Stages of quitting smoking
All smokers may be graded on a continuum with respect to their motivation to quit. At any point in time about one third of smokers are simply not interested in even considering quitting. Between one third and half are considering it, but they are not quite ready to give up the benefits of smoking or to deal with the discomfort of quitting. Another 20% are getting ready to quit or are going through the initial stages of quitting. A growing number are abstinent ex-smokers. For every 2 smokers there are 3 ex-smokers.
It is important to determine where you lie upon this continuum, since the most effective strategy is different for each stage.
Precontemplators
If you feel the benefits outweigh the costs, then you are in the precontemplative area. At some point, if you remain open to information or if you experience some of the consequences of nicotine addiction, you may find that you become more interested in quitting. Make 2 lists side by side. On one list write down all the benefits or good things you get from smoking. On the other list write down all the costs, or negative aspects of smoking.
Contemplators
If you fall into this category you are of 2 minds. Part of you wants to quit; you may feel guilty about your smoking. But part of you is unwilling to give up the pleasure or comfort of cigarettes. Only when you become convinced that the negative aspects of smoking outweigh the benefits will you do what only you can do: make a firm decision to take the necessary steps to quit - and stay quit.
Preparation stage
This is the most important stage. The most common reason for relapse is skimping here. Make a list of the times and situations you smoke. List those times when you want to smoke the very most. Outline cues, or triggers - such as your morning coffee, talking on the phone, just after a good meal, having a drink - so you may decide on alternate coping strategies. Are there any changes in your environment or behavior you should make, even for a while, when you quit smoking? Some people have suggested getting rid of ashtrays, avoiding the morning coffee, staying away from alcohol for a while, eating lunch in a different spot, changing your route to work, getting the interior of the car cleaned. Talk to your family doctor about your options including medications. Complete the Fagerstrom Test For Nicotine Dependence to determine the most appropriate treatment plan with your doctor. Tell other people about your intentions and make a list of support people you might use to help you through the early stages of recovery. An exercise and diet plan will be important if you want to keep your weight from climbing. This part of your journey is very important and very personal. Spend enough time and effort on it to give you a good chance at success. Then choose a quit date!
Action stage
This is where the rubber hits the road. Breathe in, breathe out, don't have even a puff. Short-term pain for long-term gain. You have stocked up on healthy finger food. You have an exercise program to deal with that nervous energy. You have scheduled some rewards for successful completion of short periods of abstinence. All you need to do is make it to bedtime today without a smoke. The irritability, hunger, craving, and poor concentration will all pass. Just remember, by the end of your first 24 hours your cardiovascular health has already improved. Soon you will start to smell and taste things better. You may take pride in making this important change in your health.
Staying free
Recovering alcoholics sometimes describe alcohol as "cunning, baffling, and powerful - and patient." If you are a smoker, addicted to nicotine, you may become an ex-smoker. You will not become a never-smoker. The changes in your brain, which occurred with addiction, were partly reversible and partly permanent. Those parts of your brain, like the rechargeable batteries in your cell phone, have a memory. With time the craving goes away and the compulsion weakens. In psychology it's called extinction: when conditioned cues are no longer associated with reward, the conditioning will gradually fade, and the conditioned behavior will cease. But all it takes is a brief lapse, one smoke or even one puff and all those changes, synapses, circuits, neuro receptors and enzymes come out of storage and in no time the cycle is back functioning. You will never become a social or occasional smoker.
Dealing with relapse
Oh no! I've blown it and had a smoke! There's nothing to lose now so I might as well make this worth my while - and buy a carton. If you slip, it is important to turn it into a valuable lesson, from a stumbling block into a stepping stone. Go over the situations and feelings leading up to the slip. What could you have done differently? What did you neglect? Did you underestimate the risk or your compulsion? (It was probably compulsion when you watched yourself go ahead, accept the cigarette and light it, even though you did not feel you "needed" a cigarette and were aware it was a dumb thing to do). What changes can you now make in your relapse-prevention program?
Now tell your support network about this experience and get back into recovery. The sooner you do it, the easier it will be.
Keep up the vigilance. Continue to reward yourself for your success. Don't let up on the exercise and healthy nutrition. Every so often make a list of the rewards and benefits of being an ex-smoker.
Congratulations, you are now a role model for others.