Intervention Programs Against Smoking
Over the years there has been the need to battle the problems associated with smoking. Several approaches have been applied to help smokers quit the habit but these three are the basic ones: Cognitive Approach, Coping Response Training, and Aversion Therapy.
1. Cognitive Approach: A type of cognitive approach used to break the smoking habit is covert sensitization which is a form of classical conditioning. Under this approach, the smoker is asked to mentally associate smoking with something extremely unpleasant. For example, imagine that your favorite brand of cigarette lies on your table and that a housefly lands on it hand lays her eggs inside the cigarette. The eggs will hatch and there will be little maggots crawling around inside each cigarette. If you pick the cigarette, light it and draw your first breathe with the maggots inside, the heat of the cigarette will force the maggots into your mouth and down your throat. This will definitely cause terrible health problems inside your body.
If smokers use this imagery anytime they have the urge to smoke, then they have a good chance of combating some of the positive association of cigarette smoking.
2. Coping Response Training: This technique is also used to eliminate the positive reinforcements of smoking. With this technique, smokers are helped to indentify the stimuli, situations and circumstances that make them feel like smoking so they can avoid them. This is done in two ways. (a)Cognitively (b) Behaviorally.
A. Cognitive Response: This consists of refocusing the attention of smokers on some things other than smoking. It is possible for the person to reappraise the stress-producing problem and decide that it is not a bad thing after all, or the person might keep reminding himself/herself of all the benefits of not smoking.
B. Behaviorally: the person might go for activities other than lighting a cigarette, such as chewing gum, doing exercises, or pick his teeth after a meal. The smoker might also decide to talk to a counselor, family or friends about the situation instead of smoking to put off his problems. He may even decide to face the problem head-on. Another great alternative might be just to avoid the situations that bring on the urge to smoke (Marlette, 1990).
3. Aversion Therapy: This is a behavioral therapy that pairs an aversive stimulus with a maladaptive behavior. It has been used successfully to help smokers quit the bad habit. With this technique, the smoker is asked to pair smoking with some kind of aversive stimulus such as extremely heavy cigarette smoking. The most popular procedure under this technique is called rapid smoking. This will make the smoker take a puff every six seconds (10 puffs per minute) while concentrating on the negative sensations produced by the rapid smoking. If the smoker gets sick, then it is better. The success of this procedure is dependent on two things:
A. Temporary alleviation of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms, because smokers inhale some amounts of nicotine.
B. Associating smoking with highly negative side effects like nausea, dizziness, burning mouth and accelerated heartbeat.
Application of this technique (rapid smoking) has a major effect in that it can produce moderate amount of stress on the heart and lungs. It is therefore necessary to use it only under the supervision of a medical professional.
Source:ezinearticles.com
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