BESOCHEMPS ~The Five-Headed Dragon

BeSoChEmPs: the five-headed dragon

When you take a look at all of the complexities of a smoker’s behavior, you’ll see that tobacco use is much more than a chemical addiction. There are many influences—your behaviors and habits, social situations, chemical dependence, and the emotional and psychological attachments to smoking—that make you want to use tobacco. To illustrate the complexities, imagine a dragon with five heads.

knowing besochemps

First we have to memorize the dragon’s name. Look at it again… besochemps. The dragon’s name helps us remember each of the five heads. The five heads are: BEhavioral, SOcial, CHemical, EMotional, and PSychological. We call the dragon BESOCHEMPS to help remember all five heads.

We all have a “dragon” if we overeat, undereat, drink to excess, use illicit drugs, smoke, gamble, etc. Even activities like going on spending binges can create a release of endorphins, which can cause a chemical dependency for some of us.

Your mission is three-fold:

1.) Can you see all five heads of your dragon?

2.) Which one (or two) of the heads are most dominant?

3.) Can you learn the tools and tricks that give you back the control?

(Illustration by Mark Velard)

Let’s take a closer look at each of the heads:

BE havioral

Each puff of a cigarette delivers a dose of nicotine to your brain that chemically reinforces the behaviors—the triggers—that accompany smoking. A single cigarette delivers approximately 10 mini-doses of nicotine. Your behavioral trigger may be drinking coffee, talking on the phone or driving.

How you can respond: Starting today, call this kind of want a “trigger.”

• Disassociate the partnered behaviors from smoking before quit day so that they cease to be triggers to smoke. For instance, if you tend to smoke while drinking a cup of coffee, leave your coffee cup inside when you go outside to smoke. Isolating the smoking behavior from all pleasurable activities until quit day means that you don’t have to stop the pleasurable activities in order to stop smoking.

• Data collection can help you better understand your smoking. Try to figure out which head of the dragon is behind each cigarette.

• Doing it differently can help you avoid some triggers. Getting your morning coffee at the drive-thru window can help you avoid the familiar routines that were associated with smoking.

• When you discover that you want a cigarette because of a behavioral trigger, be delighted! Don’t despair. This want is just a trick and you don’t have to fall for it!

SO cial

Many social situations (the places and faces) can become triggers that make you want to smoke.

How you can respond:Starting today, call this kind of want a “trigger.”

• Ask your “smoking buddy” to be your “take-a-walk-at-break-time buddy.” Also ask your buddy to abstain from smoking around you for a while. This will disrupt social patterns and you might even inspire your friend to try to quit!

• Change the place where you and your buddy meet, at least for a few weeks, to disassociate the social situations from smoking. Perhaps going out to the movies would be an easier smoke-free night out to replace your dart night at the club.

• Distract yourself by doing some smoke-free activities with your buddy.

CH emical

Your body may have a discernable medical response to the reduction of nicotine in your bloodstream or craving for a cigarette. This state of withdrawal can be uncomfortable, but it will pass. No one has ever died from nicotine withdrawal.

How you can respond: Starting today call, this kind of want a “craving.”

• Before quit day, delay every cigarette. (You’ll end up skipping some of them!)

• Decrease your dependence by gradually reducing your smoking.

• Drink water as a way to help detoxify your body and give your hands and mouth something to do.

• Deep breathing is a great way to give your brain a fresh supply of oxygen and change the way you feel.

EM otional

Intense emotional feelings or the absence of emotional stimulus (boredom) can cause urges to smoke. We’ve trained ourselves to smoke when we are stressed. Smoking actually creates more stress for our body as it elevates our heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate.

How you can respond: Starting today, call this kind of want an “urge.”

• Deep breathing can help defuse these brief periods of anxiety, anger or even boredom.

• Distract yourself until these episodes pass—and make it fun! Try a crossword puzzle or handheld electronic poker game. Change radio stations, take a brisk walk or learn how to hula-hoop.

• Daily disciplines such as prayer, meditation and yoga can help you manage stressors in healthier ways.

PS ychological

To some extent, anyone who knowingly participates in a behavior that causes harm has decided to allow harm to come to him or her. For some reason, we have compulsions to either cause harm or allow harm to happen to us. Smokers (as well as overeaters, alcoholics, etc.) might ask themselves why it’s acceptable for harm to come to them.

How you can respond: Starting today, call this want a “compulsion.”

• Certain daily disciplines of a spiritual and/or emotional nature can sometimes help restore a healthier sense of self-worth.

• Dig deep within yourself to find answers and strength.

While it's not necessarily comfortable to discuss and share personal spiritual beliefs, a focus there may very well be the only way we can hope to become "slip-proof." When we can recognize our "soul-dented" state, we can begin the process of restoring our self-image until self-destructive actions like smoking become unthinkable.