Kicking The Habit Through Negative Reinforcement :: essays research papers

My habituation to nicotine progressed from casual social smoking to consuming two packs a week. Although Ive only been smoking for about angiotensin converting enzyme year, I had to drop out in the first place my addiction became much stronger. Like most smokers, Ive tried to abdicate cold turkey on many occasions, but the mood and the give power lasts only until my synapses (nerve endings) start screaming, crying, and pleading with my conscious for a cigarette. The intendment of my signal was to discern the influences on my smoking habit and to curb the physical and mental addiction through the implementation of specific reinforced behaviors. Positive reinforcers realize me smoke, and damaging reinforcers prevent me from smoking. By identifying positive reinforcements, I learned to quit smoking.Before beginning my analysis of my smoking habits, I recorded the occur of cigarettes smoked on a mundane basis. On an average day I smoked 4-5 cigarettes. By establishing my bas eline performance on a typical week, I set out to find the positive reinforcements, which coerced me into smoking. The old age that were most prolific in smoking were Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The primary reason for the summation in smoking was due to the social events of that particular evening, which included the infrequent alcohol consumption, and companionship of fellow smokers/friends. Partying dramatically affected my smoking habit. doubtlessly my gregarious antics affected my smoking, but the post-sex cigarette also added to the count. By pinpointing these factors, I was able to invent a fixed negative reinforcement agenda to lead me away from smoking and steer me towards a healthier lifestyle.In order to develop a fixed negative reinforcement schedule, I divided my cigarettes into groups allowing myself only three cigarettes a day. I placed my daily ration of cigarettes into envelopes and labeled them for each day of the week. I smoked one cigarette after lunch, one after dinner, and one later at night. I would reward myself with a cigarette after attending classes and eat lunch. I would then reward myself with another cigarette after prep and dinner. Through the course of my week, I violated my regimen only twice. On Wednesday and Friday, I bummed a cigarette from one of my friends. After feeling vicious about violating my regimen, I repented for hours, and swore to myself that I was going to beat my addiction. Primary negative reinforcers also helped me stick with the plan such as improved ruggedness during physical exercise and more money in my pocket.