| Many experts believe smoking is only about 10 | | | | |
| hysical addiction and a whopping 90 | | | | - My feet are always cold. This could be due |
| sychological addiction. Your body will | | | | to high blood pressure and poor circulation |
| recover fairly quickly from nicotine | | | | associated with smoking. |
| withdrawals (the worst symptoms usually abate | | | | |
| in three days or less), but your | | | | - I have a nasty wet cough and I have to blow |
| psychological dependency on cigarettes can be | | | | my nose way too often. Mucus build-up is the |
| much more difficult to defeat. | | | | body's reaction to all the toxins and |
| | | | chemicals in cigarette smoke and could be a |
| One way to combat this is to do a bit of | | | | precursor to serious respiratory disease. |
| self-analysis before giving up cigarettes. | | | | Even if I don't get cancer, I don't want to |
| | | | be one of those people who has to tote oxygen |
| Make a list with two columns. Label column | | | | bottles around everywhere. |
| one "Why I Started Smoking" and label column | | | | |
| two "Why I Want To Quit Smoking." | | | | - I'm always tired. Could it be that my body |
| | | | is using up all its energy trying to |
| In column one, list all the reasons you can | | | | eliminate the toxins and chemicals from |
| remember as to why you started smoking in the | | | | cigarettes? |
| first place. Was it peer pressure? Rebellion? | | | | |
| Did you think it made you look cool? Did it | | | | 2. Vanity Reasons |
| make you feel like a grown-up? Really try to | | | | |
| remember the exact reasons why you started | | | | - Smoking causes premature aging and drying |
| smoking and write them all down. | | | | of the skin. I don't want to look like a |
| | | | wrinkled up old prune! |
| Now look over that list. Do any of those | | | | |
| reasons still apply in your life today? | | | | - My fingers, fingernails and teeth are all |
| Probably not. | | | | tobacco stained. Disgusting! How |
| | | | embarrassing. |
| If you're like most people, you will see that | | | | |
| your reasons for becoming a smoker are no | | | | - When I get on the elevator after a smoke |
| longer valid, are often just silly, and are | | | | break at work, everyone wrinkles their nose |
| easily outweighed by the risks to your health | | | | and tries to edge away from me because I reek |
| and your family's well-being. | | | | of cigarette smoke. I feel like a pariah. |
| | | | It's embarrassing to always be the big |
| So let's move on to column two... Why do you | | | | "stinker" on the elevator. I feel like I have |
| want to quit smoking? | | | | no self-control. |
| | | | |
| This one may seem obvious, but it can be a | | | | - My breath is awful. Kissing me must be like |
| bit tricky. You really need to take some time | | | | kissing an ashtray. I spend a fortune on |
| and think hard about this. Don't just list | | | | breath mints. |
| the obvious health reasons. You've been | | | | |
| reading the Surgeon General's warnings for | | | | 3. Financial Reasons |
| years with little effect, so you need to come | | | | |
| up with reasons that truly have meaning for | | | | - If I save all the money I used to spend on |
| you. | | | | cigarettes, I'll have enough to take a |
| | | | vacation in Cancun (or some other warm |
| The things most people write down will NOT | | | | tropical place) every winter! |
| help you quit smoking... | | | | |
| | | | - I could use the money to pay off my credit |
| - I don't want to get lung cancer. | | | | cards! |
| | | | |
| - I don't want to have a heart attack or a | | | | - I could donate money to my favorite charity |
| stroke. | | | | or sponsor a child. My cigarette money could |
| | | | make the world a better place! |
| - I'd like to live long enough to see my | | | | |
| grandchildren grow up. | | | | 4. Family Reasons |
| | | | |
| Those are all good reasons to quit smoking, | | | | - My family can stop worrying about me. |
| certainly... but they deal in "possibilities" | | | | |
| rather than in specifics. | | | | - My spouse will have to find something new |
| | | | to nag me about. Just kidding, honey! |
| Sure you MIGHT get lung cancer, you MIGHT | | | | |
| have a heart attack or a stroke, you MIGHT | | | | - My children will be proud of me and |
| die young and miss out on seeing your | | | | (hopefully) they'll never start smoking |
| grandchildren grow up... | | | | themselves, having seen firsthand what a |
| | | | nasty destructive habit it is. |
| ...or you MIGHT NOT! You're not likely to | | | | |
| break a strong psychological addiction based | | | | 5. Cleanliness Reasons |
| on what MIGHT happen. Your mind will work | | | | |
| hard to convince you that it won't happen to | | | | - The walls used to be white. Now they're a |
| you! Instead, list health problems that you | | | | nasty dirty-looking brown. I need to |
| are already experiencing. | | | | repaint... again! |
| | | | |
| Your list should point out things in your | | | | - I stink, my car stinks, my house stinks, |
| life that you are actively unhappy about and | | | | everything I own reeks of cigarette smoke. I |
| are STRONGLY MOTIVATED to change. In order to | | | | can't even lend a book to a non-smoking |
| break your psychological addiction, you need | | | | friend because they can't stand the smell of |
| an arsenal of new thoughts and desires that | | | | smoke permeating the pages! |
| are stronger than your desire to smoke! | | | | |
| | | | Do you see yourself in any of the items |
| Here are the types of things you want to put | | | | listed? You may have many more reasons of |
| in column two... | | | | your own. Find as many compelling and emotion |
| | | | reasons to quit smoking as you can think of |
| Why Do I Want To Quit Smoking? | | | | and write them all down. |
| | | | |
| 1. Health Reasons | | | | If you can re-train your mind to think of |
| | | | smoking as a silly and self-destructive thing |
| - I get so out of breath when I exert myself | | | | to do, then you're almost sure to succeed. |
| even a little bit. Just vacuuming the house | | | | And if you need something to do with your |
| makes me pant and gasp. | | | | hands... try knitting! |