You’ve managed to stay off smokes for a day, a week, month or even a year. Well done!
You weren’t sure you were going to make it but here you are – smoke free! It’s going favorably and you feel great!
Well, mostly. There’s one little problem. Every now and then, things happen that make you feel like having a cigarette.
Smoking Temptations
For instance, as often happens, you’re with a group of friends or colleagues who, one by one, start lighting up. You’re the odd one out. One of them offers you a cigarette. You graciously thank her and remind her you’ve quit for good.
She tells you one cigarette won’t hurt. You persist. The others join in chiding and taunting you.
At other times – and this one’s a real stinker – out of the blue, you develop this sudden, sickening feeling – like there’s deep empty void within you. It feels like the only thing that could fill this gaping hole is by having a cigarette.
Contrary to what you’ve heard, read or even personally experienced in a previous quit attempt (am I kidding?!), quitting cigarettes doesn’t have to be too difficult. Quitting’s easier when you have the right mindset. It also doesn’t hurt to have a personal set of effective tools handy.
Half of All Smokers
Take the example above, where friends and colleagues offer you cigarettes even though they know you’ve quit. They tease and taunt you. Hey – it still happens to me too! And I’m fine with it.
Despite their outward appearance of enjoying their smokes, about half of all smokers in the United States try to quit every year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures). No doubt health concerns are high on their agenda.
Another good reason for quitting is that it’s just so tedious being addicted to cigarettes! Smokers are as good as shackled to their packets of cigarettes for years and decades. They need to carry their packets of cigarettes with them everywhere they go.
At the back of their minds is the constant worry they’ll run out, so they’re constantly checking to ensure they’ll have enough until their next purchase.
And all this is not so much because of their love for cigarettes. It’s because of their addiction. Because of their tobacco addiction, smokers need to maintain the nicotine level in their blood at or above a personal threshold. If they’re not able to smoke, the nicotine is cleared from their system and the nicotine level in their blood drops.
They start feeling increasingly uncomfortable. They may find themselves unable to stay focused. It may spoil their mood. They need to smoke just to feel normal.
Smoking Rationalization
Most smokers have tried quitting several times but failed. They try to comfort themselves by rationalizing their addiction (“I smoke light cigarettes and they’re less harmful”). Others procrastinate quitting again and again. Some smokers feel trapped by their cigarette addiction.
This is the saddest lot. Even though, deep down, they’d rather quit, they’ve tried so many times and failed. Giving up they’re resigned to carry on smoking the rest of their lives, even if it kills them.
But Not YOU!
Luckily we’re not talking about you here – you’ve not smoked in days, months or years.
You got yourself out of that hole. Always be happy and grateful you got yourself over your cigarette addiction. Think of all the trouble you’re going to have to go through if you fall back in again by lighting up another cigarette.
Just stay Positively Quit!
Cheers Cas
Read a review of > Cassius Cheong’s Positively Quit! Manual
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Hi, and well done with the site its great to have somewhere to read about what one goes through. I’m off cigarettes six days now and so far so good. I have started a blog at colinthebronc.com. I’m not looking to advertise it, but you might have a look yourself and see what you think, kind regards Colin.
Good going Colin, sounds like you went through a lot and that you’re going to make it! Keep up the great work.
Good blog too, Cas.