To Quit or Not to Quit: Is There Even a Question?

To Quit or Not to Quit: Is There Even a Question?

Quitting Smoking: Why You Haven't; Why You Should

Every smoker in the world has a reason that they haven’t quit smoking. To quit or not to quit is a problem most users of tobacco face at some point, coming to realize that they are caught in the grips of a powerful addiction. Most are related to life situations that have or haven’t happened yet, “I’ll quit after this big project,” “I’ll quit when I have kids,” and many of them, from the outside, are either exasperating or even downright funny.“There are so MANY,” said Deb Miller, a Tobacco Treatment Specialist in Washington State, when asked about some of the best and worst reasons that she’d heard. She named a few of her favorites:“I’m too stressed right now, I’ll do it later.”“I’ve smoked all my life, I can’t quit.”“Why bother, I already have lung cancer.”“I will when I’m done with school, right now it helps me focus.”“My Grandfather lived to be in his 90’s and smoked until the day he died.”“If smoking won’t get me something else will.”“My doctor hasn’t told me that it has affected my health, I consider quitting when he says I need to.”“If I quit smoking I’ll gain weight.”And yet, the excuses are simply the things that people say out loud in defense of their smoking. In reality, the reasons that a person hasn’t already quit could have little to do with whether they want to or not.“A 2010 CDC survey of current tobacco users found that 68.8% of current tobacco users express a desire to quit long term, 52% try at least one quit attempt per year, yet only 6.2% are successful one year after the quit attempt, which I feel points to the need of more support,” says Miller. “Most tobacco users are trying yet few are successful.”Without the excuses, the real reasons begin to stand out in stark contrast. Most of them revolve around a lack of knowledge of the resources available, and how nicotine addiction works in the system.“Smoking is addictive because of the nicotine in the tobacco products. I like to point out to people that nicotine is not what kills people (at least in the dosage delivered by the tobacco products on the market),” says Miller. “Nicotine is the drug that addicts people to the product; it is the delivery of the nicotine that kills! Nicotine is the fastest drug across the blood brain barrier and the mechanisms of delivery gets the drug to the brain in about 10 seconds or less. Another factor that many people don’t realize is that nicotine is eliminated quite quickly from the body (the half-life is about 2 hours) which causes withdrawal symptoms about two hours or so after the last cigarette. The withdrawal presents as agitation and irritability, among other things. I often refer to this as the body having a temper tantrum {drug withdrawal.} Smoking another cigarette temporarily takes away the temper tantrum and people often equate this with relaxation.”After knowing why they’re having such a hard time quitting due to what cigarettes are doing biologically to their system, smokers then have to understand that they are suffering from an addiction; that it is not simply the biological symptoms that need to be addressed.“Many people don’t look at tobacco use as an addiction; they try to rely on sheer determination and will power in order to quit,” says Miller.As with other addictions, it is important to develop an awareness of the behaviors that trigger a need to smoke. Miller has found that unaddressed triggers are a significant contributor to a failed attempt to quit.“The top triggers I hear from people – stress, talking on the phone, after a meal, with coffee, out with friends – are all triggers that typically don’t leave their lives,” she said. “The years of conditioned behavior associated with certain triggers can take time to “reprogram” in a person’s brain. The good news is, the brain can be reprogrammed and it really doesn’t take much except for the conscious acknowledgment of the trigger and a conscious effort to do something else when that trigger arises.”Miller says that one of the biggest obstacles to people quitting is seeking out the necessary support to do so.“We are slowly seeing medical and treatment professionals embracing tobacco use as a chronic disease, and some are beginning to offer more treatment support. However, there is still room for improvement,” says Miller.One of the few of its kind, Serenity Vista Rehabilitation Center in Panama is a residential treatment center for alcoholism, substance abuse, codependency and now has a 28 day program specifically addressing nicotine addiction / smoking cessation. Serenity Vista uses a holistic approach to create an affordable program that addresses the biological, physiological and emotional reasons that people smoke.

Like all other addictions, smoking is about reprogramming the brain to better deal with the situation than with a defense mechanism. Finding help – such as the program offered by Serenity Vista – helps the smoker learn how smoking became this defense mechanism, and how to deal with the situation instead of picking up a cigarette – regardless of what kind of stress he or she is confronted with. By seeking help, smokers are able to tap into resources that help them not just with the craving now, but also to develop the coping skills to help prevent relapse in the future.To learn more about their treatment facility in Boquete, Panama, known as the “land of eternal spring,” call Serenity Vista at 786 245 4067.To learn more about Smoking Cessation at Serenity Vista, click here. 

Contact Serenity Vista Today:  786.245.4067