How I Quit Smoking
Once you've found your own strong reasons to quit smoking and corrected any self-deceptive thoughts you hold about it, you've laid the groundwork for becoming a non-smoker. The technique that follows consists of 4 mental exercises (quitting is primarily a mental battle) that will help you reach that goal. Each one takes about 5 minutes. You can't just read these exercises - you have to practice them to see how effective they are. I would suggest printing this page out so that you can practice at least once a day for the next week or so.
For all these exercises, you should be in a seated position, in an area free from distractions. Initially, you should not practice these exercises while driving.
Mental Exercise #1 to Quit Smoking:
Does some part of you want a cigarette right now? Do you feel any craving at all? If so, before you have a cigarette, close your eyes and feel that sensation of "wanting" as clearly as possible. Don't try to change it - just focus your attention on it and describe it. For example, say "craving you are heavy, thick, solid, intense, aching" - and so on. Use simple words to describe how the sensation feels. Do this for 2-3 minutes. Really get to know that sensation of wanting a cigarette as deeply as possible. In doing so you are learning to get comfortable with the sensation, rather than trying to change it or suppress it with a cigarette. So many smoking cessation programs, pills, and patches are focused on reducing cravings. But I have found that learning to be comfortable with, accept, and even enjoy such sensations provides much more powerful tool. Also, since nicotine, like other drugs, has the ability to numb strong emotions, we've learned to cope with anxiety, anger, sadness, boredom, and all the other difficult emotions with cigarettes. Whenever you find yourself reaching for a cigarette due to an emotion like one of these, try this same exercise. Take a few minutes to turn inward, verbally describe the sensation, and become comfortable with it. Then have the cigarette if you wish. Practice this exercise regularly and soon you won't rely so heavily on cigarettes to cope emotions and cravings.
If you're not "getting" the above description, please view the following video that will guide you through the process. It's a super powerful technique, so please don't disregard it::
Mental Exercise #2 to Quit Smoking:
For this exercise, grab your pack of cigarettes - yes, you are going to smoke! But read this whole paragraph before proceeding. First, light up and as you inhale that first puff, try to create a feeling of sickness and nausea within yourself. Create the gag reflex in the back of your throat like you're going to vomit - really try to feel like you want to puke. While the smoke is in your lungs, expand that sense of nausea within yourself. Come as close as you can to actually making yourself sick. As you exhale, let the smoke flow out your mouth and nostrils and imagine that you're tasting burning charcoal and toxins. This exercise may seem extreme, but this is really how you SHOULD feel. Smoking is poisoning the cells in your body, filling your arteries with sludge, and so much more. So work on your ability to produce these feelings with every puff whenever you smoke. Since it's just the internal feeling that matters, it's not difficult to practice this exercise even while smoking with other people. Within a short amount of time your body will start to re-associate cigarettes with this real sense of sickness rather than the false sense of relaxation, and your cravings will slip away.
Mental Exercise #3 to Quit Smoking:
This is another exercise in generating more appropriate emotional energies. For this one, whenever you see someone smoking (e.g. a friend that you're talking to, an actor/actress in a movie, or any stranger), create within yourself a deep sense of sorrow for that person.. Sorrow that they have been deceived into thinking that smoking is enjoyable, sorrow that they have failed to find real ways to enjoy life, sorrow that they are destroying their body's ability to be fully active in life, and sorrow that they have been made into zombies and fools by tobacco companies. For purposes of no longer being one yourself, look upon smokers with the perspective that you're watching someone who is really doing something foolish and idiotic. Expand those sensations of sorrow and disgust as much as possible. Practicing this exercise every time you see a smoker will help you overcome the trap of "smoking jealousy", and prevent you from falling back into perceiving smokers as "cool" or anything else positive. In your new and true perspective, being a "quitter" is the real sign of emotional maturity, freedom from illusions, sexiness, and so on.
Mental Exercise #4 to Quit Smoking:
For this exercise, create a list of all the positive attributes you once associated with being a smoker. For example: "coolness", "emotional maturity", "masculinity", "femininity", "strong will", "social", "living fully", "enjoying life", "rebel", and so. This list will vary for each person, so try to pick the qualities and conditions that personally attracted you to smoking. Now, turn inward and congratulate yourself for being all of those things now because you are a NON-SMOKER. Yes, quitting is probably much more an indicator of those attributes than smoking is. So generate a deep sense of pride within yourself for becoming the person you desire to be by becoming a non-smoker. Next, generate a feeling of joy that you are all of those things because you are a non-smoker. Then create a feeling of true excitement about the new, strong, self-directed, addiction-conquering, truth-seeing, possibilities-oriented person that you now are because you are a non-smoker. You've become a stronger person through this process, you now see that the way to live the life you desire is not through smoking or any of the false promises that old perceptions about smoking provided, but rather through following your inner intuition. Practice this exercise once or twice per day, perhaps before you sleep and when you wake up. Also, while around people who are smoking, generate a feeling of pride and self-esteem for the person you've chosen to be - direct those feelings inwardly to yourself.
You are now armed with a powerful weapon that will protect you against this country's biggest killer. Remember that regardless of what other goals you have for yourself, if you are still a smoker, then quitting is probably the number one most positive thing you can do to improve the quality of your life right now. So make practicing these exercises as often as possible a real priority in your life. Your efforts will be well worth it.
I wish you the best of luck and sincerely hope that this information helps in your quest to once again be a non-smoker. If you get a chance, I'd love to hear your feedback.
| This program is based on principles taught in the MC2 Method audio program. If you find any success at all in the approach described above, the MC2 Method teaches some excellent ways to truly turbo-charge your efforts. Also, as mentioned on the previous page, if this technique has not worked well for you, do NOT give up hope -- perhaps it's just not your style. |