As a long term, habitual smoker, I am probably the wrong person to be talking to anybody about Smoking Cessation. However, it might just be that, by writing this, I could improve my own chances for a successful result the next time that I try to quit my smoking habit.
Why Should I Stop?
This is the crux of my personal problem over smoking. I do not really believe it is a problem. OK, I know very well that the cigarette smoke that I daily draw down into my lungs contains a couple of thousand chemical compounds that have the potential to harm me. But, somehow, I seem to convince myself that the harm will never strike me. Even writing that makes me think – “boy, do I need help or what!”
How Could I Stop?
Cold turkey is possibly the only way to really achieve a successful Smoking Cessation but it is also the way that requires either the most will power or the highest motivation. If a doctor tells you that you will be dead within a year if you do not stop smoking. Or if a friend makes a large bet with you that you cannot stop. These can form the motivational push that you need.
In the absence of either of the above push factors, I have tried a few of the commercial aids for Smoking Cessation but, either they were not very good or I lost the motivation to finish the course and be smoke free thereafter. This brings me back full circle to the point where, I know that I should stop, but I need a Smoking Cessation program that can actually motivate me to the point where I really do want to succeed.
Motivation
It may well be that the likes of hypnosis or acupuncture can either replace motivation or, actually provide it. However, as I do not know anyone in my locality offering such Smoking Cessation services, I have never tried them.
In the absence of any other thoughts, I had more or less resigned myself to being a lifelong smoker. However, hope may be in sight. A colleague at work was having his usual rant about my disappearance out of the building for a cigarette break – this guy knows me well enough to know that I have tried several times to quit already. However, instead of his usual cracks about my lack of willpower, he asked me if I had ever heard of any Smoking Cessation programs that can be accessed online and are individually formulated to meet each different smoker’s circumstances?
Apparently, this type of program is somewhat psychological in approach and digs out the subconscious reasoning behind a smoker’s apparent refusal to quit. It is claimed that this knowledge will provide the motivation to complete the program then provided for you. I willdefinitely be checking this one out.