People succeed in quitting smoking every day, even habitual smokers who smoke every time they enter their cars, deal with stress, and/or drink a cup of coffee or sip on a beer.

It seems that most quitters, however, let themselves cave when they are at a bar. Or, at least when they are incredibly drunk.

This drinking and smoking phenomenon seems to have affected a lot of people who normally do not smoke, or who have recently ended the bad habit. It’s not a rare occassion to hear, “I only smoke when I drink” statements from friends and strangers in bars and clubs.

Not particularly helping the quitting situation, several bars in Columbus offer outside covered patios for smokers. Patios and smoking areas are convenient for smokers, but they do offer extra incentive to go outside, relax and light up.

Dan Abramson, 23, quit smoking a couple of years ago. An impressive feat, he ended his habit “cold turkey,” with no outside help. There was no looking back.

Before he quit, Dan used to wake up with trouble breathing, feeling as if someone had piled 50 bricks on his chest.

He said his apartment stunk, and so did his clothes.

“I felt nastier, especially in the mornings, and I always had a bad taste in my mouth,” Abramson said.

Not anymore. “I finally realized that it would kill me eventually,” he said.

Abramson was a smoker more than four years. After trying to quit in the past, and failing, he said he knew he had to truly motivate himself to stick with it.

“I tried to quit before, but it would only last a week at most because I had no real motivation to quit,” he said. “Once the weekend came, and I was out and around my friends who smoked, I would go right back to it.”

In the U.S., 80 to 90 percent of those who first try to quit relapse within six months, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Smokers who are trying to quit often face intense cravings to smoke, and have difficulty coping with stress without smoking, according to the American Lung Association.

Abramson and his friends used to joke that, “quitting smoking is easy, I’ve done it a thousand times.”

According to the American Lung Association, smokers who are addicted to smoking may be addicted for many different reasons. Smokers may have a physical addiction to nicotine, the substance found in cigarettes. Another reason could be a psychological addiction to having something in their hands or mouth, or an addiction to a routine that includes smoking cigarettes at different times throughout the day.

Amanda Blake, the wellness coordinator at The Student Wellness Center at The Ohio State University, said sometimes smokers are dependent on smoking in social settings, such as at bars or with friends.

“For some people, it’s the social aspect,” Blake said.

Smoking is not a pretty habit, and it has many harmful effects such as emphysema, cancer, cataracts and the diminishment of general health, according to the 2008 Report of The Surgeon General.

If negative health effects are not reason enough to quit, then the cost for the addiction should be. In Ohio, some cigarette brands are almost $6 a pack. The cost adds up, especially for those who smoke at least a pack a day and are on a college student budget.

Abramson said he was well-aware that he was spending too much on cigarettes.

“One night, my friends and I tried to figure out how much we spent on cigarettes a year, and it ended up being some ridiculous amount,” Abramson said.

As of 2008, Abramson has been nicotine-free, but it has not been an easy change. “It tested my will, and I wanted to prove to myself that I had the power to quit,” he said.

After the first three days without a cigarette, Abramson said he didn’t really want one.

“It was really hard for the first three days, but then I stopped wanting it, and when I smelled people smoking around me I thought it was gross,” Abramson said.

After a couple of weeks, Abramson said he was completely free of cravings.

Quitting cold turkey doesn’t work for everyone. However, if a smoker chooses to use that method to quit, they should pick a date and stick to it, even if their friends aren’t quite as strong.

Quitting for good is not easy, especially when you are a frequent bar-goer. Simply smelling cigarette smoke and seeing people with cigarettes in their hands can be a trigger to smoke, let alone the cravings ex-smokers get after a few drinks of their beers.

Ex-smokers and current quitters who love to go to the bar might have a hard time avoiding bars altogether, but they should make sure to surround themselves with a support network of friends who do not smoke. Ex-smokers need to have extra willpower and support in the summer, when bar-going is more prevalent and more people seem to be lighting up outside.

Stock up on gum, patches and plenty of friends (for social support) before heading to your favorite dive bars or rave-like clubs. Prepare to resist temptation and know how to react when a cigarette is offered. Avoiding bars altogether doesn’t have to be the solution to sticking to a quit, but thorough planning BEFORE heading to a bar is crucial.
Source: Examiner

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Tags: smoking addiction

This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 8:29 am and is filed under Smoking Campaign. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.