If you are actively quitting smoking, or trying to cut down on cigarettes, you will find that the following quick tips are easy to remember. They are also very effective in helping you make it through a craving.
The 4 Ds
• Delay: If you can delay lighting up for 2 or 3 minutes, the urge may pass.
• Deep Breathing: Taking 10 slow, deep breaths are recommended by stress management
experts to help people calm themselves. Instead of taking short, shallow breaths, be aware of how your abdomen rises as you inhale and falls when you exhale.
• Drink Water: Water helps to flush nicotine totally out of your body within 72 hours- if you do not smoke another cigarette or use nicotine gum, the patch or other such products..
• Do Something Else: Find something else to do for 10 – 15 minutes. It may help the urge to pass. You may find that you get engrossed in the new activity and forget about smoking the cigarette you were craving. Examples include: checking email, doing a crossword puzzle or suduko, brushing your teeth, cleaning a window, taking a short walk.
HALT- Don’t let yourself get too:
Hungry – Angry – Lonely – Tired
You’ve smoked for all these reasons in the past. You’ve satisfied your hunger with a cigarette when there’s no food around to eat (or when you are trying to cut calories). You’ve soothed difficult feelings like anger, sadness, fear, and loneliness with a cigarette. And you’ve lit a cigarette when you’re tired to keep you alert and focus.
Try these techniques. They work well when you use them. They will help you quit smoking.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Quitting Smoking: Choosing a Method to Quit
You have decided to quit smoking and now you have to decide how you will quit. There are several options. This blog will address the standard quit smoking methods: tapering, “cold turkey”, nicotine replacement therapy, and prescribed medication (Zyban and Chantix). Each of the methods has pros and cons. I recommend that you write down pros and cons in every decision related to the quit process. Actually seeing the lists helps you to make informed decisions rather than having the reasons “in your head”.
Tapering has the advantage of you continuing to smoke as you cut down your use. However, you will have cigarettes readily available when temptations occur to smoke “just one more because I deserve it”.
“Cold turkey” requires you to choose a quit date, quit, and remain quit despite discomfort from withdrawal from nicotine. An advantage is that the physical withdrawal lasts only about 72 hours, however, you still have to deal with the emotional withdrawal.
Nicotine replacement therapy helps you break the smoking habit, while using a different nicotine delivery system. This method is more comfortable, but at some point you will have to taper off the nicotine in order to quit completely. Some state health departments provide free nicotine patches and phone counseling for those wanting to quit.
Prescribed medication acts on neurotransmitters in your brain. They ultimately decrease the desire to smoke. Or they act on the pleasure center of the brain, so smoking is not as satisfying as it used to be. One disadvantage is that some insurance companies do not cover the costs of these meds for smoking cessation.
It is important for you to learn as much as you can about each method so you can choose the best quit method for you. Future posts will explore each of these methods of quitting smoking.
Tapering has the advantage of you continuing to smoke as you cut down your use. However, you will have cigarettes readily available when temptations occur to smoke “just one more because I deserve it”.
“Cold turkey” requires you to choose a quit date, quit, and remain quit despite discomfort from withdrawal from nicotine. An advantage is that the physical withdrawal lasts only about 72 hours, however, you still have to deal with the emotional withdrawal.
Nicotine replacement therapy helps you break the smoking habit, while using a different nicotine delivery system. This method is more comfortable, but at some point you will have to taper off the nicotine in order to quit completely. Some state health departments provide free nicotine patches and phone counseling for those wanting to quit.
Prescribed medication acts on neurotransmitters in your brain. They ultimately decrease the desire to smoke. Or they act on the pleasure center of the brain, so smoking is not as satisfying as it used to be. One disadvantage is that some insurance companies do not cover the costs of these meds for smoking cessation.
It is important for you to learn as much as you can about each method so you can choose the best quit method for you. Future posts will explore each of these methods of quitting smoking.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Smoking Cessation: Are You Ready to Quit Smoking?
How to Quit Smoking Guide
In my work with smokers, I assess their readiness to quit smoking. I have found James O. Prochaska’s (PhD) the (Transtheoretical) stage model of behavior change to be an effective way of assessing readiness. According to this model, there are 5 stages of change.
1. Pre-contemplation. Persons in this stage have no intention of changing their smoking behavior. These are the patients who tell me, ”I enjoy smoking and I’m not interested in talking with you about quitting.” With these persons, I still give a personalized message. “You have told me that you get bronchitis at least twice a year. One of the best things you can do to help your lungs and prevent heart problems is to quit smoking.”
2. Contemplation. Persons in this stage plan to take action on their smoking behavior within the next 6 months. Chances are, they know the dangers of smoking to their health, but they know they depend on nicotine’s effects (See Why Is Quitting Smoking So Difficult?). They are reluctant to quit now.
3. Preparation. Persons in this stage are planning to make changes in their smoking in one month. They may be collecting information on methods of quitting, and may have asked their health provider about medications to assist in quitting. They may have found out about cessation classes and/or support groups. They respond to ads about upcoming classes and they pick up materials from brochure racks on how to quit.
4. Action. These persons are involved in classes, seek information online on how to quit, and/or are taking medications to help themselves quit. They may have had contact with one of the “Quitline” programs sponsored by state health departments throughout the U.S. They may have bought a self help book about quitting and are keeping daily smoking logs to discover their triggers to smoking. They may be cutting down their use or they have decided on a date to go “cold turkey” by quitting on a specific day according to a plan they have developed.
5. Maintenance. These persons have quit smoking and are working hard every day – sometimes one craving at a time – to prevent a slip back to smoking. They are interested in learning how to remain quit for the rest of their lives. They can benefit from materials on healthy alternatives to smoking.
I will keep updating this blog so that you can learn how to quit smoking.
In my work with smokers, I assess their readiness to quit smoking. I have found James O. Prochaska’s (PhD) the (Transtheoretical) stage model of behavior change to be an effective way of assessing readiness. According to this model, there are 5 stages of change.
1. Pre-contemplation. Persons in this stage have no intention of changing their smoking behavior. These are the patients who tell me, ”I enjoy smoking and I’m not interested in talking with you about quitting.” With these persons, I still give a personalized message. “You have told me that you get bronchitis at least twice a year. One of the best things you can do to help your lungs and prevent heart problems is to quit smoking.”
2. Contemplation. Persons in this stage plan to take action on their smoking behavior within the next 6 months. Chances are, they know the dangers of smoking to their health, but they know they depend on nicotine’s effects (See Why Is Quitting Smoking So Difficult?). They are reluctant to quit now.
3. Preparation. Persons in this stage are planning to make changes in their smoking in one month. They may be collecting information on methods of quitting, and may have asked their health provider about medications to assist in quitting. They may have found out about cessation classes and/or support groups. They respond to ads about upcoming classes and they pick up materials from brochure racks on how to quit.
4. Action. These persons are involved in classes, seek information online on how to quit, and/or are taking medications to help themselves quit. They may have had contact with one of the “Quitline” programs sponsored by state health departments throughout the U.S. They may have bought a self help book about quitting and are keeping daily smoking logs to discover their triggers to smoking. They may be cutting down their use or they have decided on a date to go “cold turkey” by quitting on a specific day according to a plan they have developed.
5. Maintenance. These persons have quit smoking and are working hard every day – sometimes one craving at a time – to prevent a slip back to smoking. They are interested in learning how to remain quit for the rest of their lives. They can benefit from materials on healthy alternatives to smoking.
I will keep updating this blog so that you can learn how to quit smoking.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
How to Quit Smoking: Breaking Your Smoking Habit
To learn how to quit smoking successfully you will have to deal with smoking as a habit. If you are not sure that smoking is a habit, keeping 3 days or more of daily smoking logs will show you how your smoking is related to time, places, people, and activities. Getting to know your patterns and seeing how they are actually habits will help you in the process of quitting smoking.
To break a habit, you must change something that has become automatic – something that you are doing without thinking about it first. Think about where you keep you cigarettes and how you light your cigarettes. Do you think these have become habits for you?
Sometimes you may reach for a cigarette and light it without thinking about it. If you are a guy who keeps your cigarette pack and lighter in your left shirt pocket, wear shirts without those pockets for a few days in a row. If you are a woman who keeps them in a certain part of your purse, move them to a different location. If you have to think about where you are keeping them, you break the cycle of automatic behavior. Likewise if you use a lighter, switch to matches or vice versa. Later in the quit process, stop carrying a lighter and matches, so you have to ask someone else for a light.
Times related to your smoking habit are: After the alarm rings in the morning; break time outside your workplace; and after your evening meal. People related to your habit are your co-workers, members of your bowling or softball team or best friends who smoke. Activities include talking on the phone at home, drinking coffee or alcohol, and driving your car or truck.
What are some ideas that will help you break the smoking habit?
• Delay your first cigarette in the morning
• Drink juice or tea in the morning and wait until later to drink coffee
• Take your break at a different time at work
• Take a short walk after dinner in the evening
• Take a different route to work so you have to think about your driving
While you may think “that will never work for me”, think of some things that WILL break the cycle of your smoking habit. Anything that helps you think, rather than smoke automatically will help you cut down on your smoking and eventually quit smoking.
To break a habit, you must change something that has become automatic – something that you are doing without thinking about it first. Think about where you keep you cigarettes and how you light your cigarettes. Do you think these have become habits for you?
Sometimes you may reach for a cigarette and light it without thinking about it. If you are a guy who keeps your cigarette pack and lighter in your left shirt pocket, wear shirts without those pockets for a few days in a row. If you are a woman who keeps them in a certain part of your purse, move them to a different location. If you have to think about where you are keeping them, you break the cycle of automatic behavior. Likewise if you use a lighter, switch to matches or vice versa. Later in the quit process, stop carrying a lighter and matches, so you have to ask someone else for a light.
Times related to your smoking habit are: After the alarm rings in the morning; break time outside your workplace; and after your evening meal. People related to your habit are your co-workers, members of your bowling or softball team or best friends who smoke. Activities include talking on the phone at home, drinking coffee or alcohol, and driving your car or truck.
What are some ideas that will help you break the smoking habit?
• Delay your first cigarette in the morning
• Drink juice or tea in the morning and wait until later to drink coffee
• Take your break at a different time at work
• Take a short walk after dinner in the evening
• Take a different route to work so you have to think about your driving
While you may think “that will never work for me”, think of some things that WILL break the cycle of your smoking habit. Anything that helps you think, rather than smoke automatically will help you cut down on your smoking and eventually quit smoking.
Friday, June 19, 2009
How to Quit Smoking - Using a Daily Smoke Log
Smoking Cessation: Learn About Your Smoking Habits
Smoking cessation starts with an initial “first step”. You have decided to quit smoking. Congratulations! Before deciding on the method you will use to quit, one of the best things you can do is learn about your own smoking behavior. Why do this before you quit? Regardless of whether you use the a nicotine patch or go “cold turkey” on your quit date, one thing is true – you will have to change your current smoking behavior in order to remain free from smoking.
Make a 3 day commitment to keep a daily smoking log. If you have a job, be sure that at least one of the log days is a “work” day. One of the days should be a weekend day or a day when you are not scheduled to work. It is best to keep the log for a minimum of 3 consecutive days.
Your log sheet should contain: time of day, location, the activity you are engaged in, the feeling you are experiencing just before you light up, and your degree of need for the cigarette: 1 (low) to 5 (high). Examples :
7 AM / Bedroom / Just got out of bed / groggy / 5
7:30 AM / sitting at kitchen tale/ drinking coffee and reading the newspaper / tired / 4
8 AM / in car / getting ready to drive to work / anxious about work / 4
Wrap the paper around your cigarette pack to keep the two together. There is one rule in keeping a log: you must write your notes on the log BEFORE you light up to have the degree of need and feeling be accurate.
You may feel angry or resentful about writing down all the information. This is normal. What you learn about yourself and your smoking will be worth your efforts.
At the end of 3 days, the records will show you the number of cigarettes you are smoking daily and the times of day that you smoke the most cigarettes to build up a nicotine level in your body. You will see that a certain events are triggers to smoke: drinking coffee or alcohol, driving your car, being with a friend who smokes, the end of a meal, answering your phone. You may realize that negative feelings trigger smoking or that it is difficult to describe your feelings. After a few hours without a cigarette, your degree of need may be ranked 4 because your nicotine level is low and you crave a cigarette. It may take 2 cigarettes to satisfy the craving. You will learn these things and much more – especially if you continue with your log.
If you keep the log for a full week, you begin to ask, ”Do I really need this cigarette? What can I do instead?” At this point, you begin to cut down on your smoking, and begin to discover the power of the log in smoking cessation.
Smoking cessation starts with an initial “first step”. You have decided to quit smoking. Congratulations! Before deciding on the method you will use to quit, one of the best things you can do is learn about your own smoking behavior. Why do this before you quit? Regardless of whether you use the a nicotine patch or go “cold turkey” on your quit date, one thing is true – you will have to change your current smoking behavior in order to remain free from smoking.
Make a 3 day commitment to keep a daily smoking log. If you have a job, be sure that at least one of the log days is a “work” day. One of the days should be a weekend day or a day when you are not scheduled to work. It is best to keep the log for a minimum of 3 consecutive days.
Your log sheet should contain: time of day, location, the activity you are engaged in, the feeling you are experiencing just before you light up, and your degree of need for the cigarette: 1 (low) to 5 (high). Examples :
7 AM / Bedroom / Just got out of bed / groggy / 5
7:30 AM / sitting at kitchen tale/ drinking coffee and reading the newspaper / tired / 4
8 AM / in car / getting ready to drive to work / anxious about work / 4
Wrap the paper around your cigarette pack to keep the two together. There is one rule in keeping a log: you must write your notes on the log BEFORE you light up to have the degree of need and feeling be accurate.
You may feel angry or resentful about writing down all the information. This is normal. What you learn about yourself and your smoking will be worth your efforts.
At the end of 3 days, the records will show you the number of cigarettes you are smoking daily and the times of day that you smoke the most cigarettes to build up a nicotine level in your body. You will see that a certain events are triggers to smoke: drinking coffee or alcohol, driving your car, being with a friend who smokes, the end of a meal, answering your phone. You may realize that negative feelings trigger smoking or that it is difficult to describe your feelings. After a few hours without a cigarette, your degree of need may be ranked 4 because your nicotine level is low and you crave a cigarette. It may take 2 cigarettes to satisfy the craving. You will learn these things and much more – especially if you continue with your log.
If you keep the log for a full week, you begin to ask, ”Do I really need this cigarette? What can I do instead?” At this point, you begin to cut down on your smoking, and begin to discover the power of the log in smoking cessation.
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