22 octobre 2009
Quitting Methods
Those standing to profit by selling quitting products paint cold turkey quitting as almost impossible with few succeeding. Take your own poll. What you will discover is that nearly 90% of all long-term ex-smokers and smokeless tobacco users quit cold turkey. Not only is it our most productive quitting method, it is fast and free. But quitting cold -- in ignorance and darkness -- can be frightening. When combined with education, skills development and ongoing support, no quitting product comes close. Not only do cold turkey quitters avoid potential medication side effects, they do not get hooked on the cure (nearly 40% of all nicotine gum users are chronic long-term users of at least 6 months). All pharmacology products share a common feature. They delay brain neuronal resensitization to varying degrees. What it means is that there is almost always some level of back-end re-adjustment, once they stop using the product, where they are left feeling temporarily de-sensitized.
Record Your Motivations - Once in the heat of battle, it is normal for the mind to quickly forget many of the reasons that motivated us to commence recovery. Imagine having a loving reminder letter listing all core motivations, carrying it with you, and making it your first line of defense - a motivational tool that can be pulled out during moments of challenge. As with achievement in almost all human endeavors, the wind beneath our recovery wings will not be strength or willpower but robust dreams and desires. Keep those dreams vibrant, on center-stage and calming the impulsive lizard brain and no circumstance will deprive you of glory.
Do Not Skip Meals - Nicotine was our spoon, with each puff, dip or chew releasing stored fats into the bloodstream. It allowed us to skip meals without experiencing wild blood-sugar swing symptoms such as an inability to concentrate (mind fog), the shakes, irritability or hunger related anxieties.
24 septembre 2009
Kübler-Ross grief cycle
The Kübler-Ross model identifies five discrete stages in the grief cycle when coming to terms with any significant emotional loss. Albeit chemical, dependency upon nicotine may have been the most intense and dependable relationship in our entire life. Unless wet and it wouldn’t light, never once did it let us down. Unlike when hunting for a lost pet or when our parents were angry with us, nicotine’s “aaah” was always there. If we smoked nicotine ten times per day and averaged 8 puffs per cigarette, that’s 80 times a day that we puckered our lips up to some nasty smelling butt spewing forth scores of toxins and thousands of chemicals. What human on earth did we kiss 80 times each day? Who did we depend upon 80 times a day?
How many
times each day did we write or say our name? Imagine being closer to our
addiction than our own name.
In 1982
Joel Spitzer applied the Kübler-Ross grief cycle model to the emotional
loss encountered when quitting smoking.346 The five stages of emotional recovery
include:
(1) Denial: “I’m not really going to quit. I’ll just pretend and see how far I get.”
(2) Anger: “Have I really had my last nicotine fix? “This just is not fair!”
(3) Bargaining: “Maybe I can do it just once more.” “I’ve earned a little reward.”
(4) Depression: “This is never going to end.” What’s the use?” “Why bother?”
(5) Acceptance “Hey, I’m feeling pretty good!” “I can do this!” “This is good.”
It’s important in navigating emotional recovery to not get stuck in a stage prior to acceptance. Seeing and understanding each stage’s roots will hopefully help empower a smoother and quicker emotional transition home. As we review each stage keep in mind the fact that the Kübler-Ross’s grief cycle of emotional loss is not etched in stone. Some phases may be absent while others get revisited.