HOW COME YOU SMOKE?
What kind of smoker are you?
What do you get out of smoking?
What does it do for you?
This test is designed to provide you with a score on each of six factors which describe many people's smoking behavior. Your smoking may be characterized by only one of these factors or by a combination of factors. In any event, this test will help you identify what you use smoking for and what kind of satisfaction you think you get from smoking.
The six factors measured by this test describe different ways of experiencing or managing certain kinds of feelings. Three of these feelings-states represent the positive feelings people get from smoking: a sense of increased energy or stimulation, the satisfaction of handling or manipulating things, and the enhancing of pleasurable feelings accompanying a state of well-being. The fourth is the decreasing of negative feelings by reducing a state of tension or feelings of anxiety, anger, shame, etc. The fifth is a complex pattern of increasing and decreasing "craving" for a cigarette, representing a psychological addiction to smoking. The sixth is habit smoking, which takes place in an absence of feeling-purely automatic smoking.
A score of 11 or above on any factor indicates that this factor is an important source of satisfaction for you. The higher your score (15 is the highest), the more important a particular factor is in your smoking and the more useful the discussion of that factor can be in your efforts to STOP.
A few words of warning: When you STOP Smoking, you may have to learn to get along without the satisfaction that smoking gives you.
Either that, or you will have to find some more acceptable way of getting this satisfaction. In either case, you need to know just what it is you get out of smoking before you can decide whether to forego the satisfactions it gives you or find another to achieve them.
1. STIMULATION: If you score high or fairly high on this factor, it means 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, for example, whenever you feel the urge to smoke.2. HANDLING: Handling things can be satisfying, but there are many ways to keep your hands busy without lighting up or playing with a cigarette. How about toying with a pen or pencil? Or doodling? Or play with a coin, a piece of jewelry, or some other harmless object.
3. 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. (factor 3) or to keep from feeling so bad (factor 4). About two-thirds of smokers score high or fairly high on accentuation of pleasure, and about half of those also score high or higher on reduction of negative feelings. Those who do get real pleasure out of smoking often find that an honest consideration of the harmful effects of their habit is enough to help them STOP. They substitute eating wisely, drinking water, social activities, and physical activities-within reasonable bounds-and find they do not seriously miss their cigarettes.
4. 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/her deal with problems effectively. When it comes to STOPPING, 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, drinking water, 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.
5. "CRAVING" or PSYCHOLOGICAL ADDICTION: STOPPING smoking is difficult for the person who scores high on the factor of psychological addiction. For that person, the craving for the next cigarette begins, to build up the moment he/she puts one out, so tapering off is not likely to work. He/she must go "cold turkey." It may be helpful for him/her to smoke more than usual for a day or two, so that the taste for cigarettes is spoiled, then isolate him/herself completely from cigarettes until the craving is gone. STOPPING smoking may be so difficult and cause so much discomfort that, once he/she does STOP, he/she will find it easy to resist the temptation to go back to smoking. Otherwise, he/she knows that someday he/she will have to go through the same agony again. For the addicted smoker, seeing a doctor might provide extra motivation to STOP. The doctor also may prescribe nicotine gum or the nicotine patch (now available over-the-counter) as an alternative source while the smoker breaks the habit of smoking.
6. HABIT: This kind of smoker is no longer getting much satisfaction from their cigarettes. He/she just lights them frequently without even realizing they are doing so. He/she may find it easy to STOP and stay off if he/she can break the habit patterns he/she have 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.
What Happens AFTER You STOP SMOKING?
Please feel free to email any questions, thoughts, and/or feedback.
Thank you for taking the test!
It is a step closer to stopping this nasty and deadly habit!
GOOD LUCK !!!
Katherine Fox, C.C.H.T.
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist
To Those People Who Died or Are Dying From Cigarettes or Other Tobacco Products
DEDICATION LIST
Last Updated: Thursday, October 18, 2007
©Katherine Fox, C.C.H.T....1996-2007
STOP SMOKING TODAY!!!
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