|
|
|
Health Information
|
Saturday, November 22, 2008
|
|
Find
more information about this topic from either the Web or the world's best
medical journals by using the search boxes at the top of this page.
|
| |
Common Rationalizations*
Rationalization: I'm under a lot of stress, and smoking relaxes
me.
Response: Your
body is used to nicotine, so you naturally feel more relaxed
when you give your body a substance upon which it has grown
dependent. But nicotine really is a stimulant; it raises your
heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline level. Most ex-smokers
feel much less nervous just a few weeks after quitting.
Rationalization: Smoking makes me more effective in my work.
Response: Trouble
concentrating can be a short-term symptom of quitting, but smoking
actually deprives your brain of oxygen.
Rationalization: I've already cut down to a safe level.
Response: Cutting
down is a good first step, but there's a big difference in the
benefits to you between smoking a little and not smoking at
all. Besides, smokers who cut back often inhale more often and
more deeply, negating many of the benefits of cutting back.
After you've cut back to about seven cigarettes a day, it's
time to set a quit date.
Rationalization: I smoke only safe, low-tar/low-nicotine cigarettes.
Response: These
cigarettes still contain harmful substances, and many smokers
who use them inhale more often and more deeply to maintain their
nicotine intake. Also, carbon monoxide intake often increases
with a switch to low-tar cigarettes.
Rationalization: It's too hard to quit. I don't have the willpower.
Response: Quitting
and staying away from cigarettes is hard, but it's not impossible.
More than 3 million Americans quit every year. It's important
for you to remember that many people have had to try more than
once, and try more than one method, before they became ex-smokers,
but they have done it, and so can you.
Rationalization: I'm worried about gaining weight.
Response: Most
smokers who gain more than 5-10 pounds are eating more. Gaining
weight isn't inevitable. There are certain things you can do
to help keep your weight stable. (See Tips To Help You Avoid Weight Gain.)
Rationalization: I don't know what to do with my hands.
Response: That's
a common complaint among ex-smokers. You can keep your hands
busy in other ways; it's just a matter of getting used to the
change of not holding a cigarette. Try holding something else,
such as a pencil, paper clip, or marble. Practice simply keeping
your hands clasped together. If you're at home, think of all
the things you wish you had time to do, make a list, and consult
the list for alternatives to smoking whenever your hands feel
restless.
Rationalization: Sometimes I have an almost irresistable urge
to have a cigarette.
Response: This
is a common feeling, especially within the first 1-3 weeks.
The longer you're off cigarettes, the more your urges probably
will come at times when you smoked before, such as when you're
drinking coffee or alcohol or are at a cocktail party where
other people are smoking. These are high-risk situations, and
you can help yourself by avoiding them whenever possible. If
you can't avoid them, you can try to visualize in advance how
you'll handle the desire for a cigarette if it arises in those
situations.
Rationalization: I blew it. I smoked a cigarette.
Response: Smoking
one or a few cigarettes doesn't mean you've "blown it." It does
mean that you have to strengthen your determination to quit
and try againp;harder. Don't forget that you got through
several days, perhaps even weeks or months, without a cigarette.
This shows that you don't need cigarettes and that you can be
a successful quitter.
  
NEXT PAGE
*Adapted
from Clinical Opportunities for Smoking Interventionp;A
Guide for the Busy Physician.
National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute. NIH Pub. No. 86-2178. August 1986.
|
|
|
.gif)
