So, you want to give up smoking?
Are you sure? And if you want to why haven't you? The physical addiction to tobacco is not the only thing stopping you from quitting – you will probably have spent a lot of time, money and effort smoking (think of all those times standing outside in the cold to get your fix), so your mind doesn’t want you to stop, it gives you every reason it can to continue. How many times have you said, or heard someone say, "I'll give up after this last packet", only for them (or you) to buy a new packet a few hours later?
Don't believe us?
Put out your cigarette if you have one lit, and throw away any you have left - you'll probably find that difficult or impossible - that's what we're trying to say when we say that by continuing to smoke you rationalise the time, effort and money you've put into it in the past. By giving up you are turning your back on the past and that's hard for all of us to do! Keeping your packet when you really want to give up is your mind's way of justifying buying them in the first place.
So, the first thing to be aware of when you want to stop smoking is that you need to put your smoking days behind you, and look forward. The fact that you smoked in the past and that you have 19 cigarettes left in the packet doesn't matter - will keeping them and smoking them give you any advantage or achieve anything? No, it definately won't, it will simply keep you coming back for more.
What keeps you smoking?
Obviously there is the habit issue. Then there is the 'social' side - but these days you can't smoke in many places, - what's sociable about standing in the rain smoking?
If you think smoking gives you a 'high', it doesn't: Over time your body becomes dependant on nicotine: You get a 'low' when you are not smoking - lighting another cigarette simply brings you back to your 'normal' level.
Must-do's to stop…
Be relaxed about it!
If you’re not then you will become anxious, and that will make it even harder to stop.
Set a quit date, but not too far in the future...
Setting a quit date allows you to prepare, BUT, if it is too distant there is a good chance you'll change your mind before that date - leaving it 'till another day' is really saying you're not too sure about quitting. Why set a date, say, a month, or even a week from now, why not an hour from now? Give yourself a maximum of 3 days, time to get the aides you might need (patches, contact help groups etc.), better still, start now! Every second you've not lit a cigarrete is a second further away from being a smoker, and just look at the benefits as you progress!
And the golden rule!!!!
If you've stopped smoking, and have a cigarette, whether it's for a few hours, days, weeks or months, don't think you've caved in and you're a smoker - you are a non-smoker who has just had a single cigarette. OK, "no good closing the stable do once the horse has bolted" I hear you say. But you do want to close it if only one horse has gone but and there are 1000's left! Accept that you have had a cigarette and then don't have any more.
The benefits...
It's a good idea to focus on the benefits of giving up: better health, sense of smell and taste, much improved level of fitness and and overall a better life!