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| Lopez Island | Orcas Island | Visitor's Guide | ||
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CHRISTIE DRISKELL |
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Chance to quit smoking with help from an expert
posted 03/06/2008 She stopped the night before seeing her oncologist. She was diagnosed with tongue cancer the day after her mother died of emphysema. The irony isn't lost on the upbeat clinical social worker, who treated people for addictions among other issues. "I had developed an elaborate denial system. Talk about arrogance. I had tremendous lung capacity as a former competitive swimmer," she said. Prior to the diagnosis, "I never had a minute's trouble. I was playing the best tennis of my life." When she received her diagnosis, there was no room for denial, she knew exactly what she could be facing. She had just seen her best friend's mother die of the same disease. Driskell underwent chemotherapy, radiation and surgery in Texas before moving back to Washington. Before her diagnosis, she had taken time off from her practice to take care of her dying mother. After her treatment was completed, she developed a successful smoking cessation program and was being groomed for national public relations anti-smoking efforts when she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain aneurysm. Driskell decided to leave the city and move to Lopez. "I love it here. My soul needed the quiet of the rural pace. It is so much more sane." She has resumed her therapy practice and is teaching tennis to Lopez students. While she had no trouble quitting, "I was so done with it. It was life or death," she developed her smoking cessation program to help others quit before they are faced with something so drastic and life-threatening. "People need to be afraid of cigarettes, they are absolutely poisonous, I had to learn the hard way." "I wanted to get back to doing this program. I developed and used it very successfully. Preparation before quitting is a key component of my program as well as coaching and 24 hour support." There are three kinds of addiction:
"There is usually some sort of co-occurring issue going on - anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar, attention-deficit disorder for example, and I believe that people need to be evaluated and treated for these types of issues, otherwise it makes staying quit much more difficult." Driskell believes. During the ten weeks, they'll learn about their smoking profile, smoking triggers, other ways to deal with stress, uncomfortable emotions, new sets of coping skills and alternative behaviors to use instead of smoking. One of the less obvious benefits of quitting smoking is the "huge weight" that is lifted off your shoulders. "People are scaring themselves to death," Driskell said. "The amount of psychic energy, time and worry spent..." During the first five weeks of the class, people still smoke. Each person creates an individual plan for quitting and sets a quit date for around the 5th week. Everyone is educated about withdrawal symptoms and thoroughly prepared to handle the first week of non-smoking which is often the most difficult. Each person is required to select a physical form of exercise to do during the 10 weeks. "They need to get their bodies moving," she said. The second half of the class focuses on practicing and solidfying new behaviors through coaching and support. Driskell is available on a 24-hour basis. After the 10-week class is completed, the participants will still have access to her throughout the next year. The March class is open to 10 women and will be held on Lopez Island. The cost is a sliding scale of $20 to 30 per class. No one will be denied because of inability to pay. For more information call Driskell at 360.468.2758 or email chrisdrisk@hotmail.com She will be starting a men's class in the near future. If anyone is interested in having a class for a specific group - such as a group of friends, a couples class, corporate groups, etc. or on another island, please contact her. |
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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