Ask Patricia

Question:

Aren't cravings and habit the same thing?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

Not exactly — they’re like different sides of smoking. Habit comes from lighting up and smoking every day. You end up connecting smoking to doing certain things, or even feeling a certain way — like when you need a lift. Cravings come from your brain becoming dependent on the nicotine in tobacco smoke — as a smoker you basically give yourself a dose of nicotine every time you light up. And since you process nicotine pretty quickly, you just end up needing it again.

Ask Patricia

Question:

How do I get past cravings?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

When you stop smoking — and stop getting nicotine straight to your brain through your lungs — your brain still wants it. A lot of the web sites I visited recommended Nicotine Replacement Therapy — like the patch, or gum or lozenges. They give you a controlled dose of nicotine, and that relieves those cravings. I used one the second time I quit, and I know it helped.

Ask Patricia

Question:

How do I overcome my habit?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

You have to change your habits, and that can be tough. I made a list of the cigarettes I really looked forward to - the one on the way to work, the one after dinner, a couple of others - and I planned how to deal with not smoking them, like after dinner, I just got up and went for a walk, or if the weather was bad I took a nice hot bath. And after a week or so it started getting easier.

Ask Patricia

Question:

What should I do before I quit?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

I think you should learn something about smoking, and addiction, and how to quit effectively. I didn’t do that the first time I tried to quit, but I did the second, and it made a big difference. There’s a lot of stuff on the web, starting right here, and plenty of books. But bottom line, prepare yourself to be a person who doesn’t smoke. Then set a quit date, tell your friends, get Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and do it.

Ask Patricia

Question:

Do I need a plan?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

I sure did. The first time I quit, I didn’t have a plan — I just quit, cold turkey. And it worked for awhile. But smoking is addictive, and you associate so many things with it. And when I came up against this one stressful event, I found myself reaching for a cigarette, and then I was smoking again. So the second time, I went about it differently. I found out about Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and learned I should try to plan for not smoking. So planning definitely helped me.

Ask Patricia

Question:

All I need is willpower, right?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

My first attempt was on willpower alone. Everything seemed to remind me of smoking, and the cravings were worse than I expected, and I ended up smoking again. But I had good reasons to quit, so I didn’t give up completely. The second time, I used Nicotine Replacement Therapy, which helped with the cravings — they were tough but not impossible. I still wanted a cigarette — and I needed a lot of willpower not to smoke. But the Nicotine Replacement Therapy let my willpower work.

Ask Patricia

Question:

What should I watch out for?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

You should watch out for smoking again. Here’s the thing: after a few weeks it finally started to get easier, at least for me. I started not missing it. And I felt like I could do some of the things I used to associate with smoking — like going to a club -- and be OK with not smoking, which is great. But all that effort can be undercut, with just one puff. So you have to keep saying no — and if you do have one, don’t beat yourself up. Just make it the last one.

Ask Patricia

Question:

What should I do if I slip up?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

I don’t mean to preach, but it’s better not to. My first attempt, I slipped and had a cigarette, and that was it all it took. But I learned from that, and came back smarter and better prepared — so I guess that’s the key. The second time, I knew I needed to stay motivated. So I made a list of all the reasons I wanted to quit, and kept it with me so I could look at it if I was tempted. And I gave myself rewards for staying quit. Mostly little stuff, like a DVD I wanted. But I did get myself a great little dress after my first week.

Ask Patricia

Question:

How do I de-stress so I don't smoke again?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

I’ve started running again — you know exercise is a great way to deal with stress. I used to run pretty regularly, but I had slowed down a lot because I just didn’t have the wind anymore. That was actually one of my motivations to quit. So for me, running is like a double-win — it helps reduce stress, and it also reminds me why I wanted to quit in the first place. I’ve also made a conscious effort to avoid getting upset by little things, and I make sure I have some time to just chill out if I need to.

Ask Patricia

Question:

How do I avoid putting on weight?

* These coaches are former smokers who are suggesting several different quitting strategies that can be effective.

The first thing you should know is that the health benefits of quitting are just way beyond anything that might result from gaining a few extra pounds, OK? So don’t put off quitting for that reason. But even knowing that, I was still a little concerned about weight. So I made an effort to eat smart when I was quitting — fruits and veggies, and lots of water, and I didn’t gorge out on candy or ice cream. I tried not to let myself get too hungry, or feel too deprived. I did gain a couple of pounds, but I’ve lost it now.