I'd like to introduce you to Kevin, a member of the About.com Smoking Cessation forum.? Kevin recently celebrated the anniversary of his second smoke-free year and had plenty to say about it.
Couldn't Be Happier -- Kevin's Story
Congratulations, Kevin!? The benefits you've set in motion will only continue to grow with time away from smoking.
Approximately 90 percent of those diagnosed with oral cancer or pharyngeal cancer (including cancer of the mouth, tongue, lips, throat, parts for the nose, and larynx) are tobacco users.
TobaccoOral cancer screening is a normal part of dental checkups, so visit your dentist on a regular basis to get your teeth cleaned. It's one of the best ways to catch oral cancer early.
Diagnosed with Oral Cancer - Marlene's StoryOral and Head and Neck Cancer
Oral Cancer Photo Gallery
Most oral cancers could be avoided by not using tobacco and/or drinking heavily. If you fall into this risk category, use the information here as a springboard to help you get serious about quitting. Tobacco is a toxic killer and offers you nothing more than disease and ultimately, death.
Sources:
"FAQ Cancer of the Oral Cavity and Pharynx." NOHSS. 23 May 2006. Centers for Disease Control.
"Oral Cancer." 2006. American Cancer Society.
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 things you can do to help keep your weight stable.
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. Take a look at this list of 101 Things to Do Instead of Smoking for more ideas.
Rationalization: Sometimes I have an almost irresistible 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 again--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.
*Adapted from Clinical Opportunities for Smoking Intervention-A Guide for the Busy Physician. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. NIH Pub. No. 86-2178. August 1986
Updated: 12-5-2005
Quit and Stay Quit Monday Messages
Beginning today, we will be featuring a tip each Monday in the spotlight above to help you keep the quit.
Part of the Healthy Monday Campaign, Quit and Stay Quit Monday? offers ex-smokers a chance each week to take stock of their progress or get back on track if they've had a smoking relapse.
Monday is a great day to renew our resolve to make the improvements we're working on a reality in our lives.? Believe in your ability to quit smoking and be willing to make it happen....one Monday at a time.
*************
Take The Quit Smoking Monday Pledge
Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves. If you're still smoking, put your cigarettes down and get started on your quit program today.
We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program.
You can quit smoking ... and we're here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.
Image ? healthymonday.org
Born in 1963 in England, Paul McKenna is a hypnotist and self-improvement author who has written a host of books aimed at helping people overcome problems with issues like weight control, finances, self-esteem and smoking.
Mr. McKenna never smoked, but lost an uncle prematurely to a smoking-related disease. His father was a smoker who quit successfully and as of this writing, is living a healthy, smoke-free life.
Compelling and motivational, Quit Smoking Today Without Gaining Weight delivers exactly what a self-help book should: hope and inspiration.From the introduction by Mr. McKenna to the final thoughts he offers at the end of the 7 sessions included in the book(plus bonus weight loss session), he teaches us how our minds work and offers simple techniques to reprogram and correct behaviors that don't serve us.
Mr. McKenna refers to generalization as a learning principle employed by our minds. Once we learn a new skill or create an association, our minds generalize about it, telling us that it is true for all things, even though it might not be. He uses the example of learning how to open a door, saying that once learned, our minds generalize the technique to be true for all doors. In practical terms, this allows us to learn and move on. Without the ability to generalize, we'd be stuck learning the same thing over and over.As smokers, we quickly learn to associate stress with smoking. Physically, our bodies are stressed because of smoking. When the nicotine level in the blood drops, it makes us feel anxious, and when it's topped off with a cigarette, we're relieved. This is addiction to a drug, but the mind generalizes the association to mean that smoking = stress relief.
Emotionally, we learn to use smoking to control our feelings. We smoke when we're angry, sad, happy, and so on. Over time, the generalization becomes powerfully ingrained that cigarettes help us cope, again reinforcing the idea that smoking = stress relief.
Each chapter(session) in the book begins with some discussion about the topic at hand, and ends with a visualization exercise that helps readers begin to make the mental shift that will break down the generalizations we all have built up around smoking over the years. With session headings such as A Healthy New You, Never Again!, and An End to Cravings, Paul McKenna offers practical tips about how to calm our minds on command, and later, how to imagine in great detail the smoke-free life we want for ourselves.By changing how we respond to stress, and what we associate with stress, we can, with practice, reprogram ourselves to automatically react to stress with healthy choices. At the same time, we can teach our minds to automatically respond negatively to smoking.
Periodically, Mr. McKenna offers what I think of as troubleshooting advice for those of us who are not having success with the techniques offered in the book. They are helpful checkpoints that add to the usefulness of this quit smoking primer.
A guided hypnosis CD is included with Quit Smoking Today Without Gaining Weight. Paul McKenna's voice soothes and relaxes, taking the listener into a state of self-hypnosis quite easily.He suggests listening to the CD daily for at least two weeks while practicing the visualizations in the book.The Pros
Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight is engaging and a quick read. The visualizations provided are easy to follow and are useful in changing the destructive relationship we all had with smoking. The cd is a valuable companion for the book, reinforcing the path to creating new associations with smoking that, if used faithfully, can help readers kick tobacco to the curb for good.
The Cons
Paul Mckenna's book would benefit from a mention about the importance of including some support in a person's quit program.
As a former smoker who found the key to long-term release from nicotine addiction through an online support forum, I know how critical it is to have a group of like-minded people in your corner as you move through smoking cessation. I found the change of mindset that Paul teaches in this way, and know that for those who are trying to quit smoking, support will solidify the concepts he shares.
A word about smoking cessation and weight gain...
With the exception of a few remarks throughout the book, the topic of avoiding weight gain while quitting tobacco is not tackled until readers reach the bonus weight loss session at the end.
That said, I don't feel this should deter anyone from reading Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight, because the cessation information is top-notch and certainly the first priority. The weight control section of the book is simple but decent, and if you follow the principles, you should be able to manage the ups and downs of cessation with minimal weight gain.If you want to change your life, change your mind.
As someone who knows how critical a change of attitude is for lasting freedom from nicotine addiction, I fully endorse Paul McKenna's approach to smoking cessation. His guided visualizations and audio cd are solid tools that, along with the support mentioned above, can yield a change of perspective that will transform the reader's relationship with smoking.
Smoking cessation is not out of reach for any of us. If you have a strong desire to quit, Mr. McKenna's book will help to fuel that fire within you.Remember: Once you change what cigarettes mean to you, you can truly leave them behind and move forward with your life, happily smoke-free.
While smoking cessation will eventually reduce the amount of stress in your life, initially it creates a bit more.
The Stress of Quitting Tobacco
Physically, our bodies are reacting to the absence of the chemicals in the cigarettes we used to smoke.? Emotionally, we are beginning the work of letting go ... and facing down the associations we've built up with smoking over the years.
Thankfully, the discomforts are all temporary and with some education and support, we all have what it takes to leave tobacco behind permanently.
More Reading:
Take out a piece of paper and write out all of the main situations that used to be followed by smoking: including times of day, places you'd go, circumstances that may arise, and moods you might feel. Now, write out at least 3 different alternate behaviors that you can do during each of these times to replace how smoking played to help you cope with these circumstances.
Then, commit strongly to yourself for each situation, "I will NEVER again smoke when____ happens. Repeat this several times. Finally, in the future, track on a piece of paper whenever these situations arise and which alternate behavior you actually ended up substituting for the situation. Be consistent and write down all of your efforts. Self-awareness, planning, and experimentation will soon make you very good this.
Eventually, after these better alternative behaviors become natural and automatic, smoking will cease to be triggered when these situations arise. Keep in mind, there are some old unhealthy smoke-triggering situations that are best just avoided altogether, such as designated "smoking sections" of any sort, casinos, bars, bowling alleys, or any other place highly populated by smoke and smokers. Also, minimize contact with certain smoking individuals that you aren't that close to.
In short, you are retraining yourself to respond differently than by smoking. For instance, if you used to smoke just before arriving to work or school, plan several other activities that you could do then, such as calling a friend on your cell phone, eating a healthy snack, or reading a favorite book.
In order to stay confident and to reinforce the positive messages you will hear in your hypnosis sessions in the "Smoker's Edge" program, it can be helpful to write out and repeat a number of "confidence statements" about yourself and your goal to stop smoking. Confidence statements are positive, true statements that you can repeat to yourself daily to stay focused, motivated, and in control.To do this exercise, take out a piece of paper and list out at least 20 positive, true statements concerning how and why you will stop smoking. After making your list, it can be helpful to post your list somewhere convenient where you can read it once a day to stay sharp. Examples of confidence statements you may wish to use include: I can stop smoking I will stop smoking I love myself too much to smoke I want to get healthier and live longer I will enjoy breathing easier I will be so proud of myself Others will look up to me Millions before me have quit and I can too I can handle this This will get easier over time I can always get support and help from others when I need it I've dealt with harder things than this I can do whatever I put my mind toIn order to stay focused on why you are quitting to remain strong, it can be helpful to write out and repeat a number of "why I am quitting statements" about yourself and your goal to stop smoking. These statements are reminders of what you want to change, avoid, and move away from by quitting smoking. You can repeat these statements to yourself as often as needed to stay focused, motivated, and in control.
To do this exercise, take out a piece of paper and list out at least 10 reasons you want to quit smoking by starting off your sentences with "I am quitting smoking because I want _____." After making your list, review it from time to time if you find you are forgetting why you wanted to quit in the first place. Examples of "reasons to quit" statements you may wish to use include:
I am quitting smoking because I want: healthier lungs to save money my family and friends to respect me to smell better to taste my food again to live longer to be healthier to be happier to feel good about myself to conquer my addiction and bad habit
© Copyright 2005, Randy A. Gilchrist, Psy.D. All Rights Reserved www.hypnosisnetwork.com
