Stop Smoking Nicotine

If you are in the process of quitting nicotine consider this- follow carefully–

• One- what you think,
• Two- your physical reactions and
• Three- your feelings.

You control what you actually do. What you act on. You can do a thing or
you can literally stop yourself from doing it as in:

• take the donuts out of the cabinet and drop them in the dumpster ,
• walk out of the bar,
• stop yelling,
• turn the TV off,
• slow the car down,
• put the clothes back and walk out of the store,
• cut your credit card up,
• abruptly stop arguing with yourself and walk two miles,
• pour the cola down the drain and drink a glass of water.

Ironically, action greatly influences the other three–

• thinking,
• feelings
• and physical reaction.

That is exactly and I mean exactly how to stop smoking.

Trust this. There is no greater secret.

Part Two

Now for some behind the scenes information.

This blog post is all you will ever need to quit smoking.

• It is the one biggest secret.
• It is worth a million dollars, if you can put a dollar amount on it.

But, up to this point, it is not long enough and involved and detailed enough to make most people happy.

That includes Google. The site ranking crawlers like to see a 250 word post. That way they can perceive it as substantial.

As serious and grown up, whatever that means. That is silly. But those are the guidelines most bloggers play by. So let me flesh this out a little  even though the answer to quitting smoking nicotine is contained in the first part.

Extensive research has been done on this subject. The finding? It all boils down to your actions.

No matter how you feel, or think. No matter what influences bombard you, everything comes down to your actions.

After action the amazing thing is that

• your feelings will follow.
• Your thinking will change.
• All because of action.

Have you ever wanted to stay up late knowing you had an early appointment. You knew you should go to bed and get the rest needed to arrive fresh and on time for your appointment. And you have , no doubt, learned the consequences many times. That’s why your better judgment tells you to get some rest. In a case like that there are times when you accidently fall asleep and are so thankful you did.

Other times you get involved in a late night TV show, movie, or book and stay up half the night knowing you will be worthless the next day. So what’s going on? Oh, some psychology and a little stubborn streak maybe but, guess what? It doesn’t matter . All that matters is your action. Go to sleep. Get in bed and rest.

This is often too simple to be taken seriously. Before I was able to stop smoking I spent years playing with the idea. Feeling, thinking, pondering, reading books on the subject and such. That has the potential to ruin your life.

On the day I stopped smoking I still had

• the questions,
• the anxiety,
• the dread
• and the hopeless feeling.

The difference that day? Action. Trust it and you can stop smoking right this minute. I promise this is the big secret.

It is worth a million dollars. It can save your life. And you learned free right here. Don’t discount it just because it is free.

The secret to quitting nicotine? Action.

Don’t try to pretend it doesn’t hurt to stop smoking nicotine or that you don’t want to smoke. It does  hurt and you do want to smoke.

That’s what we have to deal with. Get clear on this.

It does hurt and you do want a cigarette. But that is not the problem anymore.

You have decided not to smoke. Period. So you now have a new problem to manage.

The pain and the attraction toward smoking. That’ s what you have to deal with and there are some excellent ways to do it. Think of it like this. You are about to fall from a high roof and you wince at the thought of possibly breaking a leg. A broken leg hurts. But once it’ s broken, whether or not it will break is of no concern. It’ s broken.

Now you have to manage the fact that it is broken. The pain, the care and how you are going to get around, become the things to manage.

Same with smoking. Once you have decided to quit on a specific day, that’ s it. The decision is made. You are now going to deal with the new challenges that come with that decision. Anxiety, pain, emotions, cravings , the whole list that appears. You must become aware of these challenges and deal with them all, and remember you are not allowed to deal with them by smoking. That must be absolutely settled and I mean absolutely. That door is welded shut and bricked over.

Decades ago the Japanese beetle was a threat to American trees and crops. There was a flurry of high level agricultural meetings on how to stop this threat. Finally, the decision was made. There’s no way to stop the influx of beetles. So, the new, more realistic problem became how to cope with it successfully. That’ s what you are doing. You are now coping with the aftermath of being smoke free. This is something you will do for the rest of your life and it becomes second nature. Actually it becomes first nature—to play with words here. It is reflexive or, first nature, NOT to smoke and second or third nature to smoke.

When a quit smoking facilitator told me to suck on hard candy to calm the urge to smoke I wanted to slap her across the room. What an idiot to think that a piece of candy could do that. It cannot. But it can make a slight dent in the oral fixation . I eventually realized it does help some. Every slight blip on the radar helps, so use them all. The goal is to stop smoking. Not to be a little angel in every aspect of your life.

You are actually saving a life here! Don’t lose sight of that in a moment of slight discomfort or even great discomfort. You are saving your own life! Look into local massage services to help relieve tensions.

• Meditate,
• use a straw or gum,
• take two to ten walks a day,
• drink water,
• have coffee,
• go to a movie.

Do any of these things that are not triggers to smoke. Recognize that you are out of your comfort zone and give yourself a break.

It hurts to stop smoking nicotine.

Something is trying to tell you there’ s an imbalance so, ultimately that’s a great thing. Something is not in its usual balance. It’s why spoiled food smells awful as a warning not to eat it.

In this case, feeling off kilter means your systems are working just fine. Keep moving ahead. Recognize that you do want to smoke. But, you have made the quality decision to be free and that will take paying this price. Very small in comparison. You are saving a life with this bit of confusion. One more bit of mind trickery: What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow and this was all for nothing? That won’ t happen but if it did you would have lived your last day with a higher quality of life. Congratulations. You can stop smoking nicotine.

Here is more information about quitting smoking from Healthline.com

What is hypnosis and can it really help with smoking cessation or a drug habit  like nicotine?
The act of focusing your attention on an activity ( smoking or not) is simple hypnosis.

The mind is in a flow state and you are influenced by the incoming stimuli.
I have heard hypnosis compared to being in the groove, a steady flow .
Yes, the process works. You already do it daily when drifting off to sleep, waking up, in some flow states of working , listening to music and eating.

To do those things with a directed purpose is hypnosis.
Our culture supports smoking in a hypnotic way. It is an everyday thing. We walk past people who are on a smoke break. We see cigarettes for sale in stores, we are used to the sights and smells of smoking. The everyday moments accumulate into a hypnotic drone of normalcy.
But it is dysfunctional to abuse yourself by administering a poison to your system day in and day out. There are parts of our culture that are so messed up that even this post is mocked and even considered ‘church lady’ .

The only way you could force yourself to do something so self abusive would be through a hypnotic influence.
The daily seepage of information into your conscious and subconscious is certainly not clinical hypnosis but the process is similar— expand or contract a persons boundaries until they change either for better or worse.

Use self hypnosis to influence your behavior in a positive way.
There is plenty of good information on self hypnosis in bookstores and on the web. You could benefit from it to stop smoking nicotine and to come to terms with other areas of your life.

I don’t expect a simple admonition to frustrate you into quitting. It helps to underline the rationale—
Wake up from the smoking trance. This culture has tricked you into hurting yourself. Snap out of it.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

What do you do when the novelty of quitting nicotine has worn off?

It can actually give you a surge of energy to plan to quit, psych yourself up, then take that bold step. “Hey, look at me, I did it?”
But, now come the days or months when the initial boost of committment is waning and you begin to feel a sense of lethargy toward the whole idea of quitting.

First of all, that’s what this blog is all about! It is here to bridge that very gap.
Second, this time is probably the most important of all during the process. Why? Because it’s when the process gets momentum. This is where you get to put your best foot forward and keep the faith even though you may not feel it.

Funny thing, it won’t feel like your best, it will just feel kind of room temperature or even down. Expect to be confused. What can you depend on when you’re confused? Keep reading…

This is when you get to relax and settle in to the routine of being your most natural self without cigarettes.
Those first few days or weeks of telling others you’re quitting, going through a few rituals, maybe buying something new as a help or encouragment, are now behind you.

It is likely you will start to feel some strong pulls back toward your old smoking , nicotine addicted self.
So the big send off is over… now you’re on the train in unfamiliar territory around unfamiliar people. All you want is to get your bearrings and to do that, you are tempted to smoke. That would get you feeling ‘back to normal.’

Let me remind you that your normal self is the one who does not smoke.  This will always be an absolute fact. There are very few absolutes in life. This is one. It is completely abnormal to smoke.

Do not buy in to the idea that you will get back to a safe comfort zone if you could just have one or two cigarettes.
This is your journey back to normal and the feelings you are having are perfect. It will be this way for a while.
If there was not a price, it would be worthless. Stay with it.

NOTE: This series is for the advanced reader. These posts are earmarked for removal but remain here temporarily.

Even when you do not have advance notice on stressors you can know the answer when the smoking question comes up. It goes like this. ”  hey there’ s a store up here on the right and I’ ve got time. I could stop and get a pack of cigarettes and smoke just one or two to remember what it’s like. I know I won’ t like it and so I’ll prove to myself that I don’ t really want it.” That’ s dirty wrestling.
So what’ s your counter attack? Here’s a suggestion. ” Yes, there is a store up here on the right and I’ve got time and one cigarette would be just amazing right now. I can already feel the relaxation going through my body as I take that first couple of drags.
But I have decided that the rest of my life is too important to waste on a few fleeting moments of chemical addiction.
Those smoking moments will be gone so quickly then I will be burdened with having to re-commit making it harder the next time I have this little scuffle with myself. So what I am going to do is drive past this store and grieve the loss of that habit. Yes, grieve it because it hurts to let it go.
I know that this moment is the only moment I have to work with and my choice is to honor it with my freedom from smoking. I know it will get easier as I build strength in these decisions and the only way that strength will accumulate is through making it real over and over.
This moment is the one I choose to make it real. It hurts. I am making this decision anyway because it is definitely worth the hurt. There is a lot at stake here. As I do this I know it will hurt less and less over time. This is the best decision.”

That was an example of wrestling with the present moment.

Alone-ness
You are alone in this. What I write here can be a support to you but in the end, you are looking out into a vast empty stark, cold landscape and you are facing it with a resolve that you will be alone and do it anyway. This is what writers call the winter of your life .
Even if you are doing this process from a beach house in the summer, it is winter deep down in you and it must be. You might ask.”  Why so gloomy? Does this have to be so dark and awful?”  Here’ s the answer. It can be much easier if you go ahead and recognize that this gulf you feel is real and must be worked through. Grief is extraordinarily strong. It can reach down into parts of your psyche you didn’ t know you had. It can pull up feelings that will scare you and leave you wondering if you are crazy. That’ s all a part of this. Remember, most people who try to do this do not make it. This is your chance to actually make it.
The ego is a major trickster and will stop at nothing to trip you up. Just take a breath and keep going. Take another breath. The act of breathing on purpose seems so stupidly simple yet it carries with it a power the wisdom traditions still have not figured out.
Just breathe and be aware of your breath. Think of each breath as a present moment. Each one, you are free from smoking. Each one, you are taking a higher road. The part of you that knows how simple, yet profound this moment is.

Do not look for any bells and whistles. Nothing big will happen. If you are determined to have some big major breakthrough, forget it.
Just go back to simple breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Count four breaths in and four out–equal pace. Nothing dramatic.
Ask yourself why you want some big dramatic breakthrough. A release that will suddenly free you from addiction and numb you to the confused feelings. Some other worldly experience to write home about it?
Let me suggest that’ s the ego wanting to engage you in a give and take. Like a hostage negotiator, it will try to engage you in a back and forth debate. Don’ t fall in the trap.

Just breathe and keep moving forward one simple moment at a time. Nothing glamorous, not even close.
More caution. If you find yourself doing a lot of self soothing, like taking bubble baths and enjoying chocolate as a way to baby yourself, be aware that it could be a ploy by ego to lull you into a sense of entitlement.
Just stay calm, relaxed and level headed. Any extreme could lead to your falling off the path.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes I highly recommend this program.

NOTE: This series is for the advanced reader. These posts are earmarked for removal but remain here temporarily.

A year or two of moments is really nice. A few days are excellent too. But twenty years is the same as twenty minutes. It is the single moment that counts. As you will see, I mean that.

How do you measure a moment? For this project, think of a moment as a second.  The time it takes to snap a photo, blink or clap your hands once. That is the moment you have to deal with. That’s what will accumulate into thousands of moments and make years and become the rest of your life. You only have to quit smoking for a moment. Then another.
Yes, this is a trick. It’ s a good one and it works. So in each moment you can choose to smoke or to be free of smoking. That becomes the wrestling match between you and ego. Every single time you win the match you are empowered tremendously.
So it’ s not about quitting smoking. That’ s a byproduct of this process. The real juice of this whole “wrestling with the moment”  thing is in the moment of choice. When you are exhausted of the fight  you will make a decision for or against smoking. That decision will greatly impact all the future moments.

Real motivation is the process of changing perspectives, the moving of boundaries. Nobody can motivate you until they help you change perspectives.
That change could be in many forms. A friend of mine was walking along the sidewalk when a car came off the road and suddenly onto the sidewalk! My friend was motivated to get out of the way. That was a real change of boundaries.
A positive motivator influences you to take limits off yourself and change your own boundaries. You can stop smoking. When you change your own self-made boundaries you can be free of smoking.
When you decide that nothing is as important as quitting smoking, it will happen. Sounds kind of extreme but if you will hold on to that idea it will help.
Without a statement that strong your boundaries might be too flexible.
Decide.
In the present moment I will always say an absolute  no to the idea or act of smoking. Make your mind up. Then, when you start to tease yourself with the un-quality choice of  just one or well, “I’ ll quit tomorrow” , you will know you have started to wrestle.
It often feels good to get a good argument going in your mind. The ego loves it because it’s the ego’ s best chance to survive. That’s really all it wants–to survive. So it knows that to establish an argument is like cracking the door open. It’s like rattling a leash for the dog. Here it comes, bounding around the corners so fast it slides on the hardwood floors.

That trusty ego just panting and wagging its tail in delight. Ego will use any foothold it can get to start something, anything to get an argument going. After you have played this game awhile you will recognize ego quickly.
It likes constant music, video games, surfing the net, problems, emotion, yelling at a football play on TV, crying, being a victim, driving fast, over eating, over drinking, and, of course, smoking and even making a case for smoking.

 Sincerely Feeling vulnerable in the present moment. This is part of what wrestling is about. It is emotionally painful to know you are doing your best and still feel empty and alone. You really want to do something that helps pick your spirits up. In the old days you would smoke. That is not healthy.
So, today you are going to do something healthy as a pick-me-up. Why are you going to do anything at all? Because you really feel empty and this wrestling is becoming serious and not fun anymore and is getting troublesome. That’ s good! That’s ego again. Yep.
Remember it will do anything to get its way. It is the most spoiled brat you can imagine. It is also the most cunning, clever, cute, lovey dovey, story telling, charming manipulator on earth. It will try and try and try.

In the middle of the night, on the way to work, when you least expect it and even when you are on guard. That’s what must happen. To get good at wrestling you have to be on guard. Not nervous, just prepared.
Mentally go through your day before it happens. You know which of your coworkers will be smoking on break. You know how to avoid that situation all together. But will you? Ah! That’ s wrestling the present moment. You know what stress situations you will be in. Traffic, meetings, kids, school, relationships. You know the triggers. Coffee, telephone, driving, after a meal, almost all predictable..Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes  ( See part 3 of this series )

NOTE: This series is for the advanced reader. These posts are earmarked for removal but remain here temporarily.

Wrestling with the present moment is all you ever have to do to quit smoking. Of course you have to win the wrestling match.
Here’s one way to win.
Right now, get a feel for this present moment. Breathe in and be aware of the moment. That’ s all. It’ s no big deal, just breathe in and out and be aware that this is a present moment. That is what it all comes down to. It is so simple but that does not mean easy.
Think of “You”  and ” your ego”  as two separate things. Your ego wants to smoke. ” You” do not. Your ego will do anything to get back to smoking. Anything. “You”  are aware of all this. The wrestling goes on between ” You”  and “your ego” . ” You”  have never been a smoker. Ego is always up for anything to keep it busy, occupied, tapping, humming, or…smoking.
Here are some examples so you can get a feel for the difference between ” You”  and “ego”. Note: I am not using the clinical definition of ego, this is a generalization.

When you always have to have music in the car, that’s probably ego.
When you’re calmly looking out over the ocean, that’s ” You”. When “You”  are aware and observant that “ego”  likes music in the car, that can be a good balance.
When you eat even if you’re not hungry- “ego”.
When you are drifting off to sleep, ” You”.

The ego can get so out of control that it will make ridiculous choices. Stupid is not a strong enough word. Imbecile. Idiot. Arrogant and downright dumb. Have you seen the  drug rehab TV show ‘Intervention’?  The show is usually dealing with an aspect of a personality that is ego driven.
Let’s define something before we get too far into this ’”ego” jungle.

Ego is needed in all walks of life. It is a very important part of the personality that helps you navigate the world. Ego is just fine and is not to be treated as bad. But that doesn’t let it off the hook.
The controlling self or, Ego is still the part of you that wants to smoke. It will go to extraordinary lengths to get what it wants. And it will become an imposter using the voice of ” You”.  But make no mistake, it is not “You”. It must be tamed and used in a positive way.

Have you ever heard of one of those pathetic news stories where animal control officials have to go to a house and deal with about 90 cats? There are cats on all the furniture, bathrooms, walking over bookcases, on the kitchen counters and just all over the house. That’ s exactly what happens when the ego gets out of control. The cats need what nobody is providing: limits and boundaries.

Here’s a quick tip. The ego will tell you that it will be fine to smoke just one or two a day. “You can get this thing under control and keep it manageable”,  it whispers, using ”Your”  voice.
That’ s crap. It won’t work. You have to learn to recognize that kind of manipulative ego trick. To quit smoking it must be 100%. Ego will try for every kind of variation on 100% until it learns there are absolutely none.
So, how do ” You” effectively wrestle with ” ego ”?  This blog is dedicated to all the smart, creative things you can do to make the process much easier. It works. I have actually done it. I have used my awareness every single day for over 20 years and have not smoked or, as some others like to say, I have been free of smoking.
I have coached many others in these exercises but I will not use the testimony of others because this process is very personal. One can praise the program today and go back to smoking the next. It is up to each person every day. There will never be a day when you have made it.  Completing this is done each moment, literally. Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes You can only accumulate moments and be thankful for each one. (continued , Exactly How to Stop Smoking Nicotine Part 2)

Many of the decisions you make today will have a connection to the way your relatives have always done things. You learned millions of nuances of living from

• your parents,
• their parents,
• uncles,
• aunts,
• cousins
• and of course, brothers and sisters.

It’ s just a fact that you are not as independent as you might think.

You could not even talk without the influence of your culture, and that includes influences from your family. You could not think of a simple action unless you were embedded in a culture that defined those options.

So, admit that you have been incredibly influenced by others. You might hate those people or not want to have any identity with them, but you do.

Here’s the good news. Becoming aware of this connection to friends and relatives frees you from their controlling influence. You have a choice.

The way out is awareness .

I used to hear teachers say things like that and I would get frustrated. ” You mean to tell me that simple awareness is the key to all this mess?!” It seemed impossible. It struck me as infantile and irresponsible to believe that. Please get this. Awareness is indeed the key, but your actions on that awareness are just as important.

You absolutely must take action on the insight that awareness gives you. Simple awareness is not going to make magic happen and cause some instant rescue fantasy to come true. You must go through the part of acting on the higher calling your awareness reveals. I am giving it to you straight. You can give this page the finger, and wish for something external to save you but it doesn’t work. I wanted that too. I wanted someone to blame, some bad guy, a villain so I could be the victim.

Look–If you were in a  prison camp and the enemy did the kind of heinous damage to you that smoking does, you would want to obliterate those bad guys for it. You see where I am going with this? You are the bad guy making yourself smoke. You were taught the behavior by your culture. There is no way around that realization. You are also the good guy with the power to fix this but it takes doing things differently, slogging through the ” actions”. That’s a major reason I am writing this. To help you during these plain, simple, sometimes depressing moments. I know these moments well.

The sooner you stop smoking and get free of nicotine the better it will get. Many of your habits, including smoking, are indirectly supported by your family connections either positively or negatively. This fact is not a license for you to blame them. It is an opportunity to be independent and aware in that one little area.

You might be extremely independent in many other areas of your life. But some areas, like the constrictions that drive your smoking, could have slipped through the cracks and are a blip on the radar that needs attention. Admit it. If it’s true, it does not mean you are a lost cause at all.

Everybody has these whacked out, weird wirings that simply need to be examined, released and come to terms with. Every person alive today has them! You are better for being aware of them. Only then, can you start to shake that monkey off your back.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

Anniversaries have a strong pull on your memory.
Even if you are braced for it, an anniversary can sneak up on you and start to demand attention in a subtle way.
It could be a wedding, a quit day, a graduation, a birthday, holiday or even something as simple as voting (election) day.

Rituals play an important role in your life. Be aware that anniversaries can be a major time of temptation and relapse. So, relax but be vigilant. That’ s a good practice. Staying relaxed while being vigilant.

That’ s how the most highly trained specialists do it, from military special forces to yogis. That is  the trick. Relaxed and alert, simultaneously. This will work for you as well.

No need to dread an anniversary. The older you get the more there are. Just be aware that they can be powerful triggers of unresolved emotions.

That can cause you to fall into bad reactions and want relief the old way, with a smoke.

Breathe through it and take a walk. Rely on your coping skills to ease through anxious times.

You can always take a walk.

I once had a layover in St Louis and walked around the airport, then went outside on the sidewalk in an empty place and did pushups.

There is always a way.

One late night I found a tennis court and walked around it for 45 minutes. That’s about two miles.

Plan in advance for anniversaries. Be mindful of the potential they have for bringing up familiar feelings.
Check the calendar for upcoming dates and be prepared as you stop smoking nicotine.
Relax, and keep moving forward.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

Pattern interruption is very powerful in behavior modification.

A quick little ritual that works:

These things can be so simple, it’s easy to miss their importance. As you approach your cigarette quit date, it’ s good to narrow down your nicotine fix locations to one or two specific places. It’s also good to have only one ashtray in the house. At the moment you quit (mine was midnight) you should destroy the ashtray. Don’ t go overboard, just do something you will remember. I put my porcelain ashtray in a plastic bag and smashed it with a hammer (outdoors). Then, I took it to a location about a mile from my house and dropped it, along with cigarettes and lighter, in a trash can.

Done.

18 years later I was driving through that town and passed by the exact spot where I dropped the ashtray off. There was still a trash can in the same place. Of course I was glad I had put out that last cigarette and stopped the insidious nicotine addiction.

Experiences like this do a tremendous thing for you on a subtle level. Use this ritual practice your own way. Even if you have already quit and are in maintenance, there are quick little rituals you can do that will help you in a powerful way. No more cigarettes, no more nicotine. Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

There I was thinking the Internet spammers were ruining things when I Googled the words: quit smoking. This search reveals a whole new symphony of chaos. I feel emapthy for so many people trying so many things to stop smoking.

My God what a clamoring bunch of pathetic cries in the dark!  But I don’t blame them. It is confusing.

There are more quit smoking programs than you can shake a stick at and most of them are mediocre. I saw one or two that looked OK, and a few blogs of folks in the process of quitting, bless them all, I hope they make it.

The general feeling out there is that a magic pill, gum or patch will do the work for you. Isn’ t that what people want? Magic.

Granted, if used properly some of these aids can help. But first you’ve got to get something straight. You are quitting. Now is the time, nicotine gum or no gum, patch or no patch. When you’ve set your quit date, no amount of last minute foxhole digging will make it magic. You must face yourself. You must go through it and breathe and release and keep going no matter what comes up.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

Shortly after I quit, my Dad died. No magic there. Just a lot of stress and soul searching. And I went through it with no gum or patch or special equipment. I am not fishing for pity here. I am being authentic and saying, “I have been there.”

I find so many programs based on the  ‘spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down’- method. They try to dress up some product so that the external thing, the product , becomes the reason quitting works or does not work. People love that. Many people actually need that and if it helps, go for it. But do not let it replace the depth of your self that is the true decision maker.

“I tried the XYZ method and IT didn’t work.”  Same with all the packaged diets around. The Hollywood Diet, South Beach, Nutra Whatever. Having a packaged name and a box set of supplies does not take the place of facing the moment and going through it. But it does give you an out if things don’t go the way you had hoped. I am not against these products.  My biggest crutch during the quitting process was coffee. It was a real help to me. It is a trigger for others so be careful. (I have since quit coffee and have not had a drop in seven years. ) I just hope you will use them as an aid, not as the answer. Used as a tool, they can be a very real help.

But the bottom line is all about you. I hope this site supports you in an authentic way and gives you the pat on the back you need to keep going. I am in your corner.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

You can find other resources here

Stop thinking that when you stop nicotine, stop smoking, your life will be great. Life is often difficult. Smoking makes it worse.

When you are able to get smoke free, things in your life will be much better. But don’ t delude yourself into thinking there’s a fantasy place over the smoking rainbow.

Yes, smoking is hard. It is abrasive and mean. Smoking is acidic and dangerous. It is junk. You know that. You enjoy the relief smoking gives you but you probably don’t like being addicted to it.

You would like to end the addiction. You can, and this site is here to help you. The process of stopping smoking is not easy. Very few disciplines are easy. There is a popular quit smoking program with the word easy in its name. That’s decent marketing. It’s always good to use words that guide the audience into a happy mind-set, I don’ t fault them for that.

But really, what is easy? Learning to tie your shoes is not easy, learning guitar is not easy, learning to type is not easy, and becoming smoke free is not easy–until you’ ve done it to a point of near mastery.

It will become easier as time goes on. You will have good days when you think you’ ve got it licked, then,  have a terrible day when you want to climb the walls. Little of that is about smoking. You’ ll think it is but it’s not.

Smoking is just the assignment you’ve given to your inner cogs. It’ s the outward expression of your lack of balance on the inside. When you stop smoking you will assign your junk to something else, hopefully much safer, until you work your own inner twists out.

Guess what. Things can get worse. You might not ever stop smoking. If you are over 25 years old your chance of making any lasting change in any area of your life is about one percent.

That fact should wake you up with a jolt– but it probably will not.

Thoreau said ” Most people lead lives of quiet desperation.”

They never attend a Jack Canfield or a Tony Robbins seminar, never read a message like this and get the help they need. They end up acting out their inner cogs until they die. My hope is that you are the exception. To help you make it through all that crap and become the best you can be.

If you must act out a dysfunctional inner cog let’ s work to make it something safer than smoking. Then, if you ever get things together, at least you will have a life to live. But the fantasy life that some advertisers dangle in front of you isn’ t likely. It’s not real. Look around the room you’ re in. That’ s real. That’ s what you have to work with.

That’ s a relief. Relax. If you expect to step into a watercolor version of life once you’ve quit smoking, now is the time to come back to reality.

You can make amazing changes. Stop Niocotine. Living smoke free is one of them, but keep your finger on the pulse of the moment. It’s where you live. And after all, it’s a good place to be. Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

No matter what the date or time, it’s a good day to stop nicotine. The seasons roll on in this part of the world and each second ticks by one after another. That ‘s exactly how you maintain a smoke free life.

Each second becomes a minute and then a day, week, month year, and a decade. If you feel that you’re not doing so well…

1-Go ahead and feel it. Let that feeling have free reign for a few minutes. Don’ t even try to relax it away-hold the tension where it wants to clench in your body.

2-Become aware of the constricted muscles in your face or neck, shoulders or back and keep the tension there. As you become aware of it and center yourself on those things you will start to let go of them.

3-Now breathe deeply while you are still feeling tense. It’ s good to know how to have an awareness that is bigger than the tensions you carry.

4-Now, the clench will start to loosen and you can allow it to go.

5-Breathe and relax. One of the big problems with being upset is that people admonish themselves not to be. Do not deny that you are upset. Feel it. Be aware of it. See it for what it is– Upset. It is not you. You are the awareness that is watching the experience of being upset.

Then you can grieve the moment and get on down the road.

This is the program I used to quit 20 years ago. It works. The Man who designed it is a beyond expert ( if such a thing exists). Dr. Robert Shipley is  at Duke University and his program has bee helping people stop for decades.

This program is  not about hype or big promises. It simply works if you apply it.

Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes
 

All former smokers have an opinion about how to quit. That s great, but- It is important to remember that each person is different. Each person is genuinely motivated by a different set of parameters. Your personal experience is not the standard for all mankind. Your experience is certainly valid, especially if it has served you well. But you have to be careful how you instruct based on your experience.

Whether you quit smoking by choke and gag aversion therapy, or through hypnosis, if it worked for you, that’ s good. But it might not be the right combination for other people.

When you back way up and look at some general principles of becoming smoke free, some patterns emerge. You will see these patterns are valid and here to stay. All habits are lodged in four areas of your life:

> Personal 

>  Cultural

> Physical  

>Systems

Whatever method you choose to quit smoking, you should include these four areas and stay with them to the end. I have been in meetings with folks who wanted to quit smoking. It never surprises me that the people who customize the program to meet their own needs, drop out first. They try to do it without support, or without a quit date, or without some other element that is very important. They don’t realize that they really need to stay with a broader overview that is bigger than they are.

Smoking has gotten bigger than they are and they need help that is sized to match. Some people get arrogant and think they can do it their way. There is a place for independent, free fthinking. Invention and innovation rely on it, however, I suggest being conservative when it comes to getting smoke free.

Stay with foundational elements; like the above four areas. You might not like it but that s OK.  The goal is not for you to like it. I know that sounds a bit like a drill sergant but take a real look at the overview.  Being smoke  free and quitting nicotine is the goal.
Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

The part of you that insists on smoking  or using nicotine does not respond to intelligence. You can read, study and talk about the ins and outs of the habit but it will laugh at your learning.

Meet it where it is. The best thing you can use your mind for is to make it up that you will not smoke. Period.

But get ready because once you make that proclamation, the tricks come tumbling out of you like a bad horror movie. You might feel an undertow giving you signals that it’s time to smoke.

Don’t do it.

Take a walk instead. Walking is not intelligent, it’ s just walking. That meets the habit where it is. You might feel a huge need to have a hand to mouth experience. Eat a lollipop. You might feel anxious and irritable. Go to sleep. Go to bed as early as you need to but do not smoke.

You might feel a strong urge to have that catch in your throat and lungs that inhaling smoke gives you. Breathe deep.

This one is a bit odd but— you might feel too clean, too fresh. Smoking makes you dirty and oily feeling and after awhile that feeling becomes your normal state of being. Feeling the drag that nicotine addiction puts on you.

Learn to be aware of all these things. Meet each feeling where it is by acting at the level the impulse is coming from.

Do not meet them with intelligence. Meet them with action and a witness of the feelings.

That’ s using your intelligence to outsmart itself. Your mind will use all kinds of logic to coax you back to the old familiar way of feeling. Catch it in the act and ease away from it.

Never assume you’ ve got it under control.

How can you tell when your mind is playing tricks? Simple -It leads you closer to smoking. Do not smoke.
Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

You are literally creating a new reality for yourself by becoming smoke free. That’s not just exciting in an Up With People way.

It’s astounding in an almost science fiction way. You are changing reality, going from one that is less adequate to one that is more adequate. You do it by making the choice moment by moment and holding to it despite inclinations to go back to the old comfort zone. Those inclinations mean you are making it toward the new way!

The new will become the most comfortable zone and you will be healthier for it. But, you’ve always got a choice.

A Parallel Universe is one that has optional realities going on. This one is best lived smoke free. Choose it and you will bend your life back into its sharpest, most potential.

There is an option right now and it will always be there. You can be smoke free now and think about the road not chosen.

Imagine yourself with both options.

1. How it would be as a smoker–temporary comfort that ends in coughing and hacking, addiction and lower esteem.

2. And free from smoke. Better health, a more natural eco system in your body, that addiction no more, and higher self esteem.

The ticket to your Parallel Universe is in your hands regardless of how much you would like to think of yourself as a victim. Take charge of your actions. It is a big responsibility to stop nicotine and the smoking habit. You can handle it.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

What are the effects of Nicotine? You feel the vacancy of being without smoking and you just want things to get back to normal. The quickest way is to smoke and put this quitting thing off until another day. Don’ t buy that load of crap. It’s good to re-think the meaning of normal. Smoking is anything but normal. It is an absolute horror. Experts estimate that one third of all cancers are caused by tobacco products. If a public menace like that was a ‘bad guy’ or a sect of people there would be rioting in the streets about it!
Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

As long as you are smoking you are nowhere near the balanced, healthy person you can be. Celebrities Johnny Carson, Yule Brenner and Walt Disney all smoked and tried to quit. They wanted to quit so they could be back to normal to the ‘healthy self’ they knew they had once been. All three of them died from smoking related illnesses and none of them wanted to die that way.

We know enough today to stop this awful plague on our friends, loved ones and relatives. It starts with you. Be decisive. Do not allow yourself to be on the fence about this. You must be immoveable in your resolve to keep moving forward. The price you are paying now is more than worth it. You are regaining your physical health– the positive effects of quitting nicotine start within hours. You are regaining control of your life. You are giving a gift to others, a gift of yourself, your example and your commitment. You are sharing your insight as only you can. You are unique, not a statistic. You are a valuable vessel of creativity. Respect it. You are intelligent. Use your smarts to understand this thing and relax into freedom. You are loyal to family, friends and associates. Prove it. You are full of life! Expand it! You are the boss of your life. Enjoty the effects of living free of nicotine. Do not allow an insidious drug and habit to trample you. You are a good person. Let this new way of living be an external expression of the overwhelmingly positive life force in you. That is normal.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

It Might Be A Year Until You Quit.  That could be a fact. In the meantime you can do some things to get ready. The main thing to remember is awareness. If you are still smoking, always be conscious of when and how you smoke. Use extra filters, and change brands so you won’ t settle in and make it a rooted part of your life. Use only one ashtray and force yourself to take it from room to room. Avoid smoking after meals or when you are anxious. Make yourself wait. Smoking is a major cause of house fires. That fact does little to deter smoking because the habit is so pervasive that unless you launch an all out attack on it you will always have trouble stopping.

This is not a doomsday notice, just the facts.
Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

If you are still smoking you need to do every little thing you can to uproot the routines and rituals that keep it in place. So, if you have not stopped smoking yet, there are plenty of things you can do to prepare for when you do quit. Most habits are strong because they meet four criteria: Personal, Physical, Social, and Systems. You need to uproot each of those to break a habit. 

Personal. Your own inner take on stopping smoking. 

Physical- brain chemistry and body functions. Stopping nicotine addiction. 

Social- others do it. 

Systems- The regular use, like clockwork. Break all four and you can get free of smoking. Start by doing little things that will break those four areas up. Here’ s how it looks to act on these:

Personal: affirmations of being smoke free.

Physical: cut down- use quit aids; chew gums, exercise, sleep

Social- Hang out with the non-smokers. Become aware of your circle of friends and relatives and their degree influence on you.

Systems. Note how your personal smoking system works. Journal it. That will build awareness. Get as much control of your system as possible by delegating only one ashtray and getting rid of the typical accessories of smoking. Always pick up your butts from the ground or sidewalk. Favorite lighter? Get rid of it. Think of five other things you can do. Write them down and do them.

You are better than smoking. It might take time but work on it as a real expression of your worth. Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

How should I quit smoking?

Decide on a quit date. Make it absolute. If you decide to quit on a Saturday you can have your last cigarette on Friday night up until midnight, then that’ s it. When you wake up Saturday morning you will not have a cigarette. 

How should I prepare for quit day?  Reduce your tar and nicotine two weeks in advance. Either taper off by smoking less or get a brand with the lowest tar and nicotine. This means you will say goodbye to your favorite brand two weeks before your quit date. 

Should I use a group program and go to meetings ?

Yes, these facilitated programs can be good but do not expect that experience to graduate you as a non smoker. You are 100% in charge of that. You will be the reason you quit. The meetings, the coach and support systems can be a great help and you should use them all, but it is still up to you to make it. Never come away from a program and say,” it didn’ t work.”  You must work it. 

Should I use nicotine gum, a patch and other help aids? 

The goal is to get off them as well. Keep the goal in mind. The sooner you are able to get off all that, the better. If you feel you must use those things in the short term, do. 

What if I cave in and smoke?

Get right back in the process and pick up exactly where you left off. You should not scrap the whole goal just because of a little mess up. Watch any sports game. They get to the goal only after struggle. Think how utterly ridiculous it would be if they gave up and walked away after the first foul or turnover. Stay with it. 

Can I do it alone? 

Yes! You can quit smoking alone. Studies show that a support group helps. Even one support person can help. That’ s one of the reasons for this web site. Come here every day and you will find support in articles, blogs, and a solid foundation of commitment to your cause. I absolutely, 100%, know you can quit.
Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

How long will it take for me to know I am done with smoking? 

Good question. It has been over 20 years for me but I never assume it’ s all a done deal. I stay alert and am grateful every day, to be smoke free. Don’t get boastful and preachy to others about your accomplishments. Just be thankful for another hour or half day or week of being smoke free. That’ s the best way to measure it.

What about weight gain? About a third do, a third don’ t and a third actually lose weight. Your body will go through a lot of changes as you become healthier. Watch the signs and take note. Weight gain has to do with many factors. You can be easy on yourself in that area for a few weeks. Above all, don’t ever use smoking as a diet pill. There are much better ways to maintain a balanced weight. 

I can’t drink without a cigarette. If I’ m on the phone or having coffee, I have to have a cigarette.

Those are triggers and you must manage them. Be aware. Again, give yourself a break for a few weeks until you get your triggers under control. Drink less, use substitutes while on the phone and have coffee using the other hand, or don’ t have coffee. Breathe through these experiences and come to awareness. Make your choices. You are the chooser.

What if I feel sleepy?

You might. Breathe, take a walk. What would you do if you felt sleepy on a long drive? You can think of something besides smoking. Don’ t listen to your own whining. Sometimes it’s best to go to bed. Plan your days to anticipate the many ups and downs that have become triggers. Get very serious about this commitment and don’ t let your own whining undermine your efforts. It is a good idea to eat good vegetables and stay away from rich sugary food, especially now. 
Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

Can’t I have one? What would it hurt? 

If you have one, the next one will be two, and the next one will be three and so on. One can become 20. Stop that by not having one. You actually had that one right before quit day. It is best not to have one. These games the mind plays are all designed to get back to your smoking homeostasis. Come to the realization that your pattern of feeling normal is the problem! You must break that and it will require feeling somewhat out of sorts. This is a very good thing. It will become the new normal and you will settle in to a comfortable familiar feeling of being yourself again.

Do the cravings for nicotine and smoking ever stop?

Yes. They diminish quite a bit in the first three days. Two weeks in, they are not strong. But the social triggers are still there so the physical cravings can morph into social taps on the shoulder from out of nowhere. Use your coping methods to stay in balance. You can do it. Stay alert and aware for months, then years. It becomes a part of daily life to steer clear of smoking.

How Can I take out my Frustrations? 

Exercise. This is a great time to work up a sweat and get rid of some of the toxins in your body quicker. The more you sweat, the better. It will relieve stress. A quick game of basketball or a brisk walk, run or swim.Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

No matter how bloodshot your eyes are or how that hacking cough is dogging

you, it will pass as you stop the nicotine habit.

 It is crucial to hold on to the mental images you DO want. If you dwell on what you do not want, you will increase the negative momentum.

 But let’s get something straight. To stop nicotine addiction takes more than mental images. Your thoughts will help inspire and motivate you to act on your goal. Do not expect more from ‘thoughts’ than they can deliver. I don’t care how many times you have seen “The Secret”, you will get nowhere with thoughts or mental imagery alone.

 But do use your thinking for what it can do for you.

 Take a few seconds to make quick mental flash cards of what you want. .

Imagine it now.

 Example: You wake up and there is no sandy grit under your eyelids.

(One of the hundreds of little annoyances that will vanish as you recover from smoking and nicotine addiction.)

Your eyes feel smooth and soft. Your breathing is easy with full lung capacity.

Your hair smells pleasant, a faint hint of the shampoo you use, instead of smoky and stale. Your sense of taste is sharper. Your clothes smell fresh.

 It feels natural to occupy your time with your daily activities instead of planning your day around smoking. You easily go to a movie and get absorbed in the story without fidgeting for a smoke.

 After a great meal, you ease into the next activity seamlessly, with no need to smoke. You feel healthy, vibrant and strong. You walk up and down stairs with plenty of energy. You sing with more power and you exercise with confidence.

 You are whole now. There has been a kink in the hose and that has been causing the natural flow of your well being to suffer. The kink has been smoking.

Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

 As that habit drifts off like a helium balloon getting smaller and smaller until it’ s out of sight, you will literally be better and better.

 Embrace health now. Take a full deep breath, and feel the goodness that is yours. You deserve good things and health is a good thing.

Take it. Step into it.

 Make the choice to walk away from anything that is not serving your best interest. That includes the old distant memory that was smoking. It also includes the trappings of your old lifestyle.

 Make the actual changes that will set you up for success. No matter what, no matter where, you can stop nicotine and smoking. Be well.

Quitsmart — Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes