好英语网准备好与香烟吻别吧
Few smokers would claim that it's easy to quit. The addiction to nicotine is strong and repeatedly reinforced by circumstances that prompt smokers to light up.
没有哪个吸烟者吹嘘烟是好戒的。人们对尼古丁的迷恋是如此强烈，且随着每次点燃香烟的诱人氛围而愈发加强。
Yet the millions who have successfully quit are proof that a smoke-free life is achievable, even by those who have been regular, even heavy, smokers for decades.
然而，上百万成功戒烟的人都充分证明了无烟生活是可以达成的，他们是吸了几十年烟的“老烟枪”。
Today, 19 percent of American adults smoke, down from more than 42 percent half a century ago, when Luther Terry, the United States surgeon general, formed a committee to produce the first official report on the health effects of smoking. Ever-increasing restrictions on where people can smoke have helped to swell the ranks of former smokers.
在美国，现如今有19%的成年人吸烟，比半个世纪前下降了42%以上。那时候由美国卫生部长卢瑟·特里(Luther Terry)成立的委员会首次发布了吸烟有害健康的官方报告。对吸烟地点越来越多的限制让戒烟者的队伍逐年壮大。
Now, however, as we approach the American Cancer Society's 37th Great American Smokeout on Thursday, the decline in adult smoking has stalled despite the economic downturn and the soaring price of cigarettes.
可是，就在美国癌症协会(American Cancer Society)发起的第37个全美戒烟日（Great American Smokeout，2012年11月15日）到来之际，成年吸烟者的减少趋势出现了停滞，尽管现在经济不景气，而且香烟价格飞涨。
Currently, 45 million Americans are regular smokers who, if they remain smokers, can on average expect to live 10 fewer years. Half will die of a tobacco-related disease, and many others will suffer for years with smoking-caused illness. Smoking adds $96 billion to the annual cost of medical care in this country, Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti wrote in The Journal of the American Medical Association last month. Even as some adult smokers quit, their ranks are being swelled by the 800,000 teenagers who become regular smokers each year and by young adults who, through advertising and giveaways, are now the prime targets of the tobacco industry.
目前，4500万美国人是烟民。若他们维持现状，平均每人将少活10年。其中半数会死于烟草相关的疾病，另外很多人会长期受到吸烟诱发疾病的折磨。南希·A·里戈蒂(Nancy A. Rigotti)博士在上个月的《美国医学协会杂志》(The Journal of the American Medical Association)中提到，全美因吸烟每年要多花960亿美元医疗支出。即便有一些成年吸烟者戒掉恶习，烟民团体的队伍仍然在日益膨胀，因为每年会新增80万青少年烟民大军，而且年轻人如今成为了烟草业广告和免费赠品的重点诱惑对象。
People ages 18 to 25 now have the nation's highest smoking rate: about 34 percent counted in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2010 reported smoking cigarettes in the previous month. I had to hold my breath the other day as dozens of 20-somethings streamed out of art gallery openings and lighted up. Do they not know how easy it is to get hooked on nicotine and how challenging it can be to escape this addiction?
根据2010年全美药物使用和健康调查(National Survey on Drug Use and Health)统计，18-25岁的年轻人中烟民比例为全美最高：约34%的人都报告说在调查前一个月抽过烟。前几天，当眼前几十个20岁来岁的年轻人涌出艺术馆大门，纷纷点燃香烟时，我不由屏住了呼吸。他们知道尼古丁成瘾有多容易么？可想戒掉又是多具有挑战性？
Challenging, yes, but by no means impossible. On the Web you can download a "Guide to Quitting Smoking," with detailed descriptions of all the tools and tips to help you become an ex-smoker once and for all.
戒烟很难，此话一点不假，但绝非不可能。你可以从网上下载一份《戒烟指南》(Guide to Quitting Smoking)，它详细解释了各种工具和窍门，来帮你从此彻底变成“前烟民”。
Or consult the new book by Dr. Richard Brunswick, a retired family physician in Northampton, Mass., who says he's helped hundreds of people escape the clutches of nicotine and smoking. (The printable parts of the book's provocative title are "Can't Quit? You Can Stop Smoking.")
或者你可以参考退休家庭医生理查德·布伦瑞克(Richard Brunswick)的新书。这位家住马萨诸塞州北安普顿郡的医生说，他曾帮助上百人逃离尼古丁和吸烟的魔爪。这本书的书名非常鼓舞人心：戒不掉？你可以的！（Can’t Quit? You Can Stop Smoking. 书名由于包含脏字无法全部刊登。）
"There is no magic pill or formula for beating back nicotine addiction," Dr. Brunswick said. "However, with a better understanding of why you smoke and the different tools you can use to control the urge to light up, you can stop being a slave to your cigarettes."
“世上没有什么能击败烟瘾的灵丹妙药，”布伦瑞克医生说，“不过如果搞清楚你为什么抽烟，并知道各种能用来控制吸烟欲望的工具，你就可以不再作香烟的奴隶了。”
Addiction and Withdrawal
成瘾与戒断反应
Nicotine beats a direct path to the brain, where it provides both relaxation and a small energy boost. But few smokers realize that the stress and lethargy they are trying to relieve are a result of nicotine withdrawal, not some underlying distress. Break the addiction, and the ill feelings are likely to dissipate.
尼古丁直入大脑，既提供放松感又带来一点能量刺激。可是很少有吸烟者意识到他们想要缓解的压力和疲倦感竟是尼古丁的戒断症状，而非什么潜在的苦恼。戒除烟瘾后，这类不适感大多会消失。
Physical withdrawal from nicotine is short-lived. Four days without it and the worst is over, with remaining symptoms gone within a month, Dr. Brunswick said. But emotional and circumstantial tugs to smoke can last much longer.
布伦瑞克医生说，身体反应只是暂时的。只要4天不吸烟，最糟糕的情况就都过去了，其余症状在一个月内能够消失。但是心理依赖与环境刺激总会持续得更久。
Depending on when and why you smoke, cues can include needing a break from work, having to focus on a challenging task, drinking coffee or alcohol, being with other people who smoke or in places you associate with smoking, finishing a meal or sexual activity, and feeling depressed or upset.
说起你吸烟的动机和时机，可以从以下原因中找线索：需要从劳碌的工作中休息一下，需要集中精神对付某项任务，正在喝咖啡或者喝酒，跟其他抽烟的人在一起或身处某种与吸烟相关的环境中，刚吃完饭或刚做完爱，以及感到压抑或沮丧。
To break such links, you must first identify them and then replace them with other activities, like taking a walk, chewing sugar-free gum or taking deep breaths. These can help you control cravings until the urge passes.
想要破解这些锁链，你必须首先甄别出属于你的原因，并找其他活动代替吸烟，比如散步、嚼无糖口香糖，或深呼吸。这些都能帮助你遏制欲望，直到它自行退去。
If you've failed at quitting before, try to identify what went wrong and do things differently this time, Dr. Brunswick suggests. Most smokers need several attempts before they can become permanent ex-smokers.
布伦瑞克医生建议，如果你过去戒烟没成功，试着找出哪些事情没做对，这次换换方法。很多吸烟者需要数次尝试才能最终成为永久的“前烟民”。
Perhaps most important is to be sure you are serious about quitting; if not, wait until you are. Motivation is half the battle. Also, should you slip and have a cigarette after days or weeks of not smoking, don't assume you've failed and give up. Just go right back to not smoking.
可能最关键的还是要确定自己对戒烟这件事很认真；如果不是，那等确定了再戒。积极的态度是成功的一半。而且，如果几天或几周后你旧病复发又点了根烟，不要认为你已一败涂地然后彻底放弃。重回正轨，继续坚持不吸就好。
Aids for Quitting
戒烟需援助
Many if not most smokers need two kinds of assistance to become lasting ex-smokers: psychological support and medicinal aids. Only about 4 percent to 7 percent of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without help, the cancer society says.
很多吸烟者——如果不是所有的话——都需要两种帮助得以完全戒烟：心理与医疗的双重辅助。根据美国癌症协会的说法，仅有4%-7%的人能不借助任何外力成功戒烟。
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have free telephone-based support programs that connect would-be quitters to trained counselors. Together, you can plan a stop-smoking method that suits your smoking pattern and helps you avoid common pitfalls.
全美50个州及哥伦比亚特区都有免费的电话辅助项目，帮助想要戒烟的人联系专业培训过的咨询师。总之，你可以做出符合自己吸烟习惯且能助你避开常见陷阱的戒烟计划。
Online support groups and Nicotine Anonymous can help as well. To find a group, ask a local hospital or call the cancer society at (800) 227-2345. Consider telling relatives and friends about your intention to quit, and plan to spend time in smoke-free settings.
网络上的互助小组和戒烟讨论会(Nicotine Anonymous)也是有用的。你可以询问当地医院或致电癌症协会(800-227-2345)找一个互助小组。你也应当考虑告诉亲戚朋友们你的戒烟意向，并尽量远离抽烟的环境。
More than a dozen treatments can help you break the physical addiction to tobacco. Most popular is nicotine replacement therapy, sold both with and without a prescription. The Food and Drug Administration has approved five types: nicotine patches of varying strengths, gums, sprays, inhalers and lozenges that can curb withdrawal symptoms and help you gradually reduce your dependence on nicotine.
有十多种治疗方法都能帮你解除对烟草的生理依赖。最流行的就是尼古丁替代疗法，有处方药也有非处方药。美国食品药品管理局(The Food and Drug Administration)一共批准了5种：不同强度的尼古丁贴、口香糖、喷雾剂、吸入剂和含片。它们可以抑制戒断症状，逐步帮你减轻对尼古丁的依赖。
Two prescription drugs are also effective: an extended-release form of the antidepressant bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin), which reduces nicotine cravings, and varenicline (Chantix), which blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, reducing both the pleasurable effects of smoking and the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Combining a nicotine replacement with one of these drugs is often more effective than either approach alone.
还有两种有效的处方药：缓释型抗抑郁药安非他酮（bupropion, 商品为Zyban、Wellbutrin等）——减轻对香烟的欲望；伐伦克林（varenicline，商品为Chantix）——阻断脑内尼古丁受体，因此能同时减轻吸烟的快感和尼古丁戒断症状。以上任一药物与尼古丁替代疗法结合起来使用通常比只用一种效果更好。
Other suggested techniques, like hypnosis and acupuncture, have helped some people quit but lack strong proof of their effectiveness. Tobacco lozenges and pouches and nicotine lollipops and lip balms lack evidence as quitting aids, and no clinical trials have been published showing that electronic cigarettes can help people quit.
其他推荐的方法，比如催眠和针灸也帮助一些人戒掉了香烟，但缺乏有力证据说明其有效性。烟草含片、烟草袋、香烟棒棒糖还有唇膏也都缺乏有助于戒烟的证据。另外，至今尚无发表临床试验显示电子香烟能帮人戒烟。
The cancer society suggests picking a "quit day"; ridding your home, car and workplace of smoking paraphernalia; choosing a stop-smoking plan, and stocking up on whatever aids you may need.
癌症协会建议人们选择一个“戒烟日“，把一切与香烟有关的东西清除出你的房子、车子和工作的地方；建立一个戒烟计划，储备任何能助你一臂之力的工具。
On the chosen day, keep active; drink lots of water and juices; use a nicotine replacement; change your routine if possible; and avoid alcohol, situations you associate with smoking and people who are smoking.
在“戒烟日”这一天，多活动、多喝水和果汁、使用尼古丁替代品，如果可能就改变生活习惯、避开酒精、避开让你联想到吸烟的环境和正在吸烟的人。