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

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Quitting smoking is not the first thing you should do; it is the last step of the journey, and it will happen on its own when you are ready for it. So, you need to concentrate on the preparation for quitting smoking rather than the act of quitting smoking.

Usually, the thought of quitting smoking comes up only when you confront a virtual threat like a health scare or the realization that it is taking a heavy toll on your body. The reason is not important; what is important is that you have taken the decision to quit smoking. This is a huge achievement; don’t spoil it by rushing to the end without walking all the way. You will get nowhere.

Preparation and education is the key to everything, including quitting smoking. You wouldn’t attempt to rebuild your car’s engine just because you bought a set of tools off the shelf, or sew a dress for your daughter’s wedding after picking up your first ever sewing machine, so please don’t think that you can buy an off the shelf smoking cessation aid and you are home free. You would have just as much luck getting your car’s engine back together properly as quitting smoking. Oh sure, eventually you might get it right, but why waste your efforts when the proper information is available to help you be successful the first time.

Scour the internet. Look at the available stop smoking programs and really compare them. Don’t just buy the first one you see. And make sure that the program you are buying is grounded in education and preparation about quitting first and supplements or cessation aids second. You should be encouraged to take your time to learn and prepare as opposed to placing your faith in a product that states that there is no effort required on your part.

Nothing is farther from the truth than such a statement. You cannot gain something for nothing. Your effort is most crucial. However, it is important to remember that quitting is the last step. It is the goal, not the path. But the truth is that the path is long and arduous and you need all your strength and determination to travel on it. Your success depends on how well you have prepared for the journey you are going to undertake. Quitting is the easy part – you just stop. So make sure you have all the information you need, before you try to quit smoking, and then there is no way you can fail to achieve your target of becoming a non-smoker.

To your lasting success,

Darren Warmuth

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If you want to really quit smoking, you must first be clear that you are serious about it, and it is not just a passing fancy. In order to test your resolve to quit smoking you should form a small support group that will be there for you when you start to feel weak and find it difficult to stick to your decision. After all, it is not easy to break a habit. You need to be answerable to yourself and others to be able to battle with the so-called nicotine beast, other smokers and your subconscious. They can all be very persuasive threats on the road to quitting. That is why it is absolutely essential to have a solid support group of at least two or three other people. If you can have five, it is even better.

Here the numbers are important because it is that much more difficult to get past five persons to succumb to an overwhelming urge strikes than it is to convince just one person ” yourself.

Being accountable to others in the group

It kind of works backwards to just being accountable to yourself. For example, let’s say you’ve been off cigarettes for a week and for whatever silly reason your mind has come up with, you figure you need a smoke. Well, before you can do that, you have to battle your inner demons and then live with the guilt that you have failed. But the nicotine beast, as I said, is very strong and you are only one person. Many people fall down at this point.

On the other hand, if you had five loyal soldiers standing between the overwhelming urge and you, then it would be an entirely different story.

The process

So, it is very essential that you set up a small support group for yourself either through email, telephone, or a support forum. Let your support group know of your goal to quit smoking and also what you expect from them. You dont want them to pester you every now and then; make that clear. All you want is that they be there for you when you need help and positive support. You will have weak moments, and it is at that time that you will need their encouragement.

Now, lets see what would be the scene when the overwhelming urge strikes you to have a smoke. Now, you will have to fight not only your own guilty conscience, but also get past five people. You will have to tell them that you have decided to start smoking again.

If you can do this much, you need not do anything else. They will do the talking and you just have to sit back and listen without getting angry or upset. Chances are that they will talk you out of your momentary weakness and encourage you to stick to your resolve. And it may not even take all five voices to convince you. However, if you can make it through all five members of your support team and you still think that you can do with just ‘one’ cigarette, then you must know that it is not just one ” it is always the first one that will get you.

The support system works so well only because of numbers; it is six times more difficult to convince six people (your support team plus you) against the ‘one’.

As I say, the more you know about quitting, the more successful you will be. So get all the information you need before you try to quit. It’s much easier, believe me.

Happy quitting,

Darren Warmuth

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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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