Strategies To Stop Smoking
Why Is It So Difficult To Quit?
An estimated 45 million Americans, 21% of the population, currently smoke cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is associated with a number of illnesses including cancer, oral disease, heart disease, stroke, pregnancy complications, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to name a few. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that cigarette smoking is the number one preventable cause of illness and death in the United States, accounting for more than 435,000 deaths each year.
It is also important to note that the tissues lining the mouth not only suffer the same effects as other bodily tissues, but also the direct effects of smoke inhalation. As a result, oral effects of smoking include diminished taste perception, bad breath, mouth dryness, and increased bacterial plaque formation resulting in greater risk and severity of both periodontal (gum) disease and tooth decay.
Clearly, tobacco use is very costly both to individuals and our society. Smoking-related healthcare expenses are estimated at $200 billion annually if you consider the cost of direct medical care and lost productivity. Thus, quitting smoking could prevent a large number of deaths each year and defer the onset of a large number of these terminal illnesses. Many smokers, however, find it difficult to stop using cigarettes, a fact that is confirmed by the staggering rate of relapse. Specifically, more than 70% of current smokers have made at least one attempt and approximately 46% try to quit each year. Regrettably, most of these efforts are unsuccessful. Of the 17 million smokers that try to quit each year, fewer than 1 out of 10 actually succeed long term.
Given the fact that cigarette smoking is a behavior that you have learned and reinforced over time, it makes sense that to be successful in quitting, you must “unlearn” this behavior.
Why Is It So Difficult To Quit?
For some time, a large body of research has shown that nicotine is the substance in tobacco that leads to addiction. The terms “drug addiction” and “drug dependence” are synonymous; both refer to the behavior of repeatedly ingesting mood-altering substances. The essential features of dependence include a combination of cognitive (what people think), behavioral (what people do), and physiological (effects on the body), symptoms that play a role in continued drug use.
Specifically, nicotine dependence includes:
- Tolerance to nicotine by needing more and more of the drug to feel normal as well as the absence of nausea and dizziness with repeated use.
- A withdrawal syndrome that is produced upon quitting or cutting back on the quantity, as well as the use of nicotine to relieve or to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
- Usage in larger amounts or over a longer period of time.
- Desire to quit and/or unsuccessful efforts to quit smoking.
- A great deal of time spent in smoking-related activities.
- Giving-up or reducing social, occupational or recreational activities.
- Continued nicotine use regardless of the harmful effects.
Behavior Change — Learning And “Unlearning”
Given the fact that cigarette smoking is a behavior that you have learned and reinforced over time, it makes sense that to be successful in quitting, you must “unlearn” this behavior. Behavioral techniques can have a lasting effect given that you can learn and use specific skills as needed. Several strategies are available that have been shown to help people quit.
Be Mindful: Learning as much as possible about your smoking patterns can be quite helpful when attempting to cut down or quit. Specifically, if you become more aware of how often you are smoking, what events or emotions immediately precede a cigarette, and the relative importance you place on each cigarette you smoke, you can gain a better understanding and control of your smoking habit. This understanding will lead to valuable information that you can use to help slowly wean yourself off tobacco.
A Good Wrap: Create a “wrap sheet” which can include space for you to record any information that you think may be helpful about your smoking habit. After creating this sheet, find a rubber band and wrap the sheet over the top of your cigarette pack. This way every time you decide to smoke, you will be forced to slow down, remove the sheet, and record your thoughts. Many smokers smoke less because they grow tired of writing down the information each time they smoke a cigarette.
