Smoking?

[InfiniteNow]

Hello swlab,

 

While the intent of your research is admirable, this looks a little like Spam (not one of Hypography's favorite food groups). However, you might find information to assist you and your colleagues from a project which has been conducted at the American Cancer Society (a project which I personally helped launch and evaluate) called Quitline.

 

The factors are physiological and psychological, and when someone tries quitting this habit (another key word) their unconscious starts playing tricks to get them to think it's okay to smoke... this is the addiction. Thing is, nicotine fits into one of our neuroreceptors (nicotinic acetocholine) very well, like a key into a lock, and this is part of why it's so physically challenging to quit.

 

"I'll just have one... I want to reward myself."

 

 

We found that you need to train yourself to quit, like learning to ride a bike. You must prepare for your toughest times and have a strategy to deal with the cravings, and back-up strategies for when those fail. You must get rid of any reminder of smoking (like ashtrays and empty or half full pack of cigs around the house). Having support and using prepared strategies like, "If I have a craving, I'll get down and do 25 push-ups instead..." provide the best chance of success. (The push-ups thing is how I quit, except I did 75).

 

It's important to replace the behavior of smoking with somethinig that you enjoy, otherwise, the individual will feel like something is missing from their life and they will have a tougher time.

 

 

Anyway, good luck in your research. I hope you'll contribute something more to our forums than a solicitation for participants.

 

 

Cheers. :eek:

[Pyrotex]

Let us use a little math; If smoking a pack (20) of cigarettes a day over 20-30 years increases the odds of lung cancer, and....

Most people smoke cigarettes with filters, which do exclude some of the nastier tar resins and particulates. MJ cigarettes do not typically have filters, so you get ALL that yummy partially combusted goo in your lungs.

 

Now, from what I have read, MJ smokers also frequently smoke their handrolls right down to the very end, using "joint clips" to hold the "roaches". The resins are extremely concentrated in the "roach". {gosh, I hope I'm getting this arkane terminology right!} So, it may take only twice as long to get lung cancer from MJ as from RJ Reynolds. Or thereabouts. Approximately.

[Pyrotex]

... I hope you'll contribute something more to our forums than a solicitation for participants....

I have smoked tobacco cigarettes for a number of years, in three periods of my life. I stopped smoking three times and am still stopped, though temptations do occur.

 

What I have learned is that to successfully quit smoking one has to resolve that certain "conversations" in the mind are forbidden. Like, "one more won't hurt..." and "I really need one because I'm so stressed..." and "I don't care any more what happens to me..." and "it's okay, I can smoke just one and stay quit...", etc, etc. In other words, once the decision is made to QUIT, I have learned to no longer re-analyze that decision. I don't go back and reconsider my reasons or my motivations, or anything else. Otherwise, you'll wind up "quitting" a dozen times a day, even if you resist the temptation. And that's what makes it SO hard to quit.

[InfiniteNow]

Good points Pyro. I used to quit everytime I put the thing out... Quitting wasn't the problem. It was staying quit! :rolleyes:

 

 

As for the "I'm having a stressful day and need a cig," concept... many people have similar self-dialogues. Thing to ask yourself is if smoking that cigarette is going to do anything to change what's causing your stress. The problems are still there even after the cigarette's been extinguished.

 

 

I finally see myself as a non-smoker, instead of an ex-smoker. :hihi:

[purplemer]

Smoking is thought to increase the amount of neural receptors in the brain, which was thought to descrease the chances of developing alzheimers. This was probably information released by the tabacco companys. Recent research indicated no corrrlaltion between the two.