Quit It! - 24 Hours Later
Thursday, 13 January 2005
The Quitters
FRED & AISLING
Fred Doran works in logistics and Aisling Daly is a social care worker. They have been together for 17 years, and married for three years.
Fred smokes between 40 and 60 cigarettes a day and has been smoking for over 20 years. Aisling smokes between 20 and 30 cigarettes a day and has also been smoking for about 20 years.
Aisling has tried to give up smoking in the past. She has tried patches, acupuncture, and Allen Carr. She has even tried going cold turkey but has found it very hard.
The main reason Fred and Aisling want to give up is that they want to have a baby and don't want Aisling to get pregnant while they are both smoking. This is something they really want and are prepared to try anything to quit smoking.
Also they can't afford to smoke. The couple spends a staggering €900 a month on cigarettes - more than they spend on their mortgage payments!
Fred and Aisling smoke from the moment they get up in the morning and are sick of their house stinking of smoke all the time. They are also worried about the damage they are doing to their poor dog who has to inhale all their cigarette smoke all the time!
ANN JONES
Ann Jones is 61-years-old and has been smoking for the past 46 years. Ann has tried to give up smoking a few times, the last time being earlier this year. She stopped for four-and-a-half months but her sister died suddenly last year and went back on them.
Ann is determined to give up for health reasons as she is asthmatic and has to use an inhaler every day. Also Ann's husband Willy doesn't smoke and she is worried about what she is doing to his health and as well as her own.
So far she has tried acupuncture, patches and prescription drugs but none of these worked for her. But Ann is willing to give anything a go in order to quit.
Ann likes getting out to the pub and going for meals but has found this increasingly difficult after the smoking ban was introduced.
Ann spends an average of €170 a month on cigarettes and like most smokers Ann has a routine. She loves smoking with a cup of tea and likes to smoke when she gets up in the morning.
Norma Cronan
Norma is an ex-smoker and is an anti-tobacco consultant at the Irish Cancer Society. She has been helping smokers quit for the past fifteen years and will advise our three smokers on what they need to do to successfully quit smoking.
The three smokers will be given a lot of back up and support to help them quit smoking for good. This will include cold laser therapy, hypnosis and one-to-one counselling. Patches and chewing gum will also be provided to help the smokers quit. Norma will explain exactly why we have chosen these therapies for the individuals and what the benefits will be.
We will also providing the smokers with a life coach, Greta Carroll to help them with their motivation in quitting the habit. You can contact Greta on 01 661 2215 or visit her website at www.gretacarroll.com.
The Therapies
COLD LASER THERAPY
Fred will be going for laser therapy. It is a modern laser version of acupuncture. Instead of acupuncture, a cold laser beam, no bigger than a ballpoint pen is directed at energy points in the body, ears, nose and wrists. The laser beam pulsates at the rate, frequency and power to stimulate the release of endorphins by the body.
A course of treatment consists of three sessions. Each session lasts half and hour and fifteen to twenty minutes for the second and third sessions.
Daniel Giron will be performing Fred's laser therapy and you can contact Daniel on 01 833 6687.
Hypnosis
Aisling will go to hypnotist, Karen Slattery. Karen will begin by having a 30 minute chat with Aisling in order to gather information about her motives for quitting. After that she will bring Aisling into a trance-like state, making her very relaxed. During this intense relaxation period, Karen will use both aural and visual suggestions to help Aisling kick the habit and make her realize how much better her life will be without cigarettes.
You can contact Karen Slattery on 01 492 3720 if you are interested in trying hypnotherapy.
One-to-One Counselling
Ann will go to one-to-one counselling with Brenda from Quitline. Brenda will ask Ann her smoking history and give her tips for quitting. She will talk to her about keeping a smoking diary and about nicotine replacement therapy. Brenda will continue to liaise with Ann on a regular basis, phoning her a couple of times a week to see how Ann is getting on.
Both Aisling and Ann have been given patches as a back up to help them quit cigarettes, whereas Fred has been given the nicorette gum.
If you really want to give up smoking call Quitline on 1850 201 203 for help and advice.