Published in The Voice and on the Gaucho Gazette blog.
Smokers overlook important key to quitting
Rebecca Henry of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Photo by Weltz
One reason why 95 percent of smokers try and fail to kick the habit
By Sharon Weltz
Anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking and failed is in good company. A study conducted by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention magazine found that 70 percent of current smokers want to quit, and only 3 to 5 percent of those who try to quit smoking remain smoke-free after one year.
At a recent GCC BreatheEasy seminar, presenter Rebecca Henry of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health told those present that there is no one-size-fits-all plan to quit smoking. Customization is critical, and the most overlooked part of a quitter’s plan is identifying and adopting new ways to handle stress. At times, smokers turn to tobacco to relieve stress. If no new coping mechanisms are in place, quitters quickly fall back into the smoking habit.
Dealing with long term psychological triggers means adopting new ways to relax and calm down. This is called behavior modification, and the majority of people who want to quit smoking do not know how to gain the new coping skills that will work for them over the long term. Several organizations provide free counseling and resources to quitters for the creation of customized, realistic and successful cessation plans.
Smokers can try to quit on their own, but those who reach out for help and support have a 50 percent greater success rate. These plan-to-quit programs, telephone hotlines and online resources are there to support smokers during the planning stage, while they are in the midst of quitting and also later, when relapse prevention is needed. For a list of resources, visit the Maricopa BreatheEasy website, http://wellness.maricopa.edu/breathe-easy
Find out what non-smokers do to cope with stress in healthy and productive ways. Incorporate these new coping skills into your quit plan to increase your chances of becoming a forever quitter. Remember, a failure to plan is a plan for failure. Use the free quitter counselors and resources, build a customized plan to quit, and practice your new coping skills until they become your “go-to” relaxation of choice.
By Sharon Weltz
Anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking and failed is in good company. A study conducted by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention magazine found that 70 percent of current smokers want to quit, and only 3 to 5 percent of those who try to quit smoking remain smoke-free after one year.
At a recent GCC BreatheEasy seminar, presenter Rebecca Henry of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health told those present that there is no one-size-fits-all plan to quit smoking. Customization is critical, and the most overlooked part of a quitter’s plan is identifying and adopting new ways to handle stress. At times, smokers turn to tobacco to relieve stress. If no new coping mechanisms are in place, quitters quickly fall back into the smoking habit.
Dealing with long term psychological triggers means adopting new ways to relax and calm down. This is called behavior modification, and the majority of people who want to quit smoking do not know how to gain the new coping skills that will work for them over the long term. Several organizations provide free counseling and resources to quitters for the creation of customized, realistic and successful cessation plans.
Smokers can try to quit on their own, but those who reach out for help and support have a 50 percent greater success rate. These plan-to-quit programs, telephone hotlines and online resources are there to support smokers during the planning stage, while they are in the midst of quitting and also later, when relapse prevention is needed. For a list of resources, visit the Maricopa BreatheEasy website, http://wellness.maricopa.edu/breathe-easy
Find out what non-smokers do to cope with stress in healthy and productive ways. Incorporate these new coping skills into your quit plan to increase your chances of becoming a forever quitter. Remember, a failure to plan is a plan for failure. Use the free quitter counselors and resources, build a customized plan to quit, and practice your new coping skills until they become your “go-to” relaxation of choice.