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Smoking - Quit!
How to Quit Smoking by Overcoming the Nicotine and Psychological AddictionThe emotional aspects of the smoking addiction also need to be addressed for the smoker to be successful in quitting. To address this issue, cognitive therapy is helpful. There are two addictions that keep a smoker chained to the smoking habit - the addiction to nicotine and the psychological need to smoke.
The emotional aspects of the smoking addiction also need to be addressed for the smoker to be successful in quitting. To address this issue, cognitive therapy is helpful. One way to help wean you off of the cigarettes is to buy brands that have less nicotine in them. This approach is called "nicotine fading". This system allows your system to get used to the decreased levels of nicotine and you won't experience severe withdrawal symptoms. A good rule of thumb is to introduce a new brand of lower nicotine every 3 weeks. Start with a brand that is 30% less nicotine, than 3 weeks later switch to a brand that is 60% less and then 3 weeks later you switch to a brand that is 90% less nicotine and then you should be able to come off. Another popular approach to dealing with addiction from smoking is to use the "relapse prevention" method. This is a method that requires that the smoker be able to identify what triggers their smoking urges (situations, events, people or emotions). Common triggers are parties, stress, anger, school, work, or a new job. Once identified, it then becomes important to be able to design a coping mechanism for each trigger. If for instance every time you see your mother-in-law you just have to have a cigarette because of the anxiety she creates in you; a creative coping method may be to develop a code word for when someone in the family spots the mother-in-law approaching and then the smoker can make a quick exit, or learn how to make excuses for leaving the room.
Make sure you reward yourself for successfully avoiding the trigger with something fun. One simple way of quitting is to draw up a "quit smoking contract" with yourself that spells out when you will quit. Build in rewards for achieving mini goals and over time each mini goal will lead to the big goal, which is to promote a cleaner, healthier environment. Keep a journal of when and how you reach your goal. You can also combine ideas from each of the above approaches to create a unique method that is tailored to your unique situation. No matter which approach you use, the success will be yours, if you adhere to the principal that you must address both the nicotine issue and the psychological issues. Experts often suggest that while trying to quit smoking you avoid the "oral" situations such as taking a drink. Latest Stop Smoking News
12/04/2008 |
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