The temptation of Smoking and how to give it up
The temptation of Smoking and how to give it up
I have recently been happy to see that the number of young kids taking up smoking seems to be on the decline. This is probably something to do with the climbing prices and excessive health advertisements. For the rest of us though who have fallen victim to the lure of cigarette smoking then let please keep reading and let me plant a seed of change into your brain. You are probably already experiencing voices in your head saying things like...
"don't listen to her", "you don't need someone to tell you to quit", "quitting is too hard and you wont be able to do it".
But if you are feeling brave today then read on.
So why do we smoke? I used to think about this question a lot until it would stress me out and I would need to have a cigarette. I used to loved smoking. I felt it was my best friend and that it supported me through all the tough times. It was a supportive crutch that was there for me when I felt that nobody else was. In short I was very addicted to nicotine and smoked for over 6 years.
But I have been very fortunate to be able to actually quit. While studying over the last year I have heard plenty of horror stories about what smoking is actually doing to you. This was enough to scare anyone! But I also found that as I was completing The 100 Steps, I was feeling the effects of smoking even more than usual. It was becoming obvious that any good health I was achieving was ruined by the cigarettes.
This is your time to start the quitting process. But only start down this road if you are ready. You are the person who knows you the best and only you will be able to say when you are ready. I can just tell you about how I quit (finally) and guarantee you that your life is going to begin the day that you do.
Tips to quitting smoking:
Keep a positive attitude where possible.
Have a relationship with a non-smoker.
Keep some distance from your smoker friends just while you quit.
Have a backup treat for when your cravings get really bad.
Do not be too hard on yourself. Quitting is difficult!
I want you to think of cigarettes like an abusive partner. They pretend to be supportive and caring but really they are damaging you. They provide a momentary amount of happiness for which the price you pay is way too much. And the only reason you can not imagine living without them is because you are blinded by your addiction. The fact is that any life is better once smoking has been taken away. You may not realise it right now but you are sick and it wont be until after you quit that you will see how sick you actually are.
So here is your Quit Smoking plan:
This step is not an easy one, give yourself 6-8 months to accomplish it
Start a Smoking diary to see how many cigarettes you are currently smoking.
Try to cut these down 20% each month. (i.e. 200 -> 160 -> 128 etc)
Find out what your smoking triggers are (mine were drinking and conflict situations)
Find ways to avoid your triggers (I stopped going drinking for a while)
Keep yourself busy with walks, movies, talking to a friend, reading, anything that will keep your mind busy.
Learn some new coping strategies for dealing with stress.
When you are only having one cigarette a day it is time to quit completely! Try patches, hypnosis CD's or anything that you feel will work for you.
Start an internal dialogue outlying your goals and reasons for quitting (is it for your partner and your children? Or do you just want to be in control of your life again?
Finally do not give up if you fail. I quit 10 times in my life and you should see it aspersistence.
They say that giving up smoking is just as hard giving up heroin so you should really give yourself a break. You are starting on a journey that will change not only your health but the whole way that you live your life! This is not something most people can achieve in a week.
The other most important thing is that you block out any negative people in your life. Anyone who is attacking you for smoking is not to be included in your support network. This is not a supportive strategy that is going to help you at all. These people have an anger problem and it is their own issues that are causing them to act this way. As long as you are not smoking around them then it is none of their business. If they have never given up nicotine before then tell them to back off!
My biggest fear about smoking is the fact that you may NOT die. You can live until 100 years old with pain, agony and misery in your everyday life. Here is a little scare mongering but you could end up with breathing problems, swollen legs, Heart Disease, Digestive problems, muscle spasms,Cirrhosisof the Liver and eventually bone, throat, lung or bowel cancer. Its a slow painful death that nobody deserves.
But this is something that you can do! This step is the most important one you can complete for your health and so obviously is going to be one of the hardest. I still think about smoking every now and then and on the rareoccasionsthat I have had one I have found that it has totally disgusted me. Cigarettes take over your life and I think anyone who decides to fight against this is very brave. But don't do it alone. Ask for help as there are more people out there who care than you realise.
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