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Confronting
tobacco addiction
Some years ago, tobacco was perceived as an almost harmless vice. Nowadays,
thanks to technological advances and to the several studies, we know it is the
most dangerous drug for our society, because it is the one that causes the most
deaths and illnesses. Thousands upon thousands of smokers wish to stop smoking,
given how harmful it proves to be for their health, as well as other work
related and economic inconveniences. Without doubt, like for the majority of
their health problems, physical or psychological, they wish there was formula
that, either comes from medicine, like a pharmaceutical treatment, or similarly,
from some type of exotic, although not very compromising therapy, which would
solve their addiction problem. As for many health problems, either physical or
psychological, that type of solution does not exist. It does not mean that some
medical treatment will not help us in this situation; but, in my opinion, if we
want to eradicate the addiction to tobacco or any other drug, we will have to
carry out an extensive and committed work in ourselves. The
first thing we must do in order to eradicate our addiction is to ask ourselves
if we really want to do it, and why. What we could gain and, on the other hand,
what are the damages for us. The techniques of meditation shown in previous
chapters will prove to be a help of unquestionable value. That
way, thanks to our skills regarding the observation of our sensations and
thoughts, we will be able to distinguish clearly that which we really think and
believe about tobacco in respect of our well-being. If
we are addicted to tobacco and take notice of all the positive aspects it gives
us, we will possibly see that it calms our anxiety in determined moments, that
we like its taste, that it helps us to relate socially to other smokers, and
little else. If we observe its negative side, we will be able to notice that,
really, the only anxiety it calms is that caused by our addiction. In respect of
its taste, we only like it thanks to our addiction, which has changed our
perception of the same, because everyone who smokes for first time finds its
taste to be horrible. In respect to the social connections it gives us,
logically, if we have been smokers during a long time, we will have related
preferentially with other smokers, to many of whom we will have bonds and
affection, and our abandon of that habit may break, to a smaller or greater
extent, our relation with some of those people; but, we must not forget that,
possibly, due to our tobacco addiction we have undervalued other friends and
acquaintances, who perhaps, now would be more suitable for us. Outside of that,
there are numerous motives for not smoking. The very fact of being aware that it
is harmful for our health will always be a motive of discomfort for us, all the
more when health problems which are derived from its consumption begin to appear
in our lives, from our physical condition, which soon begins to decrease when we
acquire that habit, to fatal problems like cancer, suffering through countless
other serious health problems, like infertility or chronic bronchitis. Then, as
all we know, our health is sufficient motive in itself to give up smoking. Many
others motives can be added to these. For example, the simple respect to others;
since, smoking without harming someone else’s health can prove to be very
difficult, at least if we are surrounded by others. Also, being responsible and
considerate to our equals, we can meditate about how its consumption spreads
thanks to imitation. Human beings like repetition, especially children and young
people, ages when it is common to begin this habit. If we reflect a little and
look at both present and past, we will be able to see that the consumption of
tobacco on a daily basis and extended amongst the several sectors of society,
turns out to be a recently acquired habit. From the origin of humanity to the 20th
century, smoking was not the norm, although maybe there were determined rituals
and moments in which one smoked, it was not usual amongst people on a daily
basis. It turns out to be a vice acquired in our recent history, which has
spread so easily due to, amongst many other reasons, our tendency to imitate
other individual’s behaviour. The media play on this, as on many other issues,
a very important role. In any case, we could say that we would have not been
smokers if we had never seen others smoke. This implies that our habit will be a
possible model for children and young people over who we may have a certain
influence, or in whom we may cause peer pressure. Another motive not to smoke. A
motive that proves to be very important to me is the mere fact of feeling free,
more at ease with ourselves, being aware that we do not have the addiction we
used to be tied to. So
then, our first work will have to be based on appreciating all its positive
aspects and all its negative aspects in an appropriate way. That is to say,
meditating about it with correct observation and concentration, bringing to our
mind those aspects in an organised manner and meditating on them calmly. For
this we will use the place and the posture of meditation that turns out to be
the most comfortable for us. We will relax our breathing and the normal flow of
our thoughts, as much as we can, and we will bring to our attention any of those
issues. We will examine them in depth, trying not to miss any detail due to a
scant vision of them. So, for example, we should not judge how good the taste of
tobacco is, without taking into account that its pleasant perception is just a
consequence of our habit. We should not ignore the fact that we like to smoke,
although we must always add to that appreciation the fact that we are addicts.
That is to say, we like to smoke, but thanks to our addiction. That way, little
by little, we will have to meditate about all the aspects regarding our relation
with tobacco, however hard this task seems to be, if we want to value it
adequately, and we want our values to have enough strength with which to guide
our acts, even under the anxiety that abstinence causes in us. In
this way we will have a clear and deep vision of our “companion”, tobacco.
Admitting this harsh reality will be difficult at the beginning, just like the
campaigns against tobacco turn out to be distressful to us due to the hard
images these show in the ads. If we want to eradicate our addiction, we will
have to raise our awareness of as many negative effects as we notice in it. In
order to achieve this we will have to observe consciously in our mind those
effects. We will have to visualise our thoughts, the images that our imagination
may reproduce in respect of the damages we consider tobacco causes in us. That
work will turn out to be distressful and tiring; but we will have to carry it
out if we really want to learn how to quit smoking, and eradicate our addiction.
We will learn how to accomplish it, also, in an improvised and daily form,
inasmuch as we have the chance, trying not to avoid that issue if we are really
determined to quit. In
this way, every time we smoke a cigarette we will try to remember, as much as it
is possible, its harmful effects for us and to observe how treacherous its
flavour is to us. It
will cause certain rejection to the act of smoking and tobacco in general;
although, by itself it will not be enough to quit. Certainly,
it is about pestering ourselves with the obviousness of the reality, time after
time. It will create in us anguish and discomfort, as I said previously; but
this is the only reliable way I know for overcoming an addiction. Our
next step will involve that we expose ourselves gradually to the anxiety that
giving up smoking produces. That is, the same as we do with the situations or
thoughts we fear, to which gradually we expose ourselves, learning that way to
strengthen our will. Smokers will have to learn to expose themselves, little by
little; to not smoking. They will have to focus seriously hard in postponing for
a certain time each cigarette they want to smoke. During the first days a few
minutes, and later, a few hours. They will have to be observant in order to be
able to keep on learning and comprehending during those periods of time without
smoking. In this way, they will have to observe attentively all their sensations
and thoughts. They
will have to learn to tolerate the former, like everyone else who wants to learn
to overcome their anxiety. It will be sufficient to observe them attentively
without denying them, without fleeing or fighting against them, but observing
them with courage. Again, the use of suitable questions and thoughts like: ...
“ What are they?” “ What is it that keeps me addicted to this habit?”
“They are sensations, just sensations I can tolerate ”. Equally,
we will have to pay attention to the thoughts produced by the desire of smoking.
We will observe all the types of deceit produced by our mind in the form of
thoughts that try to convince us of how positive smoking can be, just to avoid
the anxiety giving up causes in us. In
the beginning it will be sufficient learning to observe these thoughts; but soon
we will have to take part more actively in our learning, debating and proving
wrong each thought that tries to convince us of how good smoking a cigarette is.
Thoughts like ... “Go on, it’s not so bad; just one, it doesn’t matter”,
or “it won’t really affect me a lot”, or “for my anxiety and worries it
is better to smoke a little”, we will have to be able to detect them without
any difficulty, and think, even if it is hard, in terms of an inner dialogue,
other thoughts which contradict the assertion of those thoughts which try to
refute our work. If we want to give up smoking we should look for lines like:...
“Yeah, right; I know very well that these thoughts are only a consequence of
my anxiety, that tobacco is harmful for me, and if I give in to this cigarette,
the desire of smoking another one will come again, and I will have to fight
again these same thoughts that now try to make me fail”. In
this way, we will postpone actively our next cigarette until, one day, we decide
to give up indefinitely. When
we decide to give it up for good we will have to be very attentive practically
all day long, around the clock, because our desire will frequently be present,
as it was when we used to smoke regularly, only that now we will limit ourselves
to observing our sensations of anxiety when that desire emerges, and we will
observe them without carrying out the compulsion to smoke.
We will just observe how they come and how we experience them, and how
they go away, even doing nothing more than just observing them. We will notice
that they do not always carry a high level of anxiety, but there are numerous
determined moments in which we experience that anxiety, as many as the moments
that we will be able to observe how that anxiety decreases
its intensity. We will limit ourselves to observing and tolerating the sensations that these produce in us, and observe and
change the thoughts that try to make us light a cigarette, for others that are
more practical and realistic, which are more suitable for our determination. The
way we change those thoughts, in the beginning , will be through an intense
inner dialogue in which thoughts in the form of sentences come time after time
and incite us to smoke again. We must answer these with other sentences, time
after time, which contradict resolutely and with certain argument those thoughts
that are so inadequate for our objective. The
following could serve as an example: -
The type
of thought that emerges and incites us to smoke (emerges by itself): “A cigarette is not so bad; it will calm my desire, I will feel better
and it will make this hard task a bit easier”. -
The type of practical and realistic thought we will have to use in order to help
ourselves to overcome our anxiety and mitigate the effects of the previous
thought (it does not emerge by itself, we must make an effort towards thinking
about it): “What does it mean that a
cigarette is not so bad; a cigarette means that I keep smoking ”. “ What
will I get from a cigarette?” “ Calming my anxiety for a few minutes?”
“After those minutes another will come again loaded with anxiety, exactly the
same as if I do not smoke that cigarette now”. “My anxiety will go away, and
later it will emerge again, but with a difference. The difference is that once
some time has passed, I will no longer have so much anxiety to smoke ”. Time and again, we
will have to spend those days, when our abstinence shows a high level of
anxiety, in that way. During
those days we will have to practice the meditation exercises which relax us the
most. For example, the exercises in which our attention is
concentrated on a point or a determined object can turn out to be
relaxing; nevertheless, if we enjoy another we can practice it as well during
that time. Equally, we will use the opportunity to carry out all types of
activities that are pleasant and relaxing, like taking a walk, reading or any
other hobby we like, at the same time as it distracts us, as far as it is
possible, from our harmful habit. We should take into account that, very
possibly, we experience the emotion of loss and sadness (depression) while our
adaptation to the new situation lasts, this is the reason why it is convenient
making an effort to fill the vacuum the habit seems to leave. High levels of anxiety, as we discussed in a previous chapter, makes emerge the emotion of loss or depression that is so paralysing and sad; for that reason it will be convenient to motivate ourselves adequately. We will be able to use the meditation for that purpose.
From
the book "Practical meditation, here and now", by Joaquín Carrizosa. |
Clic on the picture to download free.