Quit Smoking

In memory of my father who died in 1998 from lung complications caused by years of smoking.

Thanks to Joshua Kahn of Cloud River Clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Minneapolis, MN
for information about TCM.

CIGARETTE SMOKING

How many people do you know who have resolved to quit smoking, only to light up again a day, a week, or a year later? The cycle can repeat itself over and over. People who have attempted to quit smoking are not insincere. They had honest intentions to kick the habit. What is it that happens in between the declaration to stop smoking and the guilt-laden moment you bum a smoke from a friend?

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO QUIT?

Smoking is a complex addiction. You smoke for numerous reasons. Some of the reasons are physical, as Nicotine is a strongly addictive stimulant. Many people think the physical addiction is all there is to smoking, but that is only a fraction of the story. There are many other reasons people smoke cigarettes including emotional, behavioral and social motivations.

That is why cigarette smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to break. Common quit-smoking programs often fail because they focus only on the physical nicotine addiction. In reality, the emotional, social and behavioral components of smoking are equal or greater in force to the physical addiction itself. Many smokers have difficulty quitting because they do not realize these other elements of the smoking habit have such a strong influence on their behavior. This is why the patch and nicotine gum do not work for many people. It’s also why so many smokers have had several unsuccessful attempts at quitting. The emotional, social and behavioral factors of smoking have to be acknowledged and addressed. Otherwise, you take the risk of being unable to resist smoking when those particular circumstances and issues arise.

This e-book will break down the smoking habit using a fully holistic approach, identifying the physical, emotional, social and behavioral components you need to be aware of to successfully quit. You will be able to see how these various issues pertain to you, and how they may have interfered with your desire to quit smoking. Everyone has a different style of smoking and different reasons for smoking. The following pages will help you clearly identify what your underlying reasons are, so you can develop a personalized smoking cessation plan that will work

With that said, let’s get started!

PHYSICAL

You are no doubt already aware of the damaging health effects caused by smoking and have heard the troubling statistics. So I won’t repeat any of that here. Besides, you are reading this, so obviously you are already motivated to quit.

Physically, your body is addicted to the nicotine in the tobacco. Nicotine is a stimulant. Physically speaking, it increases your heart rate and blood pressure, and may make you feel more alert for a short time. When you stop smoking, you may experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms such as a drop in pulse rate, difficulty sleeping, constipation, difficulty concentrating, and the classic symptoms of tension, restlessness and irritability. There is no way to predict how addicted your body will become to nicotine when you smoke. Each person’s body reacts differently. Variables include the amount and type of cigarettes smoked, body type and weight, and constitution (general health).

From a conventional medical point of view, the paragraph above would be the end of the story. That would make for a short book, and very little insight into the reality of what makes smoking so addictive. This is an alternative health e-book, however, so we are going to forge ahead. There are many layers to the smoking habit just beyond the physical.

We’ll begin by looking at the physical effects of nicotine from a radically different viewpoint, that of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM conceptualizes the human body as being more than just physical matter like tissue and bone. Our bodies are an energetic system.

CHI AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

There is another way to view the stimulant action of cigarettes beyond the obvious physical effects of increasing heart rate and blood pressure. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint, the stimulant action of nicotine moves your energy or chi through your system. Chi is the constant circuit of energy flowing through our bodies at all times. We all have felt the effects of our energetic or chi system. When your chi is moving properly through all your bodily organs, you will feel healthy, balanced and will have sufficient energy to do whatever activities you want. When there is a blockage or problem preventing your chi from flowing smoothly throughout your body, then you will feel tired, drained, or ill.

A stimulant such as nicotine unnaturally forces your chi to move at a faster pace than it would without the stimulant in your system. This stimulant action is an attraction for many smokers that makes it difficult for them to quit. But the fact is, if you are healthy, you will have sufficient chi energy to get you through even tough days. You don’t need nicotine or any other stimulant to survive. But I do understand the realities of life. If your job is stressful, or if you otherwise feel that you need something to help you maintain your energy to get through the day, here are some healthier alternatives. The top three recommendations are Vitamin B-12, Ginger and Ginseng. Keep in mind that no herb or supplement should be taken on a continual basis for a long period of time.

B-12 is highly effective taken as a sublingual tablet or liquid. It will help you feel more energized, so you will not need nicotine for energy.

Ginger can be taken as capsules or as a tea (if you like the taste). It is a regulating herb and as a bonus it may also help relieve digestive symptoms.

Ginseng is a vitalizing herb that has similar effects as Ginger and can be taken in capsules, teas or tinctures.

If you notice any negative effects, such as headaches, that seem to be associated with taking the above herbs, then you are taking too much, have been taking it for too long, or it is the wrong herb for your needs.

WITHDRAWAL EFFECTS

Here is another very important point about chi and the stimulating effects of cigarettes. This section contains one of the most important and helpful tips in this book, so please read carefully. In the process of interviewing many people who have attempted to quit smoking, I found that it was common to develop a cough, bronchitis, or even pneumonia shortly after they quit smoking. One young smoker stated that she “developed the smoker’s cough she never had while she was actively smoking.” Many of the people worked through their symptoms within a couple weeks, but others were so troubled by the inconvenience of the ailments, that they actually started smoking again to make it go away.

Of course, logically, everyone knows that returning to smoking is not the best solution. But quitting the addiction was hard enough in itself, dealing with physical ailments and other nicotine withdrawal symptoms was more than some of them could handle. So, why did these people develop the perplexing lung-related symptoms, and what can you do to avoid going through the same thing when you quit smoking?

IT ALL GOES BACK TO CHI

We’ve already established that nicotine is a stimulant. Smoking cigarettes unnaturally pushes chi through your system. When the stimulant, which the body has been working to accommodate to for any number of years, is suddenly taken away, it temporarily “clogs” your chi system.

Here is a physical analogy. Sadly, many people with eating disorders abuse laxatives. They do this to get food through their systems as rapidly as possible. (When the body cannot digest food at its own, natural pace, nutrient absorption is sorely compromised.) When a laxative abuser wants to heal and quits abusing laxatives, the digestive system effectively temporarily shuts down. It has adjusted to laxatives moving food through the system. It can take a very long, uncomfortable time for the intestinal system to finally heal, readjust and return the elimination process to normal.

A similar process is happening with nicotine, your lungs, and your energetic chi system. The lungs are one of the primary centers of chi in your body. The lungs bring oxygen into our bodies, and are, hence, one of the places in our bodies where chi is actually created. Nicotine works almost like a laxative to move the chi out of the lungs as quickly as it is created. It speeds up the system, unnaturally moving chi through your body. When a smoker suddenly quits, the chi system becomes temporarily clogged, and it can take an uncomfortable time period for the lungs and the chi system to heal, readjust and return the process to normal.

This is exactly why smokers developed physical lung-related ailments, such as bronchitis, when they quit. The lungs and chi became congested from a sudden withdrawal of the stimulant action. This energetic congestion also explains the other common nicotine withdrawal effects of difficulty sleeping, constipation, difficulty concentrating, tension, restlessness and irritability.

Luckily, you can prepare your chi system for the change that will come when you quit smoking. Here is the key to avoiding the troublesome physical ailments and other withdrawal symptoms:

BEFORE you quit smoking, make sure that your chi is moving well through your system. That way, when you take away the artificial stimulant action of nicotine, the chi system will be able to cope much better, and you will avoid many if not all of the withdrawal effects created by congestion of the lungs and chi. How do you make sure that chi is flowing effectively through your body? There are several options. Remember that you need to begin regularly engaging in the following activities before you quit smoking.

Regular practice of yoga, tai chi, dance or any form of exercise that you enjoy will tone your chi system, just like your physical body. This is why Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture are often successful aids to help people quit smoking. Acupuncture does not directly eliminate nicotine cravings per se, but it regulates the flow of chi, so that your body can cope better with the withdrawal of nicotine. When expertly done, acupuncture will strengthen the flow of chi in your body, defending against the nicotine withdrawal symptoms that happen when the chi system is weakened.

Eating healthy food is essential, as it eliminating or coping as well as possible with stress in your life. Our chi system is directly intertwined with our emotions. If you are having job difficulties, relationship problems, or other major stressors in your life, you will need to deal with those issues to make sure that your chi is flowing smoothly. You may want to begin journal writing, creative endeavors to express your emotions, or psychotherapy. Not just your physical health, but your emotions also have to be acknowledged when you are going to quit smoking. That leads us right into the next section about the emotional aspects of smoking cigarettes.

EMOTIONAL

Some of the emotional connections to smoking are obvious. Most smokers go through many more cigarettes during times when they are stressed or unhappy. Painful emotional situations such as a divorce or job stress can be enough to cause someone who has quit to start smoking again. Obviously, people use cigarettes to help them cope with difficult emotions.

From an alternative health point of view, people use cigarettes to numb their emotions and avoid dealing with harsh situations. The stimulant effect of nicotine also plays a role here. The movement of chi makes smokers feel like they are coping and dealing with stressful emotional situations, even though they may not be taking any positive steps to resolve their problems. Don’t underestimate the strength of this emotional addiction to smoking.

Many people are quite addicted to using cigarettes in an emotion-numbing way. This leads to an alternative health remedy that is a tremendous support for the emotions, called flower essences. Flower essences help you deal with stress and emotions in a healthier, more productive way, eliminating your need for emotional cigarette smoking.

There are two flower essences in particular that specifically relate to smoking cessation and relief of cravings:

Nicotiana (Nicotiana alata) and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) flower essences (available from FES and other brands).

Flower essences are similar to homeopathic remedies, but they are generally taken for emotional issues rather than physical conditions. They are mostly tasteless, odorless liquids, taken orally, just a few small drops per dose. (See the end of this book for further information about flower essences.)

Nicotiana is made from the flowers of a type of flowering tobacco plant. It is extremely helpful to take when you want to quit smoking. It helps alleviate the emotional cigarette cravings. It provides support to help you quit with less psychological withdrawal symptoms (such as irritability). I highly recommend that you start taking it as soon as possible because it will provide significant support for you to quit smoking permanently. Even if you don’t think you smoke for emotional reasons, Nicotiana essence can still be very helpful to reduce withdrawal symptoms and ease cravings. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to quit smoking because it provides such benefits at a very low cost, without threat of any side effects, and it only has to be taken for as long as you feel you need its support.

Another flower essence that is relevant here is Yarrow. Take this flower essence if you feel like you will crave cigarettes to help you deal with stressful emotions. Yarrow helps you feel more confident and protected to deal with stressful situations directly, without being overwhelmed by them.
(For more detail about the benefits of Yarrow and other flower essences, refer to The Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide, available through www.KyraMesich .co m.)

Flower essences are easy to take (a couple drops in water, juice or tea) and do not have physical side effects. Read the bottle carefully and only take the recommended dosage, which is just a few small drops. Taking more drops at a time will only waste the flower essence you paid for. You can take it more frequently, though, such as whenever you feel yourself craving a cigarette.

Another emotional aspect of smoking is even deeper. Here’s a case example to illustrate.

Joe was a 30 year old, married graduate student who wanted to quit smoking, but had tried several times unsuccessfully. He was studying to be an attorney and had a busy schedule, with a significant amount of stress and demands. During his previous attempts to quit smoking, he felt like he had gotten over the physical nicotine addiction and was no longer using cigarettes to cope with stress, so he couldn’t figure out what was holding him back. During a counseling session he realized what smoking really meant to him, and why he couldn’t quit.

In his younger days, Joe was a definite “bad boy.” He was a biker, a pot smoker, a bit of a womanizer and was often unemployed. He liked his bad boy image. It was a core part of his identity. But as he got older, his increasing responsibilities dictated that he had to give up one bad boy activity after another. Joe suddenly realized that cigarette smoking was the last bad boy activity he had left! Deep down inside, quitting smoking symbolized the end of his youth, the end of fun, and a life of responsibility and “doing all the proper things.”

Once Joe realized and accepted this deep down fear about quitting smoking, he could address it. Intellectually, he thought his fear made sense but wasn’t entirely accurate. He still had some bad boy things he could do like flirting, naughty jokes, occasionally skipping classes, and doing fun things like motorcycle riding. He reasoned that “bad boy” and “professional” didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. He could still do naughty things once in a while and keep his bad boy image alive. He was able to successfully quit smoking soon after he made this realization and fully addressed it.

The underlying reasons why you smoke and what it means to you and your image may be the key factors in successfully quitting. Consider these concepts:

When you were a child/teenager, what did you think of people who smoked?

Why did you originally start smoking?

What does smoking symbolize to you?

Do you use smoking to project a certain image?

No matter what your core reasons for smoking, there are healthier substitutes. Identify what those substitutes are for you, and you will no longer need cigarettes to convey the image you want.

SOCIAL

There is overlap between emotional and social aspects of smoking, but it is worthwhile to separate out your social reasons for smoking.

Many people who smoke, smoke only in social situations. When they are alone, they have no cravings. But when they are at a party, in a bar, or even on break at work, they smoke.

Yes, part of the reason for this is that other people around them are smoking, so we will address that in the next section about behavioral aspects of smoking. But there is another social component to this phenomenon, which is related to what we discussed in the Emotional section above. Just as nicotine is used by people to numb emotions and deal with stress, it is used in a similar way by people who are uncomfortable in social situations.

Many people are uneasy in social situations such as parties. They are shy or don’t feel like they are witty or have anything interesting to say. So they smoke to numb themselves from the experience. And often they bond with the other people who are smoking, so they at least feel connected to somebody.

Do you smoke because you don’t want to have to talk to people? Are you shy and smoke to escape from the noise and crowds of people? If so, you have options other than smoking. The Yarrow flower essence that I mentioned in the Emotional section above is very useful for this purpose. FES brand makes an essence from Golden Yarrow, which relates very specifically to nervousness and shyness around others. Take it before you go out, or keep it with you to take a couple drops during a long party or in the middle of your workday. It will help you feel more protected and confident to talk and interact with people, eliminating your need to smoke in interpersonal situations.

The other social issue is related to the story above about Joe. Image. But here we are talking about the image you want to project out to other people, not necessarily how you see yourself. (They can be different depending on the social situation you’re in.)

Many people use cigarettes to appear cool, stylish, defiant, rebellious, or project any number of other appearances. Here again, it is a matter of finding healthier substitutes. If you want to appear cool or trendy, you can do so just as well with clothing, mannerisms, and accessories as you can holding a cigarette. Think about this before you go out to your next social outing. Think about the image you want to convey and dress or act that way, so you will not feel like you have to smoke a cigarette when you get there.

BEHAVIORAL

Physically, you associate cigarette smoking with particular tastes, locations and people. This happens solely by repetition. We naturally do this all the time with all sorts of tastes, smells and behaviors. For example, if you have always had vanilla ice cream with your apple pie, the next time you are presented with apple pie you will expect ice cream, and will crave it if it isn’t there. The same principle applies to smoking. If you always smoke when you drink beer, you will crave a cigarette the next time you drink a beer. This also relates to locations and people. If you always smoke in a particular room at work or if someone is your “smoking buddy,” you will crave a cigarette when you are in the room or talk to the person.

Don’t worry; these associations do wear off with time. But you do need to be aware of them when you first quit smoking because the temptation will be strong initially.

Take a couple moments to write down the associations you know you have:

Food/drink

People/Places

Activities

This does not mean you have to avoid these things when you quit smoking, but you need to be aware of them so you can be prepared for cravings that may arise. But to be sensible, you may not want to put yourself in a situation in which you know you will absolutely crave a cigarette on the same day you decide to quit. Don’t test yourself too hard. Once you know you are through any nicotine withdrawal and have addressed some of you emotional reasons for smoking, the behavioral associations will not have nearly as strong a pull as they would have otherwise.

You also may need to plan ahead. If you always smoked during your breaks at work, then have another activity planned for that time instead. Take a short walk or read a bit of a fun book. Take a couple drops of your Nicotiana flower essences and do some light stretching or yoga. Smoking during your break is a habit you will have to break yourself of, and it will be much easier to do if you immediately have some entertaining, healthy substitutions.

Some people complain that they have gained weight when they attempted to quit smoking. This is due to a combination of the actual physiological nicotine withdrawal, the congestion of chi, and unaddressed emotional, social and behavioral issues that related to their smoking. For example, in addition to experiencing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, the person is stressed and snacks to calm herself because she is no longer using cigarettes for that purpose. If you use the flower essences we discussed above, address your emotional and social reasons for smoking, and, most importantly, make sure your chi is flowing well using some of the activities mentioned, you will be much less likely to gain weight. Your smoking cessation will be more balanced, so side effects of all kinds will be minimized.

With this alternative health, holistic approach, you can quit smoking successfully, permanently, with greater ease than you ever thought. Your goals to quit smoking and live a healthier lifestyle will become an immediate reality when you recognize the importance of the flow of energy/chi within your system, and are aware of the emotional and social reasons you smoked. Herbs, flower essences and healthy activities such as yoga or tai chi will help you move smoothly away from smoking and into the healthy, balanced lifestyle you are seeking.

REFERENCES FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION

FES (Flower Essence Service) flower essences are available at many health food stores and herb shops. They come in a small purple dropper bottle, and should be priced at approximately $6.00 US per bottle.
FES’ website is www.floweressence.co m

Information about yoga can be found at the American Yoga Association’s website:
www.americanyogaassociation.or g

Information about tai chi and Qigong can be found at the Mind, Body, Spirit Academy’s website:www.flowinghands.com/mbs.frames.ht m

For information about Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, visit the Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture in Canada website: www.medicinechinese.co m

About the Author

Dr. Mesich earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, and has devoted her life to the field of alternative health. She is the author of The Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide: An Alternative Health Answer to Emotional Sensitivity & Depression, which is based on her pioneering research into the underlying empathic and psychic causes of depression and emotional sensitivity. Visit www.KyraMesich.com for more information about her work and to sign up for her free quarterly, information packed e-newsletter, Inner Health.

The Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide: An Alternative Health Answer to Emotional Sensitivity & Depression by Kyra Mesich, Psy.D

The Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide presents a radically new way of looking at emotional sensitivity and chronic depression and anxiety. Through her own experiences and courageous research, Dr. Mesich (a traditionally trained psychologist) has found that psychic sensitivity is the underlying key to understanding emotional sensitivity.

Dr. Mesich’s book focuses on empathic ability, the ability to literally feel other people’s emotional experiences, also known as psychic feeling. This misunderstood ability often results in recurrent depression, anxiety, and the painful aspects of emotional sensitivity due to our society’s denial and repression of the existence of psychic phenomena. With simple, down to earth language and case examples, Dr. Mesich demystifies empathic ability, and explains the relationship between emotional sensitivity and psychic sensitivity.

Readers also learn specific alternative health remedies and practices they can immediately implement in their own lives to rebalance their sensitivity and reconnect with their empathic ability. Armed with this knowledge, readers will experience relief from mysterious lifelong emotional suffering, and turn their sensitivity into a strength and a joy.