Why Should I Try To Stop Smoking?
Saturday, February 25th, 2012One of the reasons why stopping smoking is so hard is because nicotine, which is a natural constituent of the tobacco leaf, is very addictive on two levels: both psychologically and physically. This is why patches and gums are not effective for most individuals – they do not have any have an effect on on the psychological dependence of smokers.
So, anyone wanting to bust the habit has to attack nicotine addiction on both levels. Take the tablets, chew the gum and put on the patches by all means, but you will need something else to replace or displace the psychological dependence too. One of the most effective ways of doing this is attending a support group.
Peer pressure and peer support are two of the factors why support groups work, but you may not have to attend a full support group, if you can find another way of achieving the same effect.
One example that might work is if a few people both quit together providing support for each other. Husband and wife teams giving up together frequently works as do two colleagues in an office.
The more you smoke, the harder it will be to give up. That is quite understandable, but do you know whether you are a heavy smoker? Surprisingly, it does not depend on how many cigarettes you smoke, but if you need a cigarette within thirty minutes of waking up, you are considered to be a heavy smoker.
Despite the famous fact that smoking causes chronic diseases, smokers continue to puff away and make excuses for themselves. This could be because there are other psychological factors at work. One of these is the dread of failure and another is the fear of putting on weight. The former tends to have an effect on men and the latter women.
Have you heard of the ‘Five A’s of Stopping’? It is a technique used by counselors and maybe you could use it to assess your own situation:
Ask about the smoker’s habit; Advise on quitting; Assess the smoker’s resolve; Assist to stop; Arrange follow up checks.
It is the case that 80%-90% of all long term quitters just stopped smoking one day and never took it back up. 10% of all temporary quitters tried the same tactic. Other less successful methods are hypnosis and acupuncture. There is evidence that fasting reduces the craving for nicotine, but a lot of individuals might find it equally as difficult to fast as to stop smoking.
It helps individuals who are trying to quit to avoid smoky places where people tend to smoke more anyway. This used to be pubs, but you cannot smoke there anymore anyway, however the law does not apply to private parties.
Be wary of the number three. It sounds weird, but the first three hours of quitting are the most difficult; after the first three days, you think that it was not so hard after all; after three weeks, you start to kid yourself that one cigarette with a beer will not hurt, but if you can sidestep smoking for three years you ought to be in the clear and if you hold your guard up, you will probably never smoke again.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous subjects, is currently concerned with the reason why to quit smoking. If you are interested in massage, visit our website now: Health Risks to Smoking