Nicotine dependency is a pediatric disorder. The average age of first use is 11 in the United States. Tobacco is the first mood-altering drug that is tried by half our youth; the other half try alcohol. Nineteen percent of eighth graders and 36 percent of high school seniors reported smoking in the past month in 1997. Of those children, 3.5 percent of eighth graders and 14 percent of seniors smoke more than a half pack of cigarettes a day. Half of all adolescent smokers will be smoking 20 years from now.

The weight of the research evidence points to the probability that there are inherited factors that place some people at greater risk to become tobacco users. We do not yet know which specific gene(s) influences this behavior, how these factors interrelate with parental and environmental factors, or if they are the same in males and females. At this time, inherited vulnerability is estimated to be 40 to 65 percent.

The number of people who die prematurely because of their tobacco use is the equivalent of three 747 jumbo jets crashing every day of the year ? that adds up to 1,475 deaths per day, and 540,000 deaths per year, making tobacco use the leading killer of our citizens.

Some tobacco facts:
Young people consistently report having little difficulty obtaining tobacco products in commercial stores, vending machines, and from family members and friends.
The cigarette kills half of those who continue to use it. Among those living today who use cigarettes, 500 million will be fatally poisoned by their smoking.
You can become dependent on tobacco within 3 months of your first use. The number of people who are dependent on nicotine is higher than for any other drug.
80 percent of tobacco users use some other drug, such as alcohol or marijuana.
Only 10 percent of tobacco users are “social” or occasional users. Social smokers use no more than 5 cigarettes a day.
Stress results in increased tobacco use, but there is little evidence that using tobacco reduces stress. Surveys indicate that smokers are more stressed than non-smokers, and that individuals report feeling less stressed after they quit using tobacco. It is possible that tobacco use may worsen stress because of the negative moods that occur during times of nicotine deprivation.

There are so many different types of tobacco users, that each person must create their own plan to reduce or quit their tobacco use. A one-size-fits-all plan is not effective. The most effective way to reduce or quit tobacco use is plan that combines nicotine replacement therapy with behavioral, and psychological changes.

Starting this ritual two hours early though is hazardous to his mental health. Today, Mr. Orny is low on cigarettes and it is not for nothing that friends and family call him “the Human Chimney.” He is a chain-smoker extraordinaire.

Exactly how much this habit has cost him and cost the ozone layer over the years, Mr. Orny does not want to consider. Suffice it to say, if he had bought tobacco company stock instead of the product, well, the corporate profit margins would have taken a serious bath. Still, he would be a much healthier and wealthier man today.

All of that is so much exhaled smoke anyway. With Mr. Orny’s luck, he would have walked out his door, inhaled deeply into his smoke-free lungs, and proceeded to get run down by a city bus belching smokey exhaust. Besides, none of this does a thing to alter the fact that Mr. Orny has two, count them, two cigarettes left. These will last him most of the way through his first cup of coffee.

Many people have said that when they try to quit smoking, they don’t know what to do with their hands. Others who have quit say to take up something such as knitting or crochet. Mr. Ornery might try this if not for the fact that he would wind up knitting a tea cozie the size of Africa.

A far greater problem is what to do with the mind. There are programs that advocate meditation. One of these might work but for the fact that Mr. Ornery’s mantra would become. This would seem wholly counter-productive.

There are patches and nicotine gum too, but Mr. Orny does not like the idea of a long-term band aid and he is not trying to quit chewing tobacco. So what is left? The only other method listed is the “he man” quit cold turkey approach. It is this or try to find something to do that will occupy both brain and hands. The way he feels already, barely four and a half hours into his day, ax murder may be quite an attractive hobbie. He will keep you posted.

Then make an inventory of WHEN you light up more on the road. Is it a time-related urge? Or could it be associated with a place/event, such as when you’ve merged onto the highway or onto a certain road, stopped at a light or were caught in rush hour? Do you stop by the side of the road to make business notes and light up then too?

Driving usually increases tension in people; it demands that we concentrate, sit erect, that we remain flexible and quite alert. If you’re driving for long periods of time, then you know how tired you can feel after a six-hour drive. Tension makes us want to seek the comfort of a ‘relaxing’ smoke. Rush hour traffic calls on our reserves of patience and tests the best of us.

If you want to change the car triggers, first make the decision to not smoke in the car. Then have the car cleaned, outside, and more importantly, INSIDE. Remove the smoke film from inside the windows. Remove the smell of existing smoke that’s in there, as much as you can. Buy some vinyl cleaner that has a ‘new car smell’. Some even have that written on the label right under the product name. Vacuum the seats and carpeting.

If you have passengers, enlist their help by requesting that they not smoke in the car. Tell them you really want to quit this time and that driving is a tough moment in your smoking day.

Remove the lighter and ashtray. If you think you’ll want to sell your automobile eventually, then store those items where you can’t easily get to them.

Now you have an empty space where the ashtray used to be. You can insert a small container or plastic bag of mints, pretzels or hard candy, so that every time you automatically open the ashtray to reach for the lighter, you find something else instead, a reward. Another positive suggestion is to put coins in that space. Every time you reach for the lighter, take a coin. When you stop somewhere, use the coins to buy yourself a reward for not having smoked. This is an important re-enforcement of your progress.

Study your driving habits again. If you’re not a singer, then become one every single time the urge to smoke strikes you. Either bring a tape or listen to a radio station and try to sing along. This means singing out loud. Switch stations or turn off the radio when the urge passes, as an urge usually lasts about three minutes. If you have passengers and you’ve enlisted their help, they will encourage you and may even sing with you, making light and even finding humor in a tough moment. Humor reduces tension. Ever thought of bringing along a cassette or comedy CD to listen to in the car?

Did you once have a routine schedule, such as traveling for a few hours before stopping? How about deciding on a game plan before leaving home? You could take it one hour at a time or even less, for instance. By that, I mean, plan to change your driving habit behavior, by exiting the highway and stopping every hour at a restaurant or highway truck stop (where you can write up your business notes for example). At the first stop you must reward yourself (you must!) for having driven an hour smoke-free. Buy a souvenir or treat yourself to something, a tape for instance. If you don’t want to eat, you can walk around a block, or a building, and burn some calories by doing that. The point is to cut out your past routine and create a new one by planning reasonable, manageable segments, no matter how short they are. Mark the end of the segment in some satisfying way. After all, you just made it though a usually strong trigger!

Happy traveling!