If you've been a smoker for any length of time, you've given thought to quitting. Why haven't you? Because you keep making excuses like "Now's not a good time for me" or "I need to lose some weight first." You know exactly what I mean because if you haven't said these words, you know someone who has.
In order to quit the first thing you need to do is to write down exactly what the goal is you are after and come up with all the reasons why you want it. Once you've done this also make a note of all the excuses why you can't achieve your goal.
Just putting excuses down on paper so that they are something solid you can see is enough to make some people look at how silly they really are. For others, they may have to analyze their list of excuses and figure out why they believe these reasons to be true. Usually it is due to repetition. You've been telling yourselves for years that these are the reasons why you smoke, and if you tell yourself something enough times, eventually it will become an ingrained belief, whether it is the truth or not.
I've listed some of the more common excuses here, but ultimately it is your responsiblity to list EVERY reason you think keeps you smoking.
"If I quit smoking, I'll gain weight."
Really? Would you believe that it has been shown that we are better off healthwise to be 70+ pounds overweight than to continue smoking. Of course that doesn't give us the excuse to binge. Yes it is true that some people do put on a few pounds when giving up smoking, however there is healthy alternatives to your diet which will help alleviate this. Just keep in mind to snack on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, not chocolate bars and pretzels.
"I enjoy smoking too much to quit."
Not to point out the painfully obvious, but if that's true, why are you looking at information on how to quit smoking? Don't take it personally. I remember when I used to make the very same statement. Of course the major problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that the more you make statements such as this, the more deeply ingrained the beliefs become. So the time has come to be honest with yourself. Be truthful now. Is smoking something you really enjoy or just a lie you've convinced yourself of? Do you really like the stale smell of cigarette smoke in your car; your hair; your clothes? No really, what is it that you think smoking brings to your life that's beneficial. Write your answers down and I think you'll find everything is silly and you don't really like smoking at all.
Now don't take those statements as viscious or cruel. In no way are they meant to be that way. What they are meant to be is a wake up call - and one that I needed as well. If, as smokers, we keep making excuses as to why we continue the habit, the outcome is that we will remain addicted to the nicotine. And the sooner we realize this reality, the easier quitting will be.
You have what it takes to beat those lies, once and for all. - 15359
In order to quit the first thing you need to do is to write down exactly what the goal is you are after and come up with all the reasons why you want it. Once you've done this also make a note of all the excuses why you can't achieve your goal.
Just putting excuses down on paper so that they are something solid you can see is enough to make some people look at how silly they really are. For others, they may have to analyze their list of excuses and figure out why they believe these reasons to be true. Usually it is due to repetition. You've been telling yourselves for years that these are the reasons why you smoke, and if you tell yourself something enough times, eventually it will become an ingrained belief, whether it is the truth or not.
I've listed some of the more common excuses here, but ultimately it is your responsiblity to list EVERY reason you think keeps you smoking.
"If I quit smoking, I'll gain weight."
Really? Would you believe that it has been shown that we are better off healthwise to be 70+ pounds overweight than to continue smoking. Of course that doesn't give us the excuse to binge. Yes it is true that some people do put on a few pounds when giving up smoking, however there is healthy alternatives to your diet which will help alleviate this. Just keep in mind to snack on healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, not chocolate bars and pretzels.
"I enjoy smoking too much to quit."
Not to point out the painfully obvious, but if that's true, why are you looking at information on how to quit smoking? Don't take it personally. I remember when I used to make the very same statement. Of course the major problem, as I mentioned earlier, is that the more you make statements such as this, the more deeply ingrained the beliefs become. So the time has come to be honest with yourself. Be truthful now. Is smoking something you really enjoy or just a lie you've convinced yourself of? Do you really like the stale smell of cigarette smoke in your car; your hair; your clothes? No really, what is it that you think smoking brings to your life that's beneficial. Write your answers down and I think you'll find everything is silly and you don't really like smoking at all.
Now don't take those statements as viscious or cruel. In no way are they meant to be that way. What they are meant to be is a wake up call - and one that I needed as well. If, as smokers, we keep making excuses as to why we continue the habit, the outcome is that we will remain addicted to the nicotine. And the sooner we realize this reality, the easier quitting will be.
You have what it takes to beat those lies, once and for all. - 15359
About the Author:
Click here for more of Darren's tips on how to stop smoking. You can also see some independent reviews of the best quit smoking aids here.
