So, You Want To Quit Smoking!

Quitting smoking is by far the best thing anyone can do to help their health and live a longer, healthier
life. I am sure that by now nearly everyone knows the health risks of smoking and that every smoker is
vulnerable to the diseases that smoking can cause. Far too often, people THINK …. “Oh, that won’t
happen to me” OR, as my Mom used to say… “Everybody has to die of something” Sadly she thought
she would just die instantly of a heart attack at around 78-80 years old. Instead, she suffered for 2 years
and was on oxygen, unable to walk more than a few feet, struggling to breathe and finally passed away 2
days after her 72nd birthday. As a side note… she had 8 siblings and every non-smoker sibling lived at
least 10 years longer than the smokers. So, if you smoke it is like taking a little bit of poison every day
and hoping it won’t kill you. Hence, I applaud your decision to quit smoking and am here to help you in
any way I can. I have helped countless people quit smoking over the past 50+ years and enjoy doing so.

What I have seen over the years is that most people are not successful in quitting smoking because they
were not properly prepared to quit. They simply were not READY. People ask me how they get ready or
how will they know if they are ready. The answer is this… You are READY when the thought of smoking
makes you sick, you hate everything about smoking and you are tired of cigarettes controlling your life.
Your attitude toward quitting is POSITIVE and you are very confident that you CAN DO IT. My uncles used
to say… “When you are facing a problem and you wonder if you can solve it… you think Yes, I can… or No
I can’t… either way, you are correct.” You have to make it NOT an option to smoke .. In the battle of YOU
vs. Cigarette… REFUSE TO LOSE! Nobody has EVER died as a result of not smoking that next cigarette but
millions have died from not quitting. YOU have to decide your own fate and I hope you will decide to
WIN… After all, aren’t you worth whatever effort it takes to win this battle? I am betting that YOU are
worth it!

The question now is “How does one get started in the quitting process”. Some people are so READY to
quit and have such strong will power that they can just awaken one day and say they quit and do it “Cold
Turkey”. I applaud those brave people because that is definitely the hard way. Most people try to do it
“cold turkey” and do not succeed and then think they can’t quit and give up. The majority of people that
I have seen go through the quitting process are unsuccessful the first and even the second try. AND, they
were not successful until they were truly READY. Getting ready can take a different amount of time for
each person because every smoker is an individual so what works for one person doesn’t work for the
next. The minimum would be a week of prep time and it can be as much as a couple of months.
Regardless of the amount of time, getting READY takes work and self-analysis. As you well know, quitting
smoking is NOT easy and there is no magic wand or pill that can make it happen.

Here is what I have taught for years and I have seen this method work for many people:

Step 1. Start working on your brain to dispel the “friendship” with smoking. As I have said before, your
brain will lie to you when it comes to feeling like you want/need to smoke. You need to see a cigarette as
your mortal enemy that means to kill you. A cigarette can be a psychological crutch but that part of it is
mental conditioning only… if you don’t believe me… just try holding yourself up with a cigarette. There
are various other ways to deal with any trigger to smoke other than smoking. That is a different exercise.
One thing to remember is this: The urge to smoke will pass whether you smoke or not and one cigarette
will just lead to the next. So, the drill here is for you to learn to view a cigarette as a murderer that
intends to kill you and make the rest of your life miserable in the process. Start with a list of reasons why
you no longer want to smoke. First thing on the list is … Cigarettes are NOT my friend. Then add all the
health and other reasons to quit. Here are some to list: Heart disease, Lung disease, cancer anywhere in
your body (because the toxins from the smoke enter your blood stream and attack every organ in your
body, INCLUDING your skin. That is why most long-term smokers look a lot older than other people their
age that have not been a smoker. (Yes, ladies…more wrinkles). Smoking starves your body of oxygen
because all the toxins literally clog up your lungs so less oxygen gets into your blood. Also, there is gum
disease that causes many to lose their teeth. The unpleasant smell of smoking… especially cig butts) A
good way to get grossed out on smoking is get a large jar and start putting your cig butts in the jar and
then fill the jar with water.. smell the jar a few times and put the lid back on and put it somewhere that
you see it and take the lid off and smell it every day at least 2 or 3 times. Also, the current lack of social
acceptance of smoking. (Do you really want to be that person out in the back alley smoking like an
outcast?)… You burn holes in your clothes sometimes. The ashes make a mess. Your kids are much more
likely (like 4 times more likely) to pick up smoking or vaping if you do it. If you smoke in your car it
becomes much less valuable. Smoking damages your voice and your taste buds. If you travel, finding
places where you can smoke is a problem, especially at airports and hotels. Another HUGE reason to quit
is the cost of smoking and what you can do with all that money you save by quitting. Some people keep
track of each pack of cigarettes they would buy if the kept on smoking. Then they put the money they
saved in a can to eventually be used for something worthwhile (A Reward).. You are tired of being a
slave to your cigarettes, always having to think about do I have enough smokes to get me through the
day, where and how am I going to get more, the hassle of getting to a store to buy them (ALL a waste of
time and effort) Keep your list handy and add things to it as you think of new things. Keep your list by
your pack of cigarettes and read it several times per day.

Step 2: Prepare another list where you write down the feeling and “brain impulse” that got you to light
each cigarette you smoke per day. Soon you will see a pattern of what makes you smoke (Your Triggers).
Once you know all your triggers, you can develop a list and a plan to cope with each trigger other than
smoking. In a majority of cases, just taking a walk and getting away from the “trigger situation” and
taking several deep breaths will work as a coping mechanism. Hand to mouth responses can be solved by
something besides a cigarette to put in your mouth. Gum, suckers (sugar free if possible) carrot or celery
sticks, cinnamon sticks, coffee stir sticks or plastic straws cut in half, a plastic pen… Feeling nervous…
Same remedies already listed can be used. High stress… BREATHE.. Meditate… Yoga… Exercise… Picture
yourself in a serene place with pleasant sounds… Soft music that is relaxing… Boredom.. Keep your
mind and hands busy… Automatic Cigarettes (associated with another activity like talking on the phone,
driving in your car, socializing with other smokers, drinking alcohol, drinking coffee or your favorite
beverage… You must know these triggers and be ready for them… Don’t keep your cigarettes handy so
you have to make an effort to get one (this will give you a chance to talk yourself out of lighting up) Ask
your smoker friends to please help you by not smoking around you and NOT to give you a cigarette no
matter how hard you beg them… On drinking alcohol, refrain for the first several months because this is
the downfall of many who have quit for weeks and then cave due to alcohol consumption… In all cases
where you associate smoking with that activity you MUST be aware and have a plan to fight off the urge
to smoke when the situation arises. A good thought is… “Am I really going to blow all the hard work I
have put into quitting smoking by lighting up now????” and “My brain lies… smoking will not be that
pleasant”
Once you have a complete trigger list and a remedy that you think will work to ward off each impulse to
smoke… Write this on your list… If I smoke and let the trigger get me, I lose and the cigarette wins AND
smoking is not really going to solve a thing… If it has been a few weeks since you have smoked, that
cigarette you light won’t even be a pleasant experience… Remember.. my brain lies to me.

Step 3: Set a Quit Date… Make that date at least 2 weeks into the future and even up to a month,
depending on how much time you think you will need to complete the “getting ready” process.

Step 4: Address Your Addictions

This next exercise is to separate your two addictions. You have to conquer the physical addiction to
nicotine and the psychological addiction. Once you have listed all your triggers identified above, you can
separate them into.. 1. Feeding the nicotine addiction and.. 2. Smoking as my crutch.

The degree of nicotine addiction a person suffers depends on the person. There is a very wide range here
and the stronger the addiction, the harder it is to break. The factors are usually related to how long a
person has smoked, how big their habit has been over the years (number of times per day they have
inhaled smoke over the years NOT the number of cigarettes consumed per day). Another factor is the
efficiency each smoker has developed to deliver nicotine to their brain. Everyone doesn’t smoke a
cigarette in the same manner. This means that some smokers deliver a lot more nicotine to their system
each day than others (even if they smoke the same number of cigarettes). The smokers with a very high
level of nicotine addiction almost always need to use a method of nicotine withdrawal. I have always
been in favor of cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke a little bit at a time over a two week
period. Start with this on Day 1: When you feel a trigger hit you, postpone lighting up 5 minutes. Over
the day, you will inhale smoke less times AND you will practice fighting off the urge to smoke. Day 2:
Postpone 10 minutes… Day 3: 15 minutes, etc. The plan is to not be smoking more than 1 cigarette per
day for at least the last 3 days before your Quit Date. This method will weaken your addiction to nicotine
AND give you lots of practice fighting off the urges to smoke. If you find you can’t handle the nicotine
addiction after a few days into your Quitting Journey, there are lots of different nicotine substitution
methods out there and each person needs to find one that works for them. Just be sure it is a method
that allows you to cut back on the amount of nicotine you get per day over time. I do not recommend
any drug to help you quit smoking. Two reasons… side effects of the drugs and trading one drug for
another seems like a less desirable way to go… Some of those drugs have side effects that cause severe
clinical depression (where you will need drugs to counter that) and they have also been known to cause
people to commit suicide. While I am not a clinical psychologist, in my study of psychology and by
observation, I have seen where the brain has a delicate chemical balance and anytime a person
introduces any chemical to their brain they take a risk of upsetting that balance that could cause severe
mental illness. I think there are better ways to quit smoking than the use of a substitute drug. There are
also TONS of suggestions on how to deal with the urges and you can find them on the Group Page. Scroll
back through the older posts. One of my favorites is to cut drinking straws the size of a cigarette and stuff
a little wad of paper into the straws and then play like you are smoking it. (Just DON’T light it!) LOL

I also am not a fan of vaping because all that does is substitute the way you inhale nicotine. Recent
studies have shown that vaping actually increases a person’s addiction to nicotine. Also, it is much more
damaging to your health than most people realize. Finally, breaking the addiction of vaping is just as
hard, if not harder, than that of smoking… at least for a lot of people.
Hope I have helped you.

It has been quite awhile since I have worked with people helping them quit smoking. Hence, I may have
forgotten something that I usually teach. Please feel free to contact me with questions. I try to look at
posts on the Group page but don’t see all of them so it is best to private message me. I wish you all the
very best and success in your journey to quit smoking. You will never regret quitting. I can promise you
that. As a final note… Quitting smoking is the same as quitting drug use or alcohol addiction. Successful
programs for most addictions have a faith base to the program. I highly advise praying for God to help
you quit smoking. I have seen people turning to God as the final straw that helped them FINALLY quit
smoking… sometimes after multiple quit attempts over several years. Remember… you only fail to quit if
you stop trying. Once again.. please remember this: The urge to smoke will pass whether or not you
smoke. All smoking just one will do is lead to two, three, etc. and set you back to where you have to start
quitting all over again. NOT WORTH IT! Hope to hear from you and your success story.