Smoking Cessation: The 5 R’s to Call Quits on Smoking

According to the American Lung Association, 480,000 deaths each year are caused by tobacco intake and exposure to second-hand smoke in the U.S alone. Most individuals are aware of the various health risks caused by smoking cigarettes. Yet, tobacco intake remains the leading reason for preventable disease and death in the United States.
This is because quitting smoking isn’t one of those events that happen out of the blue one day. It’s rather a long journey. Quitting smoking can help you improve your health, the duration and quality of your life, and the lives of individuals around you.
The journey of quitting smoking leads to great benefits. However, it’s not an easy one to take. Smokers must cope with the withdrawal symptoms due to cutting out nicotine.
By choosing an effective and tested game plan, smokers can kick this bad habit for good and break free from their nicotine addiction. Continue reading to find out why it is difficult to quit smoking and 5 R’s that can help you tackle smoking cessation.

What Makes it so Difficult to Quit

Smoking is reported to be as addictive as heroin or cocaine. There are two main reasons that make it difficult for any habitual smoker to quit their smoking habit.

Withdrawal

One of the primary reasons that keep smokers smoking is nicotine. It’s one of the key ingredients found in a cigarette that makes smokers addicted to smoking. Smoking regularly makes your body crave nicotine. With time, the amount of nicotine required by the body to feel normal increases, causing a smoker to smoke more and more. Cutting out on cigarettes or quitting the habit instantly can make smokers experience various withdrawal symptoms, two of which are cigarette cravings and discomfort.
Withdrawals can last for weeks and even months sometimes. These withdrawals aren’t permanent but can be too much for smokers to take. Most smokers break in and continue smoking again before allowing their cravings to break.

Triggers

When a smoker smokes, certain feelings, individuals, and activities become linked to smoking. All these factors can “trigger” a smoker’s urge to smoke. Smokers can reduce the intensity of their triggers by understanding them and developing ways to deal with them. Here are some techniques that might help smokers deal with these triggers.

• Often visit no-smoking zones. These places include movie theaters, shopping malls, and other closed enclosures.
• Spend all or most of your time with non-smokers. Staying around non-smokers can help you cut your smoking habit compared to staying in people who regularly smoke.
• Another way to cut out the cravings is by diverting your thoughts. Squeezing a stress ball, playing an indoor and outdoor game, or eating healthy may help.
• Take a long and deep breath and remind yourself that you are on a quitting journey and the importance of this journey. 

The 5 R’s to Call Quits on Smoking

Almost all smokers want to quit smoking, but most find it difficult to make a quit attempt. One of the most effective strategies adopted by clinicians to motivate patients in considering a quit attempt is the “5 R’s”. These 5 R’s are:

Relevance

This part deals with encouraging smokers to think and discuss how quitting can be relevant to them – for instance, athletes can be encouraged to quit because quitting will improve their stamina. The idea is to find motivation from their situation. The best approach here is to help smokers identify motivational factors on their own.  

Risk

In this part, clinicians help smokers identify all the potential negative consequences of smoking. Especially those that are more relevant to the smoker. Clinicians also emphasize that smoking low-nicotine/low-tar cigarettes or switching to tobacco-based alternatives, such as cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco, will not eliminate the risks. Examples of risks caused by smoking are:

• Impotence
• Increased serum C2O2 (carbon monoxide)
• Infertility
• Harm to pregnancy
• Exacerbation of asthma
• Shortness of breath

 Long-term risks may also include:

• Strokes and heart attacks
• Various cancers, such as lungs, pharynx, larynx, oral cavity, pancreas, esophagus, cervix, and bladder
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Long-term disability

Rewards

The idea is to help smokers identify the potential benefits of quitting. Your clinician may highlight and suggest the most relevant ones. Some examples for these rewards are:

• Improved health
• Improved sense of smell
• Improved taste buds
• Better self-image
• Saves money
• Clothing, car, home, and the breath smell better
• Setting a good example for children
• No worrying about quitting
• No risk of exposing others to smoke
• Have healthier babies
• Reduced aging/wrinkling of the skin
• Better performance during physical activities

Roadblocks

This part deals with helping smokers identify impediments or barriers to quitting. During this part, clinicians also note elements of treatment that could address barriers (pharmacotherapy and problem solving). The usual barriers might include fear of failure, withdrawal symptoms, lack of support, weight gain, enjoyment of tobacco, and depression.

Repetition

The final R is all about repeated motivational intervention every time the smoker gets unmotivated. For instance, smokers who have failed to quit several times should be told that most smokers make various quit attempts before successfully quitting smoking.
The 5 R’s approach is one of the most effective approaches reliable clinicians use to help smokers quit. This article mentions the basic idea behind the 5 R’s approach. However, expert healthcare professionals specialize in helping smokers quit using this and various other approaches.
If you’re a smoker and are looking for reliable and experienced healthcare physicians online to help you quit smoking, you can count on TelMDCare. We’re America’s leading virtual doctors and offer highly experienced and reliable professional online doctors and physicians. Our doctors are known for offering effective treatments for all your sexual, mental, and physical health conditions.
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