- Addiction is a health problem that affects the body and brain, but it also has psychological and social roots. A genetic or biological explanation of addictions can lead to helplessness, because it frames as the cause aspects of the person that cannot be changed. Paying attention to the psychological and social background of smoking makes it possible to move forward.
- If you have not quit smoking yet, it is recommended to note down in a 4-cell table the reasons in favour of continuing to smoke, the reasons against, the reasons in favour of quitting, and the reasons against. The aim is to find your own reasons and motivation to start the process. It is also fine to listen to the part of yourself that prefers to keep smoking and has doubts about the right time to quit.
- It is usually better to quit abruptly, or to plan a brief reduction of no more than 2 weeks. In general, it is usually much more difficult to maintain controlled or reduced consumption than to stop completely. If you decide to reduce, it can help to accompany that phase with small actions that prepare you to quit, for example, introducing new habits, smoking a different tobacco brand, choosing 2 places where you used to smoke and stopping doing it there, writing a farewell letter to tobacco, among others.
- It is advisable to keep risky situations in mind and avoid them. These can be smokers’ breaks, bars or parties, drinking alcohol, or other contexts associated with smoking.
- It is recommended to have a list of strategies to fight the urge to smoke, such as: doing sport, wetting your hands or your whole body, calling someone to talk about anything except the urge to smoke, or mindful breathing exercises.
- When Quit Day arrives, we suggest cleaning the house, the car, the office and any everyday place of tobacco and its accessories (lighters, commercial products, photos of you smoking, ashtrays, etc.). It is also a good time to schedule (if possible, as a routine) any pleasurable activity: massages, the hairdresser, the cinema, the fair or sexuality are some examples. This is the time to inform those around you of your intention. It is fine to avoid risks until you feel more confident, and it is also fine to set the goal of not smoking day by day, so you can feel the experience of achievement each day that passes, and not have the impression of facing an overwhelming challenge.
- Withdrawal lasts at most 28 days. It can be very unpleasant, but it is temporary. Although its onset cannot be prevented, there are things you can do to combat it.
- There is a phenomenon called the “pink cloud”, which consists of great euphoria generated by the feeling of having managed to quit smoking, of having overcome the addiction. It is fine to give space to satisfaction and success, but it is advisable to moderate that experience. Success means staying smoke-free and building a life after tobacco. The idea of “having overcome it” can create the notion that the process is over, and this can make you more vulnerable to relapse.
And in the next module...
We will see how to maintain abstinence after the first few weeks. Specifically:
- What benefits are there to staying smoke-free after the first few weeks? How does the body recover?
- Even if the withdrawal syndrome or “cravings” have been overcome, the addiction has not: how does the process continue?
- What myths are associated with tobacco use?
- Apart from quitting smoking, how are you going to fill the space tobacco leaves in your life?
- How has smoking affected your identity? If there were positive characteristics associated with smoking (seeming older, interesting, attractive, etc.), how can those aspects be maintained after quitting smoking? Who do you want to be after quitting tobacco?
- What signs indicate the danger of relapse?