The Smoker's Profile rates the intensity of the following four reasons that people smoke cigarettes:
- to relieve stress
- to perform a conditioned response
- to relieve withdrawal symptoms or to treat an underlying state, such as depression or anxiety or a combination of both.
To get your score, give yourself a point for each one of the following questions that you answer with a "yes" or other affirmative response:
Stress relief
When you're frustrated or angry, do you automatically think about smoking a cigarette?
If you're upset or scared, does a cigarette help you calm down?
Do you rely on cigarettes when you're under stress?
Recall a time when you stopped smoking for a while. After you stopped smoking, did you want a cigarette more whenever you got upset or angry? Did you miss cigarettes more when you were under a lot of stress or tension?
Conditioned responses
How often do you smoke while you're driving a car or drinking a cup of coffee?
If you're with someone who's smoking, do you automatically smoke, too?
Do you usually smoke a cigarette during or after a meal?
Recall a time when you stopped smoking for a while. Did being around smokers make it hard to not smoke? Were there certain people, places or things that made you want to smoke?
Relief of withdrawal symptoms
When do you smoke your first cigarette of the day?
Do you get irritable if you have to go more than two hours without a cigarette?
Do you have trouble concentrating if you're not smoking?
Recall a time when you stopped smoking for a while. Did you get irritable or moody during the first few days after you stopped? Did you have trouble concentrating during the first few days after you stopped?
Elevation of depressed mood
Recall a time when you stopped smoking for a while. Did you become more depressed, or anxious, or combination of both? (Depression can be experienced as irritability in the nicotine users.)
When you woke up in the morning, did you feel that you could spend all day in bed?
How was your energy level after you stopped smoking?