- With Mayo Clinic behavioral counselor
Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
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
- Focus on gratitude, not craving a cigarette
Nov. 24, 2009
- 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
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Quit smoking blog
-
July 24, 2009
Blog: Finding substitutes for cigarettes
By Jennifer A. Kern, M.S., C.T.T.S.
When making any kind of lifestyle change, it's not enough to "just quit" doing something like smoking, overeating, or watching too much TV. Doing so leaves a void, which creates vulnerability to falling back into undesirable behavior patterns.
When you go through the process of becoming smoke-free, I encourage you to find replacements for the cigarette during the times you're used to smoking. This process starts with being willing to consider what adequate substitutes might be.
Examine the role each cigarette plays in your life. For most of you, the cigarette with coffee in the morning is not the same as the cigarette when you're stressed out or while you're driving or after you've finished a meal.
Ask yourself, "In this situation, what does the cigarette do for me?" Does it temper boredom by providing something to do with your hands? Does it give you an excuse to remove yourself from a stressful situation? Is it acting as a "best friend" or companion during an upset or lonely moment? Are you getting actual pleasure out of it?
Once you recognize the role the cigarette is playing, you can try out alternatives that will also meet that need, such as taking a brisk walk to deal with stress, starting a new hobby, calling a support person or finding other sources of joy.
I really like the concept expressed by one of you a few weeks ago. Andi wrote, "Make an apple a day your best friend." This kind of shift in thinking can move you further along the path toward becoming comfortable as a non-smoker.
For brainstorming new and different alternatives, talk to other people who have successfully quit, search for tips online or seek out a counselor who can help you discover strategies or replacements you may not have tried.
It's important to realize that nothing will be exactly like smoking a cigarette, but there are alternatives you can use to both manage short-term cravings and make long-term adjustments to fill the void as you transition into your new smoke-free lifestyle.
Please share some of the alternatives you've found to be effective on your journey to becoming a non-smoker.
8 comments posted