subject: Smoking Behavior Modification | Modifying Years of Self Destructive Behavior to Quit Smoking Forever! [print this page] Smoking Behavior Modification | Modifying Years of Self Destructive Behavior to Quit Smoking Forever!
Smoking behavior modification has become more widely recognized as a valid tool in the fight against nicotine addiction for very simple reasons! Addiction is addiction whether it is alcoholism, addiction to narcotics or an addiction to cigarettes; and the emotional nature of addiction is: I drink, smoke, or use to feel better about myself. Smoking behavior modification is the process of uncovering painful truths, memories, and character flaws that have dominated your life; looking at them objectively and discarding them and the power they hold over you.
You CAN break free from the bondage of nicotine addiction! The more effort you place into your emotional recovery, the more likely you are to stop smoking forever! You may be tempted to rely on articles from smokers in the past who have been able to convince themselves that they smoked for pleasure rather than to feed their addiction. These people are lying to themselves, and they are lying to you. These are lies that your addiction wants you to believe so that you remain powerless over the need to smoke cigarettes!
The decision to stop smoking is only the first step in your life-long battle with tobacco addiction. Following up your decision with smoking behavior modification is a surefire way to increase your chances of long-term success.
So where does smoking behavior modification start? If you are highly motivated, behavior modification begins the very second you decide to stop smoking. Think about what happens when you smoke a cigarette...Your stress diminishes, your fear is removed temporarily, and you feel a sense of elation or calm (for a minute). By the time your cigarette is gone, how many of those emotions do you think were felt? Not many! Now multiply that by the years you've been smoking cigarettes. Are you honestly able to convince yourself that smoking cigarettes has done anything for you besides put off the inevitable: Finally facing the music and processing through your own emotions.
Smoking behavior modification can start even before you quit smoking for good! Many smokers who decide to quit set a date and make preparations in the meanwhile to make sure their goal is met. During this phase of preparation, take the time each time you smoke a cigarette to evaluate why you 'need' it so badly. What emotional trigger is taking place and making you want to run? Try waiting a few moments and giving yourself the opportunity to feel through whatever is affecting you before you smoke. This will be excellent practice for when your cigarettes are all gone.
This type of daily or momentary inventory is only the beginning of looking deep inside yourself for the answers that will set you free! During the process of your preparation to quit smoking, find as much support as possible even trying to identify a person in your life with whom you could share your deepest, darkest secrets without being judged.
Don't get scared! The process of uncovering, discovering, and discarding a lifetime worth of skewed perceptions is not always easy; but you are left feeling a freedom you never dreamed possible once you've completed the process!
"What process, exactly?" You may be asking...
The process of identifying those in your past that have caused you pain and those in your past that you've hurt with the intention of re-evaluating the truth behind the events and the impact they've had on your life. Perhaps you were forced to endure abuse as a child...While you had little to do with it at the time, you have carried traits into your adulthood that are a representation of the abuse through which you suffered.
This cleansing process can be quite difficult, and it can open up the door for an immense amount of pain. There are smokers who have been able to quit without smoking behavior modification, but the contentment they feel in comparison to those who have recovered emotionally as well as physically from nicotine addiction is low.
If you want to accomplish more than to simply stop smoking and you want to discover a level of freedom and happiness you never thought possible; incorporate a smoking behavior modification plan into your quit smoking plan of action!
