Saturday, February 28, 2009

Would you give up kissing and sex for your cigarettes?

Most smokers know that smoking causes lung cancer but they may not know that smoking is responsible for over 30% of ALL cancers including mouth and lip cancer. Pete had cancer of the lips from smoking cigars. While the plastic surgery did a great job at reconstructing his lips, Pete said that the numbness from the sugery, "Took all the fun out of kissing."

While 1 out of 3 Americans will develop cancer, the number 1 killer is heart disease. Smoking is a major cause because of the damage that it does to the blood vessels but it's not only the heart and brain affected (major cause of strokes as well) but it also affects the blood vessels to the penis and is a primary cause of impotency.

So the problem with smoking may not be that you die too young but live too long with the effects of smoking. Is giving up kissing and sex for your cigarettes worth it?

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Turning the Fears of Quitting into Confidence of Becoming Smoke Free

Fear often holds a smoker back from even trying to quit. I remember being afraid of success, "If I quitting smoking, What will I do?" Smoking has become part of our identity, "Who am I, if I'm not a smoker?" Others have tried to quit so many times that there is a fear of another failure. The fear of gaining weight will stop some smokers, especially women, from ever trying to stop smoking. Other fears include how to handle stress without smoking, fear of pain from withdrawals, fear of being out of control and many others.
But very quickly, within a few weeks, after a smoker has quit, the smoker feels like a non-smoker and the fears present before have evaporated. A successful quitter will replace quitting fears with the fear of relapse but instead, smokers get cocky and think "I can control my smoking", or "One won't hurt". Often quitters have a selective memory, "It wasn't that hard to quit." All of these thoughts are early warning signs of slipping right back into full time smoking. Because the one fear that most smokers underestimate or overlook should be the fear of the power of addiction to nicotine. No other drug is as additive as nicotine but when speaking of addiction, it's not the intoxication of a drug but how fast the drug creates changes within the brain structure of the user--and nicotine beats all drugs in that category.
So when quitting, confront the different fears that arise, there are solutions to every problem but don't give up the fear of relapsing. See that one cigarette as your greatest enemy to what it is that you truly want-a healthy, smoke free life.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Have an Emergency Plan to Avoid Relapsing Back into Smoking

There have been two recent plane crashes in the news. One ended with the survival of all the passengers and crew, the other in tragedy with all aboard lost. In a crisis situation, the pilot has only a few precious minutes to make life or death decisions. Pilots spend hours training for a crisis, hoping they will never have to use this training. In the two plane crashes, one pilot put his emergency plan into action and the other pilot supposedly had put the plane on automatic pilot.
Relapse is a plane crash. The question is, "Do you have an emergency plan or will you rely on your automatic pilot?" Your answer will tell you whether you will continue as a non-smoker or will relapse back into full time smoking.
An emergency plans starts with identifying early warning signs--thoughts, feelings, actions and high risk situations that might lead to having a cigarette.

"One won't hurt."
"Nobody's going to know if I just have one."
"It's the only way to relieve my stress."


All of these thoughts are early warning signs of a relapse and your emergency plan needs to go into action. If you rely on your automatic pilot--your brain--your conditioning is that for 10-20-30-40 years (how ever many years you have smoked), your brain says--light one up.
Instead, you need an emergency plan to avoid that conditioning. How can you change your thinking or what can you do differently? Do you have high risk friends? Practice telling them "No" when they offer you a cigarette. Take time to create an emergency plan and practice, practice, practice so that you can put your plan into action to avoid a crash landing back into smoking.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Myths about Snus and smokeless tobacco

The new tactic of the tobacco companies is to promote smokeless tobacco and snus as a way to quit smoking but those forms of tobacco are dangerous too. Here are some myths taken from: http://oralcancernews.org/wp/

Debunking the myths
Myth: Smokeless tobacco products are a safe alternative to tobacco smoking.
Fact: Here is the bottom line–smokeless is not harmless. The list of serious illnesses connected to any form of smokeless tobacco is almost too long to print, but includes mouth cancer, cancer of the pancreas, tooth loss, and bone loss around the roots of teeth.

Myth: Smokeless tobacco contains less nicotine than cigarettes.
Fact: The amount of nicotine absorbed from a can of spit tobacco is equal to the amount delivered by three to four packs of cigarettes. Nicotine is absorbed more slowly from smokeless tobacco than from cigarettes, but more nicotine per dose is absorbed from smokeless tobacco than from cigarettes. Also, the nicotine stays in the bloodstream longer.

Myth: Nicotine and all the other poisons disappear when you spit out the tobacco.
Fact: When chewers place snuff or smokeless tobacco in their mouth, cheek, or lip, they give nicotine a free pass to do its nasty thing. A high dose of nicotine enters the bloodstream and is then carried throughout the body. It takes its toll on many parts of the body, including the heart and blood vessels, hormones, metabolism, and brain.

Myth: A little dip or chew won’t hurt–it’s a harmless habit!
Fact: Even a little smokeless tobacco has enough nicotine in it to get a user hooked, if he keeps using it. Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, the same drug that makes cigarettes addictive. Holding an average size dip or chew in the mouth for 30 minutes delivers as much nicotine as about three cigarettes. Some smokeless tobacco users sleep with it in their mouths so they keep getting nicotine through the night. That’s an addiction, not a habit.

Myth: Smokeless tobacco use will improve your social and romantic life.
Fact: Just the opposite! Chewing and dipping carry a heavy social price, especially when it comes to dating. Bad breath, ugly gum disease, and stained teeth are universally unappealing. The bulging cheeks, gunk stuck in the mouth, and spitting required by most smokeless tobacco is hardly date-bait. Surgery for oral cancer can result in removal of parts of the face, tongue, cheek or lip, a difficult scenario for a great love connection.

Myth: Americans are getting the message that smokeless does not equal harmless.
Fact: If grades were given for this sort of thing, the Nation’s spit tobacco grade would be a barely passing grade of “D.” Rates of spit tobacco use by high school males are high. Nationally, about one in seven high school males currently use spit or smokeless tobacco products, and in some states that number is one out of four.

For the total Department of Defense male population, the rate of smokeless tobacco use is 21.6 percent, significantly exceeding the rate in the general population.

Myth: If you spit for five years or less you won’t get cancer or heart disease.
Fact: Research reported at the Mayo Clinic and other well-respected organizations indicates that any amount of smokeless tobacco use is dangerous, regardless of whether it’s used for a few years or a decade. Smokeless tobacco users have a greater risk for oral cancer than non-users. Oral cancer can form in as little as five years of regular use.

Myth: Smokeless tobacco is easy to give up–you can quit any time you want to.
Fact: Since smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, it’s as addictive as a cigarette, and users will experience the same withdrawal symptoms. These are usually strongest the first week after quitting. The worst is over after two weeks.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Staying Quit Forever and Preventing Relapse

I always ask the participants in my stop smoking workshops, "What is the longest time you have been off cigarettes?" Their answer tells me quite a bit about how to help them be successful with their latest quit attempt. Here is what some of their answers mean:

"I've never quit for more than a few days." This smoker is probably heavily addicted to nicotine and relapses because of the withdrawal symptoms. They might have used medications in the past but probably incorrectly or in inadequate amounts or they might need a combination of medications to be successful. Unfortunately, once the physical aspect is handled, these smokers still need to deal with the other aspects of their smoking and without addressing those issues, they will relapse and blame it on the medication not working.

"I can go 2 or 3 weeks before I give in and smoke." These smokers need help overcoming habitual smoking. Most smokers think that the habit cigarettes are the hardest one to overcome, yet actually it only seems that way for the first month, after that habit cigarettes fall away because smokers get to practice avoiding habits several times every day. For example, often when smokers get a new car, they will avoid smoking in it and very quickly, the urge to smoke in their car passes and this habit is extinguished. These smokers need help with different quitting tips for individual habits.

"I've quit for a year and then something happened and I went back to smoking." When I ask what it was that happened, it is usually stress, negative emotions, or a positive social situation. These smokers need additional coping techniques for these areas.

"This is my first time quitting." Virgin quitters often will have an easy time quitting, too easy and they think they can control their smoking, which they can't. They are too cocky and will almost always relapse.

"It wasn't that hard to quit and I thought I could have one when I wanted to smoke." Very similar to virgin quitters. These smokers underestimate the addictive nature of nicotine. they also may have a selective memory about how hard it was to quit and even if it was easy, it may be more difficult the second time around.

"This class is my last resort, I've tried everything and nothing works." I love getting these smokers in my class because I know that they have the basic foundation to be successful--motivation-otherwise they wouldn't keep trying to quit. They are willing to try almost anything but they lack the confidence that they can be successful and they need an personalized plan to overcome their individual roadblocks to successful. this is where my expertise can help them finally be successful.

Most of the participants in my stop smoking classes are able to quit. It's not magic but it is because I understand the psychology of smokers and I understand the relapse cycle and what it takes to become a successful quitter.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Always Nice to hear from Successful Quitters

My first workshop at Hi Desert Medical Center was a success!! All of the participants quit smoking. One individual, who had been a two pack a day smoker, was still struggling with smoking less than 10 cigarettes by the last class but called me yesterday to say that she had finally stopped a few days later by using a combination of bupropion and the nicotine inhaler that I had suggested. Here is a letter to the editor from one of the other participants. I love hearing success stories:

http://www.hidesertstar.com/articles/2009/02/19/editorial/doc499bb9a9a64d5513280172.txt

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Joining the Ranks of Former Smokers

My job has got to be the most rewarding on earth. I just finished 3 workshops in Southern California and many smokers were successful at quitting. That means a few less people will die from heart disease, a few less from cancer, and a few less will be disabled from a stroke or from emphysema, living out the last years of their lives tied to an oxygen tank.
I don't take credit for their quitting, I just provide the right atmosphere and the tools needed, then each smoker is responsible for putting the tools into a plan of action that works for them. Now comes the hard part, staying quit forever. Depending on which study you look at, somewhere between 60 and 90% of quitters will relapse within 1-2 years after stopping. Smoking is called a chronic relapsing disorder and many will fall back into smoking effortlessly by believing that they can control their smoking or certain situations will overwhelm their ability to cope.
It took me 9 serious attempts at quitting before I was finally successful. My wish for today is that this is the last attempt for each of those individuals from my workshops. I hope I never see you again (in another workshop because of a relapse). Good luck on staying quit forever!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

The Best Valentines Day Gift--Stop Smoking

Timing can be everything and today may be the time to stop smoking. Give the gift of a longer, healthier life to both your loved ones as well as for yourself.
As a single person who won't date a smoker, I've been told that I might be missing out on a great guy, which may be true but I don't want to fall in love with a man that will die from some horrible disease caused by his smoking. So if you still smoke and think you "gotta die of something", don't think of what you're doing to yourself but think of what you will be putting your family through if you're suddenly diagnosed with heart disease, cancer, COPD, emphysema or have a stroke? So give a gift of love this Valentines Day by giving up your cigarettes, your family will love for it.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

We Don't Want Our Kids to Smoke

Mary's father started her smoking at 16 because he thought it made her look sophisticated, now at 70, she finds it almost impossible to quit.
We've come a long way baby, from an attitude like Mary's father yet even today when a teenager is caught with cigarettes, that parent breathes a sign of relief that it wasn't something stronger, "It's just cigarettes, a right of a passage instead of drugs". Yet cigarettes are more likely to kill the kid that starts smoking than all of the other addictive drugs put together. Our brains don't fully develop until we're in our 20's and the younger a smoker starts, the more likely they develop changes to the structure of brain caused by the exposure to nicotine which is "addiction". It would seem that as a society we would want to protect our children from access to nicotine. Yet sales to minors happen all the time, from the mom and pop stores to the big name box stores, all have sold cigarettes to minors at one time or another. A local store in La Quinta was cited for selling individual cigarettes. Even the tobacco companies don't want single cigarette sales, because with no warning label on singles,the tobacco companies are open to lawsuits claiming the smoker might not have known of the dangers of smoking. That's the real reason why there is a warning label on every pack. But warning labels aren't enough to stop a teen with that optimistic bias that nothing bad will ever happen and that he will live forever. It's time for society to recognize cigarettes for what they are: an addiction delivery devise and not just a right of passage.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Quitting Smoking Saves Everyone Money, Write your Politicans today

Helping people quit smoking has never been a popular issue. Individuals who have never smoked can’t understand how anyone would ever start and think a smoker should just put the cigarette down and walk away. Smokers scream about their right to smoke and are encouraged by the tobacco industry trying to maintain their profits. Former smokers say that if they can quit, anybody can quit and often forget their own struggle in becoming smoke free. Yet ask the approximately 19 million smokers that attempt to quit each year, and they will tell you, that help is what they desperately need, since only 4% to 7% are likely to be successful after a year according to the U.S. Public Health Service.
In the State of California, only 15% of the population still smokes, yet upwards of 50% of these smokers also have a mental illness or an alcohol or substance abuse problem as well. Smokers also tend to be among the poor and uneducated. If it was easy for the current smokers to quit, they would have done so already, yet this segment of the population is the disenfranchised that few will listen to and are the ones that society has a moral obligation to help. There are effective interventions and medications to help these smokers yet they can be expensive since most insurance companies do not cover addiction to nicotine as they do with other addictive substances.
Originally the Economic Stimulus package contained funds to help with smoking cessation but has been cut yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and leading cessation providers, this $75 million investment in tobacco cessation would:
§ Produce at least 1,500 new jobs for smoking quit line counselors
§ Help 100,000 smokers quit
§ Save $10,000 to $15,000 in long-term health care costs per smoker who quits
§ Produce total savings of $1 billion to $1.5 billion in long-term health care costs.
The diseases caused by smoking are some of the most expensive to treat. Heart disease, stroke, 30% of all cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and peripheral artery disease which the US Public Health Service estimates the cost in direct medical expenses is $96 Billion per year and $97 Billion in lost productivity. They estimate that if all smokers covered by state Medicaid programs quit, the annual savings to Medicaid would be $9.7 Billion after 5 years.
As a former smoker, and cancer survivor I personally know how devastating the effects of smoking can be physically, mentally, emotionally and financially and since treatments for nicotine addiction are highly cost-effective, I think it is extremely important to support smoking cessation efforts by the following efforts:
§ Support tobacco cessation and prevention in either the current Stimulus package as a stand alone provision or in general funds to the CDC.
§ Support legislation that health insurance companies and Medicaid include tobacco cessation as a covered item.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Relapsing at Superbowl Parties When Trying to Quit Smoking

Superbowl is one of the biggest sports parties of the year and a time when many former smokers will relapse. A huge social event with plenty of food and drink, with cheering and socializing and a slippery slope for those who have quit smoking. A cigarette seems to fit into this party atmosphere and many will rationalize that one won't hurt. But most people underestimate the power of nicotine--You're a Puff Away From A Pack A Day.
But those trying to quit, don't have to forge the party, nor do they need to relapse, what is needed is a game plan to avoid having that first cigarette. Here are some suggestions:
1. Avoid the alcohol which seems to go hand in hand with that cigarette and with each drink, the inhibitions go down.
2. Sit by the non-smokers or when talking with smokers, excuse yourself when they light up. (You don't have to explain that you don't want to be around the cigarette, go refill your soda, grab some low cal veggies, or go to the bathroom-just get away from the temptation).
3. Don't kid yourself that "One Won't Hurt". Instead say, "That's something I used to do, but it's not a part of my life now".
4. If the temptation to smoke becomes overwhelming, excuse yourself and protect your commitment to remain smoke free and leave the party. You don't need to make a big deal about it, quietly slip away or if you need to make an excuse, just tell the host or hostess, that something didn't agree with your stomach.
5. If you do slip, don't awfulize the situation but learn from it. Don't shame yourself into going and buying a pack for yourself but recommitment to becoming a former smokers.
The next Superbowl won't be for another year, but there are other positive social situations like this that will tempt you, and use this as learning experience