- With Mayo Clinic behavioral counselor
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
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Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Jennifer Kern is a tobacco treatment specialist, certified through the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center.
Her counseling work addresses various aspects of tobacco addiction, including the love-hate relationship many tobacco users have with their smoking or chewing, education about nicotine addiction, and effective strategies to help with quitting.
In addition, she explores the importance of getting emotional and social support when stopping tobacco use, and offers ideas and suggestions about how to ask for and give this support.
Being bilingual, she enjoys counseling in both Spanish and English. She holds a master's degree in psychology, with interests including spirituality, psychosomatic illness, depression and anxiety, maladaptive coping behaviors, and overall health behavior change.
"As a former smoker, I am personally familiar with the complexity of dealing with the 'tobacco shackles,' " she said. "I am committed to helping others conquer this addiction so they may regain their freedom and possibly even save their own lives."
Latest entries
- Join the Great American Smokeout
Nov. 17, 2009
- Preparation key to quitting smoking
Nov. 5, 2009
- Learning to be a non-smoker
Oct. 23, 2009
- Build confidence in effort to go smoke-free
Oct. 16, 2009
- Goal-setting helps smooth way to smoke-free future
Oct. 1, 2009
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Quit smoking blog
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Sept. 15, 2009
Blog: Temptation — Plan for it when trying to quit
By Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Temptation is an invitation to awareness. It allows you to get in touch with your vulnerabilities and learn to deal with them.
When going through the process of quitting smoking, it's natural to feel the temptation to smoke. Part of this is purely biochemical, caused by the physical addiction to nicotine. This is where tobacco cessation medications can help. By minimizing physical withdrawal symptoms you reduce the level of temptation.
Temptation to smoke may also be triggered by habitual cues, such as having a cup of coffee, getting into the car or being around other smokers. Over time, you built up associations between various aspects of your routine and having a cigarette.
Another aspect of tobacco addiction that can ignite temptation is emotional attachment to smoking. When you feel stressed, depressed, angry, lonely or bored, you may be tempted to smoke as a form of comfort or self-soothing.
So, as a smoker, how do you get through temptation to the place where you can finally call yourself as a non-smoker? You do it choice by choice. Temptation gives you the opportunity to recognize where you are still vulnerable. With that awareness you can start to make new and different choices.
Each time you're faced with the desire to smoke and choose not to, you reinforce your resolve and build your confidence. Each time you choose a healthy alternative to smoking you strengthen your personal commitment and gain power.
By taking it choice by choice and embracing the successes along the way, you lessen temptation until, like smoke, it gradually fades away.
When you are quitting smoking, how do you handle temptation so you can stay smoke-free?
5 comments posted
November 17, 2009 6:52 p.m.
Hi, I'm a student at Metro State of Denver. I'm researching a new product possibility; the product would be a "Quit Smoking" aide that offers a stepping down approach. I am a former smoker myself but I'm addicted to Commit lozenges and they contain nicotine. I would still buy them if they had zero mg of nicotine but they don't offer that. I would like to market a product that does. Anyways, I made this survey for my research project and it would really help me if anyone could take it [smokers, former smokers, and non-smokers are all welcome] Thanks so much. -- Casey Here's the link to the survey. http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/206243/r2zgt
- Casey
October 1, 2009 9:00 p.m.
Leroy, I'm glad to see you are looking for available techniques, tools and strategies to manage urges to smoke. There are a lot of products out there that claim to help you quit smoking, but the only ones that have been shown in studies to be effective over the long haul are those which are FDA tested and approved. That being said, certain products, like the Crave Button you posted below, provide techniques that might be helpful. What this Crave Button is really doing is helping you gain awareness of your smoking patterns, but does not actually help you manage cravings. The benefit is tracking your trends in order to plan for HOW to deal with cravings. This is also something you can do with a simple notebook. Once you know what triggers YOU, then you can plan for suitable alternatives that will be effective for you during each moment you are used to smoking. This is what will create the lifestyle transformation you are seeking and keep you smoke-free for good.
- Jennifer
September 18, 2009 11:19 a.m.
I agree with Susan that craving is definitely a challenge. I was searching online and found this: http://www.baetacorp.com/PRODUCTS_for_Smoking
_Cessation.aspx Do you think this might help control the nicotine urges? Something has to help. Thoughts? - Leroy
September 16, 2009 7:24 p.m.
I stopped smoking 5 weeks ago and temptation is definitely becoming a problem! So far, I haven't given in but I can tell this is going to be my hardest thing to handle. Distraction, cinnamon gum, raspberries, walks - this is how I'm handling the temptation to smoke. On the weekends, I end up taking a lot of naps!
- Kirby
September 15, 2009 8:44 p.m.
My daughter tells me she craves nicotine. she has never smoked, has not been around smokers except maybe in restaruants or from student who smoke on clothes or back packs but not on a regular basis. Is there any information on what her body may be lacking to crave nicotine?
- susan
5 comments posted