A Couple on Edge

In January 2008, Dr. Oz challenged eight longtime smokers to quit their addiction with a four-step plan. In a follow-up a month later, he heard how three of them were fairing in their new smoke-free world. One of the challengers, Wendie—who had admitted smoking in the car with her 5-year-old daughter, Bailie—explained that she was experiencing some difficulty because her husband, Tony, continued to smoke.

Dr. Oz thought there was more to the story, so he made an emergency house call, visiting Wendie and Tony at home. There, he discovered a tense situation. Both Tony and Wendie were dealing with years of emotional pain, were constantly fighting in front of their daughter and used cigarettes to deal with their stress. He called their house a "powder keg" ready to explode.

To help defuse it, Dr. Oz called on his friend and colleague, life coach Martha Beck. She tried to uncover the roots of Wendie and Tony's cigarette addictions—especially Wendie fearing her desire to run away and Tony fearing being abandoned. Martha helped them develop strategies to confront their fears in positive ways.