We are creatures of habit by nature, enjoying the comfort of daily routines.
These routines might include waking up and having a cigarette, making coffee, doing the Sunday crossword puzzle, having a soda with lunch, watching TV late at night, enjoying dessert after dinner, or countless other rituals we've grown accustomed to and find hard to break away from. While we may sometimes use the word "habit" to describe our smoking behavior, it's vital to recognize that these behaviors are not only rituals or "habits" but that tobacco use is also an addiction.
Breaking such behavior patterns requires considerable patience and time, as does creating new ones. It takes practice to form new routines and become accustomed to them. Smoking is so intertwined with our everyday lives, and part of what makes quitting so challenging is not just breaking the routine of smoking and the behaviors that accompany it but creating new ones in their place.
It is helpful if these new behaviors align with the function of the behavior you are replacing. All behavior we engage in tends to meet one of four functions: access, escape, attention, or sensory.
- Access: We do something because we want to gain access to something else, like a feeling, an object, or even a place. Example: Smoking allows us to access the pleasurable effects of dopamine in our brain or take a break from work.
- Escape: We act to get away from someone, something, or even an emotion. Example: We may reach for a cigarette when stressed, as it gives us an excuse to take a break.
- Attention: We seek to gain someone's attention. Example: Smoking allows us to bond with others and gives us access to their time and attention.
- Sensory: We do something because it feels good and is self-soothing. Example: Many tobacco users enjoy the sensation of smoke or the hand-to-mouth behavior.
Quitting without replacing the behavior might feel like having the rug pulled out from under you. You might sustain the quit for a while, but over time, identifying the function and role cigarettes played in your life helps you meet its "function" through another new behavior. This understanding can prevent a lapse or relapse, as your needs are met through other means.
Which of the functions – access, escape, attention, or sensory – does using tobacco fulfill for you? And does it fulfill more than one of these functions?