I gave up smoking altogether some 25 years ago, and whilst I have long since forgotten how dramatic the benefits were, (healthwise and financially), it is clearly a sensible thing to have done.
My reasoning was that to give up in one fell swoop would be so traumatic that it would be doomed to eventual failure, and I proved the point several times after unsuccessful attempts. As well as the addiction to the taste of nicotine, I realised that it is largely a habit, and in my experience, any habit can be changed or eliminated by appropriate action. What I did was to set a target date about 6 months ahead, (a birthday as it happens), after which I would be a non-smoker, and told the world about it so that I would have to lose a lot of face if I failed.
The important part then was to cut out just ONE ciggy a day, the same one each day for a couple of weeks or until I no longer noticed that I was missing it. Then I picked another regular one to miss, and inside a month I had modified my habit, and was on the way without most of the 'pain' I had experienced previously. Whenever I felt the pangs during this process, I found that 60 secs. or so of very deep breathing, (NO, not heavy breathing), got me through, and before my target date arrived I was down to only 4 or 5 ciggies per day. I was then able to pack in completely and have never smoked since. I promise you, if you do really believe that giving up is worthwhile, this method can remove a lot of the pain involved. It also reduces to a minimum the level of so called 'willpower' involved.
But be prepared to become a real pain in the a--e when in the company of people who still smoke. The whole business becomes the most disgusting habit in the world to you, and you have to hold your tongue sometimes. The new laws help tremendously though, and I still have lots of good friends who haven't yet been able to stop.
My brother has tried every medication available, but shirks away from my method, and he is still addicted. I can only surmise that he has his own reasons for not being committed to giving up.
Go for it, and transform your life!
Cheers,
Bill.
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Topic: Resolutions (Read 4569 times)