Why Ought I to Endeavour To Give up Smoking?
Posted by Owen Jones in Uncategorized, tags: advice, coaching, entertainment, environment, fitness, habits, health, management, office, other, self help, smoking, stress management, success, UncategorizedOne of the factors why ceasing 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 do not work for most individuals - they do not have any affect on the psychological dependence of smokers.
So, anyone wanting to bust the habit has to combat nicotine addiction on both levels. Take the tablets, chew the gum and put on the patches by all means, but you will require something else to replace or displace the psychological dependence too. One of the most successful methods of doing this is attending a support group.
Peer pressure and peer support are two of the reasons why support groups are effective, but you may not need to attend a full support group, if you could find another way of attaining the same effect.
One example that may work is if a couple both give up together providing support for each other. Husband and wife teams giving up together frequently works as do a couple of 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 system used by counselors and perhaps you could use it to assess your own predicament:
Ask about the smoker’s habit; Advise about stopping; Assess the smoker’s resolve; Assist to give up; Arrange follow up checks.
It is true that 80%-90% of all long term quitters just quit smoking one day and never took it back up. 10% of all temporary quitters tried the same method. Other less successful ways are hypnosis and acupuncture. There is evidence that fasting reduces the craving for nicotine, but lots of people might find it equally as hard to fast as to quit smoking.
It helps individuals who are attempting to give up to avoid smoky places where individuals tend to smoke more anyway. This used to be bars, but you may not 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 author of this article, writes on many 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
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