A few months ago I promised to document my journey of quitting smoking...
Then... I failed... and I also failed to document it...
It is hard to document failure. The reward just isn't there or so, it doesn't feel that way. It's hard enough being hard on yourself... let alone documenting how bad you suck and posting it publicly...
But...
It is also hard to quit smoking, and thus... for a time... I had failed at that too... Quite miserably in fact.
I also learned the valuable lesson that... if I had documented my failure I might have reached the place where I currently am a lot faster.
That is okay though - because we still got here.
Where is HERE?
Oh... well... that place is SMOKE FREE... TODAY!!!
Was it hard? ABSOLUTELY...
Are me and 
Wave after wave after wave after wave - all of them increasing in strength - lack of sleep. Nicotine and other poisons are really addicting... did you know?
I just can't seem to stomach the $600 a month we were spending on smokes.
I can't seem to stick with the idea of not being able to breathe with my COPD later in life.
I am NOT down for cancer if I can help it... that sounds terrible...
The funny thing about this is:
None of these things actually MATTERED...
If there were a couple of tips I could give someone for how to get this far, they would be these:
Tips For Quitting Smoking (working for me)
Things are different for everyone, but these are the things I used to prepare for the fight and get through the first couple of days (they are the hardest).
Stop Smoking Tip #1: Cut Down First...
Make sure to cut down slowly first (just extend the period between cigarettes each time).
If you don't cut down first, your withdrawals will probably crush you. This will result in falling back to square one. Increase your chances of success by cutting down. While you do, prepare yourself mentally by doing the exercise below...
Stop Smoking Tip #2: Prepare Yourself Mentally...
While you're cutting back, start preparing yourself mentally by imagining your life without smoking. Imagine yourself as a non-smoker. What would life be like? How would it be better?
Until you can visualize it in your head - it will remain nearly impossible to do. You can try to 'will' yourself into not smoking as much as you want, but the subconscious mind can't accept negative commands.
For example: If I tell you not to think of a blue balloon, what do you think of?
What if I tell you again and again?
Don't think of a blue balloon!
Don't think of a blue balloon!
Don't think of a blue balloon!
Don't think of a blue balloon!
What are you thinking of?
A blue balloon... duh...
Even if you shuffled the thought out of your head quickly, for at least a moment it was real. You could have nearly reached out and popped it!
If you do the same thing when you're trying to quit smoking (or any addiction for that matter - even a bad relationship), you will end up doing the exact opposite of what you want...
Basically, you'll just be dangling it in front of your face.
Instead of doing that, replace those thoughts with the better, non-smoking life you want to live. Then move on to the next tip...
Stop Smoking Tip 3: Replace your old behavior....
I was once writing an article about 'how to train your dog at home.' While I was doing research, I stumbled upon something called Pavlov's Conditioning.
This simple, psychological discovery happened by accident. Basically, they were running tests in a lab with a dog. They were testing to see how much the dog would salivate when given a 'meat powder.' Each day, the assistant would come in and provide the powder to the dog from down the hall.
The scientist running the study noticed that the dog began to salivate when it heard the assistant's footsteps coming from down the hall. This meant that the dog had a physical reaction to the stimuli of sound (footsteps), which would usually be completely unrelated to his reaction to salivate.
To find out if this was really what was happening and if it was replicable, the scientist proceeded to replace the sound of the footsteps with a bell. He would ring the bell and then present the 'meat powder' to the dog.
After doing this a while, the dog would salivate when the bell was rung, proving the scientist's theory. That scientist's name was Ivan Pavlov.
So, how the heck can we use this to stop smoking?
It's more about understanding what is happening to us, and then adjusting our mindset accordingly. When the dog was presented the 'meat powder' the 'meat powder' is the reward and the bell is the trigger.
Our reward... our 'meat powder'.. is a cigarette...
The bell... or the trigger... is one of the many smoking triggers: Eating, drinking, driving, waking up, stressing, celebrating, having fun, being sad, being angry, finishing something, starting something, and any of the other thousands of triggers we have to smoke.
In the case of the dog... the trigger/footsteps were replaced for the trigger/bell, simply to prove that conditioning was possible.
In the case of YOU... we have to replace the reward. This means we replace 'smoking' with working out, meditating, chewing gum, chewing a toothpick, going for a jog, writing, drawing, knitting, or whatever you can come up with to STOP YOURSELF FROM GIVING IN!
Stop Smoking Tip #4: Surf The Urge...
At some point, after you've cut back and prepared yourself, you'll give up smoking completely. Do yourself a favor...
...DON'T BREAK WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH!!!
Smoking even ONE single cigarette will take you right back to square one. You will have to go through ALL the withdrawals - ALL over again...
Trust me... I tried this... You may have experienced this yourself.
Just trust me when I say, the first three days are the hardest (some people say 5, but I think when you cut back first it gets a lot easier).
When you struggle, just remember: If you are committed to quitting, you'll just have to start again. It will only be easier tomorrow. It will be even easier the next day, and before you know it - you'll be smoke-free!
Keep visualizing your happy, breathe-easy, smell-great, taste-everything, immuno-improved, circulation-improved (great for the men - and their ladies), heart-disease-risk-reduced, blood-pressure.....
You get the picture!
Stop Smoking Tip #5: Tell People You Quit... After You Do...
Once you make it through your first day without collapsing.. start telling people at the stores you shop at that you quit smoking...
Ya... they remember you... they pull the pack down from the top of the counter in preparation for you to arrive...
You smile and say....
"Not today! I quit!"
"Good for you!" Says the cashier. He is truly excited for you, but not as excited as you. :)
Hope this helps someone out.
Believe in yourself!