Robyn specialises in smoking cessation.
Robyn knows a lot about quitting smoking.
Apart from working with individuals, Robyn has run many groups both in the community and at companies and businesses, teaching people how to quit smoking for good. She has also worked with Quit Victoria as a trainer of people who then go on to run groups and to work with individuals to help them to quit smoking.
If you check back with this space over the coming weeks and months, we will share with you information and various tips to help you to prepare to quit smoking and most importantly to stay quit.
We all know people who have managed to stay off cigarettes for a while only to relapse. It's the staying quit that is the most important thing .
To start with, many people don't realise that there are three aspects to quitting smoking. The first one is…
1. Nicotine addiction (or the physical aspects of smoking)
This is what people generally focus on. Typically they decide, usually suddenly, that they will quit, for example, next Monday morning, but make no or very little preparation for this. Generally this approach is not successful.
Why do you think that is?
Preparation is necessary because usually nicotine addiction is only part of the picture. Also it is generally not a good idea to rely on willpower alone.
There are two other aspects to smoking which also need to be addressed when quitting. These two aspects are:
- habits and
- psychological or emotional aspects.
2. Habits
When you think about your smoking it is usually associated with some sort of activity. Helping you to wake up first thing in the morning with that first cup of coffee perhaps, or after lunch or dinner. Some people smoke when they get into the car to drive somewhere. Other people smoke when they want to concentrate on a task and so on. Over time cigarettes become associated with these habits or activities, so that when you engage in these habits and activities they act as a trigger for a cigarette. Therefore when quitting smoking these habits must be addressed as well.
3. Psychological aspects (feelings)
The most common of these is stress. Nicotine is an interesting drug. It is biphasic, which means it can have two opposite actions at once. It is at the same time a stimulant and a relaxant. This is why people use cigarettes to relax when they are stressed. Often it is the only stress management strategy that they have. Therefore other methods of managing stress and other troublesome feelings need to be developed for this not to be a trigger to smoke as well.
Watch this space for more .....
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To find out how Rowe Psychology, psychologist Melbourne can help you, please call on 0419 982 335 or send an enquiry via text or email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
