I want to quit smoking – the true story of how smoking affected my life
We were both smokers my wife and I, we smoked for most of our married life. Every new year was like a ritual, “I want to quit smoking” I would say and make a new year resolution to stop. But I never did, neither of us did. Somehere deep inside us we somehow thought that smoking was dangerous for other people, but we would be ok.
The reality hit home in the summer of 2002. Out of the blue my wife was diagnosed with cancer, and when I met the doctors at the hospital it hit me like a hurrican when they told me she was going to die. Most of the rest of that day is a blur, except for my memory of getting home that day which is still chrystal clear. I had to tell my two children that their mother was going to die in the next few weeks. That moment will haunt me forever.
First the tears, then through the tears my daughter asked me “why do you and mum smoke?”
I didn`t have an answer, but I do remember saying I want to quit smoking – and I will.
I want to quit smoking – but my god it is was hard at a time when so much stuff was going on. My wife died a few weeks later, there was a lot to contend with and I really felt the need for cigarettes to get me through the day. I kept repeating to myself – I want to quit smoking, and I will.
Eventually the penny dropped I could keep saying I want to quit smoking forever but it wouldn’t happen unless I made it happen. So I developed a plan.
This was the plan I used:
One – I set a date to stop! Really simple yet effective. I moved from saying I want to stop smoking, to making a definitive committment to stop on a specific date. For me the date was 20th January 2003. When you set a specific date to stop you make a powerful commitment – a first step to breaking free from cigarettes.
Two – Throw away your cigarettes and lighter or matches. A lot of people trying to stop think it is good to keep one or two cigarettes to give them a feeling of “comfort”. That is a huge mistake, it demonstrates a lack of real belief that you are going to succeed in stopping. Throw away your cigarettes and remove the temptation to have “one last cigarette”. When you throw away your cigarettes you can start to call yourself a non-smoker.
Three – motivate yourself with some physical evidence of the progress you are making. Here`s a really powerful idea I used. I used to spend five pounds every day on smoking. So on the day I stopped smoking, I took and envelope and put five pounds into it. The next day I put another five pounds into it …. and so on every day. Soon I saw money accumulating in the envelope, and this motivated me to keep going. I used the money to create a fund for going on a holiday to reward myself. Set yourself a goal to save enough money through stopping smoking to give yourself a treat.
Four - write down the trigger activities which made you regularly reach for a cigarette. I used to always have a cigarette with coffee – so I stopped drinking coffee and started drinking green tea instead. I also always had a cigarette as soon as I got into my car and started driving, so I bought clear mints and replaced the cigarette with having a mint instead.
Change all the patterns of things you do which go with smoking a cigarette, and replace them with something different.
Five – when the craving for a cigarette starts to get really strong, go and do something to take your mind away from thinking about having a cigarette. Go for a walk, read a book or magazine, phone someone – just do something which distracts you from the desire for a cigarette. You`ll be amazed how quickly the cravings pass.
Six – start to exercise. You don`t need to try and become an olympic athlete, but start off with something simple like going for a walk for 15 minutes every day, and gradually increase the intensity and the distance you walk.
The last cigarette I ever smoked was on 20th January 2003. Its true, once I finally made a definite decision to stop smoking and set a specific date, it actually was all easier than I ever imagined it could be. I followed my plan, within a few days I started to feel better. As the days passed it became easier and I felt motivated to kep going.
The step from moving beyond saying “I want to quit smoking” to actually becoming a non-smoker is a huge step. no doubt about that. But its a step you must take, because the consequences of smoking can affect you – just like they did to my family. Take few minutes to check-out the website I created to help anyone who seriously wants to quit smoking.
Robert Craig has created a website for people who want to break free from the addiction of smoking. Finally and forever stop smoking – you CAN do it. Click on the link for more help to stop smoking – I want to quit smoking
I was a smoker for over 25 years. Intellectually I knew that smoking was bad but subconsciously always thought it was bad for other people who smoked – but that I was ok! It was only when I was personally hit by the catastrophic consequences of smoking that I woke up to the reality that smoking really can kill. I want to quit smoking Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/quit-smoking-articles/i-want-to-quit-smoking-the-true-story-of-how-smoking-affected-my-life-1767929.html