The following posts are from the beginning week of my journey. The Talking Stick posts didn’t evolve until later but I thought I would share my struggles at the beginning of my quit. I quit cold turkey. That means little except that’s just how *I* chose to do my quit. If I had it to do over again, I would probably take advantage of the quit aids that are available. I did start St. John’s Wort on the third day of my quit on the advice of another longer-term quitter because of all of the tears I was experiencing and because of my family history of depression. I strongly urge quitters to see their doctor if they should have any question about what they are experiencing due to quitting smoking. It can’t hurt but can only help you understand what is going on with your body.

About ME-

I am Yukpa hashi. I am adopted Chahta, Cherokee, English, Irish and Scots. Mitakuye oyasin. Yaqne.

I began a journey for smoke freedom on May 25th, 1998. My first year was difficult for me so I took refuge in writing…. and I wrote a lot. Those writings became known as the Talking Stick posts. In my second year, although I didn’t write as much, I did write a few articles about subjects that were near and dear to my heart.

Each of these challenges involves incredible lifestyle changes, as well as huge amounts of mental and physical energy. Most people find that they are more successful quitters if they slowly incorporate these things into their lives, giving each the attention it deserves.

Also, trying to quit smoking while you are going through a lot of personal stress is usually not the best time. Quitting is going to be a real challenge and your chances for success are much greater if you can really focus on the big changes you will have to make. Here are some times when quitting may not be a good idea:

• lots of stress at work
• started a new job
• going through a divorce
• dealing with family illness
• moving to a new home

Many people who smoke seem to believe there never really is good time to quit. While this may appear to be the case for you, some times are definitely better than others. Quitting smoking is tough work, so if you need to focus on other things, it may be better to wait until your life settles back down.

Good luck! We know you can do it!

Emotional Triggers:

• feeling irritable or grouchy
• feeling anxious or nervous
• having anger or rage
• being bored or having idle time
• suffering from depression
• feeling sad
• feeling guilty

Situational Triggers:

• hanging out with certain people
• while driving your car
• after eating a meal
• while drinking a cocktail
• while enjoying a break
• after completing a task
• first thing in the morning
• last thing at night
• while waiting in line

As you begin to figure out why you smoke, it’s very important to recognize your emotional and situational triggers. As you learn to recognize them, try to come up with different ways to respond to them other than by lighting up a cigarette. Most of the feelings and situations that have become triggers for you are a normal part of life. Your task is to develop new, healthy ways of responding to them.

For example, what if the next time you were triggered to smoke because you felt bored or anxious you caught yourself? What if instead of smoking you went out for a short walk, started doing some exercise, or performed relaxation-breathing exercises?

Kick-Butt Activity: List five of your triggers to smoke and for each one try to list two or three alternative activities. What would you do instead of lighting up?

Triggers play a big role in causing you to want to smoke. By identifying your triggers, you can begin to take charge of why you smoke. Join in on one of our chat rooms and share your alternative activities with your fellow quitters. Chances are good that your ideas will be very helpful to someone else trying to quit.

Good luck! We know you can do it!

By tackling my personal stress, I have learned some interesting things about myself, and gained important insights about what stress management strategies work best for me. The truth is that each of us has to find what stress management strategies work best because only you can manage your own stress.

Think of it as a “Vision Quest” for a higher level of health and well-being — an incredible adventure! You are the only one who can know when you have accomplished the quest, reduced your stress, and created a more balanced and satisfying lifestyle.

Stress Management
Stress management is not an event; it is a lifelong process. It gets better and easier with practice (and with age). When I first started to teach stress management classes many years ago, some of my students would come to class believing that, by learning stress management, they would never experience stress again. That was not a realistic expectation! Life is dynamic and changing, and stress is a part of it. It is important for each of us to find a satisfying balance between the different parts of our lives and loves, and between times of high stress and low stress.

Stress is an integral part of life. In general, we human beings enjoy doing things, being with people, or completing projects. A certain amount of activity and people in our life is healthy, and enhances our sense of well-being.

In moderation, stress can be healthy and life-enhancing. It can energize us and push us to greater levels of creativity, courage or strength. Stress can also be a gift. It can make us aware of areas of our life that need changing, and it can motivate us to make those changes. But too much stress, or stress that last for a long time, can also hurt our health and shorten our lives.

Stress comes in many different forms and at many different times. An important part of understanding something is the ability to name it. One step in stress management is to be able to identify when you are experiencing stress and when you are not. Then you have the awareness of what stresses you and what doesn’t, and you have important information about how you respond to stress. From here, you can start to identify and learn which stress management strategies work best for you.

The type or amount of stress that is distressing is for you can be different that what stresses someone else. Some people thrive on stress; others buckle under the pressure and develop physical, mental, emotional or spiritual problems. Some people are more vulnerable to the big stresses of life, and others are affected more by the little, everyday stresses.

But the end result is the same for everyone — you feel “stressed;” you feel that something is out of balance; you feel that something needs to be changed in your life; and you often feel motivated to change it. There is a level of stress for each of us, an individual “set point,” where an invisible line is crossed, and our stress can feel overwhelming or create friction in our relationships. That’s when our stress levels are not healthy for us.

Stress Barometers
Each of us has one or more stress barometers. Stress barometers are special signals that our bodies, thoughts or feelings send to us when we are getting over-stressed by some behavior, situation, thing or person. They alarm us when we are getting excessively stressed, and relax when there is resolution of the stress.

Stress barometers tell us when we have “crossed the line.” They also tell us when we have returned to our personal state of “balance.” Stress barometers can include physical signals like your vital signs (heart rate or blood pressure), the pattern of your breathing, or tension in your shoulders, neck, or jaws.

Maybe your body talks to you by the way your stomach feels. You may get diarrhea or constipation. Or perhaps your general level of your energy is low. Other stress barometers can include the quality of your sleep, your attitude when you wake up in the morning, your sense of humor and your sense of inner well-being. My attitude is always a good stress barometer for me. If I notice myself feeling cranky or irritable, there is usually some kind of stress going on in my life. What are your stress barometers?

As human beings, we have an incredible amount of energy. We consume energy through our breath and food, and exude energy in our thoughts, our activities, and just by our being. Do you remember The Law of the Conservation of Energy? It’s a law of physics that says “energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be changed.” Our energy can be transformed through our thoughts, our desires, our determination, our love, our creativity, our passion or our vision.

The good new is that your stress can be managed and transformed. The bad news is that I cannot give you a prescription for doing it. You have to discover that yourself, because no one knows you as well as you know yourself. No one knows how you are feeling, like you do; and no one knows what will transform your lemons into lemonade like you do. You can choose to let stress overwhelm you, or you can choose to take charge and learn to manage it — your way.

Learning to manage your stress is like learning to be your personal magician. It’s about transforming feelings, like anxiety or pain, into something more positive or just more benign. It’s about learning how to focus, define, align or adjust your body, thoughts, feelings, or prayers so that the negative is transformed and the positive emerges.

This is something that I had to learn in my childhood. My father was a naval officer, and we traveled extensively, even into my college years. By the time I was 18, we had lived in 11 different places, and I had attended 13 different schools. We often moved during the summer, and I spent many days alone until school started.

Notice that I said “days alone,” and not “lonely days.” I learned to take charge, not to be victimized by circumstances, and to make lemonade out of lemons. I developed a rich imaginary life, read profusely, made friends whenever I had the opportunity, and learned to enjoy solitude. These experiences taught me important lessons about turning problems into challenges, making time alone into opportunities for growth, and transforming the negative by accentuating the positive.

I keep working to maintain an attitude with altitude! There is a tenacious part of me that believes that the ideal is really possible — that someday I will attain a long-lasting, deeply satisfying, balance in my life. It’s a goal that I keep working towards.

In the meantime, I balance giving attention to my beloved family with the creative demands of my beloved work. I balance accomplishing all the big and little daily things with the rest and exercise that my body and mind need for health. And I balance my desire to be a positive and contributing member of the human race with my personal need for some rejuvenating time for myself.

After almost 50 years of practice, I am getting better at it. So will you — with practice. You are a magician who can transform your life!

Begin to incorporate breathing into your movement. Your breath and movement work well together, help one another, and enhance your sense of well-being. There are two basic principles to remember concerning breath and movement:

If you are expanding your chest, opening your arms, looking up, or bending back, inhale. Move slowly and with control at all times. Never lose control of your movement.

If you are curling your chest and stomach, bringing your arms together or toward your body, looking down, or bending forward, exhale. Move slowly and with control at all times. The basic principles of expansion/inhale and contraction/exhale can be used with all types of yoga, stretching, dancing or aerobic movements.

Avoid pain! The “no pain, no gain” paradigm is out-of-date! Your movements should stimulate, massage, relax or energize you. You should not be sore or in pain during or after your activity. If you reach a position with a point of pain, back off your movement to a position that has no pain. Allow yourself to enjoy movement, and use it to give yourself a massage and to work out the stress and tension in your muscles. You will be delighted at how much the physical release improves your mental and emotional states as well! Some stress-relieving exercises follow:

Straight-Leg Extensions

Sit on a chair with you feet on the floor.

Inhale as you flex one foot and straighten your leg.

Hold for a few seconds, then exhale and lower and relax your leg and foot.

Do this movement slowly and with complete control at all times.

Repeat three or more times with each leg.

Rest the leg.

Straight-Leg Lifts

Sit on a chair with your feet on the floor.

Inhale as you flex one foot, straighten your leg, then lift the entire leg off the chair.

Hold for a few seconds, then exhale, and lower and relax your leg and foot.

Repeat three or more times with each leg. Do this movement slowly and with complete control at all times.

Rest the leg.

Writing the Alphabet

Sit at your desk, lift one leg, and rotate one foot to “write” each letter of the alphabet in the air.

Breath fully and deeply while doing this.

Heel Lifts

Sit at your desk.

Inhale as you press down on the toes of one foot and lift up your heel.

Hold for a few seconds, then exhale and lower.

Repeat 10 times with each foot.

Shoulder Squeezes

Lift your arms and straighten them out to the side.

Inhale a full breath, hold your breath, and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

After a few seconds, exhale and relax your shoulders and arms. Repeat this exercise three times.

The Candle

Clasp your hands in a prayer pose above your head with your arms straight.

Try to extend your arms as if you were trying to touch the ceiling.

Breathe deeply as you do this movement.

Shoulder Rotations

Relax your arms by your side and rotate your shoulders forward and backward, three times each way.

Breath fully and deeply while doing this.

Head and Neck Rotations

Rotate your head and neck by trying to touch (1) your chin to your chest, (2) your right ear to your right shoulder, (3) the back of your head to your back and (4) your left year to your left shoulder.

Keep breathing while doing this, and do this movement VERY, VERY SLOWLY!

Side-to-Side Looks

Look straight ahead, then inhale as you slowly turn your head to one side as far as you possibly can.

Hold for a few seconds, then exhale as you turn your head to the front.

Repeat three times on each side.

Looking Back

Place your feet flat on the floor, look forward, and hold one of the arms of your chair with both hands.

Inhale as you turn your head and then your torso to the side holding your chair, and look back as far as you can, with comfort.

Hold this position and your breath for a few seconds.

Then exhale as you slowly return to your face-forward position.

Repeat on the other side.

Do both sides three times.

Hand Stretches

Gently and slowly extend then squeeze each hand.

Inhale as you extend, and exhale as you squeeze.

If you have long fingernails place your thumb in the palm of your hand and squeeze your fingers around your thumb.

Repeat this movement five times with each hand.

Pouring Honey

Stand away from your desk so that you have enough room to bend forward without hitting your head.

Very slowly, begin to curl your head, neck and torso forward, one by one. Imagine that you are honey pouring slowly from a jar.

Breathe deeply and rhythmically while doing this, and keep your arms relaxed.

When you have reached a point of comfortable forward bending, relax and enjoy the stretch of this position for a few seconds, then retrace your movements until you are standing tall again.

Take another deep breath when you have completed this exercise.

You do not have to do all of these exercises at one time. Spread them out throughout the day. Ten minutes of movement and breathing should produce a delightful state of alert relaxation. You should feel refreshed and able to mentally focus. Other things that you can do to relieve stress at your desk are to think pleasant thoughts while you do your movements, move to music, or incorporate wrist or ankle weights to the movements. You will create a wonderful mental as well as physical break from work and stress. Use it to rejuvenate your spirit and your body often!

In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General told us smoking was bad for our health. Due to his concern, “warning labels” were put on the sides of the packs of cigarettes that I bought. I conveniently ignored these warnings. Many members of my family used tobacco products and no one had died …yet. And there was no substantial research to show that smoking was directly linked to all those terrible diseases. Even the tobacco companies said smoking really was not a major health problem.

It was easy for me to ignore those warnings. I would rationalize to myself that most smokers smoke for many years before they get sick … right? Then, at the young age of 26, I developed a terrible smoker’s cough. Oh, how my perceptions of smoking changed!

Unknown to me then, a common principle had been operating in all my rationalizations. It occurs with all types of drug use and is called “protecting your drug(s) of choice.” This principle is operating when we conveniently filter out, choose to ignore or minimize any negative research result or information about the mood-altering drugs we like to use.

We do this because drugs, especially cigarettes, can seem like a friend. We bond with them because smoking affects how we feel. Thus, we develop an “emotional” relationship with the substance itself because it makes us feel better.

Smoking is something we rely upon when we are stressing or celebrating, something that is always there when we need it …just like a friend, and sometimes even more reliable than our human friends! And we usually do not like people to say bad things about our friends! It is easier to ignore negative facts when something affects your feelings so positively.

Today, most smokers no longer are indifferent or unconcerned about their smoking. Far from denying the negative health effects of their habit, smokers often feel intensely guilty about their habit. Some smokers even become “closet smokers” and hide their habit from spouses, friends and bosses. Those who have tried over and over again to quit without success can feel especially bad not only about smoking, but about themselves as well.

Many smokers feel conflicted about the role smoking plays in their lives. On the one hand, smoking provides a pleasant, relaxing and helpful ritual; and on the other hand, it hurts their health, shortens their life and creates ill will in their relationships. As one smoker said, “Smoking is like being in love with a person who’s no good for you. You know you’re a fool, but you just can’t help it.”

Those who have children at home feel the guiltiest of all. One father tried very hard to hide his smoking from his toddler son. He even hid his cigarettes in his closet, and only smoked away from home. One afternoon, he was appalled to see his young son walking out of the closet with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. “I felt so responsible and so ashamed,” he said.

More than ever before, smokers are conscientious of the health effects of their habit on themselves and the people around them. Since 1964, more and more negative research and information have been discovered about tobacco, smoking and the tobacco companies.

Many smokers say they would like to quit. They express frustration and guilt about the effects of their smoking on themselves and their children. They know they could reduce the risk of developing a tobacco-related illness by getting healthier, whether by just beginning an exercise program or by actually quitting smoking.

Although the guilt and frustration may not feel very good, these feelings are a good sign a smoker is getting ready to change his or her smoking habit. Often, this consciousness is the starting point for an increasing desire and motivation to reduce or quit their tobacco habit. It is a sign of increased caring about one’s self and others, and it is a very important step to healthier living.

Okay, friend, the fun’s over. No more hacking coughs, no more shelling out money to Big Tobacco day after day, no more shortness of breath, and no more social alienation. How do you give all this up? That’s what we’re here to tell you.

Chemical treatments
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—tend to be the most effective, because they do the most to alleviate the physical addiction to nicotine. Natural treatments tend to alleviate only the psychological addiction (the habit) which is powerful but less disabling and painful. You should always discuss chemical treatments with your doctor before you use them to quit smoking, as they can all have side effects on certain users. Read up on the following products, and if one appeals to you and it’s okay with your doctor, strap it on. If they all look too scary, go on to section 2 and look at some alternatives.

Zyban
Nicotine patches
Nicotine gum
Nicotine inhalers & nasal sprays

Zyban

Zyban is the marketing name for the antidepressant drug bupropion hydrochloride. These are basically happy pills for the ex-smoker, which are intended to lessen or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking. To use Zyban, you start taking the pills a week or two before you quit smoking so they have a chance to start working. Then you simply stop smoking and try to feel happy. Zyban is only available by prescription, and it should not be used with any other antidepressant drugs. You must be sure to tell your doctor about any other medications you are using when you ask him or her to prescribe Zyban for you.

If you do talk to your doctor about Zyban, be sure to ask him or her about the potential side effects associated with the drug. We’re not saying it’s any worse than any other drug, but we’re not talking about herbal tea here and it’s always best to be informed.

Nicotine Patches

These are the kings of the nicotine replacement game. They are small, self-adhesive patches that you stick on your skin so that nicotine can enter your bloodstream at a steady rate all day. When you smoke or use other nicotine replacement therapies, you get a “spike” of high nicotine level in your blood, which then lowers until you feel the need to take another dose and top up your nicotine levels. The patch just keeps you at a steady level all the time and gets you accustomed to that without expecting to have occasional high levels. Patches come in different strengths, and you go from the strongest one you need to the weakest available, and then stop using them altogether.

The advantages of nicotine patches are that they provide you with a steady supply of nicotine without your having to think about it; they work in any situation (although you can’t wear them in swimming pools or while bathing, but most of us don’t feel particularly tempted to smoke then, anyway); and they provide a strong deterrent to smoking because if you smoke while you are wearing one or for hours after taking one off, you could suffer symptoms of nicotine overdose, such as death.

The disadvantages of nicotine patches are that they are relatively expensive; they can irritate the skin on which they are placed; they cause you to have weird dreams and not sleep very well if you wear them after you go to bed; if you don’t wear them after you go to bed it can be a bit rough in the morning before you get a patch on and it starts working; and, if you are dumb and you smoke while you are wearing a patch or shortly after removing one, you could suffer symptoms of nicotine overdose, such as death.

Nicotine Gum

Nicotine gum helps you quit by providing you with a source of nicotine apart from smoking. It comes in different strengths (usually 4mg or 2mg of nicotine per piece), which you choose from based on how much you smoke. Nicotine gum, like any nicotine replacement therapy, allows you to deal with the physical component of addiction over a longer period of time with less drastic withdrawal symptoms.

The advantages of nicotine gum are that you can take it when you need it (so long as you don’t exceed the amount suggested by the directions), so that you can cut down on your nicotine as quickly or as slowly as you want; it is relatively inexpensive; and it provides some oral gratification of its own to replace the cigarettes.

The disadvantages are that you can’t chew it while drinking soda or alcoholic beverages, so it’s no good to you in a bar; it can make you feel sick if you chew it too fast; and it takes a long time for it to work, so if you wait for too long between pieces you can become extremely irritable while waiting for the piece you’re chewing to affect you.

Nictotine Inhalers and Nasal Sprays

These work on much the same principle as the gum, but they are different in design. Nicotine inhalers are shaped like little cigarettes, and when you suck on them they release a mist of nicotine stuff into your lungs. The nasal spray is like the product you use for nasal congestion; you just pump it into your nostril and it sprays nicotine stuff up there.

The advantages of these are that they work much more quickly than the gum; they can be used in any situation and whenever they are needed (within the constraints set by the package directions); and the inhaler is very much like a cigarette, so it makes a good replacement.

The disadvantages are that they can have many side effects like burning of the nasal tissues or throat, stomach ache, nausea, etc.; they are more expensive than the gum; and, finally, the inhaler might be too good of a replacement, as it’s quite a bit like continuing to smoke.

Natrual techniques-
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Cutting Down

This “method” can be of questionable usefulness, as it is usually just a way of putting off quitting for real. However, some people do use it systematically and intelligently as a way of preparing themselves to quit cold turkey or by some other method. It’s just difficult to do so without some kind of plan and the resolve to stick to it.

There is an electronic device marketed under the name “Life Sign” which provides just such a plan and helps you to follow it. It is like a pager which you carry around with you at all times. For the first week or so you just carry the device and smoke normally, pressing a button to inform it whenever you smoke. Then it gets used to your smoking habits and, when you want to start cutting down, it begins to tell you when to smoke by beeping at you. It gradually cuts down the amount you smoke, and it is also purported to break the psychological addiction by removing your usual cues for smoking and replacing them entirely with beeping. It is simple conditioning, and the idea is that when the thing stops beeping you won’t feel as inclined to smoke. If this sounds good to you, you can get more information in our related products section.

We are also pleased to provide you with a pauper’s version of that plan, which was designed by the sharp thinkers at the SoYouWanna.com laboratory (note: there is no such place). It comes in a 40-day plan or a 20-day plan, and you can choose how long you want to take to cut your smoking down to nil. For the 40-day plan, you purchase two cartons of smokes and one pack. For the first two days, you allot yourself a pack a day (20 cigarettes) to smoke, and any that you don’t smoke you throw away, give to your roommate, or flush down the toilet, but you keep the empty packs. For the next two days, you allot yourself 19 cigarettes per day, taking one out of each pack and putting it in one of the packs you saved. For the two days after that, you smoke 18, etc., until you get down to the last two days with one cigarette on each day, after which you will quit.

You will need to write down on your calendar how many cigarettes you are supposed to be having each day, and you have to start out each day with that number of cigarettes in a pack and end each day with none. You give cigarettes away at your peril and you don’t bum any off other people or you’re cheating. Over the 40 days you will smoke 420 cigarettes, which is why you need two cartons and a pack. The 20 day plan is identical except that you cut down your allotted cigarettes by one each day instead of every other day. For this plan, you need 210 cigarettes, or one carton and a half-pack (toss the other half of the pack). We have no statistics on how well this method works, so let us know how it turns out if you give it a try.

Cold Turkey

We have no idea why quitting without any smoking cessation aids or method is called “cold turkey.” It is, though, and so we will continue to use the unusual term. Quitting cold turkey is extremely difficult because most of us have lives that require us to function as somewhat normal human beings for most of the day. When you are suffering through the initial five days of craziness without nicotine, you will feel more like an angry, rabid bear than a human, and you will be about as fit company for other humans. Here are some things you can do to make quitting cold turkey difficult as opposed to impossible:

smoke until your last day of work or school, and then begin quitting on the weekend (or whatever days you have off).
indulge in other things you like, to the point of foolishness if you feel like it, during the first few days.
sleep a lot and watch a lot of TV.
avoid situations that frustrate you – you won’t deal with frustration very well.
avoid any place where people will be smoking.
call people whom you know well enough to impose upon and complain to them about how lousy you feel.
keep a lot of your favorite non-alcoholic drinks on hand. You will probably feel very thirsty, you’ll want to replace the oral gratification of cigarettes with something, and drinking fluids helps to flush the nicotine out of your system faster.
have something to do with your hands and/or your mouth. If you like chewing gum, chew it, if you like ripping apart action figures, do so.
remember that you’re one cigarette away from failure.

These hints apply to some degree to every method of quitting smoking, but if you quit cold turkey you need all the help you can get.

DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON THE FOLLOWING METHODS

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Acupuncture and Laser Therapy

These are bogus wastes of money and time (don’t ever accuse us of mincing words). The idea is that they are supposed to calm you down, by targeting special pressure points with either needles or lasers, so that you don’t feel bad about not smoking. There is no evidence that they provide anything apart from a placebo effect, and we just ruined that by telling you they’re bogus. We don’t think that acupuncture doesn’t work at all; we just don’t believe it works to help you quit smoking. Dr. Dean Edell, M.D., describes an experiment in which researchers provided two groups of quitting smokers with either real acupuncture therapy, where they placed needles in the accepted pressure points, or fake acupuncture, where they placed needles in random places. There was no difference in quitting success between the two groups. You can draw your own conclusions, but we’re sticking with our “it’s a load of crap” assertion.

Hypnosis

We are extremely skeptical about the efficacy of hypnosis for quitting smoking or anything at all. There is no evidence to suggest that hypnosis has provided anything but a placebo effect in a smoking cessation program. It might be nice just to have a friendly hypnotist to talk to and from whom to receive encouragement and support. We don’t believe, however, that hypnotists have the ability to plant subconscious suggestions which reduce your desire to smoke. We tried hard to find some research on the issue, but the hypnotists only offer lame-o “personal testimonials” and no medical researchers seem to have taken it seriously enough to study its effects. We highly recommend this method for the rich and gullible.

PREPARE YOURSELF EMOTIONALLY
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Convince yourself that you want to quit

Write out a list of pros and cons which examines how smoking enhances your life and how it detracts from it. A realistic and comprehensive list of pros and cons will almost certainly show you that continuing to smoke is a really bad idea, and that a rational person would want to stop. That’s obvious to most people, but if you think you might want to quit you should reflect on everything that is unpleasant and harmful about smoking until you decide you don’t care or you develop a strong desire to quit. If don’t have such a desire, you can have quit-smoking aids sticking out of every orifice, nicotine patches stuck all over you, and hypnotists following you around everywhere you go and you will still fail.

Be prepared for the pain

There are two components to nicotine addiction: the psychological component and the physical component. The psychological component is the habits and routine you have built around smoking, and it takes a long, long time to go away. For some people, it never really goes away, and there will always be times where they will feel a slight nagging like something is missing (or, more plainly, an urgent desire to have a goddamn cigarette). The physical component is the body’s dependence on nicotine, and this takes much less time to go away but its effects are painful and difficult to withstand. Reports vary, with some saying that it takes three days for the body to rid itself of nicotine and dispense with the physical component, while others say it takes as much as a week. We think it takes five days. If that doesn’t sound like a long time to you, just wait until you try it. Most people feel physically ill, anxious, restless, angry, and so tempted to smoke that they have to restrain themselves from lunging at passing smokers.

The initial five days of craziness is our general rule for just about any quit-smoking method, but the five days are particularly painful if you quit cold turkey. The psychological and physical components of the addiction work on you day and night, and it can be really difficult not to smoke. We’re not trying to scare you off – you should definitely try to quit – we just want to prepare you for the fact that it is not going to be any fun at all.

Pick the right time to quit

For example, if you are a student and you are about to have final exams, you should probably wait until after you’ve walked out of your last exam and partied your brains out that night before you settle down and quit. Look at your calendar, think about what stressful events you have coming up, and pick a day which leaves you at least three weeks between major crises. You’re going to have to deal with crises all your life, and this will not change after you quit smoking. However, it would be best to have a relatively smooth patch of three weeks or so to get over the really rough initial quitting period. You must NOT use this as an excuse to never begin — we’re talking MAJOR stress-filled events here — quitting a job, final exams, planning a wedding, etc. Indeed, those three events were about all we could think of that would not make any time the “right time.” If you find yourself “waiting for the right time” more than ONCE, or for more than a couple weeks, you’re stalling. Don’t stall. You’re only screwing yourself. But you know that, and that’s why you’re reading this article.

Pamper yourself

In order to boost your resolve, we suggest that you treat yourself nicely in return for not smoking. Spend the money you would otherwise spend on cigarettes on some useless but pleasing crap that you’ve always wanted. Take yourself out to nice restaurants that don’t allow smoking. Feel better about yourself, because you aren’t a filthy, heathen smoker cowering out in front of your office building anymore. Now you just stand around wondering what the hell people do on breaks if they don’t smoke.

It’s also a good idea to begin exercising, because if you have a good exercise program going it makes you feel a lot better about yourself and it really starts to make smoking seem absurd. If you’re getting up at 7:00 a.m. to drag your lazy ass to aerobics before you go to work, you’re going to feel pretty stupid about counteracting your hard work by smoking later on in the day.

There are lots of other pieces of advice that might be helpful; ask successful quitters you know to share their experiences and tactics. Even if they don’t have anything useful to say, they can be comforting when you’re having a nic fit. We will simply close with a pithy little platitude: You’re one cigarette away from a pack a day. Be strong.

In the later years of a smoker’s life, he or she is much more likely to suffer from chonic bronchial infections, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and that smoker has far greater susceptibility to the problems that accompany heart disease, pulmonary disease and diabetes.
TIPS TO HELP YOU QUIT
Here are some tips to quit successfully…
1. Instead of avoiding the facts, educate yourself about the hazards of smoking. This will strengthen you resolve.
2. Look into different kinds of self help options. Check with your local hospital and the local chapters of the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society. Ask for materials such as booklets, videotapes and audiotapes.
3. Think about joining a stop-smoking program through one of these organizations. These programs have experienced leaders who will help you quit-for good.
4. Choose a good time. Don’t try to quit when you’re under a lot of stress. Pick a specific day within the next month to give yourself enough time to prepare and come up with a plan.
5. Anticipate your responses to quiting. Smokers have different experiences when they quit. They may feel sleepy or excited, lightheaded, nervous or irritable. They might crave tobacco or sweets or have headaches. Plan how you will deal with your anticipated responses.
6. Stock up on snacks like sugarless gum, carrot and celery sticks, and hard candy.
7. Keep active. Activities will help you feel better, improve your spirits, and help to keep you trim. Hobbies that keep your hands busy, such as needlework, may be particularly helpful.
8. Get plenty of sleep, eat a balanced dietand drink lots of water.
9. Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to serve as a support system.
10. Consider using nicotine replacement therapy, but don’t expect miracles. Nicotine patches and gum are available over-the-counter, and nicotine nasal sprays, inhalers and non-nicotine pills are available by prescription.
11. Change habits that you associate with smoking. For example, switch to soft drinks or water instead of alcohol or coffee. Ask a friend to take a walk with you at break every day instead of having coffee and a cigarette. Take a different route to work.
12. Avoid high-risk situations where you are most tempted to smoke. If you always have a cigarette after dinner, listen to your favorite CD or go for a walk instead.
13. REMEMBER that most quit several times before they make it for good. Keep trying – don’t give up.

What happens when you quit….

Within 20 Minutes

Blood pressure drops to normal
Pulse rate drops to normal
Temperature of hands and feet increase to normal

Within 8 Hours

Smoker’s breath disappears
Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

Within 24 Hours

Chance of heart attack decreases

Within 3 days

Breathing is easier

Within 2 to 3 Months

Circulation improves
Walking becomes easier
Lung function increases up to 30 percent

Within 1-9 Months

Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease Cilia that sweep debris from your lungs grows back increasing your ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, reduce infection
Energy increases

Within 1 Year

Risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

Within 2 Years

Heart attack risk drops to near normal

Within 5 Years

Lung cancer death rate for average pack-a-day smoker decreases by almost half
Stroke risk is reduced
Risk of mouth, throat and esophageal cancer is half that of a smoker.

Within 10 Years

Lung cancer death rate is similar to than of a person who does not smoke.
The pre-cancerous cells are replaced

Within 15 years

Risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a person who has never smoked
Information Source: American Cancer Society

Having six to eight different strategies will help ensure that you will be able to manage your stress in most situations. However, no one completely can prepare for the unexpected. In times of unusual or unexpected high stress, remember to be gentle and nurturing with yourself and to be humane in your personal expectations.

Be your own best friend; it can help you persevere through some very hard times.

The best ways to transform your stress are by changing your thinking, feelings, attitudes or behaviors. There are some basic, self-care strategies that many people overlook as stress managers because they seem so trivial; yet, they can be powerful stress-management tools. These basic self-care strategies include:

• getting adequate rest, relaxation and sleep

• eating a well-balanced diet

• eating breakfast

• drinking six to eight glasses of water each day

• drinking alcohol only in moderation (that means drinking no more than three days a week and no more than one to three drinks in a day, and so that you experience no negative effects or consequences)

• avoiding, reducing or quitting the use of tobacco products

• staying at a healthy weight

• managing your life to achieve a satisfying balance between your different roles and responsibilities

• exercising three to four days a week for 30 minutes each day.

Other stress-transforming strategies are to:

• Experience the wonderful benefits of regular exercise; it is one of the most powerful stress-management tools. Exercise affects your brain chemistry and increases neurotransmitters called endorphins. Endorphins enhance the depth of your feelings of well-being. Exercise also quickly increases the health of the body, enhances self-esteem and helps you feel good about yourself just because you have done it!

• Talk with a friend or write in a diary.

• Count your blessings.

• Read inspirational books or biographies.

• Cry. Tears help the body eliminate toxins caused by stress. That is why people often feel calmer or more relieved after a good cry.

• Redefine the stress into a more positive perspective, such as perceiving problems as challenges or opportunities for personal growth. Try to develop an optimistic outlook or perspective on the problem.

• Develop an “Attitude with Altitude.” Keep your sense of humor in the midst of crisis, and it will help you to remain less stressed.

• Plan time for fun.

• Avoid obsessing or worrying excessively about stress. When you find yourself doing this, try to develop a plan to relieve some of the stress rather than just thinking about it. Getting actively involved in a solution provides a more positive and constructive focus for your energy and thoughts.

• Learn to evoke your “relaxation response” within a short period of time by practicing breathing, stretching and relaxation techniques.

• Take frequent full breaths throughout the day. One of the most powerful stress transformers is right under your nose — your breath! Breathing can reduce tension and toxins in your body dramatically.

• Avoid getting too hungry, angry, lonely or tired (remember H.A.L.T.) Take care of yourself to prevent these from occurring too often in your life.

Stress is an integral part of living, but we have been given many gifts to manage it. We must take the time to deal with current stresses and prevent additional stresses. Humans are incredibly resourceful, creative and intelligent beings.

Practice, time and patience are all that are needed to greatly improve the quality of your life and your health. With practice, you quickly will become a stress-management magician!

However, it’s very important that you put a relapse in perspective and see it for what it really is: an opportunity to learn. By viewing relapses this way, you can figure out where you need to focus your attention so that you can eventually quit smoking for good.

For example, say you relapsed at a party after someone offered you a cigarette. You now know that you need to develop a better plan for handling that situation. Maybe you need to practice turning down cigarettes so that the next time someone offers you one, you are comfortable saying “no thank you.” Or maybe you need to avoid parties for a while, until you are more comfortable with your new role as a non-smoker.

If you do relapse, the first thing you should do is throw away any cigarettes that are around you. The last thing you need following a relapse is any temptation to smoke. That is because your motivation and will power will be unavoidably down following a relapse. So do not just throw away those cigarettes. Step on them, pour water on them, or flush them down the toilet. Just make sure that there is no possible way that you can get a hold of one and smoke it.

The next thing you should do is determine if you are ready to quit again. Think about why you decided to quit in the first place and decide if those reasons are still important to you. If they are, let go of the relapse. Commend yourself for trying to quit again and set another quit date.

If you don’t feel like you are ready to quit again, wait a few weeks. Maybe things are too stressful for you right now to give quitting smoking the attention it requires. Try to focus your energy on resolving your stress instead, so that next time you will be better able to quit.

You very well may have another relapse. But that is OK, because how else are you going to learn how to be a non-smoker? Quitting smoking takes lots of practice and relapses are just a natural and expected part of the process. These so called “failures” are really stepping-stones to success.

Good luck! We know you can do it!