- Addiction is a health problem that affects the body and the brain, but it also has psychological and social roots. A genetic or biological explanation of addictions can lead to helplessness, because it sets 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 still haven’t quit smoking, it is recommended to write down in a 4-cell table the reasons in favor of continuing to smoke, the reasons against it, the reasons in favor of quitting, and the reasons against it. The goal is to find your own reasons and motivation to start the process. It’s also okay 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 cold turkey, 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 use than to quit completely. If you decide to reduce, it’s okay to accompany that phase with small actions that prepare you to quit, such as introducing new habits, smoking a different brand of tobacco, choosing 2 places where you used to smoke and stopping doing it there, writing a goodbye 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, alcohol use, or other contexts associated with smoking.
- It is recommended to have a list of strategies to fight the urge to smoke, such as: exercising, 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 clearing the house, the car, the office, and any place in daily life of tobacco and its accessories (lighters, commercial products, photos in which you are smoking, ashtrays, etc.). It is also a good time to schedule (if possible, as a routine) any pleasurable activity: massages, the hair salon, the movies, the fair, or sexuality are some examples. It’s time to inform those around you of your intention. It’s okay to avoid risks until you feel more confident, and it’s also okay to set the goal of not smoking day by day, to 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 avoided, there are things you can do to cope with 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 beaten the addiction. It’s okay to give space to satisfaction and success, but it is advisable to moderate that experience. Success consists of staying smoke-free and building a life after tobacco. The idea of “having won” can create the notion that the process is over, and that can make you more vulnerable to relapse.
And in the next module...
We’ll see how to maintain abstinence after the first weeks. Specifically:
- What benefits are there to staying smoke-free after the first weeks? How does the body recover?
- Even if withdrawal or “nicotine withdrawal” has been overcome, the addiction has not been overcome: how does the process continue?
- What myths are associated with tobacco use?
- Aside from quitting smoking, how are you going to fill the space that tobacco leaves in your life?
- How has smoking affected your identity? If there were positive characteristics associated with smoking (looking older, interesting, attractive, etc.), how can those facets be maintained after quitting smoking? Who do you want to be after quitting tobacco?
- What signs indicate the danger of relapse?