Originally published December 18 2005
Tobacco prevention expert identifies the associations that make it tough to quit smoking
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Seattle Times interviews Roger Valdez, manager of the Tobacco Prevention Program for Public Health-Seattle & King County, about the associations that make cigarettes so hard to quit, including sex, food and coffee.
It's quitting meals, mornings, coffee, alcohol and sex that's tough.
Nicotine packs a double whammy: It addicts not only physically, but psychologically: Our brains hard-wire a link between the act of lighting up and common everyday activities.
Undoing those associations is one of the toughest things about quitting, says Roger Valdez, manager of the Tobacco Prevention Program for Public Health-Seattle & King County.
Thursday, though, smokers will face something more immediately repugnant: Washington weather in December.
That is the day a new statewide ban on smoking in public places goes into effect, and health educators are hoping it will nudge smokers in all corners of the state to consider forsaking their habit.
Being forced to smoke outdoors, 25 feet from a workplace, hangout or other public place --- even if the smoker loves Washington's seasonal "heavy mist" and soggy breezes --- can be powerful motivation to quit.
Elsewhere, public-place smoking bans seem to have pushed people to quit.
For example, in New York City, public-health officials say a workplace ban in 2002 played a part in an dramatic decrease in the overall number of smokers.
Valdez points to Public Health's Web site (www.metrokc.gov/health/tobacco/ quitsmoking.htm): "A cigarette is not a product like a Twinkie or cheeseburger.
4. Get medication and use it correctly: There are differing opinions on this, but Public Health-Seattle & King County says approved medications can double your chances of quitting for good.
Zemann is reminded of one young girl who believed the family car wouldn't start unless her mom smoked a cigarette, because mom's routine was unfailing: Put on the seat belt, light up, start the car.
It's also important to recognize you may have a "social addiction" to smoking, one that grips you in circumstances such as bars, lunch breaks or gossiping with friends.
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