That is officially the score, I have now been a non-smoker for 2 months. I was going to post this on Sunday but that was only 8 weeks, this is properly 2 calendar months. It has got easier and easier to stay quit, I still have no desire to smoke. I will occasionally get a very brief urge when I do a task that I associated with smoking in the past or I visit somewhere that I associate with smoking for the first time since becoming a non-smoker. These urges are very brief and easily overcome. The most recent example was last Saturday at a birthday party. The party was a 40th and was being held at the same place as a 40th I went to last year, as a smoker. I associated the venue, the party and the people I was with, with a time when I smoked. That was quite a powerful combination but still easily overcome by remembering exactly what the benefits of smoking are: NONE. In the end it was quite amusing watching the smokers scuttle off outside, missing the fun, while I remembered what that was like and really was glad that I didn't do that anymore.
Here's looking forward to the next month smokefree.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Time Off to Reflect
Wow it has now been over 6 weeks since I quit and smoking is becoming a distant memory. I was lucky enough to be able to face and pass a test this weekend. It was my mother's birthday so we had a party for family and friends, my cousin with whom I used to slope off to smoke, was there. He is still a smoker and I wanted to find out if I would have a desire to smoke when he did, old habits and all that. I survived the test with no trouble whatsoever, in fact I felt very smug at how I didn't feel the slightest inclination to smoke. Poor chap he was the only smoker there and I felt a little sorry for him, you could tell he felt a bit like an outcast and went to hide down the drive to smoke.
I am taking time off this week for the Easter holidays to spend some time with my son. It is also a new test for my resolve to stay a non-smoker, I always smoked more at home than away but so far this week everything has been fine, no desire at all.
More and more it seems that smoking is dying as an occupation among all the people I know. Let's hope the non-smokers to be increase in number every day.
I am taking time off this week for the Easter holidays to spend some time with my son. It is also a new test for my resolve to stay a non-smoker, I always smoked more at home than away but so far this week everything has been fine, no desire at all.
More and more it seems that smoking is dying as an occupation among all the people I know. Let's hope the non-smokers to be increase in number every day.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Getting the Fear
If you are a smoker you may or may not recognise the following, it depends on how you percieve your smoking. This does not just apply to smokers and smoking it can apply to any addiction but let us stick to smoking for now.
Why don't smokers who know that smoking is killing them just stop doing it? Why on earth would someone commit suicide slowly when it is in their power to stop and live healthily instead? Reasonable and significant questions which usually get answered flippantly by the obvious "because they are addicted". I say flippantly because often no thought goes into answering those questions, either by smokers or non-smokers. It is assumed that a smoker is a hopeless addict and that is reason enough to dismiss putting any effort into reasoning why a smoker can not quit.
In my experience there is only ONE reason why a smoker can not quit smoking, just one. No matter what number of reasons a smoker will give for continuing to smoke, the real reason is that they are frightened to quit. Many smokers will probably not agree with this point of view, especially the hardcore that take the view that smoking is what they want to do and it is their right. Consider this though, how do you feel as a smoker at the end of a night out when you are running low on cigarettes and do not know where you can get some, when you are faced with visiting a new place, perhaps for a holiday, is one of your first thoughts,"where can I smoke?". I can certainly say that in my own experience, running out of cigarettes with no way of knowing where some more would come from would at best cause irritation, at worst panic. When faced with new surroundings I would actually visualise myself smoking and planning where I could smoke.
This is what I mean by the fear, the smoker is so frightened of being unable to smoke that under certain circumstances it takes over their thoughts, becomes their focus, but one they don't discuss, because the fact that smoking has such an influence on their lives is also frightening. The smoker will then cover their fear with excuses.
The fear of being without smoking is the one reason that smokers will not quit. When smokers realise this and start to face their fear is when they can begin the road to quitting. If you smoke start to face the fear, realise it is there, realise that is what is keeping you smoking.
STOP SMOKING NOW
Why don't smokers who know that smoking is killing them just stop doing it? Why on earth would someone commit suicide slowly when it is in their power to stop and live healthily instead? Reasonable and significant questions which usually get answered flippantly by the obvious "because they are addicted". I say flippantly because often no thought goes into answering those questions, either by smokers or non-smokers. It is assumed that a smoker is a hopeless addict and that is reason enough to dismiss putting any effort into reasoning why a smoker can not quit.
In my experience there is only ONE reason why a smoker can not quit smoking, just one. No matter what number of reasons a smoker will give for continuing to smoke, the real reason is that they are frightened to quit. Many smokers will probably not agree with this point of view, especially the hardcore that take the view that smoking is what they want to do and it is their right. Consider this though, how do you feel as a smoker at the end of a night out when you are running low on cigarettes and do not know where you can get some, when you are faced with visiting a new place, perhaps for a holiday, is one of your first thoughts,"where can I smoke?". I can certainly say that in my own experience, running out of cigarettes with no way of knowing where some more would come from would at best cause irritation, at worst panic. When faced with new surroundings I would actually visualise myself smoking and planning where I could smoke.
This is what I mean by the fear, the smoker is so frightened of being unable to smoke that under certain circumstances it takes over their thoughts, becomes their focus, but one they don't discuss, because the fact that smoking has such an influence on their lives is also frightening. The smoker will then cover their fear with excuses.
The fear of being without smoking is the one reason that smokers will not quit. When smokers realise this and start to face their fear is when they can begin the road to quitting. If you smoke start to face the fear, realise it is there, realise that is what is keeping you smoking.
STOP SMOKING NOW
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