Suggest Ways To Quit Smoking
Thank Uoy...hope to keep this thread alive..one thing bothers me....it will be the first time in 35 years that I have not stood in front of a classroom on opening day...I feel like the the fire horse who needs to answer the bell ....?????????
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iI would like to ask Dr,Wachsman many more questions about health. I am also considering a second career in drug counseling...do not laugh...would like you to look at credentials (mostly ED) and advise. Next step for me ...aside from hip... is stop smoking. thoughts? when I said different procedures for hip ...i understand that some cut through muscle...some are able to go around which might be less ivasive and cut recovery time...again thoughts
I don't know that much about the hip oft hand but will look into it BUT
Detailed Answer:
The cigarettes I know.
1) nicotine replacement including vaping and chantix. There are three modalities of nicotine replacement each of which doubles likelihood of quitting.
There is plain nicotine, there is vaping which has the advantage of having the feel of cigarette smoking and also has the advantage taht you can lower the dosage one milligram at a time. Chantix is a Plain nicotine blocker that throws you into cold turkey. It is recommended only for those who have few cigarettes a day.
2) THe behavioral stuff: Ok, the key point about addiction is the parts of the brain that involve immediate reaction are involved with this. They are at the base fo the brain and directly get neural input. They are subverted by addictive chemicals.
The part of the brain that is involved with thinking reasonable thoughts is the exact opposite end of the brain and acts about 10 fold slower than the reacting brain. So, thinking good thoughts is not going to work.
A) avoid. Remove the cigarettes, lighters etc. from the house and from where you can get them.
B) Brain washing. It's been known for some time that getting up in front of a group and saying something changes your beliefs and actions to be consistent with what you said to the group even if you do not believe it at the time you said it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-perception_theory
C) cognitive reinforcement. Consider putting a gold star whenever/whereever you did NOT have a cigarette. This reinforces the positive behavior.
D) drive things the other way. I try to demonstrate to someone who is smoking the Damage the cigarettes are doing in such a way that picking up the cigarettes feels like picking up a hot coal. Lack fo circulation in the fingers. Wheezing, lung hollowness are some of these.
That's most of it.
Speaking about dog training.....
Detailed Answer:
This is what I call the behavioral psychology interventions I do with addictions.
Associating cigarettes with something bad like visibly poor circulatino on the fingers or obvious cough and breathing problems or less obvious hollow chest.
associating not smoking with good things like putting up gold stars.
brain washing techniques like getting up in front of a group and/or telling everyone around you when you are quitting cigarettes. (at least the PO). This is, surprising to me anyway, a dog training technique. apparently bad behavior in dogs is treated by putting them into a herd of well behaved dogs.
This one I'm not so sure is going to work, but it's visualization techniques. You picture the trigger for the addiction (after a meal?) then feel all the negative feelings you have about smoking (guilt, shame, sadness). Repeat visual one, then visual 2 about 5 to 10 times then whenever the first comes up (the trigger) it will trigger the bad feelings. It might help.