Quitting the Smokes

Here it is, the big secret. In order to quit smoking, you have to not have a cigarette. The end.

If only it was that simple! I struggled with smoking for twenty years, and I became an expert at quitting. I quit smoking that many times that I reckon I should have been really good at it. Well I consider myself to be quite high on the scale of intelligence, but all indications in the smoking department were that I was an idiot.

Although I was good at quitting, I was also exceptionally good at taking it back up again. If you are a smoker on this rollercoaster quit/smoke/quit/smoke ride you will relate, and if you are about to embark on quitting please learn from my mistakes. I would always tell myself I could handle just one. Or make a rule like ‘only when I drink’. I found that this excuse just meant I drank more to give me a reason to have a cigarette.

Then there was ‘I’ll just have one on Fridays’.

Or ‘I won’t smoke at work’

All the time I thought I could handle the addiction, when the addiction was handling me. That is what got me fired up in the end. I did not want anything to have that sort of control over my life. If you don’t think smoking controls you then you have never been at a service station at 5am waiting for it to open cause you ran out of smokes, or spoke to an ugly scary person in a bar cause you were desperate to bum a smoke.

Well I am putting the culmination of my experiences into some tips for anyone who wants to quit. I hope it helps.

TIP #1

Enlist in some divine intervention. No I am not kidding, lets face it nicotine has been said to be more addictive than heroine you need all the help you can get. You might be into crystal healing or other new age remedy, so why can’t I list my spiritual preference? A little prayer won’t kill you but nicotine could.

This tip did not produce miracles for me so I had to do the hard yards like everyone else. Just as well or I wouldn’t be able to write this article!

TIP #2

You have to decide to quit. This may sound like a no brainer but is important that you are not just saying that you want to quit, but have made a heart felt decision that you need to get off the rollercoaster. This step does not require that you have any idea how on earth you are going to do it.

What I mean is that it is so easy to talk about quitting, but to actually know in the depths of your sole that you will do it is something a lot of people miss. What happens then is they begin on a half ass attempt and as soon as it gets tough the fact that the resolve was not as resolute as it needed to be causes failure.

Unless you have this strength, if you feel you are not sure or hesitant there is not much point proceeding as when you do quit every part of your body is going to scream at you that you are wrong. You need to be well and truly prepared to tell yourself to get stuffed your just not doing it any more.

TIP #3

Make a plan that is right for you. Don’t just copy the dodo dumb nuts next door who quit last week and said their way is best.

We are all different with vastly different personalities, different strengths and weaknesses, fears and anxieties. Learn as much as you can about quitting, and the different methods. Find a way which gives you peace of mind. It’s a phsycological minefield, so the way for you to quit needs to feel right for you.

An example of how different people need to quit can be shown by looking at the question of enlisting the support of friends and family. This is something often advocated, however what if your family is dysfunctional and the reason you smoke so much in the first place? What if every time your mother looks at you with the disapproving stare it just makes you want to light a smoke? This would not be part of your quit plan.

You might have friends who all smoke. Most people who smoke support you by offering you one every chance they get cause they need you to fail to justify their habit.

So find a plan, get professional advice if you need and work out a way which you think will work for you.

TIP #4

Spend time focusing and reflecting on you reasons for quitting. Write it down if you need to, even paste it on your fridge, but have it at the forefront of your mind. Before you start you need to have 100% resolve. If you have doubts they will burn you in your first 3 days. This is especially true if you are quitting for someone else, as it will be easy to convince yourself you could just hide it from them.

It must be your decision. Even if your doctor has told you a death sentence if you would rather die smoking it won’t help you quit. Your will power is what will be on trial not the doctors or your spouse’s.

TIP #5

Pick your quit day carefully. Don’t decide to quit the day before your 40^th birthday party. The timing must be right for you. You may be a person who will just wake up and say today is the day because you can’t face it any other way. Even if that’s so turn your mind to what your social plans are cause if you have a party on that night you have doomed yourself. Whatever you do it must suit you and not be setting yourself up for failure.

Make sure there won’t be any major social functions, particularly those where there will be lots of other smokers around, too soon after you quit. You know yourself and the situations that trigger you to smoke so make sure that you will be able to avoid these situations, or have a plan for if you can’t.

This leads to the next Tip;

TIP #6

No your smoking triggers and be prepared. Do you usually smoke after eating? Plan to do something else. You may have nicotine replacement or going cold turkey but when it hits a time to smoke you brain will scream and you must be ready.

The hardest thing for me was when I was on the phone. I used to smoke continually while on the phone and I was not prepared for the agony of this the first time I quit. If you are prepared you will do much better. Work it out. Time taken to do this will help success.

And finally;

Tip #7

One day at a time.

The thought of not smoking ever again can be overwhelming. Deciding to not smoke today is what you need. It is a decision you have to make from day to day, hour to hour moment to moment. It gets better, and easier as time goes on.

If you smoke one day don’t let the failure bring you down, tomorrow is a new day.

All the best, and good luck!