Smoking health effects and public health implications

Psychology

Smoking Cessation

Literature that helped my intervention included health information from various Web sites, such as the American Cancer Association. Also, I found the journal article "Intentions to quit smoking change over short periods of time," by authors Hughes, Keely, Fagerstrom, & Callas, which showed smokers trying to quit fluctuate in their motivations for quitting, and helped me view my own motivations and some of the pitfalls that might occur during the cessation process.

A must say that I have made significant progress in my intervention. I have been smoke free for several weeks, and I am discovering new aspects of my life that are far different from my old smoking life. My hair and clothes smell better, for one, and I can no longer ignore the scent of stale cigarettes on clothing and in my home.

In addition, my social interactions continue to change and grow. I have seen others motivated to quit as I continue with my intervention, and I have discovered new relationships with people who have encouraged me in my attempts to quit. I have enjoyed support from many members of my family, as well, making it a bit easier to move ahead on this road to recovery. I am not a non-smoker yet, because I still have cravings, and I still want to reach for a cigarette during many activities. However, I feel my progress is positive, and I am well on my way to becoming a true non-smoker.

A your stages of change and pros/cons

I am in the action stage of change, and I have been in the action stage since I created my plan and put it into action. Many of the cons that I anticipated have occurred, however. I have experienced intense cravings, and they have been stronger than I thought possible. I have felt as if I would give anything for just one cigarette, and it has been difficult to manage these cravings. These cravings have caused me to question my desire to quit, and have reduced my motivation at times, but I have managed to persevere.

I have also noticed I have a tendency to eat more, as I worried about. Part of that is the oral gratification missing when I do not smoke, but I have also found that food simply tastes better now that I am not smoking, and I find myself eating more, as a result. I am attempting to monitor this so I do not gain weight, as so many people do in the course of their intervention.

Another con is that I have been irritable, suffered from headaches, and have been short with some of the people trying to aid me in my intervention. I know this is common during smoking cessation, but it makes the process more difficult, and makes me feel dreadful as well.

However, the pros of my action stage are quite compelling. I do feel better about myself, and my psyche is improving each day I continue to be successful. I have a new sense of accomplishment and achievement, and I feel promise for the future. My health is already beginning to improve, (I breathe better). Another happy result is that I have received far less negative feedback than I originally anticipated. For the most part, friends and family have been incredibly supportive, and I have come to fully appreciate friends and how important they really are when going through a situation such as this.