Without a doubt this is one of the most comprehensive self-help books on the market today. It's not just another "how-to-quit" smoking manual. As tobacco prices continue to escalate, now is time to seriously consider breaking this cycle of addiction. In this book, Douglas uses a variety of familiar anecdotes to teach, admonish, and to persuade his readers that they can tailor a practical plan for quitting. His clear, descriptive language and candid story-telling will entice you to read the book in its entirety. Further, he introduces a proven strategy which you will find both useful and trustworthy. The information is both factual and credible, and his method for quitting is duplicable. Without bias, he describes a variety of cessation options for the smoker. However, his main focus is employing the "cold turkey" method for quitting the habit of smoking. This method not only saves you money, but it also minimizes the amount of psychological and physical discomfort associated with withdrawal and abstinence. The book builds on the premise: to successfully QUIT SMOKING you must STOP THINKING about it.
IF A CAVEMAN CAN QUIT SMOKING, WHY NOT ME?
By Douglas HughesAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Hughes
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4389-9763-6Contents
Acknowledgments....................................................viiDedication.........................................................ixPreface............................................................xiMake the Decision..................................................1Define the Terminology.............................................7Follow the Yellow Brick Road.......................................14How I Started Smoking..............................................18Nicotine, the Real Enemy...........................................25Smoking Cessation Options..........................................30This Could Make You Sick...........................................48The Gradual Withdrawal Method......................................55Personal Testimonies...............................................60Change the Way You Think...........................................65Look at the Rewards................................................73Winners, Losers and the Law........................................78Determine Your D-Day...............................................86Prepare Your Strategy List.........................................92Concluding Thoughts................................................98References.........................................................101Appendix A: Principles, Attitudes, and Beliefs.....................105Appendix B: Selected Smoking Cessation Options.....................107Appendix C: Benefits...............................................109Appendix D: Strategy...............................................111Biography..........................................................113
Chapter One
MAKE THE DECISION
The questions that haunted me for at least five of the ten years I smoked are equivalent to the ones you may face: Is your pain so evident that it compels you to quit smoking? Are you ready to adjust your thinking, focus your mind on other matters and stop thinking about smoking? Are you willing to change your lifestyle (e.g., avoid bars, frequent non-smoking areas of businesses, risk losing friendships, or start a new hobby) so you can quit smoking and stop thinking about it all the time? Do you want to experience true and lasting freedom from nicotine addiction? Consider this: success is measured by the amount of time you spend thinking or not thinking about smoking. What I found most helpful was learning how others had quit smoking cold turkey and remained smoke-free.
Most smokers will experience some or all of the withdrawal symptoms listed above sometime during their lives. Oddly, I have met only a handful of smokers who experienced atypical symptoms (i.e., no withdrawal cravings or a desire to smoke). People have differing tolerances. Some can quit without hesitation and yet others are desperate for help. The pattern that creates the cycle of addiction is quite simple: ingest nicotine through tobacco use, experience some degree of withdrawal, and then repeat. However, changing the behavior adversely affects the smoker and those in his/her social network.
We all ask the question, "Why is quitting so difficult?" Since smoking involves more than just ingesting nicotine, many smokers don't fully understand the psychological and emotional behaviors linked with the habit. Gaining such knowledge will eventually create a stronger foundation and a deeper desire to quit. Remember, knowledge translates into power; therefore, it is imperative to begin collecting information about your habit and smoking experiences before arriving at the day you have chosen as your D-day. Wikipedia, the free on-line Encyclopedia, offers an interesting but appropriate definition for this term, "Often, the day something big happens, when a decision that can't be changed is made, it is called 'D-Day'" (D-Day, 2009, para. 4). What could be a bigger day for you than the day you finally quit smoking? Your mental preparation greatly increases the likelihood of quitting permanently!
To experience genuine freedom there is only one true cure: you must STOP THINKING about smoking so that you can QUIT SMOKING ... forever! Is the solution that simple? Yes! Stop thinking about smoking and you will stop smoking. The process, however, will vary with individual smokers. For example, eight to nine weeks after smoking my last cigarette I experienced this epiphany. I could literally measure success in terms of the amount of time I spent either thinking or not thinking about smoking. The key to success is training your mind to stop thinking about smoking. One of my barber customers said it very clearly, "You choose to quit smoking and never look back again." Having tried and failed at least a dozen times, something finally occurred to me. If I expected to "never look back again", then I needed to create a quit smoking plan that was designed and tailored to increase my chances for success. Consider this maxim: knowledge of the subject + personal preparation (designing a plan) = confidence to quit smoking.
Prior to quitting I had no such thoughts; therefore, a "battle plan" was needed to combat each and every temptation I would likely encounter after deciding to quit smoking. Later in this writing I will briefly discuss a journaling exercise I found invaluable to use during the times when I was tempted to smoke. You will have the opportunity to employ this same activity when you are determined to quit smoking. It's important for you to write about those times when you feel weak or susceptible to smoke. The purpose for journaling is two-fold: 1) to help you think through every scenario that you are likely to encounter, and 2) to suggest a method for coping in your moment of temptation. You want to develop a comprehensive understanding of yourself and exploit those times when you are inclined to smoke.
Quitting smoking is no easy task! For most people it's hard work because they are fighting two battles: the habit of smoking and the addictive chemical in tobacco. Imagine for a moment someone inviting you to climb 29,035 feet to the top of the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Thousands of people have tried, although only a few have been successful, and many have lost their lives in pursuit of this goal. If someone asked me to accept such a challenge I would flatly refuse the offer. Why? Because the mountain is just too big! I could not endure the climatic changes and the extreme physical hardships along the way. More importantly, however, I would have to change my lifestyle; sacrifice a few pleasurable things; modify my diet; solicit financial sponsors and purchase expensive but essential gear; and I would need to train my mind and body regularly for this distant but approaching event.
Quitting smoking will seem much like climbing Mount Everest, yet people generally don't wake up one morning and fly to China with their climbing gear. Hikers and climbers who expect to successfully climb this mountain will always climb progressively, more challenging elevations. Unfortunately, no matter how well people plan a high-adventure outing, something happens to create a stumbling block or a hindrance to their progress. Regardless of their foresight, people will experience a variety of health, weather, and equipment issues even on terrain that is not as challenging. Thankfully, they will learn from both their successes and failures; hence we can apply the proverbial statements, "It is better to have tried and failed than to have failed to try", and "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again". The same words can (and will) be said about quitting smoking, too.
For those who insist on climbing the big mountain, they have the comfort of knowing that everyone starts at the foothills (i.e., the base of the mountain) before beginning their ascent. Hikers can either forge their own route or follow one of the many trails made by their predecessors. Also, there are professionals who have climbed the mountain. Hikers can take advantage of their specialized skills and expertise or they can scale the terrain like a lone ranger. I would be remiss to suggest that no one could reach the summit alone, but do the research. How many people have accomplished this feat without support from others? How many would dare?
Most of us know people who have successfully quit smoking. They are the real experts in this field! For you who are contemplating quitting, there is comfort in knowing that this addictive drug can be purged from your body. You have the potential to alter your thinking and behaving so that you will never smoke again. Everyone who desires to quit smoking stands at the foothills facing this same giant, and they must climb it. You must climb it! No one can climb the mountain for you. You must apply all your knowledge, strength, and power to overcome this habit. For some, quitting won't seem like climbing Mount Everest. Rather, their struggle will be comparable to sliding down the hills of the local ski slope or taking a walk along a hilly, pedestrian walkway. In my opinion these people are rare!
After reading through these pages and gleaning some ideas, many of you will feel confident and ready to quit "cold turkey". Others, however, will feel the need to use one or more prescriptive medications. I'm not suggesting that anyone entertain using them, but each of you will definitely learn more about your strengths, and your weaknesses, when you decide to quit smoking. Let me give you this one admonition: You certainly don't want to give up a bad habit only to develop a dependence on some other costly item. At some time in the future you will stand near the foothills, staring at the various choices and wondering, "Which of these paths (i.e., methods of quitting) will take me to the summit with the least amount of effort, expense, and worry?" As this book will explain, there are a variety of paths to quitting this habit.
DEFINE THE TERMINOLOGY
Working out a winning strategy to quit smoking is analogous to playing a game of chess. If you expect to have a reasonable chance of winning, you must have a good working knowledge of the game, which would include knowing the value of each chess piece and how they navigate around the board. Each player attempts to place his opponent's "King" in check, and ultimately check-mate, thus ending the game. A chess match could easily last a few of hours with experienced players.
People who want to quit smoking should expect to encounter even greater challenges than strategizing a check-mate in chess. Although there are some exceptions, most smokers cannot overcome their nicotine addiction as easily as turning off a light switch. That's because the physical and psychological dependence of the drug didn't occur overnight. Therefore, to conquer this addiction, smokers must acquire a thorough understanding of themselves and their smoking habits. Examining one's attitudes, beliefs, and general principles about smoking is an important step in developing a check-mate strategy to breaking this habit (see Appendix A for a list of these considerations).
The choice to quit smoking is no easy decision, particularly for those who have smoked for years. It takes time and great effort to undo a habit that has invaded all areas of one's personal, professional, social, and recreational activities. In the beginning your decision to quit will require skillful planning and intensive concentration. From my experience, physical withdrawal takes roughly 4-5 days, but fighting the temptations to smoke takes much longer. You must decide how much effort to contribute and whether you want to win.
A check-mate reveals that you mentally prepared yourself for every possible temptation; you resisted each thought by implementing a counter-move (i.e., a specific behavior or distraction); and you kept yourself smoke-free by ignoring the bait or excused yourself from the objectionable environment. When it comes to quitting ask this question, "Am I ready, willing and able to leave my comfort zone and abandon all thoughts of smoking?"
The American culture has conditioned people to rely on supplemental resources to solve their problems. Exercising personal will-power (i.e., resolve, determination, self-control, or discipline), is rarely an option as it seems like such an ancient paradigm. This comes as no surprise, particularly when the pharmaceutical companies utilize various media to flood the public with commercials. For example, ads for the patch have been used for many years. Formerly a doctor-prescribed remedy, this over-the-counter aid is applied to the body in an inconspicuous area. As time passes a small amount of the drug is slowly absorbed into the skin. Although the patch is intended to help the person quit smoking and save money, the person continues to pay a price for his/her addiction. It shouldn't cost people money to quit. On the contrary, people should be spending less money because they aren't buying cigarettes and related products. Rather than suffering through a few days of physical withdrawal and working towards psychological freedom, the addiction continues to be a daily expense.
As I too learned, the patch comes in a variety of other forms. For example, chewing tobacco can become a substitute for smoking cigarettes as easily as a nicotine patch, a stick of chewing gum, or a drop of candy. Individual resolve is what will ultimately break the cycle of addiction and end the smoking habit. People will SMOKE cigarettes because they THINK about smoking cigarettes. Hence the clich, "out of sight, out of mind" appears to have a strong correlation among those who want to replace an unhealthy habit with an acceptable and more appealing activity.
I believe there are just two philosophies for quitting smoking: cold turkey and participating in cessation programs and related products. I intend to spend the majority of my time sharing how you can follow the former: quitting cold turkey using some method of behavior modification. However, the latter should be considered if a smoker lacks the necessary will-power, or if seeking medical advice seems wiser. But please understand that most smoking cessation programs typically introduce you to another crutch; some product that takes away your will-power to just quit smoking. These crutches often times provide only a temporary remedy as they don't help the smoker stop thinking about smoking. Just because another person has abstained from smoking is no guarantee you will enjoy the same success.
Have you heard of the Great American Smokeout (GAS)? This national campaign, endorsed by the American Cancer Society, held its first smokeout in 1977. This event is held annually on the third Thursday in November. It challenges people not to smoke cigarettes for a minimum of 24 hours, hoping the decision to quit will last forever (Smokeout, 2008). The words to quit smoking rather than to stop smoking bear little significance to the average reader. Although the terminology appears to be interchangeable, I believe there is a subtle yet distinct difference between quit smoking and stop smoking. One on-line dictionary defines them for us. Quit means to release one's hold of or to cease from doing something (Quit, n.d.), and stop means to restrain, to hinder, to cease, to put an end to, or to discontinue (Stop, n.d.).
The GAS campaign encourages people to quit smoking for a day; most will likely return to their usual habit. In reality, they didn't quit smoking but merely stopped smoking for a day. It's like coming to a regulatory STOP sign on the highway; you stop, and then go again. Quit smoking means that a smoker ceases smoking altogether; he/she makes a u-turn and never wants to look back. When smokers quit the habit of smoking, they expect to be released from the physical bondage and psychological addiction of nicotine, forever. Laying aside one's cigarettes for a day is no small feat, but to stop smoking for 24 hours is much easier than quitting for a lifetime. Don't forget, six to eight of those 24 hours are probably spent sleeping. Thus, one can easily apply the proverbial statement, "I can do that standing on my head!" Just as an ex-smoker can detect the faintest odor of tobacco smoke, those who understand this addiction will grasp the difference between the two terms.
Quitting is hard work, and it's very emotional, too. Just thinking about the decision to quit smoking conjures a variety of descriptive words (e.g., difficulty, impatient, moody, afraid, failure). Choosing to quit is a tough decision. Until smokers come to these crossroads, most of them generally dismiss such feelings. Their heads aren't flooded with thoughts of failure like those who are trying to re-program their brains. They don't spend each day preparing their minds to "bounce their eyes" to some other corner of the world whenever they see someone smoking. What's more, they aren't consciously formulating and executing a grueling, daily battle plan that views smoking as the enemy. Those people generally don't define themselves as addicts and, as a rule, are comfortable with their smoking routine.
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Excerpted from IF A CAVEMAN CAN QUIT SMOKING, WHY NOT ME?by Douglas Hughes Copyright © 2009 by Douglas Hughes. Excerpted by permission.
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