Data from multiple studies suggest that depression plays a role in cigarette smoking. To obtain a national perspective on the role of depression in the dynamics of smoking, we analyzed data from the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study.
How to keep up with those New Year's resolutions,
In the next few weeks, millions of people will venture down a well-traveled path paved with bold and sometimes hastily conceived New Year's resolutions.
Ask family and friends not to smoke around you.
Wash your clothes to get rid of the smell of smoke.
Write down the reasons you want to become a non-smoker.
Each day, postpone the lighting of your first cigarette by 1
hour.
Ask your partner or friend to stop with you - make a contract
with each other.
Keep busy on the day you plan to stop. Go to the cinema, take
some exercise, tie up some loose ends in your life!
Make a date and stick to it. Write up a plan of action and consider
methods available to you.
Smoke only under circumstances that aren't especially pleasurable
for you. If you like to smoke with others, smoke alone.
Change to a brand that is low in tar and nicotine a couple of
weeks before your target date.
Decide how many cigarettes you'll smoke during the day.
Smoke only those cigarettes you 'really want.' Catch yourself
before you light up a cigarette out of pure habit.
Don't empty your ashtrays. This will remind you of how many you
DO smoke - the sight and smell of stale cigarettes butts will
be very unpleasant.
Don't think of never smoking again. Think of 'stopping' in terms
of 1 day at a time.
Positive Steps
Get more active: Walk instead of driving or taking the bus.
Use the stairs instead of the lift. Exercise helps you relax
and boosts morale.
Change your routine and try to avoid danger areas - it's tough,
but pubs and alcohol are real triggers.
Find activities that make smoking difficult (gardening, exercise,
washing the car, taking a shower).
Spend as much free time as possible in places where smoking isn't
allowed (libraries, museums, theatres, department stores, and
churches!)
Change your surroundings when an urge hits; get up and move about,
or do something else.
Avoid places where smoking is permitted.
Put something other than a cigarette into your mouth. Keep 'mouth
candy' handy - try carrots, apples, celery, raisins, or sugarless
gum.
Tell all your friends and family that you've already quit - you'll
be embarrassed if they catch you smoking.
Stop carrying cigarettes with you at home, in your bag or at
work. Don't 'borrow' any, and make them difficult to get to.
Throw away all your cigarettes and matches. Hide (or trash!)
your lighters and ashtrays.
Visit the dentist and have your teeth cleaned to get rid of tobacco
stains. Use a teeth-whitening toothpaste & mouthwash - resolve
to keep them that way.
Enjoy having a clean mouth taste and maintain it by brushing
your teeth frequently and using a mouthwash.
Avoid heavy drinking of alcohol, caffeine, or other stimulants
or mood-altering substances.
Pay a family member or friend (if they catch you smoking) £2
to £5 to be a deterrent - but not
too large as to be ridiculous.
If your partner smokes, try and encourage him or her to quit
or at the very least not to smoke around you.
Think positively - withdrawal can be unpleasant, but it's a sign
your body is recovering from the effects of tobacco.
In Times of Temptation...
Keep busy - go to a film, take some exercise or start a new
project.
Change your routine - avoid the shops where you usually buy cigarettes.
End meals or snacks with something that won't lead to a cigarette.
Avoid people who smoke - spend more time with non-smoking friends.
Keep your hands busy - doodle, knit, type an email to someone
you've lost touch with, even do the crossword!
Drink plenty of fluids. Keep a glass of water or pure fruit juice
by you and sip it steadily.
When your desire for a cigarette is intense, wash your hands
- or the dishes - or try new recipes.
If you miss having something in your mouth, try toothpicks, or
carrot or celery sticks.
If you always smoke while driving, sing along to your favourite
music instead, or use public transport.
Never allow yourself to think that 'one won't hurt' - it will.
It's a slippery slope.
Tackling Meal Times...
Be careful what you eat - try not to snack on fatty or salty
foods.
Assist the body in getting rid of nicotine. Drink plenty of water;
eat fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fibre-rich foods.
Change your eating habits to help you cut down; e.g., drink milk,
which many people consider incompatible with smoking.
Change the daily schedule. Eat at different times or eat many
small meals instead of 3 large ones; sit in a different chair;
rearrange the furniture.
Find other ways to close a meal. Play a tape or CD; eat a piece
of fruit; get up and make a phone call.
Instead of smoking after meals, get up from the table & brush
your teeth.
Try to avoid alcohol, coffee, and other beverages that you associate
with cigarette smoking.
It's a Mind Game...
Light incense or candles instead of a cigarette.
Strike up conversation instead of a match for a cigarette.
Cut a drinking straw into cigarette-sized pieces. Inhale air.
Collect all your cigarette butts in a large glass container -
you'll clearly see just how much you DO smoke.
Take 10 deep breaths and hold the last one while lighting a match.
Exhale slowly and blow out the match. Pretend it's a cigarette
and crush it out in an ashtray. Repeat.
Decide positively that you want to stop. Try to avoid negative
thoughts about how difficult it might be.
When cravings become overwhelming: take naps, warm baths or showers,
or meditate.
If you miss the sensation of having a cigarette in your hand,
play with something else (!) - a pencil, a paper clip, whatever.
Identify the trigger: Exactly what was it that prompted you to
smoke? Be aware of the trigger and decide now how you will cope
with it when it comes up again.
Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary - they're healthy
signs that the body is repairing itself from its long exposure
to nicotine.
When cravings occur, hold your breath as long as possible or
take a few deep rhythmic breaths.
Think of the Savings - & the Treats!
Make up a calendar for the first 90 days. Cross off each day
and indicate the money you saved by not smoking.
Take one day at a time - each day without a cigarette is good
news for your health, family and your purse.
Make a list of things you'd like to buy for yourself or someone
else. Estimate the money saved from packs of cigarettes - and
get the presents!
Each month, on the anniversary of your stopping date, plan a
special celebration.
Buy yourself flowers to celebrate totally smoke-free days; you
may be surprised how much you can enjoy their scent now.
How to help someone who is trying to quit
Before they stop, ask what they would like you to do to help.
Some smokers like attention, while others like to get on with
it in peace. Keep checking out their preferences.
Do a deal to kick a habit of your own at the same time. Although
nothing is quite the same as giving up smoking, it could really
help you to understand what your friend is going through if you
also give up something you depend on.
Don't forget they're stopping and lose interest in them. Send
a good luck card, and little 'well done' messages in the early
weeks. The novelty wears off quickly, so it'll help if you can
keep up morale.
Spend time with them in smoke-free places - the cinema, no-smoking
cafes and bars, museums, sports centres. The more often they
can socialise without smoking, the easier it will be to break
habits.
Let them sound off! Nicotine withdrawal sometimes makes people
irritable, so indulge the occasional bad mood.
Celebrate some firsts - the first smoke-free week or month, the
first time they manage a party without smoking. Ask what the
smoker will see as a challenge, and celebrate all the successes.
If you smoke yourself, be considerate! Keep your cigarettes tidied
away, and don't leave full ashtrays around. Try to smoke somewhere
else, so that the smell won't make things harder.
Don't look at someone else's decision to stop as being a criticism
of you.
