I Will Quit Smoking – With determination anyone could do it!

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First of all, just talking about relapses can be dangerous because once the thought of slips enters the mind it is difficult to get rid of it, and you unconsciously will it to happen. Have you heard the story of a boy trying to learn cycling? He was so scared of hitting against the stone on the road that on a wide road he saw only the stone and banged right into it.

If you are thinking about quitting smoking, do not make plans for, nor allow for any ‘slips’, ‘just ones’ or any ‘accidents’ for that matter. The old saying goes – ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’ but I would also like to add to that the advice of ‘If you plan for slips or accidents, you are more likely to have one as opposed to if you adamantly tell yourself that there will be no allowance for moments of weakness.’

Having said that, it does happen, so here is what I recommend you do. Chastise yourself until you feel completely guilty. Realistically I don’t have to tell you this part because you will automatically do it to yourself anyway. Then once you have raked yourself over the coals, contact your support group (you do have a support group, don’t you?) and let them know what has happened. Use their strength to rebuild your resolve.

If by chance you have had more than one ‘slip’ or have repeated ‘slips’, it is time to be honest with yourself. I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this, but please don’t send me any letters because I have probably spoken to more smokers and non-smokers about this subject than most people. My advice is this. Stop trying to fool yourself into thinking that these occasional slips are fine and are just part of the normal quitting process – they aren’t!

You have to be continuously vigilant for these slips otherwise you will eventually start smoking as much as you used to smoke, if not more. Whether you like to believe it or not, this happens every time.

Don’t try to sweep the slips under the carpet. Look them straight in the eye. If you allow them to happen time and again, you will end up smoking more than you used to smoke This is the sad truth, like it or not.

Be strong, stay strong and be Free!

Darren Warmuth

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If your roof needs repair, you gather all of the tools you need before you climb up the ladder. Why would you want to end up on your roof, ready to get started, and find that you did not bring all of the necessary tools along, and would have to start from the beginning again.

This example is just the same as the task of quitting smoking. Surely, when it comes to the decision to stop smoking, you are making a choice to repair your life and health on many levels. You decided to improve your appearance – have fresher breath and be confident when you speak to people. Without the proper tools in hand, the damage caused by smoking cannot be repaired.

Many experts have come to the conclusion, that the more tools the better. Some of the tools in your toolbox may be: Herbal Products. Nicotine Patches. Nicotine Gum. Smoking cessation program. These are just a few to mention. The more tools you have in your toolbox will greatly increase your progress and eventually lead to your success.

A journal will make your toolbox complete and the benefits keeping a journal are substantial. When you begin the process to stop smoking you should consider including a journal to your toolbox and making it part of your program. A toolbox is not complete until you add a journal to it.

First, The process of quitting cigarettes can be a very emotional experience. Anger, frustration, and anxiousness, can be experienced along with a wide range of emotions. Journaling gives you a way you can help relieve and let out some of these emotions that are related with quitting cigarettes.

2. Time spent on journaling can replace time spent on smoking. Enter your ideas and thoughts into your journal and spend the time doing something constructive and healthy instead of smoking.

3. Keeping a journal will show your successes and shortcomings. You can compare the two and concentrate on your weak moments. Journaling will track the whole process to stop smoking and help you stay away from lighting up

When you are done, there are so many other valuable and important benefits that coincide with keeping a journal. Chances are great that you will be very happy that you chose journaling as one of your tools when you committed to the smoking cessation process.

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All too often I hear statements like, “Once I have gotten rid of my stress, I am going to quit smoking” or “It’s going to be my New Year’s resolution” or “I could quit right away, if it weren’t for (fill in the blank)”. You know what I’m getting at.

First things first. Get out a notepad and spend some time writing down the exact reasons that are driving you to rid yourself of this habit. Then once you are done with that, turn the page over and jot down all the reasons (excuses) you might make to justify why you haven’t.

Just putting excuses down on paper so that they are something solid you can see is enough to make some people look at how silly they really are. For others, they may have to analyze their list of excuses and figure out why they believe these reasons to be true. Usually it is due to repetition. You’ve been telling yourselves for years that these are the reasons why you smoke, and if you tell yourself something enough times, eventually it will become an ingrained belief, whether it is the truth or not.

I’ve listed some of the more common excuses here, but ultimately it is your responsiblity to list EVERY reason you think keeps you smoking.

“I’m afraid that I’ll gain weight if I quit smoking.”

Really? Would you believe that it has been shown that we are better off healthwise to be 70+ pounds overweight than to continue smoking. Of course that doesn’t give us the excuse to binge. Yes it is true that some people do put on a few pounds when giving up smoking, however there is healthy alternatives to your diet which will help alleviate this. Just keep in mind to snack on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, not chocolate bars and pretzels.

“Smoking makes me happy.”

If that were truly so, then chances are you wouldn’t be sitting there now gathering information on quitting, would you? Don’t worry. I’m not picking on you. I used to say the very same thing. Making statements such as this creates one major issue. And that is the fact that the more times you say it, the more you become to believe it. I’ve said it before. So time to come clean and be honest with yourself, is smoking really that enjoyable or is it just a fallacy you’ve convinced yourself to be true? What is it that you think smoking gives you? More money, better health and cleaner, fresher breath? Looking at it from that angle and writing down the answers will show you that you really don’t enjoy smoking that much at all.

Now don’t take those statements as viscious or cruel. In no way are they meant to be that way. What they are meant to be is a wake up call – and one that I needed as well. If, as smokers, we keep making excuses as to why we continue the habit, the outcome is that we will remain addicted to the nicotine. And the sooner we realize this reality, the easier quitting will be.

Trust in yourself and you’ll find that you already have what it takes to beat these lies.

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