Implementation of the Plan to Quit Smoking - Essay Example

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN TO QUIT SMOKING Implementation of the Plan to Quit Smoking Introduction Quitting smokingis one of my top priorities due to the harmful effects it has for my body, those around me, and my finances. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for me to stop the habit as I have smoked for a period of nine years. During this period, I have consistently smoked twelve cigarettes every day until I began implementing the plan to stop. This essay captures how I have gone through the process of change, the challenges and successes as well as future projections of how the plan to quit smoking will be implemented. Most importantly, this essay analyzes and integrates the plan with steps already taken to provide a roadmap that will ensure success. Achievements Made in the Completed Phases Since it is nearly impossible to move from smoking twelve cigarettes a day to zero, the plan entailed a gradual reduction in the number of cigarettes from twelve to zero over time rather than a complete stop at once. I projected that stopping at once would not help as the temptation to smoke would be overwhelming (Schein, 2002). It was better to reduce the amount by two to three cigarettes in phases till I quit completely. The first phase involved the reduction from twelve to ten by October 21st 2014. This was successful though it was challenging. I kept reasoning that there was no big difference between ten and twelve. However, by sticking to the plan and focusing on the final goal, I succeeded to limit the number to ten. After achieving the objective of the first phase, I managed to reduce the number from ten to seven. However, this has been met with resistance and the body feeling deprived. It has been a challenge to move from this stage to the next. The strategy to keep the smoking sessions as far as possible has the effect of generating stress in the body (Schein, 2002). Fortunately, I have managed to plant the desire in the body system to get rid of smoking. The body is able to keep up with the chronology of change since the desired change is acceptable to the body system to maintain health. Thirdly, I have reduced the number of convenient places for smoking. For instance, I have kept cigarettes away from my car. It has helped to reduce smoking time as most of the smoking occurs when I am driving alone. I have also increased the time I spend at home with the family because the children prevent my smoking. Desired Future State (November 18th 2014) By 18th November, it is my hope and desire that I revive serious participation in a sport of my choice. I have identified soccer as the sport as I am skilled at it and enjoy playing it a lot. By starting to play soccer again, I hope to reduce and eventually quit the habit of smoking. Playing soccer will reduce the amount of time I have to be alone to smoke. Besides, it will ensure that I am around people who do not smoke. This will ensure that at least, the potential to smoke is reduced as people who do not smoke are uncomfortable around those who do. Besides, participating in soccer provides an avenue to engage in rigorous training sessions that will improve body health and shape. Still, the exercises will make me tired, go straight home to the family where I cannot not smoke in the presence of my children. In addition to soccer, it would be appropriate to seek the opinion of a medical professional as well as a counselor on the next steps to take. I am not in a position to predict how good the progress I have made is or even if it is adequate. Presenting the facts to a counselor will provide me with the chance to have my performance evaluated by competent and qualified persons who can advise accordingly (Schein, 2002). The counselor could also give moral support as well as encouragement to carry on. Knowledge Acquired to Facilitate Goal Achievement In order to maintain the effort and desire to quit smoking, I embarked on research on the harm that smoking does to me specifically and in general. To add to the harm, I also researched on the benefits of quitting the bad habit to me and the people around me. My research also encompassed getting to know firsthand experiences from people who have been in and out of a similar addiction in order to establish what I can emulate from their experiences. I was able to discover that smoking has undesirable effects in the life of an individual and should be avoided at any costs. These effects are both internal and external. Internal effects revolve around body health while external effects arise from relationships with others as well as the environment. Internally, smoking has the potential to reduce life expectance due to its propensity to damage major body organs after use for an extended period. Specifically, smoking releases chemicals that cause various types of cancer that lead to death. In the United States alone, statistics indicate that among the preventable causes of death, smoking is the worst killer. I also discovered that smoking is more dangerous than HIV/AIDS, gun use, and alcohol according to the annual number of deaths caused. The most shocking revelation was that smoking had the capacity to cause cancer to about fifteen body organs over time. Equating smoking to death has really changed my standpoint on it and reinforced the desire to quit. It has facilitated the realization of the type of change I pursue- planned and managed change. Since I began looking at every smoking session as a session of committing suicide, my resistance to smoke more has reduced. Apart from the personal effects, I also established that secondary smokers who actually inhale the smoke unintentionally are also at risk of all the health risks associated with smoking. In my case, this includes my friends and family, all who I would not like to be harmed by smoking. I also learnt that being a smoker cuts out an individual from potential friends as non-smokers generally shun smokers unless a special relationship exists such as family ties. As such, quitting means limiting time with people who smoke to reduce the peer pressure and make friends with those who do not smoke. Learning about the benefits of smoking has also provided more impetus to manage the process. Knowing that I will attain better health with long life overrides the addiction and helps manage it. For example, spending $1800 and above on smoking annually is an appalling waste of money. I realized that this money could be put to better use such as upkeep for the family or investments to improve family wealth. Saving is not only associated with the cost of cigarettes. It also entails the millions of money that would have been required to create the various types of cancers that would be caused by continued smoking. Lastly, talking to people who were formerly involved in smoking and have managed to quit has provided the confidence that it is possible to quit. Obstacles to Implementation of the Plan It has been extremely difficult for the body to resist the craving to smoke one more cigarette due to the strong addiction. This has contributed to increased stress levels to the point of causing depression (Shein, 2002). Missing the enjoyment caused by smoking poses the greatest challenge due to the fact that I still smoke. The fear of gaining weight has also contributed negatively to efforts to quit smoking irrespective of the resolve to play football. It is because the body has not had a suitable replacement to smoking as it is difficult to identify an activity that gives the same relaxing effects of smoking without the harmful side effects. Cutting the ties with log time friends who smoke has also restricted my social sphere. Unfortunately, it has been also difficult to make new friends who do not smoke because I still smoke and non-smokers cannot stand even one cigarette a day. To overcome the challenges above, I resolved to pursue soccer in order to keep fit and avoid adding weight. This will also improve my self-esteem and prevent me from seeing myself as a loser. Since it is very difficult to play soccer and maintain smoking, soccer will play a major role in quitting smoking. Above all, it presents me with the opportunity to make friends with non-smokers with the shared desire to make the team victorious. Still, I decided to reduce my intake of fatty foods that would facilitate the addition of weight and make me feel bad about quitting smoking. The process of eliminating smoking process has also been painful and gradual (Schein, 2002). I have also managed to significantly reduce the amount of time spend with them. Playing soccer would also give a legitimate reason to stop spending time with them to wade off the pressure to smoke. Eventually, I intend to get rid of all friends who smoke to be completely safe from peer influence. I also made it a strategy to remind myself of the dangers of smoking every time I smoked. This has tremendously reduced my enjoyment of the activity and instead made me feel disgusted against the activity. I have kept copies of readings that detail the harmful effects of smoke so that I can turn away from it. To further reduce enjoyment, every time I smoke, I register it in the mind as a waste of money and denying the family the opportunity to have a better life (Schein, 2002). Instead, I consider career development as the best alternative. I will put more effort to improve my education for career advancement by putting to good use the time spent smoking. From the above efforts, I believe that I will manage to carry out the plan to completion. The health and social disadvantages as well financial constraints as a result of smoking are much worse. Since smoking is a habit with no real benefits, the best option is to quit. The proposal below gives further details to the efforts to quit smoking. The issue: One of the biggest concerns about me and my family’s future that I have thought about extensively of late is smoking. By the end of this year, I will have completed nine years of smoking, and the changes, which I have experienced, are getting worse. Going back before 2006, my favorite sport was soccer, and I used to be very good at it; however, after starting the smoking habit practicing any kind of sports was very hard, and the time I spend to practice sports declined as a result of addicting to cigarettes, which, prevents me to breathe properly. Additionally, it is obvious that smoking causes serious health problems such as lung cancer and hearts diseases, which is also associated with financial losses in the short term as well as possible huge financial losses in the long term. Currently, as a married person, the harm may extends to my spouse and little son, even though I don’t smoke directly in front of them, because the stale cigarette smell that remains on furniture, car seats, or my clothes could still be smelled by my child or any other person around me, which referred to as third-hand smoker. Therefore, this type of change is planned and managed process requires incremental and proactive techniques to achieve the best outcome, which will be used along with this project. Strategies of change: Any change process passes through three stages a stage of unfreezing, a stage of changing, and stage of refreezing. In my case the unfreezing stage would be creating motivation to quit smoking as well as building strong believe that the current situation is very harmful for me and even to the third-hand smokers which require me to take an action. Secondly, the changing stage, smoking is early death in my case; people are more likely to be open to new suggestions, information, and solution to implement the change that will lead to a favorable situation. The third stage is refreezing and that’s where the person has achieved new set of cognition and attitudes as a new daily behaviour being practiced. Furthermore, for the change to last more it must fit the personality of the individual where in my case any possible changes must be changes that I will be able to do and feel comfortable doing them. I. Unfreezing stage: The damages or harms associated with the current situation are many and they include: Potential serious health problems such as lung cancer and lung diseases. Possible health problems to the second and third-hand smokers. Avoiding people that I love in order to feel free to smoke alone. Wasting time during my study hours to go out and smoke. Unable to practice my favorite sport due to the short breathe caused by smoking tobacco. Spending approximately $1825 per year (pack for every two days for approx. $10 for each pack). Future possible financial losses due to health complications caused by smoking. Therefore, it is very obvious that quitting smoking would benefit me in different aspects of my life. My family will be the biggest motivation that will encourage me to quit smoking because it is very painful to imagine a moment where one of family members gets sick due to my smoking habit. Moreover, it would be very encouraging to know that I will be able to practice my favorite sports as well as saving much time to spend with my family and for my studies. II. Changing stage: It is very important that to understand that smoking tobacco leads to both physical addiction and psychological habit ;therefore, attending information sessions that runs by professionals about new smoking quitters to know more about successful or effective techniques that have been used by others and chose what fits my lifestyle. For example, it is great to start quitting by using the most known technique START: S. set a date to quit smoking to prepare myself psychologically and to increase my motivation catalyzer. T. Tell my family, friends, and classmates that I’m planning to quit preparing for convenient environment. A. Anticipate and expect any possible challenges that I’ll face during the process of quitting smoking to be ready for the hard times. R. Remove cigarettes from my home may car, and my pocket as well as any related materials that will stimulate me to smoke again. Also, clean my clothes, car, and any material that has stale tobacco smell. T. Talk to my doctor and in this step the doctor can prescribe any necessary medication as well as suggesting any over counter medication to mitigate specific symptoms caused by quitting tobacco. III. Refreezing stage: The process of refreezing must integrate my family, my doctor, and my friends to enhance any positive changes that I have made and give their feedback. One of the important steps to refreeze change is to feel comfortable or to like the new daily behaviour that I’m practicing. Additionally, paying frequent visit to my doctor to discuss my health improvements would help to sustain the new attitude. Finally, practicing my favorite sports would also encourage me so much to refreeze the new change as a sign of not being ready to experience the old situation. References Schein, Edgar, H. (2002). Models and Tools for Stability and Change in Human Systems. Reflections, 4 (2), 34-46. Read More