| Smoking & You: Quitting
and Not Starting Again Practical Psychology | by Lloyd J. Thomas The verdict is in. Nobody debates the issue any more. An estimated 346,000 people die prematurely every year directly due to smoking. The link between smoking and death is solidly established. Smoking definitely contributes to the two most deadly illnesses we Americans experience...heart disease and cancer. This makes smoking THE major cause of preventable deaths in the USA. Research has demonstrated that if you quit smoking, your chances of developing heart disease begins to decline almost immediately. No matter what your age, when you quit, within a few years, your risk of cardiovascular disease will be about the same as if you never smoked. Risk of cancer will also decline, but probably not as quickly nor as dramatically. How do smokers quit? How do they remain "smoke-free?" How do they keep themselves from starting again? These kinds of questions are still debatable, and there seems to be considerable misinformation available about people who do quit "for good." Recent research has begun to "demythologize" the process of quitting. Here is some relatively new information which might help you more accurately understand the nature of quitting. You quit every single time you finish that last cigarette or cigar. Like all other addictions, the focus needs to be placed on not starting again. Quitting is easy. Refraining from lighting up again is the tough part. People who quit on their own do about as well as those who seek the help of professionals or commercial programs designed to help them quit. You can stop starting again all by yourself. But remember that professional help and support groups do help a lot of people. You might be one of them. There are no known drugs that will help with withdrawal symptoms. Clonidine, usually prescribed for some people with high blood pressure, has been touted as a help for withdrawal. But again, as with any addictive substance, the only proven drug which predictably relieves withdrawal symptoms is more of the same drug, in this case, nicotine itself. Usually, this comes in the form of chewing gum or transdermal (skin) patches. Even when you use these, your body still craves the nicotine and eventually you will have to kick the patches or chewing-gum habit. However, some success has been reported where the use of nicotine gum and a smoking cessation program combined does increase the success rate to about 50 percent (the usual rates are considerably lower). The difficulty of stopping smoking is partially dependent on the intensity of the desire to quit, not on how much you smoke. Apparently heavy smokers and light smokers are able to stay cigarette free equally as long after they managed to not start for a year. According to a recent study of more than 5,000 smokers and quitters, the "cycle from smoking to non-smoking and back again continues most of one's life." Sure some people are able to have that "occasional" cigarette again after they haven't smoked for some time, but having that first one just isn't worth the risk. Nicotine remains the most difficult of addictive substances from which to free oneself. Those who have that first one have obviously started smoking again and have not continued to "not start." So if you are tempted to begin again, gently remind yourself of how difficult it is to quit, how bad it was when you were smoking before, and the benefits you have enjoyed by not smoking (for example: you save money; don't cough or "feel rotten" all the time; have more energy; don't pollute the air or cause illness in others; contribute to your own health and well-being; are proud of yourself and have more confidence in your ability to control yourself and your life; etc.) No matter what methods you try help you with the addiction to nicotine, it is never simple or easy to not start again. It is not a matter of "willpower." It is not a matter of personal failure, if you quit and smoke again. It is most difficult because your brain chemistry has changed and changing it back to "normal" is a very arduous task. But after you have won your battle with the withdrawal symptoms (usually about two weeks), you need to learn new ways of eating, relaxing, comforting yourself and exercise. These help your brain chemistry to return to a pre-smoked condition. All it takes is a lot of planning, determination, persistence and modification of your lifestyle. And as a former heavy smoker, I can testify that "it ain't simple or easy." But millions of people in America have quit and have not started up again. So you can do it too. Your body will thank you for it over...and over...and over again. Your loved ones will too. Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. has 30+ years experience as a Life Coach and Licensed Psychologist. He is available for coaching in any area presented in "Practical Psychology." As your Coach, his only agenda is to assist you in creating the lifestyle you genuinely desire. The initial coaching session is free. Contact him at (970) 568-0173 or e-mail DrLloyd@CreatingLeaders.com. Visit the website www.lifecoachtraining.com. To subscribe to his weekly column, Practical Psychology, e-mail your request to: PracticalPsychology-On@lists.webvalence.com and write "subscribe" in the subject line and an "X" in the body. Copyright © 2004 Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. |
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July 2004 |
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