What does psychological treatment for tobacco addiction consist of?

These are the areas of work addressed in psychological treatment for tobacco addiction.

Tobacco kills about 8 million people each year. What most of those people had in common is that they probably didn't expect to be part of that black statistic while smoking cigarettes a few years earlier.

Smoking kills, but you already know that. Years of cigarette packs with nasty images of black or bloody lungs have not been enough to make you take action.

Quitting smoking is not easyno matter how much you hear from someone who has succeeded. Tobacco addiction is a complex problem, like any other addiction, and well-meaning advice does not help everyone, because every case is different, every smoker is different. We have to take into account the person's genetics, consumption habits, fear of change, relapse prevention strategy...

How is the psychological treatment for tobacco addiction?

In this article I am going to explain what a psychological treatment for tobacco addiction consists of and what are the fundamental pillars.

Finding the motivation to quit smoking

Most smokers spend their lives thinking about quitting smoking. But they don't dare (they are afraid of failure) or they don't consider it a priority.

Since I have been working in addictions, hundreds of people have told me how they have been thinking about quitting smoking for several decades, but it never seemed like the right time, they always found some excuse to put it off even longer..

One of the first topics to be worked on in psychological therapy for quitting smoking will be the person's reasons for wanting to change. Most smokers have been smoking for so many years that they no longer remember how they felt before they started smoking (most people start smoking in their teens or 20s). (most people start smoking in their teens or 20s).

Unfortunately, in cases of addiction it is rare for people to make the decision to quit on their own, but many times they are pushed by family members or a partner. In cases of smoking, because the smoker's loved ones start to worry about their health status and the possible consequences.

At the beginning of the smoking cessation therapy process, the psychologist will make sure that the person has found reasons of his own to quit smoking.

Moving through family pressure can help at the beginning to take the first steps, but in most cases it is not enough.The person must connect with his or her personal reasons for wanting to quit smoking, connect with his or her desire to change. Otherwise, the smoking cessation treatment will be doomed to failure.

The most important thing about motivation is that it is impossible to keep it intact all the time. The advantage of following up with a psychology professional is that he or she will accompany you in the process and help remind you of your reasons for wanting to quit smoking.

Analyze your smoking habits

A psychologist expert in the treatment of tobacco addiction will approach your case in a strategic way.. As with any other addiction problem, any smoker who wants to quit cigarettes should know his or her smoking habits.

How many years have you been smoking? How many cigarettes do you normally smoke per day? When do you smoke them, at what times of the day? Where do you smoke, in what places and situations? Do you always smoke alone or do you spend time with other smokers? Which cigarettes do you smoke most anxiously, and which more on "autopilot" or out of inertia? What do you feel before, during and after each cigarette? Have you had attempts to quit smoking in the past? Why didn't they work? What are the main causes of relapse in your case? How long have your longest periods of abstinence been?

And these are just a few. In the first sessions, an extensive assessment of the addiction problem will be made, and conclusions will be drawn.In the first sessions, short-term goals will be established, and strategies will be chosen that best suit the case.

Because what helped one person (Carlos, 32 years smoking, about a pack and a half a day, his wife died of lung cancer, he smokes at work and has relapsed 2 times going for beers with friends) will not be as effective for another (Maria, 15 years smoking, her partner does not smoke and does not like her smoking, low self-esteem and a lot of guilt, I have never tried to quit smoking for fear of anxiety, she smokes 10 cigarettes a day on average).

Overcoming nicotine withdrawal syndrome.

Tobacco withdrawal is the main reason why most smokers continue to pay Big Tobacco for poisoning them.

The mechanism of tobacco is simple. Nicotine is highly addictive, so the brain develops dependence quickly after a few doses.after just a few doses. The more you smoke the person, the more nicotine tolerance the body develops. This will result in the person needing larger and larger doses of nicotine to feel good.

Within 30 minutes of smoking a cigarette, the body has already metabolized (eliminated) much of the nicotine. The brain senses that nicotine levels in the Blood have dropped, so it begins to "miss" the nicotine. This is when most smokers begin to feel discomfort. The most common tobacco withdrawal symptoms are:

• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Sadness or apathy
• Tiredness
• Tremors or even panic
• Sudden mood swings
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Trouble sleeping

Genetic differences, each person will experience withdrawal differently.. There are people who have managed to quit smoking from one day to the next, with virtually no cravings. Unfortunately, they are in the minority.

Most people experience some type of withdrawal syndrome, mostly unpleasant sensations or even anxiety.

In many cases, the withdrawal syndrome can be so unpleasant that the person ends up can be so unpleasant that the person ends up lighting up a cigarette just to make the discomfort go away quickly.. That is why people relapse. It is not a question of willpower.

That is why it is so important to have the support and accompaniment of a psychologist during addiction treatment. A good psychologist specialized in addictions will help the smoker to face the discomfort of the withdrawal syndrome, and to lose the fear of it.

How to overcome emotional dependence on tobacco

In addition to the physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal syndrome, the smoker who wants to overcome his addiction must also overcome his emotional dependence on tobacco.. In many cases, tobacco has been present in the person's life for many years. It has been part of many, many situations and rituals, it has been deeply integrated into the person's life.

A smoker may have built many rituals around tobacco, such as the after-lunch cigarette, the coffee cigarette, the office break with colleagues, the cigarette after class, the one that accompanies Friday beers, the one that goes out on the balcony to take the air, the cigarette while watching a film or a series... And all this without taking into account the moods to which tobacco has been conditioned: relaxation, celebration, in stressful moments, etc.

The person will have to learn to face all these situations without tobacco. These will also be some of therapeutic targets for the maintenance phase and relapse prevention.

Alternative activities, avoiding certain situations with a high risk of relapse, building a new lifestyle... are fundamental steps that most smokers skip when they try to quit on their own without psychological treatment.

Anyone can quit smoking for a few days or weeks without too much effort, but staying relapse-free is the hard part. Many people suffer relapses, and they experience a lot of frustration and a sense of failure.

Looking for professional help?

My name is Luis Miguel Realand for years I have been dedicated to helping people with addiction problems. I have helped hundreds of people to stop being slaves of tobacco and to stop smoking without relapse.

If you have made the firm decision to quit smoking, I can help you. Contact me and we will get to work on it as soon as possible.