(This posting includes a handout LINK AT THE END OF THIS POST which you are welcome to use with your students.) *

                                      Wanting To Stop Unhealthy Habits

Jena and Daniel had similar problems. They both had habits that were bad for their health, and they couldn’t stop. Jena ate too much junk food, like chips, candy, and cupcakes. Daniel smoked cigarettes. They both had cravings, which means they wanted something very much and couldn’t stop thinking about it. They tried different ways to quit for many years, but they finally found a new method. Research shows that this method is more effective than others, and thousands of people have used it to stop their unhealthy habits.

Other methods didn’t work.                (See complete article below.)

For background information about these articles and for suggestions for how to use them with your students, see  • Introducing “Short, High-Interest Readings”  Also, I’ll be adding more of these articles in the right-hand column: ESL Reading> Short, High Interest Articles for Extensive Readings

Here is the 15th article. You can download the article for your students by clicking on the link at the end. Also included are three optional exercises: True-False Questions; Paraphrasing Exercise; Reflection Exercise.

                                Wanting To Stop Unhealthy Habits

Jena and Daniel had similar problems. They both had habits that were bad for their health, and they couldn’t stop. Jena ate too much junk food, like chips, candy, and cupcakes. Daniel smoked cigarettes. They both had cravings, which means they wanted something very much and couldn’t stop thinking about it. They tried different ways to quit for many years, but they finally found a new method. Research shows that this method is more effective than others, and thousands of people have used it to stop their unhealthy habits.

Other methods didn’t work.
In the past, other methods did not work for them. Doctors and health experts often suggest using willpower, or simply saying “no” to a bad habit. For example, when Jena wanted to open a bag of chips, she tried to tell herself “no,” but it was too difficult. She felt sad and thought she was weak, which is a common feeling for many people. Another suggestion for Daniel was to avoid the places and people he often smoked with. However, Daniel smoked everywhere: in his car, outside his office, and in his living room. He could not avoid all those places. A third method is to change your attention, such as going for a walk or watching videos. But even while doing these activities, Daniel still thought about smoking. He could not get the craving out of his mind.

A new way to quit: Mindfulness
Finally, Daniel and Jena learned about a new and helpful method called mindfulness training. Daniel’s advisor told him to do something surprising: he told him to smoke after their appointment. But also told him to think about it while doing it. The advisor asked: What does the cigarette taste and smell like? How does it feel to breathe the smoke? How do your clothes smell afterward? At the next meeting, Daniel told his advisor that he noticed the cigarettes actually tasted like chemicals and smelled bad. Now, when he wants to smoke, he stops and remembers that unpleasant experience. He knows he can still smoke if he chooses to, but he usually decides not to. After 30 years and over 200,000 cigarettes, Daniel finally quit.

Jena’s experience
Jena had a similar experience with junk food. She used to eat one piece of candy after another until the whole bag was gone, even when she was not hungry. She started mindfulness training by putting just one piece of candy in her mouth and paying attention to how it felt and tasted. She was surprised to find that the candy felt slippery, tasted too sweet, and stuck to her teeth. She realized she did not actually enjoy it because she had always been rushing to eat more. Later, when she saw junk food in a store, she began to ask herself how she would feel if she ate it. After a few minutes of thinking, she usually left the store with only healthy food.

Study results
Researchers studied this mindfulness technique and compared it to a popular method called “freedom from smoking treatment” (FFS). The study included 88 smokers who wanted to quit. Half had mindfulness training, and half had FFS. Seventeen weeks later, 31% of the smokers who used mindfulness training had quit smoking, but only 6% of those who used the FFS method had quit. These results show that mindfulness is a much more powerful way to break a strong habit than other common methods.

Here is the link to the article and exercises that you can use with your students: Wanting to stop Article with Exercises

David Kehe
Faculty Emeritus

*About the free-download materials. During my 40+ years of teaching ESL, I have had many colleagues who were very generous with their time, advice and materials. These downloads are my way of paying it forward.