We are creatures of impulse, desire, poor long term planning, and all the bad traits companies rely on to make their sale. But if you’ve ever made a painful decision to say no to buying something, in exchange for some long term gain, you know what a mature delay in gratification can benefit you. Opting to save for tuition instead of buying designer jeans is a good example So is opting to stick with your crappy-looking buy efficient cellular phone, instead of getting a shiny and sleek iPhone. So is the decision to stop smoking to prevent medical complications from happening to you, and costing you tons of dollars; not to mention preventing you from living a healthy life.
If you’ve been following the logic of the foregoing, then you already have a clear picture of what it takes to stop smoking. The best way to do it is to fully understand giving it up costs you, what not taking part in that hip and addictive habit will end you up with, and how much discomfort, for a time, quitting would mean, physically, emotionally, mentally.
Will power is the best way. The problem is this method requires your soul to understand, to want to stop smoking altogether. A pregnant mother decides to quit drugs when the medical checkups showed her baby was declining in health while in her womb. A father goes gambling-sobber after his eldest straight-A daughter failed to pay her student loans. A single mom decides to devote more time at home, and leave her night life, when she notices how much her son needs her.
We just need to find a reason. Our will power will provide the strength to get us through our nicotine addiction. It will not be easy. And those who try to quit end up relapsing unless they are convinced, to their bones, that they want to quit. Maybe not for themselves, but for the sake of someone else. A son, a mother, a husband.
Those who go through this, suffer the pains of withdrawal, and emerge addiction-free, report that they feel like having been a different person when they had their addiction. Different from the person that emerged from the addiction. Like it was all a bad dream, or memories of a person just trying to make do with her naive worldview.
The thing about quitting smoking through willpower is that you need no rationalizations. You stop smoking because, insert reason here. And you see that reason as inevitable, as true regardless of anyone else who listens to you. Like a mathematical fact. True, regardless how much you rationalize against it, whine about it.
You will receive all sort of discouragement. Most people have smoking buddies and the media is filled with ads encouraging a life incomplete without a puff. But these will not hamper you if you know in your bones you want to quit because you have to. Not want to. That there are compelling reasons outside one’s selfish circle of reasons that demand you to be better than who you are.
So if you want some non-hypocritical reason to stop smoking. There it is. Find a reason. The methods won’t matter as much as long as you will is convinced you have to quit. You will emerge a better person for this.
Filed under Quit Smoking by on Feb 19th, 2010. Comment. 
You may have heard that smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome, and the majority of people who have successfully done it would probably agree. In fact, it has been said that quitting smoking is even more difficult than overcoming addictions to illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Why is that?
One of the reasons may be that smoking is for the most part a socially acceptable habit (though this is acceptance level is declining steadily), but there are also other reasons why smoking is such a powerfully addictive habit.
1) Physical addiction.
Nicotine is a powerful drug that acts directly upon receptors in your brain. These receptors are stimulated by nicotine, resulting in several different physiological responses such as elevated heart rate, blood pressure and respiration, and increased mental alertness, among others. The longer you ingest nicotine, the more of these receptors you develop. Over time, these receptors become less sensitive to nicotine and begin to require increased doses to achieve the same level of stimulation. When you try to stop smoking, feelings of intense discomfort (known as withdrawal) will occur.
People have described nicotine withdrawal symptoms as “demons” or “torture” because they are so strong. Most people report feelings of intense restlessness, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, and even flu-like symptoms or chest pain.
Physical withdrawal symptoms can often be eased with the use of nicotine replacement products like gum, patches and lozenges, but many people feel that these products only delay the inevitable by keeping the ex-smoker hooked on nicotine. Still other people claim that using nicotine replacement products helped them conquer one aspect of quitting at a time – for example, the psychological or emotional repercussions, before tackling the physical addiction.
2) Emotional addiction.
The emotional connection to smoking can easily be as strong as physical dependence upon nicotine. There are a variety of reasons why people smoke, but one of the most common reasons that develops over time is an emotional “crutch” or “cover”.
Many smokers report using smoking as a coping mechanism for feelings like anger, frustration, boredom, stress and sadness that they don’t know how to deal with otherwise. Rather than processing their emotions, they reach for a cigarette (or cigar, pipe, etc.) and distract themselves from it.
Of course, this doesn’t really help them deal with unpleasant feelings, but they believe it does. When the smoker tries to quit smoking, they suddenly find themselves overwhelmed with difficult emotions and no way to handle them.
One of the most effective ways to handle these errant emotions is to find alternative ways to process them when they come up. Journaling, venting to a friend, exercise, meditation and affirmations are often helpful. The important thing is not to bottle up your emotions and avoid them, because they just keep coming back until they are fully processed and released.
3) Psychological addiction.
Still another powerful connection to smoking results from the physical act itself: psychological dependence. Since most smokers smoke many times in a day for years at a time, they get very comfortable with the act of smoking, always having a cigarette, cigar or pipe in their hand and mouth. Even if a person is successful in reducing physical cravings and dealing with their emotions, they still may struggle with a sense of loss or aimlessness. The activity that used to occupy so much of their time and attention every day is now gone and they don’t quite know what to do with themselves.
One good way to conquer this type of dependence is to change your smoking routine in the weeks leading up to your quit date. For example, if you tend to smoke while driving, talking on the phone or watching television, gradually reduce your smoking habit during those activities. Smoke in locations where you normally wouldn’t, like standing outside. When you finally do quit for good, you’ll have an easier time engaging in your normal activities without missing the act of smoking so much.
Filed under Quit Smoking by on Feb 5th, 2010. Comment.
Hi, my name is Karen and I am a non-smoker. Having kicked my addiction to nicotine and cigarettes I am living a healthier no smoking lifestyle. If you would like to be a non-smoker, too, join me on your quest to find the best solution to help you stop smoking.
