How I Was Able To Quit Smoking
By Alexander Tretjakov
Smoking is probably one of the hardest things to quit - it is a very serious addiction. Partly, this is because it is so acceptable in society. We all see smokers around us and view it as a norm. This however makes it harder for those of us who want to break that habit, as it adds a layer of social pressure to an addiction that is already hard to overcome.
Like any addictions, smoking has a physical as well as a psychological aspect. Cravings are a common knowledge, but what isn't widely known is that you can get cravings long after you have broken through binds of physical addiction. I was blown away that after 10 years of being smoke free all of a sudden I got an urge to light up.
It is well known that quitting is hard, but are there things we can do to increase our chances of success?
Let's first of all look at what we have to overcome.
Physical addiction may seem the hardest aspect, but from personal experience I can assure you that it is not. It only lasts a couple of weeks at the most, while the body tries to filter out the toxins. I didn't really do much to help the physical aspects of my addiction. But there are a few tools you can use. One of them is the patch. It doesn't work for everybody, but can be very helpful for many people. The other thing we do not normally think of when talking about quitting smoking is acupuncture. This ancient tradition can not only calm your cravings but also help you detoxify faster.
Next step in recovery is battling the psychological aspects of addiction. I personally thought that this part was the hardest of the two. I actually had to quit three times before I did for good. The reason it took that many times to quit I attribute entirely to the fact that psychological addiction has much bigger grip on the person then the physiological aspects of addiction. I think what helped me the most in my recovery, was the fact that I really decided to quit. It didn't matter how many times I failed and started to smoke again - I was determined to quit. There are however tricks you can use even in this endeavor. For example one of the thing I did, in my attempts to stop smoking, was that I chewed tooth picks. I think that chewing anything will do the trick, but for me tooth picks worked best. Every time I would get a craving I would put a tooth pick in my mouth and that seemed to distract me from wanting to smoke. It wasn't a cure, but it helped a lot.
The last part that, personally, I found very hard to overcome was how other people affected me when I was trying to quit. The social aspect of smoking is incredibly powerful aspect of addiction. It gives us a sense of belonging, and for many of us including me, it is very powerful. When you decide to stop smoking and someone asks you to go for a cigarette, it is often very hard to say no. That's how I started smoking again when I quit the first two times. I can't really offer much advice about this. My best advice would be to simply stick to your convictions and be firm in your decision to quit.
All of the suggestions I proposed in this article will be a great help to you on your way to recovery from the addiction of smoking. This however will not guarantee success, only your determination will. If you truly will decide to stop smoking - one way or another you will. Just don't stop trying, and your success will be guaranteed!
About the author
Copyright 2006 www.BurstCreativity.com
Alexander Tretjakov
Unconventional Thinking University
Author of MiWay Time Management System
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