QUITTING SMOKING OR CHEWING TOBACCO:
LEARNING FROM YOUR HISTORY

by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.

Failure is success if we learn from it.
-Malcolm S. Forbes

Many people try to quitting smoking or chewing tobacco, and many don't make it the first few times they try. It takes most people 4-6 solid attempts before they can stay away for good. Here are a few ideas to help you succeed:

Take a long look back at exactly what happened during the times you didn't make it. Often you can predict your future challenges by remember your past failures. If you have tried unsuccessfully a few times, you might have a pattern to consider.

One of the most important things to think about is how you resisted the urges you had at the time. Most people successfully resist hundreds of urges and then 'give in' to one. All they remember thereafter is the 'one' they didn't resist long enough. That isn't quite fair, given the many successes they have to reflect upon. What were your successful strategies in past attempts? What worked for you to help you get past the urges?

The second important thing to look at is that one urge that did get to you, and led to your throwing in the towel. The best thing you can do right now is print out this page and not only write your answers below, but also use this paper to write out a plan for yourself if these situations arise again (because something similar probably will). Be prepared this time, and your chances of succeeding will be greatly enhanced.

Take this activity seriously. It is one of the best ways you can help yourself.

Please note: The check boxes are just an easy way to keep track of your answers. This is not an interactive form, so your answers are not recorded and your privacy is assured.

If you have tried to quit smoking for more than a few hours before:

1. What were you physically doing during the hours just before you started using tobacco again?

2. Where were you?

3. Was alcohol involved when you started using tobacco again?

Yes
No

4. After you become nicotine free, did you suffer any withdrawal symptoms?

Yes
No

If yes, please check the symptoms that you experienced:

depression
headache
drowsiness or fatigue
gastrointestinal disturbances
restlessness
irritability
anxiety
sleeplessness
others (please describe):
_________________________________

5. Did any of these withdrawal symptoms contribute to your decision to
start using nicotine again?

Yes
No

6. Were you experiencing any of the following stressors when you started
using nicotine again? Please check appropriate boxes.

Were you alone?
Did you just get bad news of some sort?

Did you have a drink in your hand?
Were you angry with someone you love?
Was it after a meal?
Was it after sex?

Were you very tired and needed to stay awake?

Were you angry or experiencing some other negative emotion?
others (please describe):
_________________________________

loss of a close friend or relative	gain of a new family member
divorce	death of a close family member
change in job status	death of a close friend
recent move	personal injury or illness
marriage	change in health of a family member
marital separation	son or daughter leaving home
pregnancy	trouble with in-laws
other: ___________________	other: ___________________

7. Were you experiencing any particular feeling, such as being "bored,"
when you started using nicotine? Look over the list below to identify
possible feelings that you'll need to learn new coping skills to manage
during the process of becoming nicotine free.

abandoned	frightened	miserable
afraid	frusterated	misunderstood
angry	grateful	panicky
anxious	guilty	pressured
ashamed	happy	proud
bored	hopeless	regretful
confused	humiliated	relaxed
disappointed	hurt	sad
discouraged	ignored	seductive
disliked	inferior	stressed
embarrassed	jealous	tense
empty	lonely	uncomfortable
enthusiastic	loved	upset
foolish	mad	worried

Ok, now you have a better send of what you were experiencing when you went back to nicotine before. Here's the msot crucial question of this whole article:

What else can you do next time this (these) event(s) happen? While the same exact event may never happen in the same exact way, something similar is most likely to happen. Get prepared. Most successful people get qa plan for their most challening moments, and stick to it. After you've printed out this page, write out which of these below you committ yourself to doing one of these:

8/24/08 

Dr. Maheu is an author, speaker, and researcher. She is the lead author of E-Health, Telehealth & Telemedicine: A Guide to Program Startup and Success co-written with Pamela Whitten and Ace Allen, published by Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. Infidelity on the Internet is Dr. Maheu's second book and she's currently working her third, tentatively titled "The Mental Health Professional Online: New Questions and Answers." For more information about her speaking schedule, see this page: http://telehealth.net/speak.html