Well... 30 years after I started smoking during sophomore year in
college, I have FINALLY kicked the smoking habit! So how did I manage to
quit a 2-pack a day smoking habit when I'd tried quitting quite a few
times before? Frankly I'm not sure. I "think" that I finally got tired
of the expense... both to my wallet and my health. Oddly enough, I thought the first cigarette I smoked was gross. The
only reason I started was because I hated the smell! Yep - I
discovered that I didn't smell the yucky smoke when I lit up with
everyone else! Dumb huh? (sigh) What made this time different from a practical perspective was that I
took action beforehand. Not like stocking up on lollipops so I would
have something to do with my hands. I really thought hard about the
reasons to quit and the reasons not to quit. I thought through how I
would fill the time I used to spend smoking. And... I started walking.
Half an hour every day. I figured that if I could stick with a 30
minute walk every day for one month... no matter what... that maybe I
had the persistence to stick with a "quit smoking" plan too. After 30 days of walking for 30 minutes every day, I put out my last
cigarette. I still miss it from time to time. Still take a brisk walk
when it gets a little intense. Still try on occasion to come up with a
good rationalization for falling off the wagon. But have not done it
yet. The list of reasons to quit are very long. The list of reasons
not to quit ... well... there's only one... "I want a cigarette". And
somehow that doesn't quite measure up to the long list of reasons
there are to STAY quit. So how bout it? Try making your own list and see if you can be a quitter too ;)
college, I have FINALLY kicked the smoking habit! So how did I manage to
quit a 2-pack a day smoking habit when I'd tried quitting quite a few
times before? Frankly I'm not sure. I "think" that I finally got tired
of the expense... both to my wallet and my health. Oddly enough, I thought the first cigarette I smoked was gross. The
only reason I started was because I hated the smell! Yep - I
discovered that I didn't smell the yucky smoke when I lit up with
everyone else! Dumb huh? (sigh) What made this time different from a practical perspective was that I
took action beforehand. Not like stocking up on lollipops so I would
have something to do with my hands. I really thought hard about the
reasons to quit and the reasons not to quit. I thought through how I
would fill the time I used to spend smoking. And... I started walking.
Half an hour every day. I figured that if I could stick with a 30
minute walk every day for one month... no matter what... that maybe I
had the persistence to stick with a "quit smoking" plan too. After 30 days of walking for 30 minutes every day, I put out my last
cigarette. I still miss it from time to time. Still take a brisk walk
when it gets a little intense. Still try on occasion to come up with a
good rationalization for falling off the wagon. But have not done it
yet. The list of reasons to quit are very long. The list of reasons
not to quit ... well... there's only one... "I want a cigarette". And
somehow that doesn't quite measure up to the long list of reasons
there are to STAY quit. So how bout it? Try making your own list and see if you can be a quitter too ;)
How to Quit Smoking
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