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Steps To Quit Smoking
Question:
I'm hoping for some advice on how to start the process of quitting smoking. I decided about 2 weeks ago that I want/need to quit smoking, but I cannot seem to actually get the ball rolling. I am a senior in college nd currently in the last few weeks of this semester, which means a lot of work, and a lot of stress. I find that I am so used to having a smoke at certain times of the day that I cannot resist it. Almost every night I decide that the next day will be smoke free, but I find that I light up as soon as I'm out the door the next morning. I have plenty of reasons to quit and I know that they make sense in my head... I'm convinced that I want to stop smoking, I just have no willpower when it comes down to it. It seems like every situation calls for a cig... between classes, on the way to work or school, after a test, on my break at work, out at a party or bar w/many of my friends who smoke... I can't control my enviornment, but I can't control myself either! My brain tells me no, but my body tells me yes... and I light up every time. Any advice on how to get started with quitting?

Answer:
First of all, don't be too hard on yourself about the lack of willpower. It's a physical addiction, and if it were that easy to quit, everyone would. I really think the first step is to accept that you cannot mentally control the physical cravings. I've quit three times. Both previous times I used the nicotine patch, which I thought was helping at the time, but realize now that it didn't help at all. I've smoked since I was 14 years old, and I'm now 31. I never smoked a whole lot according to other smokers (about 5-7 cigarettes per day) but it was enough for me to get hopelessly hooked. The first couple of tries, I told myself I was going to quit smoking cigarettes. I even lasted almost two years the first time!! Everyone is different, so instead of telling you what you *should* do, I'll tell you what I'm doing that's working this time. Here's what finally worked for me: -First, instead of mentally deciding to quit smoking cigarettes, I mentally decided that I was a nicotine addict, and that I would quit nicotine. Cigarettes were just the delivery method of choice, which meant no patches, either! -Second, I realized that I am an addict. And hey! No fair! Drug and alcohol addicts get all kinds of support, some even get to go away for a few days for detox or rehab! Why is nicotine different? So, I decided that I would take the addiction THAT seriously, and I wouldn't try to do it alone. I started looking for support groups (like this chat room), and other resources. -This next step is probably the Numero Uno most effective part. I teamed up with my cupuncturist. THIS IS HUGE. Together, we set a date, several months in advance, that I would quit forever. We picked Nov 8th, it has some significance for me. On Nov 7th, at the end of the day, I went to see her. She gave me this really intensive and very long treatment, and sent me home with little bbs taped to my ears. She also gave me a couple bottles of herb tablets that are designed to keep my stress and cravings at a minimum. This treatment method is proven so effective for relieving addiction that courts actually force some criminal drug addicts now to choose between this acupuncture treatment and jail time. -One of the big mental assists I have is to remember that physical cravings actually only last a minute or two. REALLY. So, if you can white-knuckle through that first 60-90 seconds of that "give-me-a-f*cking-cigarette-or-I'll-kill-you!!" feeling, you'll be fine. And they get weaker every time. -Some other daily things I did was to drink a tremendous amount of mineral water every day, and stay mentally focused during the first three days on the understanding that I was in detox. -I don't care about weight gain, and neither should you for the first couple months. Seriously. You'll have so much energy that you'll burn it right off as soon as you get past the hard part. Set yourself a date on which you promise to start monitoring your weight. Till then, DON'T. -A lot of people say you should throw all cigarettes and evidence of cigarettes away. This works against me personally, but everyone is different. I prefer to have a pack around (though I do clean out my ashtrays and all that), so I can remember that this is a personal fight, between myself and myself, not between myself and the clerk at the nearest liquor store.