2008 Woodie Awards
The time is now to quit smoking
Mary-Jo Lomax
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Campus
Thursday, Nov. 15 is the Great American Smokeout. GAS started way back in the 1970s, and my guess is that it had more of an impact back then because more of the population smoked and smokers were allowed to smoke almost anywhere. The idea was simple: try to quit smoking for one day. If you can quit for one day, perhaps you can quit for a second day. And a third, etc.
One would think that it would be easier to quit smoking today than it was 30 years ago because we've got more laws restricting smoking and there are nicotine replacement products. In reality, quitting smoking today is just as difficult, and maybe even more so, because many smokers mistakenly believe that these products will do the work for them. They won't.
Tobacco addiction is a two-headed monster. One head is nicotine dependence which can be tamed somewhat by using prescription medications or nicotine replacement therapies. The other head, psychological dependence, is bigger, more powerful and no medicine exists that can tame it.
Psychological dependence occurs through conditioning. Dr. Ivan Pavlov observed that his dogs salivated each time they were about to receive food. Over a period of time, he rang a bell at the same time he fed the dogs. Later, he rang the bell but didn't feed them and observed that the dogs salivated even though there was no food.
The same is true for cigarettes. Let's say you smoke after meals. You get about 10 hits of nicotine per cigarette three times a day, giving you 30 hits a day. If you have been smoking for one year, that Pavlovian bell has rung 10,950 times just for mealtime cigarettes! No wonder you want a cigarette after your meals, when you are bored, get into your car, between classes or any other time you smoke.
It is difficult to decondition yourself, but not impossible to do. Having a desire to quit is critical because quitting takes will power, determination and imagination. Preparation is also crucial, and inadequate preparation is a common mistake people make. Many smokers decide today that they are going to quit tomorrow, and when they cave in to a craving they feel bad about having "failed." But quitting smoking takes practice. In my smoking cessation sessions, smokers keep a log of when, where, why and with whom they smoke. This log helps to identify one's triggers (think Pavlov's bell). Once the triggers have been identified, we brainstorm alternative behaviors (a different bell.)
Examples include brushing your teeth right after a meal, blowing bubbles in between classes or driving a different route to school. Setting a quit date in the near future gives time to practice new techniques and also to mentally prepare yourself to quit.
The Great American Smokeout is on Thursday, Nov. 15. If you are motivated to quit, you are welcome to make an appointment with me in the Health Services building for individual smoking cessation counseling. Or check out some of the online programs such as www.whyquit.com, www.californiasmokershelpline.org or for chewing tobacco users, www.quittobacco.com.
Mary-Jo Lomax is a health educator at De Anza Health Services.
One would think that it would be easier to quit smoking today than it was 30 years ago because we've got more laws restricting smoking and there are nicotine replacement products. In reality, quitting smoking today is just as difficult, and maybe even more so, because many smokers mistakenly believe that these products will do the work for them. They won't.
Tobacco addiction is a two-headed monster. One head is nicotine dependence which can be tamed somewhat by using prescription medications or nicotine replacement therapies. The other head, psychological dependence, is bigger, more powerful and no medicine exists that can tame it.
Psychological dependence occurs through conditioning. Dr. Ivan Pavlov observed that his dogs salivated each time they were about to receive food. Over a period of time, he rang a bell at the same time he fed the dogs. Later, he rang the bell but didn't feed them and observed that the dogs salivated even though there was no food.
The same is true for cigarettes. Let's say you smoke after meals. You get about 10 hits of nicotine per cigarette three times a day, giving you 30 hits a day. If you have been smoking for one year, that Pavlovian bell has rung 10,950 times just for mealtime cigarettes! No wonder you want a cigarette after your meals, when you are bored, get into your car, between classes or any other time you smoke.
It is difficult to decondition yourself, but not impossible to do. Having a desire to quit is critical because quitting takes will power, determination and imagination. Preparation is also crucial, and inadequate preparation is a common mistake people make. Many smokers decide today that they are going to quit tomorrow, and when they cave in to a craving they feel bad about having "failed." But quitting smoking takes practice. In my smoking cessation sessions, smokers keep a log of when, where, why and with whom they smoke. This log helps to identify one's triggers (think Pavlov's bell). Once the triggers have been identified, we brainstorm alternative behaviors (a different bell.)
Examples include brushing your teeth right after a meal, blowing bubbles in between classes or driving a different route to school. Setting a quit date in the near future gives time to practice new techniques and also to mentally prepare yourself to quit.
The Great American Smokeout is on Thursday, Nov. 15. If you are motivated to quit, you are welcome to make an appointment with me in the Health Services building for individual smoking cessation counseling. Or check out some of the online programs such as www.whyquit.com, www.californiasmokershelpline.org or for chewing tobacco users, www.quittobacco.com.
Mary-Jo Lomax is a health educator at De Anza Health Services.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Pete
posted 11/09/07 @ 3:44 PM PST
I hate to see that there has been no improvement in the smoking rate over the last couple of years. It really is important for people to lobby their legislators to make sure that smoking cessation programs are adequately funded and that everything possible is being done to discourage smoking. (Continued…)
John R. Polito
posted 11/13/07 @ 7:54 AM PST
Thank you so so much for recommending http://WhyQuit.com to readers. The site is loaded with free tools to aid smokers in breaking nicotine's grip upon their mind and life. (Continued…)
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