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Last issue, I discussed the importance of knowing what you
are quitting for and keeping the "prize" of
quitting foremost in your thoughts.
This issue, I want you to delve into your addiction and
determine to what part or parts of smoking you are addicted.
When did you start smoking? Were you young? Why did you start? To be cool? To fit in?
I bet you didn't start smoking to get a nicotine fix. When
you first started smoking it was probably
because your friends were doing it, you
were curious or felt pressured to try it, so you smoked
just to smoke. Pretty soon though, smoking became something
more for you--it became a part of your life. And this was
a part that you probably found yourself regretting very soon after you realized that you "needed" cigarettes.
After the "coolness" wore off and you decided
maybe your parents *were* right--smoking
wasn't very glamorous--where did you find
yourself then? Did you try to quit, but you felt sick if
you didn't smoke another? Did you miss your cigarettes or your
smoking breaks? Did you find yourself nervous and fidgety, not knowing what to do with your hands?
All these symptoms of withdrawal give you clues into your addiction.
In fact they help you answer the question, "What's your addiction?"
Every smoker is addicted to a slightly different combination of
what I'll call "stimulants." I don't use this
in the "drug" sense of the word.
Instead, what I mean by stimulants is the addictive
property or addictive "thing" that hooks
you into smoking and keeps you there, locked in its grip.
What grips you and hooks you? That's what you must endeavor
to uncover. What do you *like* about smoking? What good do
you find in it? Write it down. Understand it.
If you dig deep, very deep, you'll probably find stimulants
that you didn't expect to find.
Do you like the fire from the match or lighter? Do you find yourself in a Humphrey Bogart movie every time you cover
your hand to protect your match from the wind? Is smoking still a way for you to rebel against your parents? society?
Are
you calmed by the chemicals? Does smoking suppress your
appetite and keep you trim? Do you need something in your
hands and mouth? Are you unpleasantly lonely if you don't have a pack of cigarettes in your pocket? Are you often bored
with life, except when you smoke? Is your mind made clearer when you light up? Do you feel irregular if you don't get
your
cigarettes?
What does smoking do for you? Yes, it can give
you "positive" experiences, or so you think. The
problem is that you have
conditioned your mind and body, through prolonged exposure
to smoking, to experience positive,
even euphoric, feelings when
you smoke. Non-smokers don't experience the roller-coaster
ride of the high and lows. Instead they maintain a much
higher
level of "well-being", most all the time. They
don't need a cigarette to relax--they
just learn how to relax naturally.
The great news for you
today is that you can learn to replace cigarettes with
other "things" that
give you the positive experiences. You can learn to
relax; you can learn to clear your mind
in far more productive ways, than smoking. Finding
replacements for your addictions is a topic for another
email, but I know you can begin to do this yourself.
Here's some simple steps to take now to learn what you are addicted to and then to combat your addiction
1. For two days, every time you smoke, pay attention to and write down, the feelings you had just prior to smoking
each
cigarette. Were you tired? Bored? Hungry? Fidgety?
2. Write down the "good" that you feel came from
smoking that particular cigarette. Did it help you relax? Ease your
boredom? Help you wake up? Fall asleep?
3. Study your list. You'll probably notice a pattern very quickly.
4. Be creative and find things to distract you when you
notice
yourself having a feeling that brings on the desire for a
smoke.
5. In addition to distracting yourself, you should find replacements for the "good" that you get from smoking.
If you
smoke to relax, figure out how to relax without a cigarette.
If you smoke to clear your mind, figure out how to clear your
mind
without a cigarette.
6. Remember, this ain't easy, so don't feel bad if the solutions don't come right away. This does take work and frustration
is
normal!
Good luck in understanding "What's your addiction?"
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