Wondering why nicotine seems to be the hardest habit you’ve ever tried to break? It just may be. Additives included in modern tobacco products (such as ammonia, lead, butol and other chemicals) enhance the psychological rewards of smoking and intensify its addictive capacities, making it just as difficult to beat as heroin or cocaine.
Quitting smoking may just be one of the most amazing feats a human can accomplish.
In addition, there are several glamorous social options to smoking these days. More than just buying a cigarette, you could also taste a cigar, try an Indian bidi, puff a traditional pipe, try a clove cigarette or even visit a hookah bar for Middle Eastern-style smoking.
Smoking cessation specialist Michael Dettner explains that cigarette smoke mixes with the nitrous acid naturally found in the air to form deadly carcinogens for those nearby. Additionally, one in five funerals is for someone with a smoking-related illness. This is reason enough to begin the difficult but rewarding journey of being smoke-free.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, smoking cessation lowers the risk for lung and other types of cancer, reduces the risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease, and reduces respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Women who quit during their reproductive years reduce their risk for infertility.
The Mayo Clinic offers these simple tips to quit smoking:
1. Make a decision to quit. It must be your own desire and not simply an attempt to please others.
2. Choose and write down a quit date.
3. Prepare for that date. See your doctor to obtain prescriptions that aid in quitting, and begin those medicines at least a week before your quit date to give them time to begin working.
4. Tell someone your plans.
5. Rid your house, car, and work space of all tobacco products and anything that would remind you of smoking.
6. Purchase materials that will help you cope with a craving such as raw veggies, sugarless candy, cinnamon sticks and water.
7. Join a support group in town. Find a counselor who can walk with you through this journey.
8. Reflect on any challenges you may face or have faced in the past while trying to quit. Try to head them off by planning ahead.
Often used as a stress relief option or a way of unwinding at the end of the day, one woman described the habit of smoking as akin to having a “best friend that you could always depend on.”
The psychological and emotional benefits of smoking must be combated strategically. For example, if you are feeling depressed and this causes you to be tempted to smoke, try watching a movie or calling a friend. If anxious, you could stretch and breathe for several minutes or work on one small activity.
If you fear gaining weight, plan ahead for a low-calorie diet but switching to lower fat meats, eating more fiber, avoiding fast food restaurants, or walking more often. Feeling frustration or anger? Stop immediately and try deep-breathing exercises.
Though it is possible to quit on a first attempt, many people must attempt several times before they are successful. HALT (Hungry, Angry or Anxious, Lonely, Tired) is an acronym many counselors use to help people recognize when they are experiencing their most vulnerable moments. Remember to plan ahead and give yourself as much support as you can.
Tabi Upton, MA-lpc, is a therapist at CBI-Richmont Counseling Center. She is founder of www.chattanoogacounselor.com, an online self-help resource site. Email her at tabiupton@bellsouth.net.