Stop smoking program

[nicolasconnault]

Some of you may be familiar with the Church's unofficial Stop Smoking Program, which has been in use by English-speaking missionaries for decades and is supposed to be extremely effective. I'm not sure who initiated it, it looks a bit like AA's 10-step program to me.

I have actually taught it a couple of times on my mission, but have never seen it bear fruit. People always left out at least one step out of the 15, and didn't last more than 2 or 3 days.

What do you know about this program, and what are your thoughts about it?

[cinepro]

Ahhh...the grapefruit juice method.

We had three investigators try it on my mission in the early 90's. Didn't produce lasting results for any of them.

One of them was even an old woman that had to use an oxygen tank. But she still couldn't stop smoking.

[Libs]

There is some pill out that a friend of mine used (it's prescription) and is supposed to make cigarettes extremely unappealing to the smoker. She said it really worked well for her.

Most quit smoking programs don't work, because nicotine is very addictive. It's like trying to quit crack or something. You have to be extremely motivated...and once you start "needing" the drug, again, the motivation goes down the tubes.

[Zakuska]

A guy at my work is trying this...

http://www.healthjournalusa.com/ehealth/indexhome.asp

[SeattleGhostWriter]

Some of you may be familiar with the Church's unofficial Stop Smoking Program, which has been in use by English-speaking missionaries for decades and is supposed to be extremely effective. I'm not sure who initiated it, it looks a bit like AA's 10-step program to me.

I have actually taught it a couple of times on my mission, but have never seen it bear fruit. People always left out at least one step out of the 15, and didn't last more than 2 or 3 days.

What do you know about this program, and what are your thoughts about it?

I do not know about this program at all.

What I can tell you is that there are a lot of people out there who want to quit smoking. Laws are now making it difficult to smoke in buildings. Washington State's law specifies that a person can't smoke within 25 feet of doors, entry-ways, windows or any ventilation system.

For me, I tried several methods to quit smoking. I even called the Quit Smoking line they operate here in Washington state. They offer free Nicorette Gum to help you quit smoking, or the patch. There are many commercials on Television about a drug that can help you quit smoking.

What finally did it for me was my wife limiting where I could smoke.

I could not smoke in the apartment.

Then, I could not smoke in the apartment and in the car.

Then, I could not smoke in the apartment, around the apartment, or in the car.

I could only smoke at work.

I actually ended up buying gum so that when I wanted to have a coffin nail while driving to and from work, I chose to chew on gum. At home, was gum, I had more gum than cigarettes and realized that I did not like gum all that much.

After going from 2 packs of cigarettes a day in 2006 - 2009, I finally went down to a pack a day. Then I went to a pack every three days. Soon, I went to a pack every five days.

By the time I quit, it was a matter of realizing that I could not buy smokes because I had just lost my job. By which time (June 1, 2009), I was only smoking about three cigarettes a week. At that point, I just quit.

The first couple of months are the hardest for an ex smoker. They want to smoke, the desire is still there, the wanting to light up and inhale is there. Yet, it was not until about the third or fourth month when my wife and I were walking out of a Walmart near where we used to live and the wind caught up just right and a guy happened to pass us by that the scent assaulted my nostrils. Curled, disgusted, and stomache turning sumersaults like a gymnast, I asked my wife "Did I smell that bad?" to which she replied "Worse!" Since then, every time I smell a cigarette being smoked, I get nausated. I have no desire to light up because it just stinks too much.

When I do talk with people who try and quit, I tell them, the first two months are going to be the hardest. You don't really smell how raunchy it is until about the third or fourth month. When you do smell it on other people, it will disgust you because then you actually get to smell exactly how you smelt around other people when you come in from having a cigarette.

Not so funny thing was that while working at Walmart as a Temp. Seasonal Associate, a customer came in smelling really bad of cigarette smoke that I actually had to ask him to go to the other line. He got mad and I told him that I used to smoke and that because I can smell it really bad on him, it was actually causing me to gag to the point that I damn near lost my dinner all over him. I actually had to go to the bathroom, that bad of a smell. I got talked to by my manager and told her what happened and why and told them that I have every right to ask him to go to another cashier because of how raunchy he smelled.

[Libs]

A guy at my work is trying this...

http://www.healthjournalusa.com/ehealth/indexhome.asp

My oldest daughter just starting using that. It seems to be working, so far. I really hope she can quit.

[nicolasconnault]

I know this doesn't apply much for individuals, but at the global level the ONLY method that has proved reliable and efficacious in reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption has been increasing taxes. That is, whenever taxes have been increased, a decrease in sales (and therefore in consumption) has been observed. The downside is that tax increases are always used in conjunction with a bunch of other substance abuse policies, so it's hard or even impossible to determine causation. Any one of these policies might be effective, or a combination of these policies, or even a more complex mix of policies, community or worldwide events might trigger the decrease.

Just 20 years ago, over 50% of Australians smoked. Now less than 20% do, although consumption by teenage girls and young women is on the increase.

[ERayR]

As one who quit smoking 45 years ago I can tell you the only program that will work is for you to want to quit smoking more than you want to smoke. If you get to that point then most any program will work. If you don't then no program will do the job.

[SeattleGhostWriter]

I know this doesn't apply much for individuals, but at the global level the ONLY method that has proved reliable and efficacious in reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption has been increasing taxes. That is, whenever taxes have been increased, a decrease in sales (and therefore in consumption) has been observed. The downside is that tax increases are always used in conjunction with a bunch of other substance abuse policies, so it's hard or even impossible to determine causation. Any one of these policies might be effective, or a combination of these policies, or even a more complex mix of policies, community or worldwide events might trigger the decrease.

Just 20 years ago, over 50% of Australians smoked. Now less than 20% do, although consumption by teenage girls and young women is on the increase.

Maybe they need to put a sin tax on all porn shops and pornographic material. Can you imagine how our economy will turn around by just adding a 10% tax increase on the Porn Industry? That means, all video's, magazines, et all.

I agree. Here in Washington state where I am at, just to buy a pack of Pall Mall, a person has to spend almost $10.00. I remember when $10.00 would by almost three packs. And people still buy cigarettes because of their addiction.

And then there are those who are homeless that can't even afford the habit. They go about doing what is called "sniping" for cigarette butts. What they do here is go through ashtrays that are outside and pick out the half-smoked butts, place them in a baggy and then when they want a coffin nail, they get out the Tobacco and then roll it up. Or, just smoke the sniped cigarette.

[cinepro]

I know this doesn't apply much for individuals, but at the global level the ONLY method that has proved reliable and efficacious in reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption has been increasing taxes. That is, whenever taxes have been increased, a decrease in sales (and therefore in consumption) has been observed. The downside is that tax increases are always used in conjunction with a bunch of other substance abuse policies, so it's hard or even impossible to determine causation. Any one of these policies might be effective, or a combination of these policies, or even a more complex mix of policies, community or worldwide events might trigger the decrease.

Just 20 years ago, over 50% of Australians smoked. Now less than 20% do, although consumption by teenage girls and young women is on the increase.

Maybe I should have gotten my investigators to commit to paying me $5 every time they smoked a cigarette...

[frankenstein]

i have smoked maybe 10 cigerattes, during a 6month period, over 18 years ago...I still have strong cravings for cigarettes at times, not smoking is about will power.