Quitting: Smokers Relate their Experiences

Abstract

This qualitative study describes the experience of individuals who were attempting to quit smoking. Ten respondents participated in the semistructured interactive interviews. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: the intensity of the struggle, the personification of the cigarette, planning to quit, replacement of an old habit with a new habit, and perception of this quit experience as different from previous attempts. Particularly poignant were the participants' descriptions of the very real anguish they felt during their struggle to quit. Feelings of both elation and defeat were expressed over just getting through the day without a cigarette, or the failure to do so. Understanding the depth of the struggle, as well as the other components of the quit experience, should help health care professionals to be more empathetic and supportive to persons struggling to quit. It should also provide guidance in developing realistic strategies helpful to the quitting process.

Quitting smoking and experience of smoking cessation interventions among UK Bangladeshi and Pakistani adults: the views of community members and health professionals

“…Similar barriers to smoking cessation have been highlighted in other studies of South Asian communities 17 and the white population. [19][20][21] Our findings on attitudes to smoking cessation among community members extend our findings on cultural understandings of tobacco smoking 7 and provide a detailed Box 6 Attitudes to and experience of formal smoking cessation interventions ''Well I think it is mainly the willpower. If somebody wants to give the cigarettes up it depends how strong he is… nowadays there are lots of expensive cigarette patches and everything on the market.…”

Older women living the bingo stereotype: 'well, so what? I play bingo. I'm not out drinkin'. I'm not out boozin''

“…Ethnographers have claimed 'less is Downloaded by [University of Cambridge] at 11:41 15 June 2016 more' because individual rapport and 'saturation' of in-depth information is important. Saturation across individuals, or the repetition of information, elements and issues can occur with as few as eight individuals (Bott et al, 1997). Therefore we planned to interview up to ten women aged 65 or older.…”

Pais fumantes: o que pensam seus filhos?

“…Invariavelmente, eles sabem de todos os prejuízos inerentes ao vicio de fumar não só para si próprios, como para os que vivem ao seu lado. Com freqüência tem a intenção e a predisposição para abandonar esse vício, mas quando se vêem frente ao momento de concretizar essa intenção, outros fatores surgem, travestidos da maior importância e urgência, impedindo-os de abandonar esse comportamento, de acordo com Bott et al 9 .…”