Many individuals become nonsmokers every day without
professional help and with only the desire to achieve their goal of finding
freedom from an overpowering—and, at its psychological core,
self-destructive—habit. For, despite the glamor attributed to it by
the tobacco, entertainment, and advertising industries, smoking does nothing
to enhance life and everything to pollute and defile
it:
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Smoking pollutes
the environment with toxic smoke and with the noxious poisons from millions
and thousands of millions of discarded cigarette butts. |
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Smoking offends your
neighbor with the stench of stale smoke that you carry on your body and with
the poison of second-hand smoke that you force your neighbor to breathe. |
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Smoking scandalizes
children with the bad example of a filthy, deadly habit. |
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Smoking defiles your
own body with filthy, deadly poisons. |
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As you set out
to become a nonsmoker, you will discover two things: smoking involves an
addiction to nicotine, and it involves a pattern of habitual
behaviors.
1. |
For some
individuals, the nicotine
addiction can be overcome simply through
“will power,” while for other individuals nicotine patches or nicotine
gum may be of help.
The nicotine
addiction actually uses a deceptively simple, yet lethal, “trick.”
Most persons start smoking during a stage of
identity
formation or crisis in which they feel psychologically empty within themselves
and want some way to make themselves feel accepted by the world around them.
For example, adolescents who have seen adults smoking will believe that if
they start smoking then they, too, will appear powerful and
glamorous.
But once the
nicotine gets into your body, it enslaves you to a continuous need for it.
Like a deadly parasite, nicotine takes over your body so that you value this
deadly chemical more than anything else in life, more even than life itself.
So there you are, helpless and cowering in a cold doorway, damp with rain,
desperately sucking the illusion of life out of a reeking cigarette. And
all the while you’re thinking to yourself, in your bleak emptiness,
“This is life?” And all the while, you fear
that, without smoking, live will be bleak and empty.
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2. |
Overcoming
habitual
behaviors involves deliberate, repeated
attempts to break old patterns—patterns that make cigarettes seem like
“old friends” whose absence causes life to feel flat and
empty.
There can be
many reasons, some completely outside your awareness, that keep you hanging
on to those old enemies in friends’ clothing. Some individuals, for
example, have such a profound
unconscious
sense of
despair
and self-loathing that smoking aptly serves a dark wish for self-destruction.
In the face of difficulties like these, psychological help may be
needed. |
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And
remember—many persons who successfully become nonsmokers will have had
at least one setback, because “just one puff” easily rekindles
old patterns.
REASONS FOR
BECOMING A NONSMOKER |
Ask yourself why you want to quit smoking. Write down your
five most
important reasons on an index
card. Review these reasons several times
a day, especially when you’re tempted to reach for a cigarette. In fact,
tape a card to your cigarette pack. Below are some
suggestions:
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It will reduce my chances of getting
lung cancer. |
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It will reduce my chances of developing
heart trouble. |
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It will help to remedy my heart
trouble. |
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It will reduce my chances of developing
circulatory problems. |
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It will help to remedy my circulatory
problems. |
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It will reduce my chances of developing
emphysema. |
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It will help to remedy my
emphysema. |
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It will increase my immune response
to colds, flu, and other diseases. |
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I will be more productive in all
that I do. |
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It will help me cut down on
drinking. |
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I will be setting a good example
for children. |
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I will breathe more easily and
won’t have morning cough or phlegm. |
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My senses of smell and taste will
improve. |
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It will help lower my blood
pressure. |
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I will have more energy. |
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I will feel more liberated and
self-assured. |
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I will feel more in command of my
life. |
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I will be part of an increasingly
nonsmoking society. |
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Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
can damage my unborn baby and increase the risk of spontaneous
abortion (miscarriage). |
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Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
can damage the health of my children.
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Have you ever
heard someone say, “My wife wants me to stop smoking. Even my four
year old daughter wants me to stop smoking. I really love them, but I just
can’t quit”? Well, as hard as it sounds, this man is really
choosing to set his own pleasure above the health of his family. So ask yourself:
What kind of love is this? Where is the
“love”
in an
unconscious
wish to
destroy
himself and his family? |
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PREPARING
FOR QUIT DAY |
It can help greatly to plan deliberately for a “Quit
Day,” whether several weeks or only a few days away. This planning will
prepare you psychologically to break old habits, and it will make smoking
more focused and more difficult until the Quit Day arrives. Here are some
suggestions:
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Repeat to yourself, several times
a day, your reasons for wanting to become a nonsmoker. |
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Don’t do anything else when
you smoke except focus on the sensations of smoking. |
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When you feel the urge to smoke,
delay lighting up so as to focus your mind on what you are trying to
accomplish. |
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Keep a record of every cigarette
you smoke, and review it daily. |
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Change to brands that have less
nicotine. |
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Smoke fewer cigarettes. |
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Smoke less of each cigarette. |
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Inhale fewer puffs of each
cigarette. |
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Cut back on the coffee you
drink. |
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Refuse any cigarettes offered to
you. |
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Allow your ashtrays to fill up without
emptying them. |
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Stop carrying matches and
lighters. |
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When you can, avoid situations that
trigger your urge to smoke. |
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Brush your teeth after every meal
and notice how “fresh breath” feels. |
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Start exercising regularly. |
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Let people know that you will be
quitting smoking. |
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Enjoy picturing yourself mentally
as a nonsmoker. |
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Mentally imagine the
“rewards” you will receive by being a nonsmoker.
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How often were
you criticized and humiliated as a child by your parents? How often did you
then condemn yourself for being worthless and inadequate? And how often do
you reach for a cigarette out of unconscious anger
as a secret wish to carry out that condemnation?
 Isn’t it time to
give yourself a break? |
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COPING WITH
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS |
Smoking withdrawal symptoms include cravings; tension, anxiety,
irritability, and restlessness; numbness in arms and legs; dizziness; coughing;
and hunger.
Some symptoms
are related specifically to nicotine withdrawal, while other symptoms are
the result of your body returning to a healthy state and recovering from
your habitual abuse of toxic cigarette smoke. If you stop smoking by using
nicotine patches or nicotine gum, you may not experience all the symptoms
described.
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You can
stop a
craving
by focusing your attention on something else. Cravings usually last for only
a couple minutes, so an attention diversion need only be immediate and
consistent, not complicated. |
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Muscle
tension, anxiety, irritability, and
restlessness can be reduced by using a variety
of
relaxation
techniques such as
Progressive
Muscle Relaxation or
Autogenics. |
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You may
feel tingling sensations or
numbness in your arms and legs. These sensations
usually indicate improved circulation taking place as a result of your body
experiencing freedom from the poisons in tobacco smoke. |
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You may
at times feel dizzy or
lightheaded. These sensations usually mean
that more oxygen is getting into your brain now that the carbon monoxide
associated with smoking is no longer present. |
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Some people
find themselves
coughing
more after quitting smoking than before. The reason for this is that the
cilia that line the lungs are working to clean out all the tars and other
debris in your lungs. |
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Increased
hunger is a common withdrawal symptom. To
avoid weight gain, it is important to exercise regularly, drink lots of water,
and have plenty of low-fat foods available for snacks and
meals. |
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VISUALIZATION
TECHNIQUE |
In general, changing unwanted behavior involves three basic
steps:
1. |
You must know
how ugly the behavior is and how much damage it causes to yourself and to
others. |
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2. |
You must regret
the damage caused by the behavior. |
3. |
You must know
the benefits of new and different behavior. |
It isn’t
sufficient, however, that you “know” these things intellectually;
you must know them by feeling them in the depths of your heart.
So here’s
how to do it.
Practice the
following procedure at least twice a day until you no longer need
it:
First,
enter a state of relaxation. This is important
because the next two steps (if done properly) will arouse considerable anxiety,
and you need to be able to reduce that anxiety again. You may use any form
of relaxation you prefer, such as Progressive Muscle
Relaxation. If you have no prior practice with relaxation techniques,
try this simple breathing exercise:
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Begin a process
of deep breathing, exhaling to a mental count that is twice as long
as you inhale. With each breath cycle, increase the duration. For instance,
inhale counting, “One,” exhale counting, “One,
Two.” Inhale counting, “One, Two;” exhale counting,
“One, Two, Three, Four.” Go up the scale to six counts in,
twelve counts out. Then reverse: six counts in, twelve counts out;
five counts in, ten counts out; and so on, down to one count in,
two counts out. |
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Second,
create a negative mood state in which you visualize the harmful and disgusting
effects of the unwanted behavior. For example,
smell the stench of the smoke on your clothes and body; see the stains on
your fingers and teeth; notice your shortness of breath and coughing; visualize
the poisons coating your lungs and other internal organs. Then
relax.
Third,
contemplate how miserable and wretched your life will be if you do not change
your behavior. For example, see yourself
wheezing for breath and dying of cancer. Imagine your children suffering
from their own addictions because of your negative influence. Then
relax.
Fourth,
create a positive mood state in which you visualize the beneficial effects
of new, healthy behavior, all the while your anxiety from the previous step
begins to dissolve. For example, see yourself
as calm and confident as a non-smoker, relaxed and able to concentrate, free
of frustration and tension, a positive influence on others.
Relax.
Fifth,
reinforce your positive mood with positive statements of
validation. Repeat them several times. Create
your own, or select from the following examples.
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I have no need for
cigarettes. I am no longer a slave to an addiction. I have no need for
cigarettes. |
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When grounded in
quiet relaxation, I can work calmly and confidently. My mind will not wander.
My self-confidence will not be bothered by small mistakes. |
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I approach all tasks
with a calm focus on the matter at hand. I do not lose my concentration by
distractions. I act with discipline and resolve. |
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I respect my own
body. I can present myself to others with respect and dignity. I will listen
to and respect others. |
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I can remain calm,
relaxed, and composed in any situation. |
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My calmness and patience
can result in compassion and understanding. I can get along well with anyone.
I will return kindness to any insult. |
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My experience of
peace and calm is not threatened by anything outside myself. I have no need
for rivals or jealousy. I wish peace and good to all persons. |
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There are no
“good” days or
“bad”
days. I can do what needs to be done at all times. I uphold my promises and
value my word. |
Sixth,
conclude with a simple closure to the relaxation
session. Take a few deep breaths and affirm
that “I feel supremely calm.” |
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