STIMULATION If you score high or fairly high on this factor, it means that you are one of those smokers who is stimulated by the cigarette. You feel that it helps wake you up, organize your energies, and keep you going. If you try to give up smoking, you may want a safe substitute: a brisk walk or moderate exercise, forexample, whenever you feel the urge to smoke. HANDLING Handling things can be satisfying, but there are many ways to keep your hands busy without lighting up or playing with a cigarette. Why not toy with a pen or pencil? Or try doodling? Or play with a coin, a piece of jewelry, or some other harmless object. There are plastic cigarettes to play with, or you might evenuse a real cigarette if you can trust yourself not to light it. ACCENTUATION OF PLEASURE-PLEASURABLE RELAXATION It is not always easy to find out whether you use the cigarette to feel good, that is, to get real pleasure out of smoking or to keep from feeling so bad. About two-thirds of smokers score high or fairly high on accentuation of pleasure, and about half of those also score as high or higher on reductionof negative feelings. Those who do get real pleasure out of smoking often find that an honest consideration of the harmful effects of their habitis enought to help them quit. They substitute eating, drinking, social activities, and physical activities within reasonable bounds and find they do not seriously miss their cigarettes. REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE FEELINGS OR "CRUTCH" Many smokers use the cigarette as a kind of crutch in moments of stress or discomfort, and on occasion it may work; the cigarette is sometimes used as a tranquilizer. But the heavy smoker, the person who tries to handle severe personal problems by smoking many times a day, is apt to discover that cigarettes do not help him deal with his problems effectively. When it comes to quitting, this kind of smoker may find it easy to stop when everything is going well, but may be tempted to start again in a time of crisis. Again, physical exertion, eating, drinking, or social activity-in moderation-may serve as useful substitutes for cigarettes, even in times of tension. The choice of a substitute depends on what will achieve the same effects without having any appreciable risk. CRAVING OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADDICTION Quitting smoking is difficult for the person who scores high on the factor of psychological addiction. For him, the craving for the next cigarette begins to build up the moment he puts one out, so tapering off is not likely to work. He must go "cold turkey." It may be helpful for him to smoke more than usual for a day or two, so that the taste for cigarettes is spoiled, and then isolate himself completely from cigarettes until the craving is gone. Giving up cigarettes may be so difficult and cause so much discomfort, that once he does quit, he will find it easy to resistthe temptation to go back to smoking. Otherwise, he knows that some day he will have to go through the same agony again. HABIT This kind of smoker is no longer getting much satisfaction from his cigarettes. He just lights them frequently without even realizing he is doing so. He may find it easy to quit and stay off if he can break the habit patterns he has built up. Cutting down gradually may be quite effective if there is a change in the way the cigarettes are smoked and the conditions under which they are smoked. The key to success is becoming aware of each cigarette you smoke. This can be done by asking yourself, "Do I really want this cigarette?" You may be surprised at how many you do not want.
