Prof. G's Stop Smoking Course Part 2

Transcription

1 Prof. G's Stop Smoking Course Part 2 Working My Quit Plan Contents: My Concerns About Stopping Smoking Page 2.2 My Reasons for Quitting Page 3 My Reasons for NOT Quitting Page 4 ` What I Will Say Page 5 My Stop-smoking Contract Page 6 Examples of Alternative-to-Smoking Activities Page 18 My Quit Week Plan Page Organize a Quit Team Page 21 Plan Alternative to Quit Week Activities Page 22 Beware of Triggers for Starting to Smoke Again Page 23 NOTICE These course materials are intended to provide accurate information for educational purposes and not intended to replace competent medical advice and care offered by a physician or other health professional. All information is presented for educational purposes only, not as medical advice, and presented "as is" without warranty or guarantee of any kind. Students and readers are cautioned not to rely on this information as medical advice and to consult a qualified medical professional for their specific needs. No responsibility or liability is assumed by the instructor for any injury, damage, or financial loss sustained to persons or property from the use of this information, personal or otherwise, either directly or indirectly. While every effort has been made to ensure reliability and accuracy of the information within, all liability, negligence or otherwise, from any use, misuse or abuse of the operation of any methods, strategies, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein, is the sole responsibility of the student or reader The information in this course material has not been evaluated by the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, or any other government agency and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Copyright 2013 by Eric Golanty. All rights reserved.

2 Page 2.2 My Concerns About Stopping Smoking The decision to stop smoking is rarely easy. Even if you know that quitting is right for you, it's normal to have doubts about... * how you are going to cope with stress and other unpleasant emotions and situations without cigarettes. * not succeeding because you have tried unsuccessfully to quit before. * being so irritable and crabby that you upset your friends and family. * gaining weight 1. Make a list of your concerns about stopping smoking. 2. Discuss your list with your Course Buddy, a friend, or the Instructor. My Concerns About Stopping Smoking are List more on a separate page in your Quit Kit or Journal

3 Prof. G.'s Stop Smoking Course Page 2.3 My Reasons for Quitting 1. Make a list of the reasons you want to stop smoking. Some examples: * To stop coughing so much. * To have more energy and stamina. * To be able to exercise. * To be healthy. * To stop exposing my family to secondhand smoke. * To set an example for my children. * To decrease my risk of heart disease. * To decrease my risk of lung and other cancers. * To have more money to spend and save. * To get fewer colds and flu. * My workplace is a smoke free environment. * So my clothes, car, and house don't stink. 2. Every once in a while, especially when you light up, take a look at the list. 3. Add items to the original list when you think of them. 4. On a 2 inch x 2.5 inch piece of paper, list the top 5 reasons you want to quit. Put the paper in the plastic sleeve of your pack of cigarettes or fix it to the pack with a rubber band so you will see it each time you reach for a smoke. My Reasons for Quitting Write more reasons in your Journal. Share the top 5 with the Instructor, your Course Buddy, and/or a friend.

4 Page 2.4 My Reasons for NOT Quitting For most smokers, cigarettes and smoking are very important parts of their lives, providing pleasure, stress relief, comfort, an enhancement to social interaction, and other rewards. Identifying the pleasures of smoking will enable you to find nonsmoking alternatives. List the reasons you do not want to stop smoking, that is, the pleasures of smoking that you don't want to give up. My Reasons for NOT Quitting List more reasons on a separate page in your Quit Kit or Journal. Share them with your the Insteructor, your Course Buddy, and/or a friend.

5 Page 2.5 What I Will Say Most people will be very happy for you that you decided to quit. Some smokers will even tell you, "I wish I could do what you are doing." On the other hand, someone may give you a hard time or make a snide remark about you quitting and you may want to say something in return. You don't have to be defensive or angry; a statement that shows your commitment to being healthy and well will do. For example, if someone says, "What are you, some kind of health nut?" You could say, "I don't know if I'm a health nut. But I know I need to do this for myself." Assignment: 1. Write down what you will say to someone who tries to talk you out of quitting or who teases you about your decision to quit. Situation 1: Someone says: "You've tried to quit before. What makes you think you'll make it this time?" You say: Situation 2: Someone says: "Are you going to get irritable and difficult to be with?" You say: Situation 3: Someone says: "C'mon, it's a party. You can have just one." You say: Situation 4: You say to yourself, "I don't think I can handle this. I need a cigarette." You say:

6 Page 2.6 My Stop-smoking Contract 1. Make a contract with yourself to stop smoking 2. In the contract, write down your Quit Day and what reward you will give yourself for not smoking after Quit Day. 3. Have someone witness the contract. My Stop-smoking Contract I,, am going to stop smoking entirely. My Quit Day is. When I have successfully not smoked for 24 hours, I will give myself a reward. When I have successfully not smoked for 48 hours, I will give myself another reward. When I have successfully not smoked for 3 days, I will give myself still another reward, and so on until I know I am totally done with smoking. If I slip and have a cigarette, I will not punish myself. I will remind myself that smoking is difficult and compliment myself for getting that far. I will contact my Course Buddy and my Quit Team to discuss the slip and to plot a strategy for continuing with my plan to quit smoking. Signed Date Witness Date

7 Page 2.7 Examples of Alternative-to-Smoking Activities * Anchor. * Take a Cleansing Breath. * Do a Guided Imagery exercise. * Use Thought-stopping and Cognitive Reframing to change thoughts about discomfort and needing a cigarette. * Look at your Reasons for Quitting list. * Write yourself a note in your Quit Kit or Journal. * Stand up and stretch. * Take a walk. * Brush your teeth. * Clean your mouth with mouthwash. * Take a shower. * Phone, text, , tweet a friend. * Water a plant or flower. * Light incense instead of a cigarette. * Read a book or magazine. * Listen to a favorite song. * Drink water, herbal tea, or 100% fruit juice (not soda, energy drinks, coffee, or alcohol). * Eat carrot or celery sticks. * Eat fruit or trail mix (not fatty, sugary snack foods or sweets). * Chew sugarless gum. * Suck on and ice cube or chew some crushed ice. * Use a straw, toothpick, or fake cigarette to have something in your mouth instead of a cigarette. * Suck on a piece of sugarless hard candy or a cinnamon stick. * Handle a pencil, pen, paper clip, or marble to provide the sensation of having a cigarette in your hand. * Wash your hands. * Wash the dishes. * Do a crossword puzzle or needlepoint. * Go to places in which smoking is not allowed (libraries, public buildings, movie theaters etc.). * After meals, get up and walk around instead of tempting yourself to smoke. * Use alternative transportation for a while to avoid the temptation to smoke in your car. Do you have any other ideas for alternatives to smoking? Search the web or ask friends and write the suggestions in your Quit Kit or Journal.

8 Page 2.8 My Quit Day (Week) Plan Plan your activities for Quit Day (Week) to include... * Paying special attention to hard-to-let-go-of cigarettes (marked #3). * Making check-in appointments with members of your Quit Team. * Rewarding yourself with something extra special on Quit Day. * Choosing activities you will do on Quit Day. * Choosing alternatives to caffeine, sugar, and alcohol. * Handling urges and cravings. * Handling discomfort. My Quit Day (Week) Plan 1. From my Smoking Diary, I know which cigarettes will be the hardest to give up. When the usual time for me to have those cigarettes comes, instead of smoking I will: 2. I will check-in with members of my Quit Team on Quit Day and the following two days in the morning, at midday, in mid-afternoon, and in the evening. My check-in appointments are at these times: 3. I am going to spend my Quit Day by (circle the appropriate choices)... taking the day off work working extra hard to stay busy being alone going to a movie (or two) hanging out in public places that don't allow smoking (mall, library, museum etc.) being with nonsmoking friends doing something fun or relaxing working around the house hanging out in a smoking cessation Internet chat room taking walks riding my bike Also, I will (add ideas here or in my Quit Kit or Journal): Continue >>

9 Page On Quit Day and the days of Quit Week, I am going to reward myself for not smoking by... On Quit Day: On Quit Day +1: On Quit Day +2: On Quit Day +3: On Quit Day +4: On Quit Day +5: On Quit Day +6: On Quit Day +7: 5. During Quit Week, I will limit my consumption of caffeine, sugar and alcohol (see page 5.14) in these ways: When urges and cravings arise (see page 5.15), I will When I feel grumpy or uncomfortable (see page 5.16), I will

10 Page 2.10 Organize a Quit Team Quitting is easier if you have a Quit Team -- two or three people who will support you while you move through the quitting process. Assignment: 1. Recruit from your family and friends two or three Quit Team Members with whom you can talk about your quitting experiences as you approach Quit Day and who will support you on Quit Day and during Quit Week. 2. Ask your Quit Team members to be understanding and supportive for a few days after Quit Day as you may be grouchy or irritable while your body cleanses itself of nicotine. Discuss things they can do to make your transition to being smoke-free easy on all of you. The members of my Quit Team are: Name Contact Info

11 Page 2.11 Plan Alternative-to-Smoking Activities On your Quit Day and for a while thereafter, it is highly likely that something will tempt you to smoke. When a temptation arises, you'll need an alternative-to-smoking-activity to do while you let a temptation pass. NOW is the time to plan alternative-to-smoking-activities, not when the temptation to smoke comes. 1. Refer to your Smoking Triggers List (page 5.11). In the left column of the chart below, write down one of your smoking triggers, and in the right column next to it write down an alternative-to-smoking-activity that you think would work for you. (examples on page 6.8) 2. For any alternative-to-smoking-activity that requires an object (e.g.: gum, bottle of water, something to handle), obtain the object and put it in your Quit Kit. Smoking Trigger Alternative-to Smoking

12 Page 2.12 Beware of Triggers for Starting to Smoke Again Now that you've quit, in certain trigger situations you may be tempted to smoke. You must not smoke in these situations; not one puff! You may tell yourself, or someone may say, that one won't hurt, but that's not true. For nearly all ex-smokers, one is all it takes to undo all their hard work and progress and send them back quite rapidly to their prior smoking pattern -- and feeling bad about themselves for having relapsed. Your trigger situations won't go away now that you have quit. To keep from smoking again, you must develop nonsmoking alternatives for handling them. Now is the time to think about what you will do in "trigger situations," not when they occur. 1. Read these examples of trigger situations. 2. For any that might occur in your life (or similar ones), write in your Quit Kit or Journal how you would handle them. 3. Discuss your thoughts with your Course Buddy and your Quit Team. Party Situation You're at a party or have gone out with friends. You've had a bit to drink and a friend offers you a cigarette. Driving Frustration You're driving to work or school. You get stuck in bad traffic and realize that you're going to be late. You open your glove compartment to find a map so you can take an alternative route and discover an old pack of cigarettes. Boredom It's a quiet Sunday evening and you're alone with not much to do (and nothing interesting on TV). You go to a nearby store to buy a snack. You notice the cigarettes and get a craving for one. Job Stress Something unusual has occurred at work and your boss is pressuring you and a coworker to fix the situation RIGHT NOW! Your coworker knows you've quit smoking, but when your boss suggests that you two take a little break, your coworker offers you a cigarette and suggests going outside to where you used to smoke together. Anger You're having dinner in a restaurant with your family and one of your parents criticizes (again!) how you are dressed. You decide not to have the same old argument and instead politely excuse yourself to take a break. You go outside and see other people smoking. Someone offers you a cigarette. Disappointment It's your birthday and you've been waiting for over an hour for the promised phone call from your "special friend." This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Others Write down in your Quit Kit or Journal other trigger situations that may affect you.

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