A Method to Quit Smoking that Really Works
Several years ago I quit smoking, and I no longer have any desire to ever smoke again. At this point, I figure enough time has passed that I can say the method I used to quit really works. I created this webpage because I want to share the technique with you. There is no fee associated with learning it - you do not have to buy anything. I simply feel this knowledge is something worthwhile to share - something that can really help some people out.
Before getting started, please note that this is simply the method I used to quit smoking -- and it worked great for me. However, what is right for one person isn't necessarily right for everyone -- so if the technique doesn't work for you, don't give up hope! There are a whole lot of programs and approaches out there!
DISCLAIMER & TERMS OF USE | Please Read
I AM NOT A DOCTOR, and the information found here should NOT be treated as medical advice. You assume full responsibility for your decision to use or not use the information on this website. Under no circumstances shall I (website owner/author) be liable for any damages that result from your use of information found on this website.
All material on this website is copyrighted and may not be copied, published,
rewritten or redistributed without prior written permission. However, you
may link to the site from anywhere on the Internet that smoking cessation
is discussed.
FIRST, do you really WANT to quit smoking?
If you're going to quit smoking, you have to WANT to quit. Given that you're visiting this website, your intuition is probably telling you that it's the right thing to do. But intuition is easily ignored, so take some time to find some solid reasons for quitting. Find reasons that YOU personally want to quit - how it will make your life better. Those reasons will provide motivation for you to make the long-term effort.
Here are the reasons that motivated me:
- I didn't want to stink... Before I quit smoking, I remember a time
when I was talking with a good friend and nearly gagged. She had been
smoking all day and her breathe was indescribable. I politely didn't
mention that fact, but realized how unattractive smoking is. The smell
of stale smoke in my car, home, and clothes, and the desire to not be
perceived as a stink bomb everywhere I go were actually strong motivators
for me to quit. I have a lot of goals in life, but even if I fail at
all others, I now consider everyday that I am able to breathe fresh
air all day long as a something really great.
- I didn't want to be a fool... When we're young smoking is often a
symbol of something we desire. For example, we see a great movie where
actors are smoking and we associate cigarettes with being "cool"
or "different". Or we see older kids and adults smoking and
associate it with being "mature". Take a conscious look at
the advertising used by big tobacco (billboards, magazine ads) and you'll
see that they try to create mental associations with such symbols as
maturity, freedom, masculinity, femininity, sexiness, and so on. Well,
that's pure deception, and gone are the days of smoking being "sexy"
or anything else desirable. You're probably at an age now where you
realize that you've been fooled into accepting the false messages implied
by cigarette advertising. You've learned that big tobacco often pays
movie producers to have actors smoke so that we'll subconsciously want
to "be like them". Knowing that it's all just an illusion,
I wanted to quit smoking because I simply didn't want to be a tobacco
fool anymore. I don't want to be duped by big corporations that make
a profit by lying and selling something that they know will kill those
who use it.
- I didn't want to die before living fully... Just about all smoking
cessation programs, books, and websites are loaded with information
about the health consequences of smoking, so I won't repeat it here.
That stuff never really bothered me too much anyway (we all die of something,
right?). But what does bother me is reading about the personal accounts
of smokers dying in their 20's and 30's, and all the others who die
slow and excruciating deaths that wouldn't have been so painful if it
weren't for smoking. If imagining yourself or your family in a horror
story gives you motivation to quit smoking, take a look at whyquit.com
or one of the numerous other sites like it. There is no way to know
when you will take the puff that sets off the chain of events leading
to cancer, stroke, amputation, or worse. For me, knowing that the body
suffers with every puff is enough reason to quit smoking. Skin wrinkles
prematurely, brain cells are damaged, and plaque builds up in the arteries
with every cigarette. No thanks. And regardless of whether I live a
long life or not, I don't want the fatigue and lethargy caused by smoking
to prevent me from enjoying the life that I do have available.
- I didn't want to contribute to mass murder and murder of children.
Tobacco is the number one killer in our country and many others. It
kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides,
illegal drugs, and fires combined. It kills as many Americans each year
as have died in all the wars that we've fought in that past century.
A portion of every dollar we spend on cigarettes will go toward marketing
expenditures to deceive and recruit new smokers. Such marketing includes
not only deceptive advertisements and movie placements, but such tactics
as handing out free cigarettes to children at schools in 3rd world countries.
Yes, this really happens - U.S. companies hand out cigarettes to children
in poor countries where they can get away with it. I don't want to contribute
a single penny to those activities. And in my own country, I don't want
to be a walking billboard for tobacco - I don't want any young person
to ever look at me and decide that they want to try a cigarette. Quitting
smoking is just a good thing.
Correct Your Thoughts About Smoking
When people used to suggest that I quit smoking, I would often tell them "I just really enjoy smoking", or "I like the taste of cigarettes". Many smokers make such statements thinking that their experience is something special. But it's not unique - just about all smokers say something similar. The truth is that smoking feels "good" only because we have let our minds be tricked into associating it with something positive. Perhaps we've had a lot of good times with friends while smoking, or we've seen movies and advertisements that we're able to project ourselves into while smoking, or our minds have learned to associate smoking with a 5 minute period of "spaced out relaxation".
Examine any false positive thoughts about smoking that you have passively accepted, and take a few minutes write down the correct thoughts.
Here are some examples:
Old false thought or perception -> New true thought or perception
Smoking helps me to be social -> Smoking makes my breathe smell, ages my skin, and makes me appear foolish to anyone with a brain. This is not the 1920's.
Smoking helps me relax -> Accumulated toxins in my system actually leave me with more stress and anxiety. There are better ways to relax.
I enjoy cigarettes -> When I had my first cigarette, my body coughed because it didn't like it. I made a poor decision to continue smoking because I was young, weak, and desperate for the false promises of smoking. But I'm older, wiser, and stronger now. I now listen to myself, rather than deceptive marketing.
Cigarettes give me a sense of individuality and freedom -> I am following the same path that millions of other tobacco zombies have followed to their painful deaths. Until I quit smoking, I am just a slave to big tobacco companies.