The group provides the latest information that can help you make it through the quitting process. It explains why quitting can be so tough and offers tips on planning the best quitting strategy and staying tobacco-free for good. Although it won't make quitting painless or easy, the Group will make it possible when you're ready!
Table of Contents
Making the Decision | Getting Ready
Hell Week & Beyond | Staying Quit
Footnotes
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Physical Addiction
Within just 7-10 seconds of inhaling cigarette smoke, nicotine begins affecting your brain. Nicotine acts on cells in the "reward center" of the brain. This results in feelings of pleasure and alertness- the "hit" that your body comes to expect. When bloodstream nicotine levels are at their peak, the brain is highly stimulated. However, within just 30 minutes, your body has cleaned out most of the nicotine. You then feel tired, jittery, depressed, or fatigued. You begin to crave another cigarette, and the cycle continues. This cycle, which increases in intensity and frequency over time, is part of what makes cigarettes so addictive. Essentially, smoking becomes a never-ending battle of trying to stay within the 'comfort zone'.
Psychological Addiction or "Habit"
Ever wonder how cigarettes got to be such an important part of your life? Here's one explanation:
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who studied behavior change in the early 1900s. He observed that dogs normally salivate when they are given food. In his experiments, he rang a bell just before he fed his dogs. As a consequence, the dogs began to associate the bell with the presentation of food. Over time, they would salivate if he simply rang the bell without putting out any food. They had learned "Hey... when the bell rings, it means I'm going to be fed."
The same thing can happen with smoking. After smoking many, many cigarettes, various things become "paired" with cigarettes and can bring on the urge to smoke. For example, if you smoke every time you drive in your car, simply getting into the car can trigger powerful cravings. It's like your brain says, "Hey, I'm in the car now, looks like I'm getting nicotine soon!" Likewise, if you smoke each morning when you first get up, this time of day can lead to powerful cravings for cigarettes, even long after you've quit smoking. For most people, breaking these connections is one of the most important steps in quitting.
Want a few other explanations for your habit? B.F. Skinner did a series of animal experiments to study how habits are formed. Although it doesn't seem like rocket science these days, Skinner found that when behavior is reinforced or rewarded, it is more likely to be repeated; similarly, if a behavior is punished, it is less likely to be repeated. This makes it easy to see why smoking is tough to stop: there are many powerful "reinforcers" involved in smoking. The "kick" of nicotine is probably the strongest reinforcer, but social acceptance from other smokers and the perception that smoking is relaxing are other reinforcers to consider as well. Likewise, many people who try to quit are "punished" by withdrawal symptoms and give up their efforts to quit.
Understanding the Smoking Equation:
People have varying difficulties with either the physical or psychological aspects of quitting smoking. Maybe you smoked to experience the "hit" of nicotine or to avoid strong withdrawal symptoms. If so, physical addiction will underlie many of your triggers. Or... perhaps being in certain places or experiencing certain emotions often made you want to smoke; thus, psychological or behavioral elements will be behind your triggers. Most likely, though, you'll find both areas are involved in your smoking patterns to some degree. It is important to think about why you smoke each time you have a cigarette. QuitNet members use the "Why do You smoke" tool to figure this out. This will help you identify your triggers. Once you have identified your reasons for smoking and your triggers, you can go about breaking them one by one. Nicotine replacement medicines can be an important part of this process.
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Stay quit
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If you've been following along so far, by now you've done a lot of thinking about how you're going to quit. Naturally, you're probably also wondering whether you'll really be able to stay quit this time, and if there is anything you can do to improve your chances. After all, Mark Twain wasn't just kidding when he said "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it hundreds of times." The hard part really is staying quit.
The good news is, if you've come up with a good plan for quitting, you've accomplished more than half the battle. In other words, staying quit over the long term is largely a function of 'how well' you quit.
Consider: Someone who quits cold turkey with no plan to beat the psychological dependence will continue to have strong urges to smoke, even after the physical addiction has ended. They will most likely find it pretty difficult to stay quit for very long. On the other hand, someone who deals with the psychological aspects of smoking to reduce or eliminate the urges as they quit stands a much better chance of staying quit.
So the first lesson about staying quit is to make sure that you quit 'well.'
Assuming that you have put together a plan that will help you eliminate your day-to-day urges, there are two other ways that people sometimes return to smoking: Casually, or as a result of stress or trauma.
"Casual" failures can happen when people don't realize that smoking a cigarette - even several months after they've quit - can lead them right back to where they were. In other words, what we're talking about here is someone who quit, got rid of most of their urges to smoke, and is doing fine. Until one day, perhaps several months later, they say something to themselves like, "Hey, a cigarette right now would be nice. I haven't had one in several days/weeks/months, I think I'll have one now. One won't hurt..."
Of course, one DOES hurt, when it inevitably turns into a pack (or more) a day.
On the other side of the coin, people who return to smoking as a result of stress or trauma oftentimes didn't do enough while they were quitting to develop new skills and habits for dealing with stress. As a result, when an extra-stressful situation happens, they turn back to cigarettes.
As you quit, you will want to plan for ways to avoid both of these pitfalls. The action steps below have more suggestions.
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Action Step
Step #7: Inoculate Yourself Against Failure
As I mentioned above, the most important part of staying quit is quitting 'well' - that is, making sure that your plan eliminates the psychological urge to smoke as well as the physical addiction.
If you haven't developed a plan yet, take a look at our web pages. It may be just what the doctor ordered. If you already have a plan, then now - before you quit - is the time to consider the two points below.
First, think about the 'casual' route back to smoking - that is, under what circumstances might you make a 'casual' decision to go back to smoking, not realizing that it will undo all the work you've done to quit?
Second, consider circumstances that you think could 'make' you go back to smoking - traumatic, stressful situations.
Once you've brainstormed those circumstances, think back to times you've quit in the past, and/or talk to other people who have quit and gone back to smoking. Can you learn anything from either your past experiences, or theirs? You can probably learn as much or more from failures - your own and other people's - as you can from successes.
Recognize that as long as you've done the up-front work to quit well, you have complete control over these two circumstances. If your quit plan includes techniques to emphasize alternative ways to deal with stress and trauma, and a firm grasp of the ways your experiential system could lead you 'casually' back into smoking, you will have inoculated yourself against failure and dramatically improved your chances to stay quit for good.
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Make This The Last Time You'll Ever Have to Quit
This is the final issue of Quit Smoking Tips. I sincerely hope the information in this series has been helpful to you as you develop your plan to quit smoking. If you have read all of the articles and followed all of the action steps, you probably have a lot of ideas now about how to successfully quit.
You may be feeling that quitting is more complicated than you initially thought. As you've read, there are a lot of things to think about, and a lot of things to get right if you want to quit for good, without spending months or even years constantly fighting the urge to smoke.
I know, because I've done it. So:
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watch your weight
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Smoke-free and Fit... or Fat?
OK, let's face up to the truth here. The truth is... gaining weight is not inevitable when you quit smoking. In a recent study, about a third of the people who quit did gain weight, but about two thirds did NOT gain weight. For people who do gain, the average amount is about 11 pounds (about 6 to 8 pounds for women), but that average also includes folks who actually needed to gain weight.
There are two important points here:
First, it does make sense to consider ways to avoid weight gain when you're making a plan to quit, because it can happen.
On the other hand, there is no point in exaggerating the magnitude of the problem - not everyone gains weight, and even those who do don't usually gain a lot.
Even more interestingly, another study showed that folks who received treatment designed to help them quit worrying about weight gain were more successful at quitting smoking than folks who received treatment designed to help actually prevent weight gain. And guess what? The 'don't worry' group didn't gain any more weight than the 'prevent weight gain' group!
So what does all this mean about your plan for quitting?
It means that conquering the fat demon is really two-fold:
First, you do want to avoid excessive weight gain when you're quitting. Gaining a lot of weight is discouraging and could derail your quit attempt.
At least as important, you want to make sure that worrying about gaining weight doesn't derail you, either.
In other words, it is just as critical to make sure that you don't stress out about weight gain while you quit. Now, I don't mean that you have free reign to stuff yourself with whatever is on hand - if you do, you may well look into the mirror in a couple of weeks and decide it's just not worth it. But don't try to 'diet' while quitting, either.
My advice is to find a middle ground that allows you to let go of your concerns for a little while, but doesn't open the floodgates to unreasonable eating - especially lots of sugary and/or fatty foods. These kinds of foods, besides adding the pounds, are likely to increase your urge to smoke.
If you can, decide that a little bit of weight gain in the short term is acceptable. Once you've successfully quit smoking, you'll be in a very good position to improve your overall health, including becoming more fit and losing any excess weight.
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Get Moving!
Don't forget the other side of the equation, here, either: physical activity. Research shows that in addition to helping you maintain your weight when you quit, physical activity helps you deal with urges to smoke, too.
By the way, did you notice I didn't say 'exercise?' As part of your plan, you'll probably want to include ways to get moving, but I recommend AGAINST a structured, tedious 'exercise' program. Quitting smoking is enough of a challenge, so make sure that your 'get moving plan' supports your quit attempt, rather than being an additional burden.
Come up with strategies that will help you burn off some of the nervous energy, alleviate tension, and get your immune system working better to flush out the nicotine. Make it something you like to do: Dancing? Walking? A sport you enjoy? Gardening? Even pacing and fidgeting can burn calories, keep your metabolism up, and dispel some nervous energy.
By the way, if you're already overweight and wondering if it would be better to quit smoking first or try to lose weight, here's a fact you might want to consider: You would have to be about 350 pounds over your ideal weight to have health risks that even come close to the risks of smoking. So by all means, see your doctor before changing your exercise routine, but make quitting smoking your priority. Once you've managed that, you'll be in a much better position to get into shape afterwards.
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Action Step
Step #4: Use Food and Movement to Support your Quit Attempt
As you devise your plan for quitting, if you have concerns about weight gain, make sure to include ways to deal with that issue in your plan. Do recognize that it's OK to deal with one thing at a time, and that a little weight gain is not the end of the world - you can put that on your self-improvement list next. At the same time, you can incorporate food and movement in ways that support your quit attempt rather then add extra pressure.
For example, you know that when you quit, you'll want something in your mouth sometimes. Choose things that will help you satisfy this desire but won't add too many calories to your diet. Some ideas are sugarless gum, cinnamon toothpicks, breath mints, and low-calories vegetables like carrot sticks and celery, or hot drinks like herbal tea or decaf coffee. Learn to distinguish between genuine hunger and a desire for oral stimulation. Then, be sure to eat when you're hungry, and only when you're hungry. The rest of the time, use one of your 'oral stimulation' tools.
Use physical movement to support your quit attempt, too. As you're planning, make a list of some activities that you can incorporate into your day to burn off nervous energy, reduce stress, and burn calories. No need to make this into a formal exercise program unless you really want to. (Plenty of time for that later, once you've successfully quit.) Remember, this will help you keep your weight down as well as eliminate urges. We invite you to visit our web group concerning eating control.
http://groups.msn.com/eatingcontrol
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Letting Go
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Letting Go: The Grief Process
When you quit smoking, you are letting go of something that has most likely been a significant part of your life for quite a long time. No matter that you're really ready to quit, that you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, or even that you can literally FEEL it killing you, little by little (or maybe even not so little by little, if you have a major illness...). No matter - when you do manage to quit, you will grieve just as if you had lost a friend.
This is NORMAL.
The trick to getting through the grief process and coming out on the other end a happy and comfortable ex-smoker is mainly about realizing what is happening so it doesn't derail your quit attempt, and so you don't get 'stuck' in one of the stages.
The grief process itself is described below, to help you recognize the stages in order to deal with them better. Understand that this is a process that everyone goes through, for every loss, large or small.
In some cases the loss is obvious, and the steps are easy to see. For instance, if you've ever been laid off from a job, these reactions will likely be familiar to you:
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Denial
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You're laying me off? Are you kidding?! I can't believe I'm out of a job!
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Anger
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Why me? That's not fair - they should have cut someone else!
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Bargaining
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If only I had been hired two months sooner, I would have had more seniority and I wouldn't have been cut!
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Depression
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I'll never find another job that pays this well. How will I pay my bills?!
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Acceptance
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Well, I didn't really get along with my boss that well anyway. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise...
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It's important to realize that this is a normal part of the process of quitting, and NOT an indication that you don't want to quit smoking, that you won't be able to, or that you shouldn't. Trust me on this one: if you've gotten this far along in the process, you're ready to quit...
The grief process is really just a way of 'processing' changes in your life. Your rational system already knows that many aspects of your life will be better once you're happy and smoke-free. This is just your experiential system's way of coming to that same conclusion.
The best thing you can do for yourself with regard to the grief process is to familiarize yourself with the different stages so that you recognize them as you go through them. It's important to understand that many people who do NOT realize what is happening to them return to smoking, usually during the stages of anger, bargaining, or especially depression.
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Action Step
Step #6: Prepare for the Grief Process
Do some reading on the grief process to gain a better understanding of it - you will find lots of information on the internet. Look again at the different stages, and consider how they are likely to affect you when you quit smoking.
Write yourself some notes that you can look at later, when you are in the midst of the process. They might say something like: "Remember that anger is part of the grief process. I may have some very real reasons to be angry, but at least some of my anger reaction is just a normal part of the grief process, and it will pass." In addition to anger, consider how you will be affected by the 'bargaining' and 'depression' stages of the grief process.
Take a little time now to prepare for each of these stages. Consider the best ways for you to deal with anger, depression, and bargaining. Let your rational system help you come up with strategies to keep your experiential system in check as you go through these stages.
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I hope you've been enjoying the this page. If you find that you have any questions, you can e-mail me by christianoutreachcenter@hotmail.com replying to any of these "Tips" messages.
This note is a little different, because in it I'm not going to tell you how to quit smoking. Instead, I'm going to tell you how NOT to quit. The truth is, there really IS a secret to quitting, and I'll tell you about it in a minute...
I sent some of you an e-mail few days ago about a man who had brain damage and woke up from it without the urge to smoke. Medical scientists got involved, and discovered that some other folks with brain damage in the same area also reported reduced urges to smoke.
At the end of the article, one of the experts commented that maybe one day we would be able to "make a pill that replicated the effects of the brain damage." Now, as intriguing as that might sound, you probably realize intuitively what's wrong with this solution:
The problem is, it's a purely physiological solution to what is essentially a psychological problem.
Yes, the physical addiction to nicotine is real, but as you know, the main difficulty with quitting is the psychological dependence. And taking a pill to eliminate that - without also taking steps to 'unlearn' that dependence - is probably doomed to failure.
And so here's the advice I promised you at the beginning of this note about how NOT to quit:
DON'T keep searching for that magic pill. DON'T keep looking for that one trick or gimmick that promises you 'effortless' quitting.
You and I both know that if there was a simple pill or gimmick that actually worked, ex-smokers around the world would be crowing about it from the rooftops. It's a nice fantasy, but the longer you hold on to it, the longer you will be stuck with your smoking habit.
You see, this is really the secret to quitting successfully: you have to come to grips with the fact that there isn't a pill, patch, or magic gimmick that will make it all effortless. Once you've done that, you can get on with the business of quitting.
Instead, think about all the things that bug you about smoking:
The way it controls you. Burnt clothes, ashes everywhere. The smell. The expense. The inconvenience. The way some people look down on you because you smoke. Feeling guilty because of what you're doing to your health. Whatever it is about smoking that really drives you crazy - the things that really make you want to quit - think about those for a minute.
Now think about being able to escape all that. Think about what it would be like to live happily, comfortably, and smoke-free. No more ashes. No more cigarette expense. No more standing ostracized out in the heat or the cold. No more cravings.
And then answer this question honestly:
Are you willing to make the effort to unlearn your habit?
Or are you only interested in quitting if you can find a magic pill that makes it effortless? Of course both if us know there is no magic pill. This is something you are going to have to do on your own. We can help for we know some answers for you. But it's your will and desire to quit smoking that is going to make it work.
Next question:
If you had someone to teach you how - someone to walk you, step-by-step, through a proven successful process - Do you think that would help?
If you think having a mentor - a professional - walk you through a process, tell you step-by-step what to do, and help you through all the rough spots... if you think that would make it easier and increase your chances for success, I can only agree with you.
As a psychologist and an ex-smoker, I know that I have a unique understanding of what it takes to shake free of this habit. And as someone who 'tried everything' before I was able to quit, I can tell you from personal experience that there are more things out there that DON'T work than ones that do.
Only you can quit, but you don't have to do it alone.
As a result of my experiences, I created a method that anyone can use, based on both my professional psychological knowledge and my personal experience with quitting. My goal was to put together the most effective techniques available to get rid of the psychological dependence as well as the nicotine addiction.
Then I laid things out, step-by-step, to make sure that the process was as simple and clear as possible. Although the process uses complex psychological principles, make no mistake, anyone can follow the road map I've created. If you are near the Portsmouth Ohio area, we sure invite you to our stop smoking program meetings at the Christian Outreach Center at 1525 Poplar St. If you live far away we will still give you lots of help and tips over the internet. Email us at christianoutreachcenter@hotmail.com
Psychological Addiction or "Habit"
Ever wonder how cigarettes got to be such an important part of your life? Here's one explanation:
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who studied behavior change in the early 1900s. He observed that dogs normally salivate when they are given food. In his experiments, he rang a bell just before he fed his dogs. As a consequence, the dogs began to associate the bell with the presentation of food. Over time, they would salivate if he simply rang the bell without putting out any food. They had learned "Hey... when the bell rings, it means I'm going to be fed."
The same thing can happen with smoking. After smoking many, many cigarettes, various things become "paired" with cigarettes and can bring on the urge to smoke. For example, if you smoke every time you drive in your car, simply getting into the car can trigger powerful cravings. It's like your brain says, "Hey, I'm in the car now, looks like I'm getting nicotine soon!" Likewise, if you smoke each morning when you first get up, this time of day can lead to powerful cravings for cigarettes, even long after you've quit smoking. For most people, breaking these connections is one of the most important steps in quitting.
Want a few other explanations for your habit? B.F. Skinner did a series of animal experiments to study how habits are formed. Although it doesn't seem like rocket science these days, Skinner found that when behavior is reinforced or rewarded, it is more likely to be repeated; similarly, if a behavior is punished, it is less likely to be repeated. This makes it easy to see why smoking is tough to stop: there are many powerful "reinforcers" involved in smoking. The "kick" of nicotine is probably the strongest reinforcer, but social acceptance from other smokers and the perception that smoking is relaxing are other reinforcers to consider as well. Likewise, many people who try to quit are "punished" by withdrawal symptoms and give up their efforts to quit.
