I Just Quit Smoking

Tried to think of a stranger title, but I just couldn’t come up with one. The important thing is that it got your attention.

Support is the one tool that you want to be multi-legged as it is one of your strongest allies in the battle to Quit Smoking. Think about it. What if your kitchen stools only had one leg on them for support. Do you think it would make sitting down for dinner that much more difficult? Sure it would. You wouldn’t be able to eat in comfort because all your time would be spent concentrating on not falling over.

Now let’s add a leg to the stool. Does it become any easier to sit on? Of course it does. Now you only have to worry about the stool moving side-to-side or front-to-back, but not both so you only have to give it half as much attention. Much easier to concentrate on the task at hand.

How about a third leg? Is that any better? You bet - perfect stability. With this surefootedness we can focus all our attention on our task as we no longer have to worry about ending up on the floor if our concentration slips.

So what does this have to do with quitting smoking? Everything! Why make it difficult on yourself by trying to quit completely on your own when there are people out there who would be more than happy to be on your support team. Having a couple of friends to call on would certainly add to your stability, but having four or five wouldn’t hurt either.

The important think to ask of the people whom you confide in for support is to ask that they remain at your disposal and not badger you with questions like ‘How is it going?’ everyday. You don’t want your support team to be a hindrance in trying to reach your goals, but a help. And one other thing. If you the courage to do it, make a deal with them and yourself in that if you ever decide you may want to have ‘just one’ cigarette that you MUST call each and every one of them and tell them you’ve decided to continue smoking. Make it through all your support ‘legs’ without being talked out of doing something silly like that and I would be quite surprised.

Get the right support and you will be free.

Tags: Quit Smoking, best way to stop smoking, stop smoking

A very misunderstood relaxation and self-help subject is hypnotherapy. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for this misconception is the prevalence of stage hypnosis and the relative obscurity of self-help hypnosis. During all stage sessions, participants are pre-qualified, and only the most suggestible subjects are actually brought onto stage for the performance.

The second common misconception is that people believe a hypnotist can force them to do strange things like clucking like a chicken. The fact is that a hypnotherapist can’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do, or are incapable of doing. If it’s against your nature, you won’t do it, hypnotized or not. The subjects on stage performing outrageous acts are uninhibited and outgoing by nature, and that’s why they’re on stage in the first place.

Hypnosis is little more than guided relaxation, nothing more. That’s it. It’s not a paranormal therapy, but it can be very effective for certain participants when used for self help purposes. The objective with hypnotherapy is to alter your state of consciousness so that you’re brain is more open to suggestion. The hypnotherapist can then speak some pre-approved affirmations that will be more readily accepted by your brain.

Another way to look at hypnosis is that it’s positive affirmations or positive self-talk made when the mind is relaxed. So there’s nothing mysterious about hypnosis. If you understand meditation, you understand hypnosis, i.e. leading your body and mind into a relaxed state.

Some people are more prone to suggestion than others and some people are naturally averse to hypnosis altogether. As a hypnosis subject, I’m a nightmare. After six months of failed attempts at being hypnotized, I finally recorded my own voice and hypnotized myself. About one out of five people will likely be resistant to hypnosis.

Smoking in particular is a good candidate for hypnotherapy because much of the addiction is psychological, and that is an area the self-hypnosis can help you address. After all, smoking, aside from the nicotine, really has little to offer the body, so an open mind should be able to quickly push aside cravings when the curtains are pulled back.

At the very least, hypnosis will help you balance yourself, relax, and lower stress levels. If you are a smoker, a hypnosis smoking cessation program might be exactly what you need, and you can safely participate in one without worrying about clucking at odd hours of the day!

Tags: help to quit, help stop smoking, Quit Smoking

Though it is wise to be prepared for all kinds of difficulties, it is equally important to have a positive attitude to keep up your spirits and strengthen your resolve to Quit Smoking. As the old adage goes ‘Hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.’ You should be aware of the pitfalls but don’t wait for them. Cross the bridge when you come to it. So, in a sense, talking about the possibility of relapses while trying to Quit Smoking is almost inviting them.

The moral of the story is that if you think of handling ’slips’, ‘just ones’ or any ‘accidents’ for that matter, you are going to have them. So, don’t plan for slips; you probably won’t allow them. The thought itself is a great morale booster. So, think positive, and cross the bridge when you come to it. On the contrary, planning for moments of weakness demoralizes you quite a bit.

However, it is equally foolish to delude yourself that you cannot go wrong. So, when the slip does happen, chastise yourself until you feel completely guilty. Let the guilt go deep down so that it becomes a loud resisting voice when temptation strikes again. It is for this reason that support groups are recommended. They help you regain strength to overcome such hurdles.

One or two slips can be overlooked; indeed they should be overlooked as aberrations. But, if by chance the slips are occurring too often, it is time to be honest with yourself and admit your failure. Honesty gives you immense strength; delusion makes you weak. Acknowledge the fact that you have failed and start again.

If you are continually ’slipping’ you are doing yourself more harm than good because the ‘just ones’ are eventually going to turn into what you used to smoke or more. Believe me, it happens every time.

If continual slips are occurring, you are better off to realize what is happening and admit to yourself that you have failed this time. And that’s okay, because it is better that you admit it, write this attempt off, and go back to finding the information and incentives you need to quit successfully than to relapse slowly back into oblivion. Better to realize that you have missed your target this time around and get back on a new and better course than to continue on smoking for the next twenty years.

Have the mental strength to be successful.

Darren Warmuth

Tags: i Quit Smoking, help to quit, best way to stop smoking

It’s the first three days that people find the most difficult regardless of the smoking cessation method they’ve chosen. This is due to the fact that it is in those 72 hours when the nicotine leaving your body is felt the greatest. This can lead to feelings of irritabililty, fatigue, and a persistent headache - all perfectly normal symptoms of withdrawal.

The good news is that if you prepare mentally for your quit day, many of the symptoms will not make you feel like you have to lock yourself in a closet. Letting friends and family members know that today is your quit day (if you feel they would be a help and not a hindrance) would be a good idea and since it’s common knowledge about how people act when they stop smoking, you may just get the to house to yourself for the day.

Keep in mind, that by making plans in advance on how you are going to handle these symptoms, it can really help if they present themselves. What are you going to feel? What are the symptoms of withdrawal? You may want to include these things on your list:

Feeling angry or agitated: I will take deep breaths and take a walk outside. I will leave the room or go take a shower.

Feeling overly emotional or sensitive: I will find a few moments for myself.

Feeling tired: I will allow myself to be able to rest and heal from my addiction.

Feeling nauseated: I will eat an apple or ginger (helps with nausea).

After I eat I will: Find something to do so I don’t crave the ‘after-dinner’ cigarette.

Drinking lots and lots of fluids, especially water, is a great way to clear the nicotine from your system as the fluids will metabolize your body’s chemical stores. Side effects, at worse, are more frequent bathroom breaks and a water-logged stomach. The upside is that the faster the nicotine leaves your system, the sooner the physical symptoms will subside.

A few things can make the withdrawal symptoms stronger rather than weaker. Caffeine may be one of those. But not for all people. Every situation is unique. Best to judge for yourself. If you are finding that caffeinated drinks are causing you cravings, you should cut down drastically or quit altogether.

Just be careful not to overload your willpower by giving up too many things at once. Perhaps just cut back slowly on the caffeine in the beginning and replace those types of drinks with things that will help rid your body of the nicotine, like fruit juices and water.

Sleep, or the lack of it, is another common side effect of stopping smoking. It doesn’t seem to matter how tired you are during the day, a good sound sleep can be elusive as your mind doesn’t seem to want to shut down, nor can you find a comfortable position in which to rest.

Taking a nice hot shower or a soothing bath, just prior to going to bed can be very helpful and can help you become relaxed enough to fall asleep. Normally, this will only last one or two nights at the most, but if it becomes persistent, you may want to consider taking an over-the-counter sleep aid for a night or two. Your sleeplessness won’t last for long.

Tags: help to quit, best way to stop smoking, stop smoking

Professional help and getting the best possible treatment is critical in giving you the best possible opportunity to overcome an addiction to alcohol or drugs.

It is critical however that you understand (and I say this time and time again) - that any alcohol or drug treatment center you go to - is only the starting point to the process of recovery.

Remember that going through a drug and alcohol rehab program is only for a few weeks, sometimes longer, so there is only that much you can do. Its main job is to clean and sober for those first few hardest weeks and to provide you with the armoury to cope once you leave. Your ultimate success though is purely dependant on the effort you put into maintaining your recovery after leaving treatment.

I read a good analogy on another website - choosing a drug and alcohol rehab program is a bit like choosing a gym. Sure you get better one’s than others - but ultimately your success is determined by the energy and determination you put into it.

Ultimately though - I believe any form of treatment program is only as good as the preparation it provides you with for when you leave. And that’s why I believe a 12-step based program makes the ideal treatment because it provides you with a proven path to follow after rehab.

Many point at high relapse rates to question the effectiveness of drug and alcohol rehab programs. The reason for that is not that addiction treatment programs don’t work - but because many addicts just aren’t prepared to do what they need to in terms of doing the work necessary to maintain their sobriety once they leave.

So the key thing to look for when choosing any drug or alcohol rehab program - is what program or path do they recommend you follow once you leave? What support do they provide? Or are you just going to be left to fend for yourself.

At least if you decide on going the 12-step based treatment program route - you know you’ll have a clear and proven path to follow. And so how successful you are boils down to one person - and that is YOU. So remember when making your decision on choosing any form of drug and alcohol rehab program - to think big picture and long-term. Not just the immediate benefits it provides.

Tags: help stop smoking, best way to stop smoking, stop smoking