Here’s some advice for those hard-core smokers who think they just can’t quit

NUNATSIAQ NEWS Many people who stop smoking do so "cold turkey." As is the case with most addictive habits, this approach to change is not suitable for everyone and often leads to frustration and feelings of defeat. Heavy smoking is different from other addictive habits in that the behavior often becomes strongly associated with a variety of situations. Certain times of the day, certain mood states, certain places, even certain people become associated with smoking. Therefore, stopping all at once often leads to an onslaught of urges and cravings, which occur throughout the day. This can be quite overwhelming, if not intolerable, leading to relapse and self-statements like, "This habit is stronger than me. What’s the use?" Gradual reduction is a viable alternative for some people for the following reasons: 1. It helps you to develop urge control skills at a manageable pace, starting with the easiest smoking situations and, with success, moving on to stronger urge situations. This approach can be quite empowering and have a "snowball effect." 2. Learning which situations are most difficult to tolerate without tobacco enables you to understand "the meaning" of the habit (e.g. being bored, playing cards, house parties), so that you can begin to modify your lifestyle by substituting more healthy alternatives. 3. An "all or nothing" approach to habit change often leaves people alternating between total abstinence and heavy smoking. By learning to cope with urges in specific situations, lapses can be caught early on and coping responses can be initiated so that a slip does not become a full-blown relapse. 4. Some people prefer to moderate their smoking (chipping) as opposed to quitting altogether. By learning to control urges in particular situations, some people may learn to limit their smoking to specific situations. Below are the basic guidelines for smoking reduction: 1. Monitor your smoking for a week. Do not attempt to cut back during this time. Watch the situations in which smoking occurs. Also observe the mood you experienced prior to use (for example, anxiety, boredom, happiness). Rate how strong the urge was (e.g. 0 = little or no urge 5 = extremely strong urge). 2. Determine which situations tend to have the least intense urges and occur in response to the least intense emotions. Decide to cut back by one cigarette for two or three days. The following techniques can be useful for decreasing the potency of urges: Remind yourself of the following: No one ever died from an urge. With success in avoiding urges, they will occur less frequently and less intensely. I’ve coped with worse, I’ll get through this for sure etc. Distraction. Practice shifting your attention during strong urges. People often notice some negative changes when giving up a habit. Some feel like they have lost a passion and wonder how they will cope without their friend. These feelings are not irrational. Smoking, like any addictive habit, endures because of the positive consequences. It will be important for you to develop other passions, or you will be left with an unbalanced lifestyle. Others notice an increase of stress? Try to develop alternative methods for dealing with stress, such as exercise, meditation, new hobbies, relaxation techniques. 3. Manage lapses. A slip does not have to lead to a full-blown relapse. If you backslide in an area you previously mastered, tell yourself that it is no big deal. Don’t allow yourself to entertain such thoughts as Well, I failed, what’s the use, I might as well have another smoke. Try to entertain alternative coping self-statements, for example, Well, I slipped this morning. It was a stressful day and I just lost control. I feel less stressed now and can get back on track. I need to put my efforts into stress reduction. If I can keep myself from smoking heavily for the rest of the day this will have been a tremendous success. Slips are always opportunities to learn. Detailed monitoring of the lapse can provide you with useful information as to areas in which you need to put more effort.

<< Prev	CIGoutlet.NET News Home	Next >>