Top Ten Tips On Quitting Smoking
From Julie3 on 5/28/99 12:37:42 AM


I quit smoking just over a month ago, but it has been so much easier this time than it was my previous 99 quits (that may be a slight exaggeration). I felt I had to share some of the things that helped me this time in the hope I might help someone else too.

1. Prepare - Clean out your car and any other place where the smell of stale smoke collects. Read everything you can find about quitting: stories from other quitters, what smoking does to your body, etc. Buy whatever you think will help you: gum, mints, coffee stirrers, Skittles, Twizzlers, toothpicks, etc. Write down every cigarette you smoke so that you are forced to think about every single cig you smoke. Write down your quitting plan and keep it handy.

2. Zyban or other aid - Zyban was a godsend for me, but it is not for everyone. But get something to help you that will give you confidence, whether it's nicotine gum or patches, St. John's Wort or Kava Kava or Zyban/Wellbutrin. I think anything will work for you if it helps to give you confidence in your quit.

3. Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking - Allen Carr says to keep smoking while reading his book, but I didn't start reading until the day after I quit. Either way READ THIS BOOK!! I haven't seen anything else that can so completely change your whole attitude about smoking.

4. Keep a journal - Starting even before you quit, write down your feelings about smoking. Record what you hate about it... not just that it's bad for you, but specifics like when you miss something important because you were out smoking or when you quit paying attention in a meeting because you can't wait to smoke. But after you quit write every positive thing about not smoking, like smelling the spring flowers for the first time in your memory. When you're having a bad day, get out your journal and read it again.

5. Positive thinking - In my opinion, this is the single most important ingredient of a successful quit. If you believe you will fail, you will. So believe you will succeed! Don't let the negativity rule you. Think of every craving not as a problem, but as a minor challenge to overcome. Each craving you get past will add to your confidence and make the next craving easier to overcome. You can do this, if you truly believe you can!!!

6. Visualize - It really helped me to visualize the nicodemon as a living, breathing monster in the pit of my stomach. Nicotine is his food, carbon monoxide his air. So I pictured myself suffocating and starving him to death. He's been getting smaller and smaller and is now almost microscopic. Soon he'll be gone for good.

7. Activity - When a craving hits hard, do something or think about something besides smoking. Do not dwell on the fact that you want a cigarette. That only makes it harder and last longer. Go take a shower, exercise, brush your teeth, work a crossword puzzle, go on the Q, or anything else. Just don't sit there obsessing on the fact that you want a cigarette.

8. Good things - Try to think of something every day that you like about being a non-smoker. I know this is especially hard in the beginning, but that is also when it is most important. It doesn't even matter what it is: trivial or life-changing. Think of something good. This will get easier as time goes by.

9. Reward yourself - Whether it's a pat on the back, a new car, or something in between, be sure to reward yourself for a job well done. You have every right to be proud of your accomplishment. Quitting smoking is not easy. Just tell yourself in whatever way you choose that you are proud of yourself.

10. And last but certainly not least the Quitnet - Support is vital when trying to quit smoking, and while our friends and family may try to help in the beginning, they often get bored and think you should just get over it already. Here at the Q, everyone is going through the same thing and understands how you feel. And you have the opportunity to help others, which also builds up confidence. Even if you just lurk in the shadows, it helps to know there are others out there, who are beating this addiction. If they can do it, so can you.

For those of you who have quit or are planning to quit, congratulations. You couldn't have made a better decision. For those who are still thinking about it, just do it. You have it in you to quit. No one thought that I'd be able to quit, because I had failed so many times. But I did, and this quit is forever, but I love the new confident me and I never want to be that person hiding in the corner smoking again. This is the single greatest thing I have ever done in my life.

Happy to be a non-smoker, Julie



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