I met with a patient this morning whom I'll refer to as Bob. Bob is a retired man from the Midwest with significant tobacco-related health concerns, including lung function and circulation issues. As we were getting to know each other, he mentioned that he quit drinking alcohol a year ago due to concerns about his alcohol use from himself and others in his life.
So, he decided to make a change.
Bob considered an alcohol treatment program but ended up quitting on his own successfully. When asked what helped him quit drinking, Bob stated, “my drinking list.”
When asked to explain, Bob shared the following: “I have this list in my head. It's the only list I have that I don't need to write down. When I think about taking a drink, I just think about my list. My list includes things like:
- Check on my vegetable garden
- Trim the hedge
- Sweep out the garage
- Mow the lawn
- Edge the lawn where it meets the sidewalk and driveway
- Water the garden
- Weed the garden”
As we discussed his list and its helpfulness, I realized some common components of his approach:
- The list included things that come to him easily and naturally, without requiring much thought or planning
- Items on the list involved some level of physical activity
- These tasks are likely to generate a sense of accomplishment
- Focusing on these tasks diverted his attention from thoughts of drinking to more productive activities
As we shifted our conversation to his desire to quit smoking, I asked what he thought would help him with this goal. He responded, “Now it will be both my smoking and drinking list.”
While there were other parts to our conversation, this patient's “list” struck me as a unique way to think about and approach quitting tobacco.
What benefits do you see in this approach? And, what can you pull from this approach to help you with quitting tobacco?
