Smoking in New Zealand

I've been in New Zealand for the past week on vacation. Smoking is not very popular here. Every cigarette pack had nasty pictures of what smoking can do to your health and every one under the age of 25 is carded. I've seen a few younger individuals smoking but not as many as in the Untied States. Cost may be part of the reason, a pack of cigarette is $11 to $12 NZ (about $7-$8US). A man on a cattle farm told me that many smokers are rolling their own because of the cost. He also mentioned that tobacco education is stressed in the schools from a young age.

How Do You "Stick To It" When the Going Get Tough When Quitting Smoking?

Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things that many individuals will do in their lifetime. Why do some people seem to have what it takes to stop smoking and not relapse? Or the opposite side of the same coin, why do some smokers relapse? What is it the makes one quitter successful and the other slip comfortably back to smoking?
When your reason(s) for wanting to be a non-smoker are more important to you than your reasons why you enjoy smoking, and you are be able to say, "I'll willing to do whatever it takes to quit." At that moment, your bond to nicotine is broken, then it's just figuring out what it takes to modify some behaviors and learning new coping strategies. It's the change in attitude from, "I don't want to quit." to "I'd like to quit but...." to finally, "I want (fill in the blank.....) and to me, that is more important than a cigarette, so I will do what eve it takes to figure out how to avoid, not all cigarettes but that first one that will lead to all the rest. How do you stop from having a cigarette in each moment, not forever but each moment. When the thought of smoking occurs, do you romance it and continue the fantasy that you can smoke without consequences? Or do you change the way you think about smoking and make the decision to change your behavior, that you don't have to automatically give in to a craving or a wanting for a cigarette but you can choose to do something else becuase whatever it is that you really want (ie.. good health, more money, better role model for children...) is important enough to figure out a way to avoid that first cigarette. Rmember you're a puff away from a pack a day.

Preparation for a Successful New Years Resolution to Quit Smoking

The Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society is next month where smokers are encouraged to quit for just one day, with the idea that the smoker might continue for another day and another day. As a spokesperson for tobacco issues for the local office, I'm often asked by reporters to give smokers one bit of advice to be successful at quitting. I believe that if the smoker focuses on building motivation, having the desire and wanting to quit, is the key factor towards a smoker being successful or not, regardless of which method they choose. Every method will work for some, no method works for everyone. The trick is finding the right combination of behavior modification, medicinal support and successful coping strategies for stress and emotions for each individual smoker. So to be successful doesn't apply to the method of quitting as much as the attitude and motivation of the quitter.
I've always thought that the Thursday before Thanksgiving was a terrible day to ask someone to quit smoking. Holidays are often stressful times in many families. There are additional social activities and the hustle-bustle of all that the holidays entail. I propose that for this year for the Great American Smokeout, that you start building your plan to be successful at quitting smoking for a New Years Resolution. This gives you 6 weeks of preparation, to figure out some methods that will work for you and a chance to practice and fine turn before actually putting them down and walking away.

The Key to Staying Quit Forever

In most of my workshops, everyone quits smoking but that figure is misleading because I think that nicotine addiction is over estimated as a problem to quitting but UNDER estimated as a problem when dealing with relapse.
Many smokers come to my workshops saying I'm their "Last Resort", they have tried everything and nothing works. I know these individuals will be successful long term because they just need a little bit of tweaking of their personal cessation plan. they have the desire to quit, otherwise they wouldn't keep trying. They also have gone through the relapse cycle and once they understand the effect of nicotine on the brain, they can avoid relapse. Often these quitters just need a little bit more information and a few more tools in their quitting toolbox and to be successful quitters need many different tools--not just one--like medications --to be successful.
Virgins or first time quitters will quit also and even thought they will say that since they have quit for x number of days or weeks, I can almost guarantee them that they will relapse and be smoking again within 6 months to a year. They have only learned part of their problem--how to deal with the withdrawal and recovery symptoms from smoking. Sometimes they will listen about what they need to avoid relapsing but often these virgins figure that the problem is licked, no need to go any further.
Yet, they relapse and they will attend another one of my workshops. Other participants will comment that obviously the program doesn't work--and the relapsers will say--"No, the program works, I didn't do the work that I should have to be successful, that's why I'm back. I can quit through this program." They realize they need to take responsibility for not following through on learning what they need to know to avoid relapsing. Many smokers will become like me--a professional quitter--the quitting is the easy part, the hard part is staying quit.
Unfortunately many smokers will become discouraged and give up instead of realizing that the more often they try to stop, the more they will learn about how they are connected to their cigarettes and each time, they add one more tool to the toolbox until they have all the tools to be successful forever.
Quitting is a process and not a one time event. It is considered a chronic relapsing disease. Just as with any other chronic condition, you don't just deal with it once and it's gone. Quitting is an ongoing relearning situation. The only failure is when yhou stop trying.

Take Positive Steps Toward Quitting Smoking

Quitting is a process where we change our behavior one step at a time. Thsi often starts with a statement such as, "I'm not going to smoke in the house anymore." "I"m not going to smoke in my car." or after we quit, we tell ourselves, "I'm not going to smoke ever again."
But our brains are funny sometimes and the unconscious sometimes doesn't hear the word "NOT" because those kind of statments call for negative action or no action and we are hard wired to action or to do something. Try to NOT do something, it is easier to DO something than not do it.
Now look at those same statements: "I'm going to smoke in the house." "I"m going to smoke in my car." or after we quit, we tell ourselves, "I'm going to smoke." If this is what your brain is hearing, it can sabatoge your success.
So instead, turn your statements into positive, action statements of what you will do, not what you won't do.
"I'm going to smoke outside from now on." "I'll be smoke free in my car." "I choose to be smoke free."
When a craving comes up, instead of fighting against it by saying, "I'm not going to smoke, I'm not going to smoke." State what you will do. "I can go for a walk instead of smoking." "I can change the way i think about smoking." "I can do this."
Focus on what you want instead of what you don't want, what you will do and not what you won't do.