Kick Smoking NOW in 10 Easy Steps

Discover How to Permanently Stop Smoking Quickly, Easily and Painlessly TODAY

By Planning, Preparing and Taking the Right Action

Copyright First Published in 2012 by www.Lulu.com

2nd Edition 2017

Copyright © 2017 by Jackie Hill. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of Jackie Hill

ISBN: 978-1-291-22233-3

Acknowledgement

A big thank you to all the people I’ve worked with who are now set free from the bondage of

smoking. Without them I could not have written this book.

Introduction

Most people who smoke tobacco find it extremely difficult to stop, and my guess is that

because you’ve picked up this book, you are one of these people. Despite being bombarded

with all the health risks attached to smoking and the enormous amount of help that is

available to people who want to stop smoking, why is it still so difficult for many people to

stop? There are numerous websites on the internet, some with graphic pictures and life stories

of people who have suffered smoking related illnesses, of amputations, artificial voice boxes,

and tarred lungs. There are endless lists of health and therapeutic services aimed at helping

individuals to stop smoking, there is hypnotherapy, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming),

acupuncture, herbalists, homeopathic remedies, reflexology, aromatherapy to name just a

few, and then of course there is NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy), electronic cigarettes

and prescription drugs such as Chamtix and Zyban. Even the National Health Service are

offering advice kits you can get through the post and of course there are the National Stop

Smoking days. We all know smoking is bad for you, and we all know, albeit deep down,

there are no benefits to smoking whatsoever, even the people who manufacture it and sell it

to you, the tobacco companies, state a health warning on the packet. So why is there still so

much confusion and myths around smoking and even more importantly WHY is it so

difficult to stop?

Well I believe in this book you will find the answer to that question, and you’ll also find out

HOW to stop smoking. Over the years I’ve helped many people stop smoking, and in treating

and listening to them, I have discovered the many snares, snags, and struggles that they

encounter when tackling their smoking addiction. And addiction it is. Scientists have

confirmed that nicotine is the fastest addictive drug there is (quicker than heroin) yet I have

found that generally speaking there are a large proportion of smokers who do not accept this

and deny the addictive quality of cigarettes and tobacco. Maybe it’s because of all the

negative connotations and stigma that gets attached to the word “addiction”. Often when we

suggest that someone is addicted to a drug, it conjures up images of “drug addicts” “junkies”

and generally most people do not want to see themselves in those terms. So for those reasons,

it may be that those people would prefer not to believe that nicotine is addictive, and

subsequently believe they are not drug addicts. However, this perspective then presents them

with a problem. As they then are left to believe that smoking is purely habitual, in which case

they should be able to stop smoking relatively easy through their own willpower. So they

embark on a well-intentioned decision to just stop, and rely on their self-control to see them

through. Guess what? This usually ends in failure.

When willpower fails them, as is often the case, the usual pattern then becomes one of self-

blame and inadequacy. Feelings of failure, feeling useless, weak, and guilt all become

common-place. Add to those feelings, the sense of social un-acceptance (after all smoking

was okay and even fashionable at one point until recently), and now that no one is unaware of

the serious health risks, it comes as no surprise to find that many people who smoke feel

uncomfortable, even desperate to kick the habit, and cannot understand that despite strong

efforts, they just cannot stop smoking, or if they do, it’s often for a short while before they

start smoking again. This course of action becomes soul destroying.

Then there are also those people who accept nicotine is addictive and in doing so they may

believe that being the case there is little point in fighting the drug, as it will win in the end

anyway. There is almost this surrender to the power of the drug, believing that to try to stop

will just lead to failure anyway so they might as well carry on smoking, and overcome their

feelings of weakness by kidding themselves that they enjoy it. Trying to conquer it feels like

it is just too hard, simply impossible and so it’s best to resign oneself to being a lifelong

smoker and make the most of it.

Then there are those who fall between the devil and the deep blue sea. Confused, not

knowing what to believe or which way to turn for help and not understanding why everything

they try seems to fail them.

Lets face it, the fact is that smoking is BIG business, and offers huge revenues for the

tobacco industry, and smoking paraphernalia manufacturers (pipes, lighters, matches and so

on), whose financial interests lay in getting you hooked in the first place, AS WELL as the

financial gain there is to be made from the “we have the cure” brigade, which includes drug

companies selling you their NRT products (nicotine gum, patches and pills), and

prescription drugs to GP surgeries, and of course, E-Cigarettes after all they’re not cheap

are they? Plus there are countless therapies, and so on, to help you get unhooked! No wonder

it’s confusing and full of pitfalls, or should I say snares, snags and struggles. After all, who

do you trust!

I believe that there is no ‘ONE’ easy way or single way to stop smoking. The only person

who knows how to stop is YOU. It’s you and no one else, who holds the key to unlocking

the cell door to your nicotine addiction and it’s only you that can set yourself free from the

cycle of enslavement. There are many experts out there in the world who claim they have

found the way to stop smoking, some claim it is easy, some claim you can do it in just a few

days or even hours. I am not disputing their claims, as lets face it, it worked for them and so

can possibly work for others, and for many it does. What they have found is THEIR way,

and so within each therapy, each theory there will be little gold nuggets of truth that will

apply to you. The extent of how much truth applies to you, depends on your own

psychological make-up, life experiences and your perspective on how you see the world.

The reason why I believe there is no single cure for smoking, and why a lot of different

therapies and methods may work for just a while, is because they have treated the issue of

smoking from a perspective of only dealing with the physical withdrawal of nicotine and

mental dependency of habit, (a conditional response to situations). People become

emotionally attached to smoking and it is this issue that needs to be dealt with if they wish to

become permanent non-smokers.

When I work with people who smoke I believe it is vitally important to access the underlying

cause of their emotional dependency on smoking and deal with it. This I believe is the root of

the problem. To just treat the physical symptoms of withdrawal, and change habits, is a bit

like weeding the garden but leaving the root of the weed in the ground only to spout up again

in a few weeks or months time.

As human beings every single one of us is a unique individual. We all have a unique DNA

structure, we are all genetically different, we all have a different experience of upbringing,

and we all have developed different coping mechanisms and as smokers we all smoked for

different reasons, and subsequently our motives for stopping smoking are different in each

and every one of us. Yes, there may be similarities, but at the end of the day, no one is in

your skin, or knows your thoughts, your beliefs, experiences your feelings other than you.

Therefore, it seems illogical to believe there is a number 1, 100% cure for all out there – a

one size fits all.

In writing this book, it is may aim to encourage you to seek the 100% cure from your

addition to smoking from the inside – from your own mind. This is how I work with

individuals, guiding and enabling them to unlock the hidden depths of their owns minds to

find the answers as to why they feel dependant on tobacco products and what keeps them

longing for cigarettes even when the physical withdrawal symptoms are long gone.

It is my hope that this book will help you start that process of seeking answers from within,

and will enlighten you as to what you need to do to quit smoking for good. Take from this

book those nuggets of gold that hold truth for you. My aim is to help you dispel the confusion

and myths around smoking and avoid making those all too common mistakes. The objective

is to learn to trust your own mind, so that you can be guided as to where the pitfalls lie for

you, and by following the guidelines in this book, you have the tools and the knowledge to

overcome victoriously. In following the solutions I’ve suggested I guarantee you will get the

results you want… the question is are you prepared to do them?

How to Use This Book This book contains 10 easy steps, and within each step there is a list of things to avoid and

solutions. The best approach is to start reading at the beginning and work through each step.

As you go through highlight the areas that really speak to you and apply the solutions.

Afterwards you can easily access them to refresh your mind. If you become aware of any

underlying issues during this process such as low self-esteem or unsettling emotions, don’t

suffer in silence, seek professional advice from a counsellor or therapist to help you deal with

them.

Step 1 – Are YOU Ready to Make a Commitment to Stop Smoking?

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and

creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely

commits oneself, then providence moves too.” ~ W. H. Murray, from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951)

To start out on any journey you must have a destination in mind – unless of course, you are

an explorer, in which case your journey is one of unpredictability, uncertainty and discovery.

However, if you were planning to travel to a designated destination then it would make sense

to prepare for the journey properly, so that you could arrive safely and without wasting time

or fuel. You would find out beforehand, information about your destination so that you had

realistic expectations as to what to expect when you get there, and you would work out a

route and itinerary of your journey and how long it would take you to get there. It is likely

you would have a map and maybe a GPS, you may even have a compass, and you would

have appropriate vehicle to travel in if your journey was some distance away. You would

make sure you had enough energy (fuel for your vehicle, and food and water for yourself)

and you would calculate the shortest and easiest route (unless you wanted to sight see). It is

likely you would take with you some tools just in case you encountered obstacles or

experienced difficulties, and you would probably tell friends and relatives when and where

you were going.

Why is then that many people decide to quit smoking totally unprepared and then frustrated

and disappointed to find that they fail to reach their destination?

Commitment and good preparation are keys to achieving success whatever your goal. Having

a clear goal in mind, with realistic expectations, and the steps to get there are vital. It is futile

to attempt any personal journey to a desired designation without having a bullet proof plan

with a contingency element in case of emergencies.

In this chapter I will unpack with you what exactly it means to make a commitment to stop

smoking - it’s important not to skip this section as it will remain the foundation stone of your

journey as a non-smoker.

What is a Commitment?

Often people get this confused with making a decision. A simple way of how to explain this

is the classic New Year resolution. Let’s say a person has the desire to stop smoking, and

may initially express determination, and because they decide to choose the New Year

tradition, there is a definitive cut-off point from the old behaviour.

All good stuff you may think. However, without commitment and goal setting, it’s all a waste

of time. Zig Ziglar puts it this way “New Year resolutions are nothing more than

confessions”. And he is right. If you are serious about stopping smoking, then don’t stop at

just making a decision and rely on willpower to see you through - this is just wishful

thinking. Instead make a commitment to yourself, through thick or thin that you will see this

through whatever the difficulties you face. In failing to make a commitment to yourself to

stop smoking, you are in effect doomed to failure.

A commitment means a promise, a personal vow, to yourself that you ARE a non-smoker, no

matter how difficult or hard the journey is, you intend to arrive at your destination. As long as

you have the commitment to stop smoking no matter what, you will be able to access power

you already have to achieve that purpose. That power is within your mind which has infinite

resources for you to tap into. It is the same power that turns dreams into reality. By making a

commitment to yourself to stop smoking once and for all, your inner strength and resources

will serve you, your innate wisdom and intuition will help and support you, and your energy

will flow and direct you along the way.

If you listen to your emotions or thoughts you will fail. Becoming a successful permanent

non-smoker is not about feelings or what you think. It is about being committed NOT to

listen to what your thoughts tell you or about how you feel. It’s about CHOICE. When

tempted CHOOSE to stand on your COMMITMENT.

Commitment is about deciding to use the power of your mind and not relying on your

feelings and thoughts. Thoughts of “I can’t” or “it’s too hard” and feelings of needing a

cigarette if indulged will pull you back into the smoking trap. Stand firm, be clear about what

it is you want and you will have the power to overcome.

Commitment is persistence with a purpose - it does 3 things.

It ALWAYS ignites action - you simply cannot be committed to quitting smoking without

taking action.

It means PERSEVERENCE - even when things get tough.

It DEMANDS results… not excuses!

I promise you that if you truly commit to stop smoking and follow through with persistent

action you’ll find you’ll get the results you want.

Commitment is being Single-Minded

Cutting back on the number of cigarettes you smoke is just being double-

minded.

Now that you’ve made a decision and are committed to stop smoking, then stop altogether,

it’s all or nothing. It doesn’t work by gradually cutting down. Health professionals may

advise you to quit smoking by gradually cutting down the cigarettes you smoke each day as a

step towards stopping altogether. In my opinion this approach is full of pitfalls, as you will

still be addicted to nicotine, and whilst you are still smoking it you will be running your life

schedule around when you can have the next cigarette, and worse still is that you are in

danger of subconsciously using cigarettes as a reward, particularly if you experience an off

day and your emotions are affected.

Let me explain what I mean in a little more detail, if you feel you can cut down on smoking,

the message you are giving your mind is that you are in control of smoking (when in fact the

reverse is still true) and you will likely reward your “self-control” by having a cigarette.

When you do this you are entering a vicious circle of self-deception. When it comes to

quitting smoking you simply can’t “have your cake and eat it too” as this will only compound

the problem even more as you will have discovered yet another way to justify smoking to

yourself.

You will also be telling your subconscious mind that you are not really serious about

stopping smoking altogether. Our minds like clear instructions, not hidden and confused

messages, if you want to give your mind the message that you want to live the life of a non-

smoker, then don’t confuse it. A double-minded person receives nothing!

Remember your thoughts and feelings cannot be trusted; they will always deceive you into

smoking. Stand firm on your commitment to win and stop smoking altogether!

Don’t Be Deceived! Dispel these Common Myths about Tobacco that Waver your Commitment.

Accept that nicotine is the fastest addictive drug there is.

A lot of people believe that nicotine is not that addictive, yet there is enough evidence around

to suggest that nicotine is the fastest addictive drug there is, even faster than heroin. You can

become addicted to nicotine by having just one cigarette. Think back to when you first started

smoking and how you initially reacted – did you cough, splutter or may be even felt sick and

dizzy. This is your body’s reaction to poison. Your body was telling you NOT to take

anymore, loud and clear. Nobody enjoys feeling sick, nauseous or dizzy, or being choked.

Ask yourself why you ignored those reactions and continue to smoke? Most people become

“hooked” on cigarettes without even realising it - so do not underestimate the power of

nicotine.

Because societies (and tobacco companies) have attributed social benefits to tobacco

products, most people start smoking to ‘fit in’ to a social group or to acquire those so-called

benefits. In their mistaken belief that smoking would bring about certain qualities in their life,

such as social acceptance, or to ease stress, they created a psychological addiction to nicotine.

They have successfully taught your subconscious mind to believe that smoking hold these

benefits for you. That is why any logical argument fails when trying to convince someone to

stop smoking, because deep down they believe the contrary.

Accept that nicotine is addictive, and that way you will stand firm on your commitment when

your ‘feelings’ tempt you into thinking you can be in control of it.

Smoking “light” brands or menthol flavour cigarettes will not reduce your

nicotine intake!

Don’t be disillusioned. These cigarettes deliver the same amount of nicotine and tar as

ordinary cigarettes because you will smoke as many of these cigarettes as you “need” to meet

the nicotine level that your subconscious mind requires. Don’t take my word for this, I

suggest you test this for yourself by watching someone that smokes these cigarettes, you will

see that they will inhale more frequently and more deeply. Smokeless tobacco products are

the same; they all contain nicotine, and cancer causing chemicals such as formaldehyde, lead,

hydrocarbons and calcium. And remember, cigars and pipes increase the likelihood of

cancers to the lip, tongue and mouth, and the average cigar has as much nicotine as 4

cigarettes. So don’t fall for this trick!

Using nicotine therapy replacement products (NRT)

In using nicotine replacement therapy products (NRT), such as nicotine tablets, gum or

patches, all you are doing is maintaining (and maybe increasing if you are sneaking in the

odd cigarette) the nicotine levels in your body and consequently you are still addicted to

nicotine. And lets face it you are only delaying the inevitable as you will have to stop using

them eventually. You may be eliminating the damage by not having the cancer causing

chemicals that are in cigarettes, but you will still be addicted to nicotine which is a poisonous

alkaloid that forms the base of many insecticides, and one of the most poisonous substances

known to man. Do you realise that just drop of pure nicotine on your tongue would kill you

within a few minutes? Furthermore in my opinion, these products have not been on the

market long enough for any research to be established on any long-term effects, and I know

of several people who are still using these products several years after they stopped smoking

cigarettes. This simply cannot be healthy. These people may have given up cigarettes but they

still are addicted. Remember, once it was okay to chew tobacco rather than smoke it, until it

was discovered there was a link between this and mouth and throat cancers. Smoking is not

just a habit, it is an addiction and there is no substitute for nicotine.

A Commitment Must Come from the Heart

Because of the internal dichotomy the smoker suffers, it comes of no surprise that many

resolve to stop smoking due to pressure from others. Their reasons are usually due to pressure

from work, GP and/or pressure from family and loved ones. When this happens the person

usually feels guilty and ashamed and consequently this triggers them to quit smoking.

Because their motive stems from pleasing others, it can be extra hard for them to tap into the

benefits of stopping smoking for themselves.

If you are quitting smoking to ‘please’ others, be aware that you may develop feelings of

resentment towards the person or people who want you to stop. Whilst you might understand

and accept the reasons why they want you to stop, unless you are totally committed about

why you want to stop and the benefits you’ll receive for YOURSELF… then you run the

risk of failing.

The only person who can stop you from smoking is you, and it has to be your desire and your

belief that enables you to succeed. Remember it is okay not to commit to something - these

are YOUR desires and YOUR commitments - no one else’s. Never commit to something

because you think you ‘should’ or it’s what’s expected. It doesn’t matter what other people

think. Take a look deep inside what is truly in YOUR heart and ask yourself ‘What do YOU

really want. Only when you are clear on this are you ready to commit.

Commitment to Stopping Smoking is NOT a One-Off Event - It is a Process

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

It is important to view commitment as an ongoing process. Every day, and maybe even

several times a day during the early days of a quit programme, it is important to renew your

commitment afresh.

Any commitment, for example, marriage, will not last long if we didn’t frequently re-commit

ourselves on a regular basis. Quitting smoking is the same. Each day give yourself time to

refresh your mind as to why you want to stop smoking and focus on the benefits you are

receiving.

Generally life is becoming more and more busy and full of things we have to do. Despite

labour saving devices and fast technology, the modern culture is to cram more and more into

your day, leaving little or no time to think, or consolidate what you are learning about

yourself. Because of this people are becoming more and more reliant on ‘expert’ advice,

seeking the answer to life’s problems from sources outside of themselves, such as quick fixes

and self-help remedies. In doing this we are in danger of losing the knowledge and insight we

already have inside ourselves – our own minds. It is said that our minds contain infinite

knowledge and that we rarely tap into it. Scientists reckon the average person uses about 5%

of their brain. Imagine for a moment if you could increase that to just 10% how much your

life would change. No-one knows you more than you know yourself, but most of that

knowledge and answers lay hidden from you in your subconscious mind.

The good news is that your subconscious mind wants to bring this information into your

conscious mind, in other words into your awareness so that you can ultimately improve your

life by understanding yourself on a deeper level and why you do the things you do. But you

have to make time for yourself to allow your mind to help you. Cramming your life full to the

brim with external busyness and expert opinion is not enough. There may be grains of truth in

what they say, after all it worked for them, but unless you spend time seeking your own mind

to see if those answers fit for you, then you are missing out on the vast amount of knowledge

you already have.

The way to do this is to make sure you allow some time every day, ideally an hour if you can,

where you can be uninterrupted, during which time you can reflect and meditate on your

relationship with smoking and let your own mind communicate with you. Don’t hurry or rush

this time for you will be amazed at what you will discover about yourself – you are worth it!

Commitment is About Taking the Right Action

Pick a firm start date.

Quite often people will say they will stop smoking tomorrow, or next week, without putting

any planning or thought into it. Impulsive decisions and vague ideas without any planning

and goal setting do not usually bring about success. Therefore be specific, choose a date in

the near future as possible, preferably within 3 to 7 days, for the sooner you get started the

better as we can all be prone to putting things off. This will give you time to get used to the

idea, and let your brain know you mean business this time and are serious that you will never

smoke again. Realise too that the sooner you start the quicker you will reap the benefits from

not smoking, for you are beginning a new exciting phase in your life. After all there are

absolutely no advantages from smoking and you’re giving up smoking related sickness and

premature death caused by smoking. Make sure that you choose a date whereby you can

block out a period of time from your normal routine, perhaps over a weekend or a specified

time away from your workplace so that you can be away from those stressors that are

associated with smoking. Pick a time when you can be free to give time to yourself

especially during those first few days. If you have a busy period coming up and know that

you usually smoke more during these periods wait until that period ends before you set a start

date. Why make it more difficult for yourself?

A Word or Two about Will-Power

Relying on will power alone is one of the biggest mistakes, if not THE BIGGEST mistake

people make when stopping smoking. It might work at first, but soon fizzles out, and has very

poor results as a long-term strategy in smoking cessation. Using will power requires

enormous strength, tremendous effort and creates an internal fight within our mind that is

almost impossible to win. Statistics show that only 6% success rate in stopping smoking

based on willpower alone.

Think of your brain as being like an iceberg. Imagine for a moment that the part of the

iceberg that you see, that which is above the water, represents your conscious mind. This is

the part of the mind which is easily accessible to us – it’s where we store our awareness, and

intellect. It is rational, logical and concise. Now imagine the part of the iceberg that is under

the water, the bit you can’t see, as representing your subconscious or unconscious mind. This

is the part of the mind where our imagination, creativity, and emotions live. The visible part

of the iceberg is much, much smaller than the hidden part, and because we can see it we

know to a large extent that it is there. The larger part that is under the ocean is hidden from

us, and is far more powerful than the top half (remember it was this part of the iceberg that

sunk the Titanic). In the same way, the subconscious mind is far more powerful than the

conscious mind. It is often our emotions, reactions, instincts and fears that lurk beneath the

surface that trip us up, or make life more difficult for us in achieving our goals.

When someone uses will power alone to stop smoking they are using the conscious part of

their mind – their awareness, intellect and what they think they know and understand about

their habit, and they are ignoring the fears, beliefs, and emotions that lay lurking in their

subconscious. Any change at a conscious level triggers resistance in the subconscious, as it

prefers consistency and feels safe with set habits and patterns of behaviour. Change into the

unknown triggers feelings of insecurity and danger and consequently the subconscious mind

fights against change. To explain it another way, have you ever thought you should do

something healthy like go for a walk, and yet didn’t feel like it. This is a simple example of

how your mind is split over a specific issue, on one level you know what you should do, but

another part of you is resisting it. It’s exactly the same when you know the health risks of

smoking, yet continue to smoke.

In taking the will power approach to stopping smoking you are starting an internal conflict

between the conscious and the subconscious, in which the conscious will ultimately be the

loser. It is widely accepted that around 90% of our thoughts are subconscious, and no matter

how hard you try to control your thoughts and feelings the conscious mind will never control

the subconscious. In fact the harder you struggle the deeper the habit becomes. This

monumental struggle eventually causes fatigue and weariness and consequently the

subconscious wins. This is why stopping smoking is so hard for many people, and probably

the number one reason why many people start smoking again after a period of time. They are

simply putting in too much EFFORT.

The good news is that it is possible to harness the power within the subconscious mind to

help you stop smoking. You do this through renewing your mind by changing thoughts,

emotions and beliefs that hold you to smoking. With a different mindset you’ll find quitting

smoking is effort-less…

Recording the journey.

Commit to recording your journey and make notes of your progress, as otherwise you could

miss out on discovering important answers on what psychologically holds you to smoking. It

is impossible to hold everything in your head, so writing it down will enable you to gain

insight and self-awareness with regard to your habits, and the reasons why certain triggers are

difficult for you to resist. Get yourself a notebook, or if you prefer a voice recorder, to record

your daily thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are associated with smoking as you follow

each step outlined in this book. You will have a record of your journey in becoming a non

smoker, and a means by which you can revisit and reflect on the changes you have made.

Don’t underestimate the power of recording your journey, as by the very action of recording

or writing something down, your thoughts become tangible and deeper feelings emerge,

which all helps you make sense of things than you were previously unaware. As you use the

journal, don’t forget to date each entry. You will find that by keeping a journal you’ll have a

valuable tool not only to help you understand yourself better, but also to record the unique

road you have travelled in reaching your goal as a non-smoker – something great to look back

on in the future to remind yourself of your achievement!

Capture the moment when those inspirational thoughts and ideas come into

your mind.

Often things come to us when we least expect it. It could be on waking first thing in the

morning, or whilst walking with the dog, or even waking us up in the middle of the night.

These little gems of revelation or “light bulb” moments as I call them, can easily be lost

forever if we don’t capture them as they happen. Be prepared for this, and keep your

notebook with you at all times. This will enable you to jot down those smoking-related

thoughts and feelings that pop in your head suddenly. You will find that the more you are

focused on your goal, and delve into your mind asking deep questions, your subconscious

mind will be triggered into action and will communicate to you through thoughts and images,

some of which may make sense, others may not, but all are there to enlighten you and bring

you into self-awareness. By writing them down as soon as they happen, you will not forget

them. Later, you can add them to your journal.

Step 2 – Are You Prepared to Quit Smoking? - Creating your Action Plan

“We become what we think about all day long”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s imagine for a moment that you’ve been given the job of organising a friends’ surprise

birthday party, or given a complicated task to complete at work. I’m assuming you’d be

thinking about making an action plan to do that, may be you would write it down, or maybe

you would form a structure of how you would complete those tasks in your head. Depending

on how big and how complicated the task is, would depend on the amount of planning

involved. The obvious logical thing then, is to do the same with any major lifestyle change,

isn’t it? I am always amazed when people make decisions that involve major lifestyle

changes that they seldom do any planning or if they do very little and in a totally unorganised

way.

Writing out an action plan to assist in stopping smoking isn’t a difficult task to do, and it

serves to remind you of the things you have chosen to do instead of smoking cigarettes or

tobacco. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be just a simple list of days, like a calendar,

with intended actions alongside each day. It will help to keep you focused and organised,

providing a structure for your new regime and behaviour.

Setting goals and having an action plan

The secret of successfully attaining your goal or desired outcome, whether it is to stop

smoking or anything else, is to set goals. An action plan without goal setting is at best

haphazard and reliant on chance, and at worse doomed to complete failure.

A simple technique is to sit down quietly with a piece of paper and write down your goal – to

be a non-smoker. Now ask yourself ask yourself how will you possibly achieve your goal,

and allow your mind to focus on the question. Write down any answers that come into your

mind without censoring them. Do this same exercise for 2-3 days. Now look at your answers

and list them in order of priority. Follow this formula to structure your action plan.

Plan Your Quit Day.

Assuming you have made a commitment to quit smoking and come up with a date which is

your Quit Day, it is extremely important to plan ahead what you will do on that day.

Some people start out with great intentions of not smoking, but without a concrete plan of

what they intend to do with their first day they find themselves giving up before the day is

out. To avoid this happening to you, it is crucial that you think about what you will do during

those first few days and write them down in your journal. Maybe you could plan to go away

for a few days, maybe even go to a health centre, or bed and breakfast somewhere. Or

perhaps you would prefer being at home, in which case you may like to get in some DVDs or

new music, or a good book. Whatever you decide make sure you are able to avoid those

situations that trigger your smoking habit.

Be Emotionally Prepared!

Quite often people will make the mistake of equating stopping smoking with deprivation and

misery! It is true you will be depriving your body of the drug nicotine and consequently may

feel a little “deprived” but you don’t have to be miserable. Choose to do something nice and

pleasurable to crowd out those feelings.

Did you know our minds are programmed for pleasure? Think about it for a few moments.

Most of us avoid pain and seek pleasure. If we have a headache, we take a painkiller to take

the pain away. We do not deliberately seek out painful experiences, and build up protective

defence mechanisms to shore up those vulnerable areas in our life to help us feel safe and

secure.

In seeking pleasure your subconscious mind is telling you to smoke, as it will relieve (only

until your next cigarette) those painful withdrawal symptoms. Understand that your mind is

controlled by a drug – nicotine. To deal with this you must make a choice. A choice in line

with your commitment to stop smoking is to replace the ‘pleasure’ of smoking with another

pleasure. This is particularly important during those early days of abstinence when the power

of nicotine is at its strongest.

Your mind will naturally seek ‘pleasure’ and most people who act on will-power alone will

either give in to the nicotine at this point, or indulge in another unhealthy choice such as

overeating especially high sugar, high fat foods such as chocolate, biscuits, cake or other so

called ‘goodies’ to take away the pain of the craving, and to satisfy the sense of not feeling

deprived. Because you have decided to commit to quit smoking and have drawn up an action

plan you will be mentally and physically prepared for this battle. With following the

following advice you will be able to stand on your commitment and make a positive, healthy

choice.

It makes perfect sense to draw up a pleasure list in your journal before Quit Day. Ask

yourself this question:

“What things would I possibly enjoy doing?”

When you have completed say, at least twenty things, write them down and plan to do as

many of these things as you can in those first few days of quitting. It might be that you have a

particular hobby or interest, or maybe you’d always like to take up a particular hobby but

never got round to it, now’s the time! For example you might like to visit a spa, have a sauna,

go to the cinema, or have a trip to the hairdressers or beauty salon, or maybe you would enjoy

visiting a friend or relative you haven’t seen for a while or join an art class or learn a new

language or skill. Be specific, by writing down exactly what you will do, when you will do it

and how you will do it. Don’t hurry this – spend as much time as you can.

Be Energized!

By being inactive, it will take longer for your body to get rid of all those toxins created by

smoking that are making your circulation sluggish and your mood low. If you are not careful,

you may find these feelings will spiral downwards and beat down your resolve.

Make a commitment to taking more exercise. Perhaps join a gym and book in your first

session in during those first few days. By taking regular exercise you’ll not only improve

your circulation but it will also do wonders for your energy levels and general health. If the

thought of physical exercise feels daunting or you may feel you’ll have difficulty, take it

slowly at first, and remember that it will get easier as your lung functions more effectively

and you have more energy from not smoking. Commit yourself by writing in your diary or on

a calendar at least 2 days a week planned exercise i.e. gym or swimming session. In doing

this you can also record your progress. See a doctor beforehand though, if you haven’t

exercised for a while.

Have a Clear Out…

What I’m talking about here is all that smoking paraphernalia. Keeping ashtrays, lighters,

even cigarettes or tobacco after you’ve had that final cigarette means only one thing - that

you are not serious about your decision to stop smoking. If you find yourself reluctant to let

go of any of these things, ask yourself an honest question; are you serious about stopping

smoking. Are you hanging on to them “just in case?” If your answer is yes, ask yourself what

it is you are really anxious about, and wait for your answer.

Don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure. Throw out all ashtrays, lighters, matches,

throw out any cigarettes, tobacco etc, if you smoke a pipe – get rid of it. Don’t give them

away, as you are encouraging others to smoke. Ideally destroy them in some way or put them

in a bin that you can’t go back to and rummage. Remove all temptation and remember you

will never need them again. Keep in mind your commitment.

Tell Everyone…

Keeping your decision to stop smoking a secret gives you an "opt out" clause. It means that

you do not trust yourself to be successful. In fact it is likely you are afraid of failure and

putting up a defence mechanism that will protect you from everyone else knowing that you

failed. In reality you are giving permission to your mind that it will be okay to fail, and if you

do fail, then you will not have to deal with the embarrassment and humility of everyone

knowing. It will be your own private hell of where you can torment yourself with feelings of

guilt, uselessness, and inadequacy. By making this mistake you believe that you will fail.

Even if you don’t feel confident of your success, take a stand against this fear and tell your

friends, relatives, and colleagues that they will never see you smoking again after the date

you have set. Don’t just tell them you are going to quit smoking. Say these exact words “you

will never see me smoking again on and after (insert the date you’ve chosen)” In doing

this you’re not just burning your bridges, but you are reinforcing the idea in your mind every

time you repeat it. This will strengthen your resolve to quit for good and that you mean what

you say.

Get Everything In You Need for Those First Few Days.

Not being prepared makes us vulnerable to temptation. There is simply no point planning

what you are going to do that first week you have stopped smoking, if you don’t also draw up

a shopping list and bought in all that you need. In having all that you need available to you,

you will find it hard to find excuses to deter you from carrying out the things you plan doing.

So make sure you find time to buy in those treats and other items you need. These might

consist of healthy snacks, bottled water, vitamin supplements, favourite treats, new fitness or

exercise clothing and trainers, DVDs, CDs, or items needed for a new hobby or existing

interest.

Air out Your Environment…

There is nothing worse than sitting in a house that is full of the stale smell of smoke, or

wearing clothes that stink of cigarettes, when you are quitting smoking - these are reminders

of your old life as a smoker, and an invitation to crave for nicotine.

To avoid putting yourself under this unnecessary strain, sort out your clothes, bedding and

linens and give them a good wash, taking them to dry cleaners if necessary to get rid of the

stale smell of smoke. Have a good spring clean by thoroughly cleaning your home. Vacuum

all carpets, upholstery and curtains - a good tip is to sprinkle baking soda or a carpet

deodorizer into the carpets beforehand, but remember to allow an hour or so to pass before

vacuuming to allow the odour to be absorbed. You might want to consider shampooing the

carpets or having them cleaned professionally, and have upholstery cleaned as well. Wash all

walls and floors with mild cleaner, or a mixture of half water, half distilled white vinegar

with a few drops of essential oil such as tea tree, lemon or orange. If badly stained you might

even like to give them a fresh coat of paint. Remember to change any filters in ventilation or

heating systems as these can be a trap for stale odours to keep circulating, and don’t forget to

clean light bulbs as they will have a coating of cigarette smoke on them, which when turned

on, will emit stale smoke smell.

Clean out your car, and perhaps even treat it to a valet. And clear out and clean your office or

workspace.

Reward yourself regularly.

Human beings need to have a reason, a pay-off as to why we do things; for example you

would not expect to go to work and not get paid would you? Most societies have customs that

celebrate success and mark achievement with reward. Examples might be of when you passed

your driving test, or coming of age; wedding anniversaries or graduations – they are all

marked by reward and celebration. Why not do the same with stopping smoking? It will take

the drudgery out of each day and will mark the milestones accomplished as well as help keep

you motivated. Without rewards, there is a danger that your resolve will fizzle out like a

firework. As I mentioned earlier, most of us prefer pleasure to pain, and by not regularly

celebrating your success and rewarding yourself, your new life as a non-smoker can appear

mundane and boring, which in turn can be the very triggers as to why you smoked in the first

place. In celebrating your success regularly you will be reinforcing to your belief system that

you can achieve anything that you put your mind to.

It is important to celebrate regularly by rewarding yourself, so with some of the money

you’ve saved by not smoking, go for a splurge and splash out and treat yourself. You can

even write out a reward system by which you give yourself small rewards and big rewards.

For example, for those first few days you might consider giving yourself a small treat at the

end of each day – some ideas for this might be a relaxing bath with scents and candles, or

eating some chocolate, or doing your favourite sport. A bigger reward might be buying a CD,

book or film. It marks your success and gives you a sense of real achievement, and boosts

your self-esteem at the same time.

Be Proud of Yourself…

Stopping smoking is something to be proud of. Christine Lahti is quoted as saying “I’m more

proud of quitting smoking than of anything else I’ve done in my life, including winning an

Oscar”. Be proud of your achievement and let yourself glow in the praise others give you. It

will have the power of reinforcing positive self esteem and create a warm feeling inside you.

To help you, create a Monthly Chart or Calendar whereby you can record your progress, and

place it where it can easily be seen. By doing this you will have an instant visual reminder of

your success. You may decide to do two – one for your workspace and the other at home,

either in the kitchen or living room.

Step 3 – Uncover Your Relationship with Smoking

“A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end and a fool at the other” - Author Unknown

A lot of people have little or no self-awareness when it comes to understanding why they

smoke, and have little or no idea of the links between smoking and their behaviour, feelings

and core beliefs about themselves. In order to understand these things, it is important to ask

of yourself important questions, some of which may have their roots in the past. The answers

to these questions will help you make connections with why you find it difficult to deal with

certain events and rituals that trigger the desire to smoke.

This chapter focuses on asking the right questions to build up a picture of your smoking

profile. The more knowledge you have about something, the easier it is to change it. From

following these suggestions you can avoid falling into the trap of vulnerability. Make no

mistake, the desire to smoke will attack your weakest areas, and therefore it is vital for you to

know where those areas lie if you are to stand any chance of conquering it. To be forewarned

is to be forearmed.

Be Totally Honest with Yourself

Lying or minimising the truth to oneself usually means self-denial. The truth can sometimes

be painful, especially when it comes to admitting how many cigarettes you really smoke a

day, there can also be some shame and guilt attached with it. It is these unpleasant feelings

that make us feel uncomfortable, and because humans avoid pain and seek pleasure it is not

surprising we might minimise or deny those feelings and come up with answers that make us

feel better. If you are serious about wanting to quit smoking, there is absolutely no point in

denying or minimising the truth.

Be honest with yourself, and work out how many cigarettes you smoke over a typical week.

Identify those days that you smoke more; perhaps you smoke more during the working day,

or maybe more at weekends, or perhaps you smoke more in the evenings. In your mind run

through a typical day and count up how many times you smoke during the day and at what

times. When you’ve done this start a new page in your journal and write down “I smoke -----

(insert whatever the number is) cigarettes a day.

Remember the truth will set you free…

Accept the Pain of Smoking

As I stated earlier, no one likes feeling uncomfortable, and we all would prefer to feel better

about ourselves. It is not uncommon to have feelings of self-disgust, inadequacy, failure and

guilt attached to smoking, and no one wants to dwell on these feelings. However, if allowed,

you can use these feelings to be a powerful motivator and driver to help you maintain focus

and determination which will fuel your commitment to stop smoking. Remember after

awareness comes either acceptance or denial and you cannot change what you don’t own and

take responsibility for.

Explore your feelings about yourself as smoker. As you read back over what you’ve written

write down feelings as they come to you. Ask yourself this question “I am a smoker, and I

feel……………….” Write it down in your journal, followed by all the feelings that you

become aware of listing them underneath. Feelings are more powerful than thoughts and

they can be uncomfortable and even painful. Be honest with yourself, even if you think some

of the feelings you have don’t make sense, still write them down. Because you feel those

things, they hold a truth for you and it is important for you to understand that truth.

Learn to Think Effectively

I have found that rarely do people who want to stop smoking, ask themselves questions.

Quite often they will say what they think the answer is, but the question is asked of them in a

vague way.

In general most people I’ve met do not spend enough time “thinking”. I am not talking here

about the hundreds of thoughts that pop into your head during the course of a day; instead

what I mean is focused thinking. Dwelling on intrusive thoughts that pop into your head is

not thinking. Responding to what someone said or did, or reacting to a situation is not

thinking. Reactions are conditioned responses to situations and are triggered by what we feel

and believe is happening which has its roots in an experience we’ve had in the past. Worrying

about something or a situation is not “thinking” either. It has been said that over 50% of most

people thoughts are worries, and they are usually about things that will never happen, or have

already happened! I am suggesting here that you practise the art of focussed thinking, and

make it a habit to get into. You’ll be surprised how your life will change as a result.

Why not put this to the test? Settle down to some quiet time, where you will have no

interruptions, and write in your journal this question “What are possibly all the reasons

why I started smoking?” and wait. Allow your mind to focus on the question and wait for

the answer. At first you will probably find other thoughts totally unrelated to the question

come into your mind, that’s okay, just notice them and let them go (as if looking at snapshots

in a photo album). With practising focused thinking every day you will find those intrusive

random thoughts will get less and less.

When answers to your question come into your mind, write them down. Do not question the

answers just keep focusing on the original question. When the answers stop coming into your

mind, have a look at them. Some of them may feel more real to you than others, but don’t

discard any of them as they may make sense later on. You will find that over the next few

days other answers to the same question will pop into your mind. Think of your mind as a

coffee percolator and just let the answers drip though jotting them down as soon as they do

and adding them to your list.

Ask Yourself the Right Questions in the Right Way.

Another pitfall is not asking the right questions, in the right way. Imagine for a moment you

are on Google and you want to find the answer to a question, or you want to search for

something. The more specific your question the more refined and definitive your answer is. If

your spelling is wrong or your question is vague, or your search has a wide scope, google will

present you with a lot of irrelevant information, which will take you a lot of time to plough

through, or what happens in my case, I just end up dismissing my search.

This is the same when we ask ourselves a question. Consider for a moment your mind is a

head top computer. Be specific, and be accurate. For example write down this question

exactly as it is in your journal. “What are all the possible reasons why I want to stop

smoking?” In this question, (as in the question from the previous exercise) you are asking

your mind to give you ‘all the possible’ reasons, these will include things that you will not

already know about, you are not restricting the vast volume of knowledge and experience

hidden in your subconscious, and secondly by putting down the question mark, you are

stating clearly that this is a question and not a statement. Your head top computer knows

exactly what it has to do.

Like any computer, you have to wait patiently for your answers; they will come, just allow

your mind to seek them out for you. Let your mind do the work; resist the temptation to do it

yourself by thinking and rationalising. Stop trying to find the answers, instead just let them

come into your mind – make sure you write them down immediately in your journal

underneath the question whether they make sense to you or not.

Learning from Previous Experiences

This is a common mistake for many people, and is a key factor in what makes some people

successful at achieving their goals and others who don’t. Realise that successful people make

mistakes too. No one gets it right first time, and many make several attempts before they do.

The secret is that those people who achieve success see their “failures” as lessons and learn

from them. Thomas Edison, we all know invented the light bulb. But what a lot of people

don’t realise is that it took 10,000 attempts. His success rate was 0.01%. Yet we don’t write

him off as a failure as he got there in the end. That one win, crosses out all those “failed

attempts”. Edison considered each one of those attempts as ‘successfully discovering another

way of how not to invent the light bulb’.

Make a list of all the times you tried to stop smoking before. Just as before, give yourself

time to do this exercise, and just let the answers come into your mind... Once you have

written your list write down the following 3 questions: “What are the probable reasons why I

started smoking again?” “How long did I stop smoking?” and “What did I learn from the

experience?” Remember to always write all the answers that spring into your mind without

dismissing any. If you haven’t quit smoking before, then think about what the reasons might

be why you haven’t.

Remember the only real definition of failing is one that gives up attempting to quit smoking

altogether, forever.

Make connections between smoking and other events.

The human mind, as does the mind of animals, associates particular behaviours and physical

responses to specific events, and when one of those events happen, our minds remind us of

that association and we carry out the particular behaviour or manifest the physical response

that we have attached to that event, often without even thinking about it. This is called

“conditioning”. Much research has been done on this the most commonly known is that of

Pavlov’s dogs. During his research on the digestion of dogs, Ivan Pavlov noticed that he

could stimulate them to salivate in response to him sounding a bell. The bell subsequently

triggered the dogs’ digestive process as they came to expect food whenever they heard the

bell. In the same way the habits formulated around smoking are often conditioned responses,

and it is important that these are unlearned and new patterns of behaviour and associations

are formed.

As humans, we all have subconsciously developed specific habits and rituals. If you always

have a cigarette with a cup of coffee, or have a cigarette before you have a shower, you have

conditioned your mind to link these two events together. Likewise, if you smoke more when

you are bored, or are with a particular person, you have again created a link with smoking to

these feelings, or specific people. When you stop smoking, you are not fulfilling those

associations you have linked to it. Your mind will subsequently remind you of that fact and it

is likely you will be presented with a pang or craving at the same time as this reminder

awakens the nicotine monster.

The way to break a habit is to replace it with a new one. And that takes a little time. New

habits will gradually form as you carry out repeated behaviours allowing your subconscious

mind to link the new behaviour with the event. The more you do this, the stronger the links

become. The first step though is to find out exactly what your smoking habits are. Think

through a typical day and record the times you smoke, who with? When? Where? What time?

Doing what? And how many? For example it might be that you always smoke 2 cigarettes

after a meal, or maybe you always smoke more when you are doing a specific task. Take

plenty of time over this. We are all creatures of habit.

After this think about what new behaviours or habits you can create and start doing them

instead.

Stop Pleasing Others.

People who constantly seek approval from others or who want to please others usually end up

failing in the end. To stop smoking because your family want you to or because it’s expected

of you at work only puts on pressure. To successfully stop smoking you have to have the

right mindset and a personal commitment to yourself. In other words YOU have to personally

benefit and want to change.

Ask yourself this question “What are possibly my views on smoking?” Write down what

YOU think about smoking. Remember this is about your own views and not someone else’s

perspective. It may be that you believe smoking tobacco is better than smoking cigarettes, or

maybe you believe that smoking is okay and it is because of pressure from family members

or society influencing you to think you ought to give up. It’s okay. If you are not ready – then

you are not ready. At least you will understand why.

Be clear About the Benefits You Gain by Not Smoking as well as the Losses

You Will Experience by Not Smoking.

This is the balance sheet. It is crucial for you to be absolutely clear of what you expect to gain

from not smoking and of those things that’ll you miss in your life as a non-smoker. Turn to a

clean page in your journal and draw a line down the centre dividing the page into two. At the

top of the first column write the title “Gains”, and at the top of the second column write

“Losses”. In the first column list all the things you feel you would benefit from being a non-

smoker, and in the second column write down all the things you feel you would miss from

not smoking. Again spend time on this exercise and see if you can come up with around 10-

20 reasons. An example of a loss might be that you would miss the feeling of pleasure that

smoking gives you; and another example where you might benefit would be that you’d enjoy

the flavours of your meals as your taste buds burst back into life.

Spend a few moments reflecting on your list, and notice your thoughts and feelings. Was it

easy? What list was the most difficult? How many did you write on each list? Are you

surprised by the results? Write down your answers in your journal.

If you’ve got lots more gains than losses, you are in a good place to be. Accentuate those

benefits by reminding yourself often – these are the reasons why you are going to become

a non-smoker. Have a closer look at the losses and see what you could replace them with.

See if you can reduce the list further, and add to your benefits.

If the reverse is true, and you can see little benefit from being a non-smoker, then perhaps the

time is not right for you at this moment. More work is needed on focussing on changing those

losses into gains. If there are lots of fears around letting go of nicotine maybe you need to

seek professional help in working on other areas of your life. At least by doing the exercises

you have learned a lot about yourself and subsequently achieved enlightenment on your

smoking.

Reflect back over your journal.

You should now have a complete smoking history and profile that is uniquely your own. By

doing these exercises you have answered some fundamental questions which are important if

you are to maintain success permanently as a non-smoker. Therein you will find the answer

to whether you really want to stop smoking, you will have identified habits in your life which

will need to change, you will have clarity about the reasons why you want to stop, and the

benefits you will look forward to in doing so. You’ll also know where the weaker areas to

your resolve lies and in doing so learn how to be prepared appropriately for the time ahead.

Step 4– Getting into the Right Mind-Set

“I tried to stop smoking cigarettes by telling myself I just didn’t want to smoke, but I didn’t

believe myself”

– Barbara Kelly

To be successful it is important to focus your mind on being a non-smoker. Imagine for a

moment you are a runner in race. Before you start the race you will need to know what the

finishing line looks like and the direction to run, you would also need to have some idea what

it will feel like once you are there, otherwise you’ll find you will feel little motivation to

continue, particularly when you are breaking through the pain barrier and you are faced with

obstacles that get in the way. You keep your eyes firmly on the finish line, knowing that if

you look to the right or to the left your pace will slacken and your competitors will gain

valuable time. If you look away from the finish line as you are running, you risk stumbling

and not being able to complete the race. Just like the runner remains focussed and

determined, you need mind strategies to enable you to attain your goal to be a person who

does not smoke.

In this section you will find exercises where you will be using your imagination to train your

mind to achieve results. Your imagination is seated in your subconscious mind and is a

powerful resource you can draw from when quitting smoking. In doing these exercises you

are in the gestation stage, the period before birth to the new non-smoking you, where you’re

mind will start to take on the new concepts that although at the moment are tiny seeds, they

will grow rapidly as you are nurtured by the benefits you’ll reap as non-smoker. By diligently

carrying out these exercises you’ll discover how your mind will serve you by assisting you to

achieve your desired goal, which is to stop smoking and to accept yourself as someone who

no longer has the desire or need to smoke.

Keep practicing the exercises. Just like a runner has to be physically fit to win the race, you

need to exercise your mind so it becomes strong and fit to win your race. Carry out each

exercise just as I’ve explained it to you. Make sure you record your experiences in your

journal. Here you go then…

The importance of Visualisation to get Results

To set out for a destination without knowing what it looks like or what to expect when you

get there, is not only scary but also foolish,

Unless of course, you’re an explorer setting out on discovering new worlds, or a scientist

wanting to break through to new frontiers. But as an explorer you expect to take risks and the

future is uncertain.

If your ultimate destination is to be a permanent non-smoker for the rest of your life, then it

makes sense to eliminate risk of relapse by knowing what perils and problems lay ahead, and

having a strategy in place ready to deal with them. It also makes sense to have some idea

what the life of a non-smoker feels like. Most people I’ve come across started smoking in

their early teens, and a significant amount started in their late teens. These people have never

experienced what it is like to live as an adult with responsibilities and so on, as a non-smoker.

It is a completely new feeling and experience for them. And can be quite frightening.

Particularly if they have created a series of coping strategies that all have smoking related to

them.

The good news is that your subconscious mind wants what’s best for you, and it has

significantly more power than your weak will. It will enable you to get what you want to

achieve, but it needs to know exactly what it is you want. To expect it to know what living

the life of a non-smoker will feel like is difficult as your mind will have no experience of it to

draw from and words that will describe it will mean nothing. Visualisation is the key to

unlocking this mystery, and to use visualisation is to use our imagination. This is one of the

reasons why we have such an incredible imagination. Used correctly your imagination you

can bring about your dreams.

Some people make the mistake of believing they have no imagination so cannot visualise.

This is totally false. Every one of us has an imagination. We think in pictures. We remember

the past in images. And with each image we attach emotions. For example, you may have

difficulty remembering a name, but you will rarely forget a face.

In fact one of the ways of remembering names is to associate an image to remind you. If you

find you are struggling to visualise an image, just imagine what it would look and feel like if

you could, and you’ll find that magically there is a way round the problem.

The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality. This is a law of

the mind. Its how stage hypnosis works, in suggesting for example your arm is a piece of

wood, your subconscious mind believes this and you find you cannot bend your arm. This

obviously is totally irrational on a conscious level, as your arm can never be a piece of wood.

But if your subconscious believes it, then it uses the knowledge it has about wood and

becomes totally inflexible. It is exactly these irrational unreal beliefs that underlie a phobia,

and also how we develop mistaken self-limiting beliefs that hold us back in life. By

harnessing the power of this law, you can make this principle work for you, by visualising or

picturing your desired goal, your imagination is taking you there as though it is real. For that

moment your subconscious is accepting the new you. It now has a picture, a destination to

aim for.

Logically speaking, if you are making the mistake of not visualising yourself and your new

life as a non-smoker, how on earth do you expect your mind to help you bring about that

realisation in your life? If you are not picturing your desired goal to be a non-smoker, then

you really do have a battle on your hands, as you are completely on your own, and reliant on

willpower alone which will inevitably fail you. Remember a picture tells a thousand words.

Learn How to Visualise.

The power of visualisation does not just mean imagining yourself as a non-smoker and

leaving it at that - it lays in the emotions of the event. Emotions create beliefs, and your

visualisation or picture has to feel real, and charged with positive feel-good emotions. To

help achieve that feel-good factor use all your five senses - sight, sound, feeling, taste and

smell when visualising.

The easiest way to access your imagination is to find some quiet place where there are no

interruptions. Turn off your mobile phone, and either sit comfortably in a chair or if you

prefer lay down. Loosen any tight clothing and take of your glasses if you wear them. Lay or

sit with your legs uncrossed and your hands lying loosely by your side. Close your eyes, and

take a few deep breaths. Focus on breathing in deeply, hold it for a count of 8 then breath out,

and do this about 3 three times. Now imagine yourself as a non-smoker and visualise how

happy and healthy you look. The simplest way is to see yourself as though you were looking

at a photo of yourself. If the photo is in black and white change it to colour. Likewise if the

photo is small and unfocussed, change it to a large photo with clarity. Notice your expression,

and your appearance; notice what you are wearing and how it feels to look at your future self,

take notice of all the detail in the picture.

In order for us to realise our goals, we have to have some idea what they look like and how it

will feel. Visualisation is a powerful tool in which we “make” our goals become more

tangible and achievable, instead of being vague, unrealistic and impossible.

Repeat this exercise again, only this time instead of just looking at the photo, step into it as

though you are there, and not just an onlooker. Imagine you have been successful at

achieving your goal. Notice how good it feels. How proud you are of yourself now that you

are free of this addiction. Where in your body do you feel those emotions? Allow yourself to

be free and enjoy what you are experiencing, feel excited and exhilarated by the emotions and

the vision of being the new you. Spend a few minutes just enjoying all the joy of being a non-

smoker and feeling really good about yourself, and how proud you feel. Afterwards don’t

forget to write down in your journal your experience of your visualisation, and record all your

thoughts and feelings during the exercise.

When we feel emotions during our visualisation, we create energy. This energy has power

and is communicated to the world around us as well as creating a positive energy inside of us.

For example; if you meet someone who is feeling excited and happy about a new prospect in

their life, you can pick up on their energy straight away, without them having to verbally

communicate to you. You just feel their energy; likewise if someone is negative about

something in their life, maybe they feel resentful and angry, then you will pick up on their

energy and what they are feeling. You will also notice too that the energy or atmosphere they

have created will have an impact on your own emotions.

If you are creating positive visualisations about being a non-smoker and really experiencing

all the feel-good emotions that you can, at the same time, you are manifesting positive

energy, and the good news is that it is this same energy that is sent out into the universe, and

you will become a magnet and attract positive energy and good things back to you.

How to Enhance Visualisation

Through visualisation you are changing the programme in your head top computer to

embrace the new you. You can enhance your visualisation by changing the image into a

running video. In this way you are programming your mind to accept new behaviours in a

sequence and link or associate them to the new you - a person that does not need nor want

tobacco in their life.

The easiest way to do this is to change the photo you had in your mind in the previous

exercise into a video. Remember this is a video of you living as a non-smoker. You now

move with greater ease and confidence, your head held high. Again notice how you look and

what you are doing. Notice how fresh and clean you look. How you stand. Create sounds to

your video and notice how you feel as you watch yourself – this new you. Afterwards write

down the thoughts and feelings you experienced during this exercise in your journal.

Now, play the video in your mind again, only this time, you are not going to watch yourself,

instead step into the film as though you are really there – the main actor. Look around you

and see the scene you are in, notice the objects and colours, listen to the sounds around you.

May be someone you know offers you a cigarette, and you say “no thank you”. Notice how

you feel as you reply back with confidence. Notice where you feel those emotions in your

body. Hold on to those good feelings of success and being in control for a while and play

other scenarios whereby you are in complete control of yourself. Afterwards write down your

experience in your journal.

Once is not enough

Repeat, repeat, repeat and again I say repeat. A common mistake many people make is the

belief that they only need to visualise once, or maybe a couple of times and that’s it. It is by

daily visualisation you will retain focus and your mind will become more accepting of the

new you and in doing so, will start the work changing the way you think and feel to fit the

new picture of yourself. Your mind has to be consistent with the beliefs and picture it has of

you. As a smoker your mind had a set of distorted and mistaken beliefs about smoking which

is inconsistent with the new you, now that you are a non-smoker, and by using your

imagination every day this way, you will be renewing your mind and replacing those old

unwanted beliefs with new positive beliefs. By consistently practising you will gradually

achieve the results you seek.

Being Aware of those Hidden Obstacles that Stand in your Way.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. How often have you looked back on a situation and said to

yourself ‘if only I’d done this or not done that’? The advantage of knowing what lays ahead

can help us make the right decisions formed on having the knowledge of the outcome. Well

we are a long way from inventing a time machine that will enable us to do that; however

there is something that you can do for yourself that will help you uncover the likely events or

situations that will crop up and where you could easily make a wrong choice.

Close your eyes and create an image in your mind, projecting yourself say, 6 months or a

year ahead in time and see yourself as still smoking. Now, as before step into that image as

though you are there, 6 or 12 months into the future and still smoking. Notice how you feel

having tried and failed. Whilst experiencing these emotions, ask yourself this question:

“I’d be a non-smoker now if only I’d…”

Just allow your mind to come up with the answers. Hold the question in your thoughts, and

let the answers just flow into your mind. There may be one or two, or there may be several.

Just keep focused on the question and acknowledge the answers as they come into your mind,

without questioning or dismissing them. Once they stop coming, and you have no more

answers, quietly thank your subconscious mind for helping you. Step out of the image, and

come back to normal awareness. You may feel quite low at this point because of the emotions

you have experienced, but that is quite normal. Pick up your journal and write down the

question, followed by all the answers you received. This is an extremely helpful exercise as

you will have discovered the stumbling blocks that will get in the way of you succeeding.

Your subconscious mind knows more about you than you’ll ever know, and knows the likely

events that will trip you up. With this insight you can put into place the things you need to do,

and make sure you don’t fall into the traps shown to you, so you can be focused on your goal

with an assurance that YOU WILL succeed.

Now do this exercise again, but with a different outcome and question. Step into your photo

again of you in 6 or 12 months time, but this time as a non-smoker. Capture the good feelings

of success and well-being. You can feel really proud of yourself having achieved such a

major goal in your life. Whilst you are enjoying these feelings and still in your image, ask

yourself this question:

“I succeeded because I …”

Whilst in that image just allow the answers come into your mind, without questioning or

dismissing. There may be several answers or just one, just stay there until they stop coming.

Then thank your mind for these answers and congratulate yourself. Feel again those warm

positive emotions and then step out of the image back to normal awareness, and write down

in your journal both the question and the answers you received from that experience. These

two exercises is the basis of your goal-setting steps towards your desired outcome – to

become a non-smoker, and you can write them in your action plan as reminders.

The Power of Affirmations.

We all make affirmations every day, often without knowing it, and for many people, most of

them are negative. It is my belief that most of the snags or problems that people face when

stopping smoking comes from their own sense of inferiority and insecurity. In westernised

cultures we are consumed with adverts from a material society that we are in danger of falling

into the trap of only feeling truly complete and fulfilled if we have the “must haves” that

consumerism tells us we should have, and where media, and materialism define status and

success. Without these outward symbols then we can falsely deem ourselves failures. A

common negative phrase I come across in treating my clients is a belief that they’re “not

good enough”, or that they believe they are ‘unlovable’, or ‘not worth it’. With these types of

beliefs in place, it is hard to be confident about outcome when dealing with a nicotine

addiction as people are constantly affirming their self-limiting, negative mistaken beliefs.

To be successful in stopping smoking, or anything else for that matter, it is important to

maintain motivation and change those inner negative beliefs you may have about yourself

which may take time, but by no means impossible to achieve. For example, if feeling a failure

is a core belief you have about yourself then it will be difficult for you to feel successful if

you continue to believe you are a failure. The good news is that you can change the picture or

belief you have of yourself.

We form negative beliefs in childhood, through believing someone else’s mistaken

perspective about ourselves. As adults we rarely question those mistaken beliefs and accept

them as the truth, still seeing them from a child’s perspective. Our minds like consistency,

and consequently seek out opportunities, events, even words to reinforce and affirm the

mistaken belief and so it goes on. We can use the same approach to change these beliefs from

negative “I can’t” to the positive “I can” by repeating positive affirmations.

A positive affirmation then is simply to state exactly what you desire yourself to be. To

affirm is to maintain this positive statement in spite of what you feel and what is happening

around you.

Affirmations then are a powerful tool that you can use in your stop smoking programme.

Affirmations are what will turn your intention into a reality. It is important to state your

positive affirmations for at least a period of 30 days, without missing a day. If you miss a

day, then you must start at day 1 again and continue for 30 days without a break.

Let me explain why this is important. Research by NASA concludes that it takes between 25

to 30 days to create a new neuro-pathway in the brain. Their studies consisted of giving

astronauts concave lenses to wear continuously for 30 days, which meant they would

experience everything upside-down. The neuro-scientists intention was to find out what

effects this disorientation would have on the astronauts on a long term basis as part of their

preparation for working in space. Imagine for a moment how this would feel, living in a

world where everything appears upside down but in actual reality is not. It makes me feel

dizzy just thinking about it, especially trying to get round the hand-eye co-ordination, such as

picking up a cup, or catching a ball! Amazingly the results showed that after 30 days every

single one of the astronauts’ brains had started to flip things the right side up even though

they were wearing concave glasses all the time. Interested by this phenomenon, the

neuroscientists conducted another study with another group where they had ½ the group take

the glasses off for one day (around the 15th day) and then had them resume wearing them

again after 24 hours, until the end of the designated 30 day period. At the end of the study,

the brains of the astronauts who had taken the glasses off for 24 hours within the 30 day

period did not re-wire, they were still struggling in an upside-down world, whilst the group

who had kept the glasses on for the entire period could manage the new behaviours.

It would seem then, to conclude from these studies that it takes around 30 consecutive days of

practicing a new habit or a new thought process to settle in the subconscious part of our

minds, and that if for some reason there is a break and you miss a day, then you have to start

all over again from day 1. This may then be an indication as to why most New Year

Resolutions fail, simply because by the 2nd week motivation has dropped and the new habit

therefore has simply not reached the subconscious mind.

So here’s how you do positive affirmations. Start by standing in front of a mirror, look

yourself in the eyes, and say out loud to yourself “I am a non-smoker” “I am successful” “I

am in control now” “I have chosen life over death” “I have chosen good health” “I no longer

need or want to smoke”. Say these affirmations slowly and deliberately. Always affirm in the

present time, never using future tense. Another tip is to include an action verb, such as “I am

clearing my body of toxins”. Again during these affirmations it’s important to feel positive

and attach good emotions, such as “I am celebrating my success”. Like visualisation,

affirmations should always connect with positive feel-good emotions, said with meaning. It’s

simply no good to stand in front of the mirror saying “I am in control” in a voice detached

from emotion. Remember you are changing your belief system and need to be convincing, so

say your affirmations from a place of vibrant energy and passion. You’ll be surprised how the

simple act of doing this will change how you feel about yourself and your sense of intention

and motivation will increase as the energy of positive emotion is released throughout your

body.

Ideally do these affirmations twice daily, perhaps first thing in the morning and just before

you go to bed at night. You may feel silly at first in doing this but don’t underestimate these

statements, because they are powerful affirmations, and remember practised regularly for at

least 30 days without a break, they have an impact on your subconscious mind that will

amaze you. You are renewing your mind to accept these truths, and as a result you will find

your subconscious mind will serve you, and help you achieve your goal.

Dealing with the Loss of Smoking.

Sounds silly doesn’t it? But expect to feel a sense of loss of smoking. As human beings we

like to be in our comfort zone, and are generally resistant to change. Again this is because our

minds like patterns and consistency. We respond well to structure and routine in our lives,

and when we have this, we feel we are organised, in control, and safe. However, when we

experience change, we can become stressed, anxious and insecure. Making a lifestyle change

from smoking to becoming a non-smoker does have its losses and fears. If you started

smoking when you were very young, or a teenager, you will have never experienced life as a

non-smoking adult. If you always turn to cigarettes as a habit, such as when you are bored,

stressed, or even just needing a break from doing a task, as an ex-smoker there presents a gap,

a void and an experience of loss when you are presented with those same situations of feeling

bored etc.

This feeling of loss can be quite frightening if you are not prepared for it. One way of

preparing your mind to let go of those feelings is to turn to your journal and find your list of

Gains and Losses. Focus on the list of losses, and use your imagination to create a picture of a

large blackboard. On the blackboard imagine yourself seeing that list of losses written up

there. Look at each word carefully; making sure all the losses you listed in your journal are

there on the blackboard and any new ones that you have uncovered. Now, imagine that you

have an eraser in your hands, and go over to the blackboard and wipe out the first word on the

list. Notice how this feels when you are doing this. Gradually work down the list until all the

words have been erased. Stand back and look at the empty blackboard, and enjoy the good

feelings of having let go of each and every one of those losses. They have gone forever…

Now, look at the words written in your Gains list. Imagine again you can see the same

blackboard that the losses were written on which is now blank. This time walk over to the

blackboard and write up each gain. As you do so, experience the good feelings you get and

allow yourself some time to enjoy it. When you’ve completed writing each gain, stand back

and look at the list, and feel again those good feelings. Repeat these exercises as often as you

feel the need to.

Have a Definite Strategy Ready for Those Difficult Situations

A common mistake that people make is, not being prepared in advance for those inevitable

difficult situations or occasions. By only having a vague idea of how you will manage those

times you risk feeling overwhelmed and unprepared and as a result may succumb to an old

habit without even thinking. Rehearsing the new behaviour is key here to success. This way

you are mentally prepared for difficult situations and don’t have to rely on thinking on your

feet to get you out of a muddle.

Go back to your journal and look at your smoking-related habits. Create a new movie or

series of pictures in your mind of those occasions and situations that are habitual to you. See

yourself being offered cigarettes and refusing, maybe saying the words “no thank you” or

“not for me thanks”. See yourself walking past the tobacconists or cigarette counter in the

supermarket; see yourself drinking a cup of coffee without smoking and so on……Go

through all your habits in your mind, but without you smoking. When you have quite a few

pictures, enter those images as though you were there and find out how it feels to say no; or

to walk past the tobacconist. These images are known as mind rehearsals, which are

preparing your mind to accept and expect the new behaviours you will be doing in the next

few weeks.

Recognise when Professional Help is needed to overcome a Problem.

It may be that some self-limiting beliefs are just too difficult to deal with without expert help.

In which case, if you find some of the previous exercises difficult to do, or feel their root

cause is too painful to cope with on your own, then it may be helpful to see a counsellor, or

therapist. Get professional help to deal with any self-limiting mistaken beliefs you have about

yourself. If by stopping smoking you find you are triggering off underlying issues such as

low self-esteem, and not feeling “good enough” or needing approval. Maybe these issues

have been around for a while. In which case perhaps now is the time to seek professional help

from a therapist that specialises in these issues, and get them dealt with once and for all. After

which you’ll be free to move on in your life.

NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) can be helpful in dealing with a persistent belief

patterns, and hypnotherapy is one of the most effective methods of changing habits and

behaviour. Both these therapies do not require the use of drugs or chemicals. Hypnosis is a

method by which the mind is brought to the state of total relaxation so that it becomes open to

suggestion. It cuts out all those extraneous thoughts that get in the way that cause us to resist

and digress. Hypnotherapy creates a calm altered state in the mind using breathing and

visualization techniques, and whilst relaxed the therapist puts new positive ideas across to

you to discourage smoking. They could be ideas about the benefits of quitting, or about the

health hazards of not quitting. But the outcome is that the old patterns of thinking are

disrupted with newer, better suggestions.

Step 5 – Coping with Withdrawal Symptoms

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain” – Dolly Parton

Withdrawal symptoms, even in mild form are inevitable. The severity and frequency of the

symptoms will vary from person to person, however despite the speed that nicotine can create

addiction, physical withdrawal from the drug does not last too long, usually around 4-7 days.

The best thing is to accept that you will experience discomfort of some sort during those first

few days. Maybe you will have feelings of loss, deprivation, and emptiness. It is important to

remember however, that these feelings are temporary just as are any physical cravings or

pangs that you experience. They are part of the physical addiction, and as such they will not

last and will soon be gone. Having a cigarette will not make them go away, as you will suffer

them again when you next “need a fix”. Using will power alone to deal with these symptoms

only creates additional pain, frustration and tension, so remember to remind yourself that you

do not have to fight these feelings, you can choose to acknowledge them for what they are

and draw from the mind-set exercises and affirmations you’ve learnt in the previous chapters

to overcome them.

Follow the solutions in this section to help you to conquer withdrawal pangs and cravings and

keep you on track.

Dealing with Cravings

Energy flows where your mind goes. Whatever you focus your mind on, so will your body

follow. If you allow your mind to focus on your craving or physical pang, then your resolve

will weaken and the power of the craving will increase. Most people when they experience a

craving they try to push the feeling away and ignore it. The trick here is not to ignore the

pang or graving, but to just notice it, then let it go, and deliberately focus your attention on to

something else. Say to yourself – okay, that’s the nicotine monster wanting a fix, then move

the focus of your attention to your visualisation of being a non-smoker, reminding yourself

that you are a non-smoker and focus on the benefits you receive living your new life.

If you try to fight the craving by refusing to notice it, you will only be suppressing it, to

return again with a vengeance. Understand that your brain likes consistency and patterns, and

when you change a habit your mind will remind you of what it was that you usually did in

that situation until a new pattern or habit is established. This may be a specific behaviour, like

having a cup of coffee, when your brain will remind you that you always used to have a

cigarette at the same time, or it may be an emotion, perhaps if you are feeling bored, or need

a break from a task, your mind will make the connection that you always used to have a

cigarette, and so consequently remind you to have one. If you do not acknowledge this

reminder, by noticing the craving or thought, then your mind will keep pressing the button

until you do.

Our brain does not like unresolved questions. To give an example of what I mean – have you

ever tried to remember something that was on the tip of your tongue. Isn’t it aggravating?

Often in discussions at dinner I’ve tried to remember a specific name or song title, or artist,

and although I know the answer, I just can’t bring it to mind. The harder I try the more

elusive it feels and it nags at me until, usually, when I’ve relaxed and moved on to another

topic, the name suddenly pops into my head maybe hours later or even the next day. At last

I’ve remembered. All that time in between, my brain was searching for the answer – simply

because it was unresolved, and once it found the answer I had equilibrium again.

This is the same with intrusive thoughts about smoking. Acknowledge them for what they

are, affirm your resolve then move onto something else.

You Don’t Have to Give in to Cravings

Although stopping smoking may be really hard at times, it is not too hard and certainly not

impossible. If you start to believe it is too hard then you are on a slippery slope. If you find

yourself struggling make a choice not to give in. Say out loud to yourself “I am in control”

attaching all the good emotions that go with that affirmation. Cravings are likely to be the

most difficult thing you will have to cope with, but you do not have to give in to them, for

they will pass. Understand that they will go away whether you have a cigarette or not. All

cravings are caused by smoking itself and by giving in to them you are just repeating the

vicious cycle! Notice the craving and say to yourself that it will pass; it is just the nicotine

trying to get control of you again.

Napoleon Hill said “what your mind conceives and believes it will achieve” As you

consistently repeat the visualisations of you as a non-smoker and as you consistently repeat

the positive self-affirmations, your mind is in the process of bringing about those statements

as a reality. Your mind will take you through the process of conceiving, believing and

achieving your goal for you, with little effort on your part - if you let it. All you have to do is

tap into your inner reservoir of infinite strength and resources. Remember too you can apply

this process to discover and set goals for other things in your life you may want to achieve.

Every one of us has an enormous amount of unrealised potential.

Stop Blaming Bad Days on Smoking

Every one of us has good and bad days, whether we are smokers or non-smokers. Its life and

we cannot change that. However, by being prepared in advance by anticipating difficulties

means that you are better able to cope with a bad day without resorting to tobacco. The best

way of preventing relapse is by being pro-active, and it is far better to be pro-active than re-

active. Consider what the challenges are to your new non-smoking self and plan for them.

When faced with circumstances or situations is to better to be prepared for them in advance.

By anticipating events ahead of time, you can plan accordingly and put in place alternative

behaviours, instead of just reacting to situations by resorting to old habits and old ways. Each

morning get in to the habit of mentally running through the day, anticipate events that could

be problematic, and rehearse in your mind how you will deal with them.

Another tip is to include in your morning visualisation exercise, a vision or “imaginary movie

or video” of how you want your day to be. In this way you are creating a positive attitude

aligned with expectation and purpose that will carry you through those ‘sticky’ moments.

Don’t forget to get in touch with your “feel-good” emotions during the visualisation.

Drink Plenty of Water

Did you realise that most people suffer dehydration. For example our brain is 70% water, so

it is important to top it up frequently! Water flushes out the poisons from your system and

dramatically improves your blood through cleansing and oxygenating as well as bringing lots

of other health benefits such as having more energy. In drinking a large glass of water, you

will find it will take your mind off smoking for a few moments, and by putting something in

your mouth you will lessen the craving. In addition you’ll have a full feeling in your

stomach, to help fill that feeling of emptiness that nicotine leaves. Additionally, by drinking

lots of water you will speed up the rate nicotine is eliminated from your body. So drink as

much water a day as you can.

Apply the following visualisation at the same time as you drink water; it will assist your body

to get rid of the toxins faster. Remember our minds and bodies are in constant

communication. With each sip, imagine you are drinking in pure clean fresh water, and

visualise it pouring down your throat, making a cleansing path as it travels down into your

stomach, imagine feeling that cleansing purity taking place. In the same way imagine the

water cleansing and getting rid of all the debris, and poison that is clogging up your system,

your stomach and your gut. Follow the water with your minds eye, ‘seeing’ it cleanse and

clear out your system, flushing out toxins and softening hardened deposits of gunge and

poison, clearing the way, cleansing and healing. You’ll be amazed how effective this is.

Avoid Smokers

Breathing in nicotine from someone else’s cigarettes can be a major switch to trigger a

craving particularly in the early stages of withdrawal. It is therefore best to avoid the

company of smokers until all symptoms of withdrawal have passed. Watch out for friends,

and family members who smoke. For those first few weeks or months, you may have to

distance yourself from them until you get to the stage whereby you no longer have a desire to

smoke. If your spouse or partner smokes, or maybe a flat-mate or lodger, you will have to

agree rules that they smoke outside, or away from you. This should not be a problem as long

as you explain why you are asking them to do this, and that you need their support. Likewise,

explain to family or specific friends why you need to create some space for a short a while, so

that they understand your reasons, and can support you in your decision and not take your

distance personally.

If you find yourself struggling with this, ask yourself what it is that you are really missing.

Take in Plenty of Clean Air

Our five physical senses can all trigger cravings, even the sense of smell. Tobacco smoke

leaves a specific stale smell in the air that penetrates clothing, hair and skin. If there is a

lingering smell of stale smoke, open the windows and let in fresh air and sunlight, unless of

course the weather is bad, in which case ventilate the room with a fan. Create a fresh

fragrance in the air, by using scented candles or burn aromatherapy oils, and treat yourself to

a new perfume or after-shave and enjoy the scent it gives off. Nice fragrances give us a feel-

good factor and according to research with smokers, smelling strong perfumes can curb

desire to smoke and helpful in dealing with cravings.

If the weather is nice, get outside in the garden or go for a walk, taking in plenty of long deep

breaths as you do so. You’ll soon find the craving will pass.

Keep in Front of You the Benefits of Being a Non-Smoker.

It is important to frequently remind yourself of the personal benefits you stand to gain

through stopping smoking, otherwise you risk losing focus and may be tempted to ‘talk

yourself into’ the old ways. To combat this, memorise the list of benefits as a non-smoker

you made in your journal. This will help remind yourself of your reasons for stopping

smoking. Throughout the day mentally visit the list, and get in the habit of doing so

especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Breathe Deeply

If you are in the habit of shallow breathing, then get out of it, by learning to take slow deep

breaths. When we shallow breathe our heart and lungs have to work harder to get the oxygen

circulating, this extra work causes our body to be stressed, even when we feel we are not

mentally stressed. Just by doing this, our minds then respond to the body’s’ signals and

searches for something to be stressed about. Many smokers have got into the habit of

smoking when they are stressed, and subsequently, when they feel “stress” they reach for a

cigarette.

A similar thing happens when we are mentally stressed, we automatically start to breath

shallow and quickly, and our body is triggered into what is known as the stress response – to

fight or flight. When this happens our bodies release the natural chemicals of cortisone,

insulin and adrenaline which fire up our blood sugar levels and increase our heart beat. This

is great if we need to fight or run from danger as this extra energy is needed, but most of the

time this is not the case. In the case of smoking, nicotine cravings bring about stress, which

then causes this reaction in the body, therefore heightening the need the smoke.

The way to deal with this is to get into the habit of regularly taking deep breaths throughout

the day. This is the easiest method there is of calming your emotions. By taking deep, slow

breaths, you are increasing the oxygen level in your bloodstream which slows your heart beat

down, and stops you going into “stress mode”. Because the effect of this is relaxing, this will

reduce the smoking craving significantly.

Be Present in Each Moment.

By not being present in the moment you fall into danger of listening to that inner voice that

wants to lead you away from your resolve. An effective way of dealing with cravings and to

silence that voice, is to use all your senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell and become

aware of what’s around you. Really tune into to your surroundings and become fully present

in the moment. Focus on colours, shapes, lighting, textures, temperature, sounds, smells and

if possible taste. Keep focusing and concentrating on these things until the craving subsides.

Use Positive Affirmation to Avoid Temptation

Positive affirmations help your mind to accept and believe the new you and should be said

daily to help renew your mind. However, they can also be very useful to use during those

occasions when you feel tempted to surrender to a craving. Say positive statements such as “I

am in control now “, and “I am free from smoking”; “I am successful” and “I can achieve

anything I put my mind to” and keep repeating them to yourself until the craving goes away.

Take Regular Breaks

Let’s be honest here, as a smoker you took regular breaks from whatever you were doing to

have a cigarette. During the first few weeks as a non-smoker you may find that your

concentration levels start to flag. The best thing to do is to have a short break every 30

minutes or so, and to accept this as part of the withdrawal process and to affirm to yourself

that it will gradually improve as time goes on. In the meantime, be patient take frequent

breaks from your task, you could do a few stretching exercises, and some deep breathing or if

appropriate go for a short walk.

Avoid Places or Situations Associated with Smoking

You know the places I mean, those regular haunts where you always smoked more than

usual. Avoid situations that increase your desire to smoke if you can. Be extra vigilant during

specific occasions such as parties, Christmas or birthday celebrations for it is during these

times we can be more prone to letting our guard down.

Avoid Alcohol

For many people smoking and alcohol go together. This is not a good combination, for as

well as being a habitual behaviour that will need to be broken, the alcohol is a depressant and

smoking is a stimulant. If you know yourself to be one of these people, consider seeking

specialist help with a therapist, or counsellor who will be able to help you identify the

underlying reason as to why you feel the need for these props.

The best thing is to avoid drinking alcohol as this will lower your ability to resist smoking.

This is particularly important during those first few weeks, and may be longer.

Have Some Sugarless Gum Handy…

If you feel you need something in your mouth, get in a supply of sugarless gum or sugar-free

sweets, or make sure you have a supply of raw vegetables such as carrots and celery sticks at

hand in your fridge.

Keep Your Mouth Fresh…

Your teeth are likely to be discoloured and possibly diseased, as smoking is a major cause of

gum disease and bad breath. Buy a new toothbrush and mouthwash and maybe book an

appointment to see your dental hygienist. By following this tip, you’ll be affirming your

commitment to the new you and the new life that lies ahead of you as a non smoker.

Step 6 – Deal with Denial and Fear

“A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one

unsatisfied. What more can one want” – Oscar Wilde

Denial is a common problem among smokers. Denial about effects on health, life expectancy,

believing that smoking is pleasurable, a stress releaser, and a relaxant are just a few. As

human beings we can often fall in the trap of denial, as a way of dealing with painful things.

As I mentioned earlier in this book, you and I prefer to seek pleasure and not pain, so if we

can find a means to avoid pain, or knowing painful truths then our minds will do this for us.

Denial of the effects smoking has on health is a common area; as most smokers avoid

thinking about their death, or illness as a direct result of smoking, and feel uncomfortable

when loved ones point this out to them.

Denial can also be linked to fear. A fear is a worry about the future – a feeling of what might

happen. Sometimes our fears are never manifested, but nonetheless this knowledge doesn’t

stop us from worrying at the very least to feeling completely overwhelmed by fear at its

worse.

A fear can also be interpreted as a negative affirmation. For example it’s not uncommon to

experience that the very thing you feared ends up happening. Again this is a result of how we

can ‘attract’ things to us just by thinking and focusing on them. So be careful about how

much time you spend “worrying” or fearing things!

A lot of smokers own to having fears about stopping smoking. Particularly fear of loss; such

as loss of friends, loss of fun and pleasure, loss of a coping mechanism when they feel

stressed, anxious or even bored. Some other fears that are common are; fear of gaining

weight, fear of withdrawal symptoms, and fear of failure or success. Some of these fears have

their roots in the past, such as self-doubt, negativity, and low self-esteem and stem from self-

limiting beliefs.

Because of the addictive quality of nicotine, smokers are easily deceived to believe what they

want to believe, for example the belief that smoking relaxes you, when in fact it is the

nicotine that creates the feeling of stress in the first place, in order for you to keep feeding the

habit. It is important to understand your fears and where they come from, so get your fears

out in the open and take action to deal with them, and make sure you get reliable facts about

smoking, so you are not deceived.

Someone once said the only way to deal with a fear is to take action and face it. If you do it

can be your biggest area of personal growth, for there is nothing like the feeling of

conquering a fear.

Denying the health risks of smoking

Many smokers have created an illusion that they are fully aware of the health risks related to

smoking, but if they were truly fully aware then they would not be smoking at all – they

would be so frightened they would stop. Usually there is the mistaken belief that ‘bad things

happen to others but not me’, which basically means they are burying their heads in the sand!

The truth is that by continuing to smoke you are playing Russian roulette with your life as the

stake. Who knows which cigarette it will be that will trigger off a cancer cell or emphysema.

It could be your next cigarette.

There is plenty of information around about how smoking affects your health. There are

health warnings on tobacco products, and enough evidence to show that smoking is a

contributory cause of heart disease, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, arteriosclerosis,

angina, stroke, thrombosis, cancer, diabetes to name just a few. Most smokers refuse to

believe these statistics because they want to continue smoking and minimise and manipulate

the facts to justify their behaviour.

The fact is, if you accept this reality, then your mind faces a dilemma. If you really believe

that smoking is harmful, then your mind will help you stop. But while you continue to kid

yourself that it will never happen to you, your mind does not fully accept the real danger in

smoking. Remember we are what we believe.

When it is too late, and you are suffering from a serious smoking related condition or illness,

and the truth sinks in. It is highly likely you will regret that you did not stop before it was too

late.

Get the real facts and stop justifying the illusion that it will not happen to you before it is too

late to do anything about it. Once your mind accepts and believes the truth that smoking is a

poison that is killing you, then it will reject those mistaken beliefs once and for all.

Get rid of negativity

This is about describing your glass as always being half full and not half empty or better still

seeing your glass as full and overflowing! It is a matter of choice. Negative thoughts rob us of

our inspiration and creativity – the belief that we can achieve anything we put our minds to.

So it is important to get rid of negative thoughts as soon as they pop into your head. You can

do this easily, by saying out loud one or more of the positive affirmations you wrote down

earlier. If you focus on negative thoughts then you are likely to lose sight of your goal –

remember you become what you think about. If you are someone that has a lot of negative

thoughts, then it is best to steer clear of negative people as you will find you will feed your

negativity from them. Like the physical positive and negative energies repel each other, it is

exactly the same with positive and negative thoughts – some people describe this as spiritual

energy. When we behave positively, we send out positive signals or energy, and others

respond to them positively. The same happens when we are feeling negative; we send out

negative signals and negative energy.

Spend a few moments thinking about the positive and negative people who are in your life

and make a list of each in your diary. Stay away from negative people if you can during those

early days of quitting smoking as they will sabotage your positive attitude with negative

comments.

Here is an exercise you can do in your journal to help you reframe some of the negative

beliefs you may have. Separate a page in your journal into two columns, head one column

with the words ‘My Strengths” and the other column “My Weaknesses”. Write down what

you believe to be your strengths and weaknesses, and then ask a close relative or friend who

knows you well if they agree and if they have anything to add. You may find from doing this

exercise that some of your strengths and weaknesses are the same thing. For instance the

quality of tenacity can be seen a strength, and the word stubborn as a weakness, yet they are

more or less the same thing. Re-frame as many of your negative words under your weakness

column into positive language, and in doing so move them over to your positive list. This

should drastically reduce the number in the weakness column, and then affirm out loud each

positive strength as follows: “I am …… (Insert the first word in your positive column),

and so on with each word in the “strength” list. Notice that by simply changing the language,

you gain more positive energy. Enjoy that energy and realise how easy it is to change the way

you think and feel about yourself.

Get the Truth about Smoking

Get the right facts about smoking; don’t rely on what you think you know. There are a lot of

myths about smoking, and one of the biggest is that smoking eases stress and anxiety by

giving you a sense of relief, of pleasure and consequently helping you feel more relaxed. This

is a deception and illusion, the truth is that smoking actually created those unwanted feelings

of depression, irritability, and anxiety in the first place; the “pleasure” that you feel when you

smoke is what non-smokers feel all the time. All you are doing is satisfying an addictive need

or craving brought about by the nicotine. Be absolutely clear smoking damages your physical

and mental health.

Stop Believing Smoking is Enjoyable

Most smokers believe that they enjoy smoking and it is the fear of losing this pleasure that

stops them from quitting. What they don’t realise is that the warm, relaxing pleasurable

feelings they experience when they smoke does not actually come from the cigarette, but

comes from their own beliefs about smoking. Historically, smoking has been marketed in

such a way, that it has brainwashed smokers to believe that poison filled cigarettes have some

beneficial qualities (remember the advertising portraying smoking as being seductive, sexy,

fun, relaxing and confident). This is a lie, and purely a sales tactic to get you hooked into a

massive money making industry that has no interest in your health.

Our subconscious minds do not know the difference between pretence and reality, and can be

easily influenced by the power of suggestion. It is from these suggestions that beliefs are

formed, these beliefs shape our perspective on how we ‘see’ ourselves and the world around

us. Be absolutely clear there are no benefits whatsoever from smoking. Any beliefs that you

have that there are benefits are a complete deception. It is YOU who generate the

pleasurable-relaxed feelings you experience when you smoke and it is YOU who have

associated them in your mind with the act of smoking. This is why every time you desire a

cigarette; these false beliefs trigger the release of chemical secretions in your brain and

nervous system which causes you to experience that ‘enjoyable’ feeling when you smoke. It

is reasonable to assume that it is the cigarette that causes those feelings, but it is important to

understand that it is your intention to smoke that causes the release of chemicals from the

brain and NOT what’s in the cigarette.

One of the snares that ex-smokers fall into is that they fear they will never ever experience

those warm pleasurable relaxed feelings again, and consequently they become double-

minded. One part of them wants to quit and never wants to have another cigarette in their life

again, and yet there is this other part, that fears a life without those enjoyable feelings, and

long for a cigarette. Hence an internal struggle ensues which if not checked can ruin the

resolve of the new non-smoker.

The good news is that because it is a deception that smoking creates pleasurable feelings, and

that it is your false belief that has created that illusion, you don’t have to continue with this

internal conflict anymore. You can choose to change your belief. You can choose to believe

the truth. You can release those false beliefs that you’ve been holding on to, by seeing them

for what they are, and stop negatively affirming your thoughts along the lines of ‘I’ll never

have fun socializing with friends again’ ; ‘I’ll never enjoy tea breaks again’ and so on, and

replace them with positive affirmations. Remember this false ‘pleasure’ from desiring

cigarettes is killing you and will not feel so enjoyable when you are on your death bed

suffering the pain of a smoking related illness.

Stop using language that is Inconsistent with Being a Non-Smoker

Our feelings are implicitly expressed in our language and the words we use. Words have an

incredibly powerful effect on our subconscious mind, so avoid phrases like “giving up

smoking” when you talk to people – the only thing you’ve given up is a smoking related

death or disease. Instead when someone offers you a cigarette, use the phrase “no thanks, I’ve

kicked that habit”. When you describe yourself to others, avoid using words such as “ex-

smoker” or “non-smoker” as these indicate you are giving a label to yourself denoting

smoking as being an important part of your identity. Notice that the person who has never

smoked doesn’t go round describing themselves as a “non-smoker”.

Unfortunately, over time most people have learnt to think and use words in the negative

sense. Often when I ask a new client what is it they want out of life, they usually present me

with a list of “don’t wants”. This is one of the reasons why most resolutions and ideas start of

like fantastic fireworks lighting up the sky only to fizzle out and die, ending up in a pile of

ashes.

Think about your language and words, and in your journal list down the phrases you have

used to tell people that you are no longer a smoker. Notice how many negative words you

use, and alongside create a new list formed of positive sentences you can use. Avoid negative

words such as ‘don’t” “trying” and “but”.

Accept that Smoking Causes Stress

It is a complete myth that smoking helps with anxiety and stress. In fact the reverse is true, as

smoking actually destroys your nervous system and increases stress, depression, anxiety, and

panic attacks. Research has shown that smoking can actually cause these things in the first

place, and the stress that you feel is about the need to have another cigarette. Smoking is all

about watching the clock, watching time pass until you can have the next cigarette. The

‘stress’ that is relieved when smoking a cigarette is the relief from withdrawal pangs –

nothing more.

The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to manage stress, and to help with

depression. Here are a few examples:

Do deep breathing exercises. The very act of slow deep breathing stops

our bodies from going into the “stress response” and consequently slows

down our heart rate, helping us feel relaxed.

Join a yoga class – there are many benefits which bring about calmness

and well being and there is a yoga posture called pranayama (art of yoga

breathing) which particularly benefits people who have smoked.

Listen to Hypnotherapy CDs on relaxation and managing stress.

Learn NLP anti-anxiety techniques such as SWISH to help deal with

stress.

Book an appointment for Shiatsu - a Japanese method of healing and

deep relaxation which helps release stress.

Book a massage, or have aromatherapy. These ease the tension in the

body as well as having therapeutic qualities aiding relaxation of the

mind.

Stop Believing that Smoking Relieves Boredom

This is another common myth people believe in which is totally irrational. There are plenty of

things you can do other than smoke that will relieve boredom. Do not be deceived into

thinking that smoking is the only way. The reality is that those nicotine monsters inside you

want to be satisfied – nothing else, in fact smoking can actually make you feel bored as it

depletes you of energy to do anything else and can lead to procrastination – putting off what

needs to be done. If you are doing nothing and feeling bored, you are inviting thoughts to

come into your head telling you to smoke. Deal with the boredom, find something to do,

telephone a friend, go out, occupy yourself and the feeling will pass.

Don’t Let your Fears Get Out of Perspective

Most smokers fear the withdrawal from nicotine and panic about how they will cope. Some

people find life extremely difficult those first few days, and others may experience little or no

symptoms. But in reality – what can be the worst thing that can happen? Following an action

plan that deals with withdrawal symptoms will enable you to cope with physical, mental and

emotional stress especially during those early days. You will also be culturing new habits that

deal with stress, such as learning relaxation techniques, taking up exercise and embarking on

new hobbies, through which you will gradually grow more confident.

Some people fear failure (or even success) as it will change their life and the way they

perceive themselves in an unfamiliar way. If you are one of those people, think about seeking

specialist help maybe from a counsellor or hypnotherapist, and NLP practitioner who can

help you deal with these issues. It will be money well spent for if you do have these inner

beliefs, once they are dealt with, you will find that you will be empowered in all areas of your

life where you want to achieve, not just in quitting smoking.

Fear of gaining weight

Be careful as this is just another excuse for not quitting. It is true that healthy bodies weigh

more than oxygen depleted bodies, so a small weight gain may occur when giving up

smoking. However, this is insignificant when you compare it with all the health benefits that

you’ll gain from not smoking. And let’s face it, you would have to have a massive weight

gain to come anywhere near the same health risks that you had as a smoker.

But if you think you are someone that turns to fast high calorie snacks to replace that feeling

of “emptiness” then there are ways to get past this fear if you are serious about stopping

smoking. The first thing is to know is, are you really hungry when you turn to those snacks?

This is important as there is a difference between the feeling of hunger and the feeling of

appetite. Let me explain. True hunger is based on your body’s need for food in order to give

energy. Usually the signs our bodies give us when we are physically hungry are a rumbling

stomach, tiredness and maybe a feeling of irritability. Appetite however, is emotionally and

habitually based. For example, eating at certain times of the day, or maybe eating when you

feel bored, frustrated or stressed is down to appetite and not physical hunger. Sometimes

these habits become so entrenched we don’t realise we are doing it and absentmindedly reach

for the biscuit tin.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself next time you are tempted to turn to food.

1. Am I really hungry or is it something else I’m feeling?

2. When did I last eat?

3. Do I really need a snack?

Now if you still feel hungry, do the following: go for a quick walk (5 minutes will do maybe

round the garden), wash your face and hands, and do some stretching exercises.

If you still feel hungry then have a healthy snack or meal, whichever is appropriate. Make

sure you eat slowly and take several deep breaths before eating, and during your meal. By

deep breathing you are eating in a relaxed way. If we eat when we are stressed our digestion

system turns itself off, as our body goes into the stress response of ‘fight or flight’, and

consequently our bodies release cortisone, insulin and adrenaline to prepare us. These

chemicals contribute to weight gain, as they raise blood sugar levels, and contain steroids.

And as your body has turned off digestion (your body cannot fight or flight AND digest at the

same time) your meal is sitting in your stomach giving you little nutrition value, and over

time, can cause IBS and other digestion problems.

If you feel that it is through emotion or habit that you want to eat then ask yourself what it is

that you are feeling – and do something about that. For example if you are feeling bored, then

find something else to do other than eat, if you feel empty – ask yourself what it is that is

causing that empty feeling – where else do you feel an emptiness in your life? You might be

surprised by the answer; again if you feel the emotions you are accessing overwhelming, seek

professional help through a therapist or counsellor. Avoid burying these emotions – they will

pop up again and again. Burying painful emotions are a bit like burying a man alive….they

constantly scratch to get to the surface!

Stop Believing Smoking Helps With Concentration.

The statement ‘Smoking helps with concentration’ holds absolutely no truth whatsoever.

When you are concentrating, you are focusing your attention on to a particular task or

programme, and it becomes difficult to think of anything else. It is during these moments

when it is easy to light up a cigarette automatically, without even realising it. In reality it is a

known fact that smoking clogs up your circulation with poisons which stops oxygen getting

to your brain, thereby reducing your capacity to concentrate!

Many ex-smokers claim that once they had got through the withdrawal symptoms of stopping

smoking, their concentration improved immensely, and described their life as a smoker as

looking at the world through a thick heavy fog. As a non-smoker they find they are able to

focus with clarity and precision.

Stop Trying to Block Out All Thoughts About Smoking.

Eliminate the word ‘try’ from your thinking. If you try to do something, the message you are

sending to your brain is “I am going to attempt something which I might fail at doing”. The

fact is the more you focus on trying the more likely you are to fail. This is because your mind

will register the possibility of failure and your subconscious will imagine it, (remember your

mind ‘thinks’ in pictures) and the effect will be that you have programmed your subconscious

to accept and determine failure. This is why willpower fails. Willpower is based on trying.

Think about this request:

Don’t think about pink elephants walking across the ceiling.

If you have read the above statement, you will have had to think about pink elephants

walking across the ceiling. The complete opposite of what I asked you to do. This is because

our minds have to think of the statement first in order to negate it. This is a law of the mind.

So if we tell our minds we are going to block something out, i.e. not think about it. Then our

minds have to have an image about it first before it can negate it. So by telling yourself that

you are not going to think about smoking means that you are telling yourself to think up an

image of smoking, then scrubbing the image out. In other words you are doing exactly what

you don’t want to do, that is create an image, a thought about smoking.

It’s a bit like telling a child they can’t have something, before they’ve even thought about

having it. All you have done is planted the seed of curiosity so the child thinks about it, and

consequently desires it.

Instead of trying to block out thoughts of smoking, choose to accept them. Accept you will

have thoughts of smoking, as your mind will remind you of associated behaviours and events,

and just allow those thoughts to happen and look at them just as though they were snapshots

in a photo album. Don’t resist, just look at the thought then move on and think of a positive

thought, such as one of your positive affirmations, such as “I am in control now” and let your

mind then focus on the emotions attached to that affirmation. Remember the harder you try to

stop thinking about smoking, the more thoughts you will have about smoking.

Dealing with Feeling Deprived

You’ve embarked on the journey of becoming someone who does not smoke, as a result of

your decision of not wanting to smoke anymore. It is nothing more than that. If you are

struggling with cravings, or thoughts of smoking, accept them for what they are just natural

occurrences in the process of withdrawal. Recognise that all you are depriving yourself of is

poison and ill-heath. Focus on the freedom of being released from an addictive drug, freedom

to make choices that do not evolve round smoking, freedom to grow in self-value and worth.

Step 7 – Establish Your Support Network

“If we see you smoking we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action” -

Douglas Adams

It is true that only you can stop yourself from smoking, but by building up a good support

network, you don’t have to feel isolated and alone, and in reality everyone needs a support

system. Even if you are a ‘loner’ it is still good to have at least one person you can turn to,

and also to be accountable to. It is good to share your struggles and successes with people

who love and care for you, and gain strength from their support. Sometimes being left to your

own devices can bring about those triggers of boredom and stress, which can break down

your resolve. In surrounding yourself with a good support network you are more likely to win

the battle and remain a non-smoker. You will find that others will be delighted to help you

succeed and celebrating your success is more enjoyable in company!

Don’t Be a Lone Wolf.

A good idea is to write out a list of people who you think might be supportive to you. There

is no shame in seeking help and support from people, so as you think about each person you

know, think also about the ways in which they can be supporting of you. For example, a

phone call to someone who has already kicked the smoking ‘habit’ and would understand

what you are going through might be helpful when you are struggling to stay focused. When

you are feeling low, contacting a friend will often stop you spiralling down further. Lean on

people who are close to you and who care about you, they can be an enormous support to you

during difficult times.

Don’t rule out getting support from ex-smokers. People who have successfully broken the

addiction to nicotine can emotionally relate to your struggle, and will be on your side as they

will want you to succeed too.

Ask for Help

Nicotine affects our emotions and moods. Explain to close family or friends how important it

is to you that you succeed in stopping smoking, and explain that any changes in your mood,

irritability, and bad temper are only a temporary consequence of withdrawing from nicotine.

Ideally ask them in advance to take this in consideration and ask for their support when you

are going through these emotions. Tell them it is not personal, it is the nicotine fighting to

keep its hold on you and ask for their understanding and patience until the nicotine is out of

your system. Get them to focus on the new you that will be the outcome.

Spend more time with people who care about you, as they will want the best for you and will

help you get it. However, even though they have your best interest at heart, you must tell

them what they can do to help - they are not mind-readers!

Be Assertive When Around Other Smokers

If you have to mix with smokers particularly during those first few weeks of stopping

smoking, be sure to ask them to help you by not offering you cigarettes, and if possible and

appropriate, not to smoke in front of you. Why put yourself through breathing in their smoke,

or being tempted by being offered a cigarette when you don’t have to? By being assertive,

and enlisting their help, you are making a public affirmation that you are not going to

succumb to smoking.

However, be careful, as some smokers may feel threatened by your strength and resolve and

might try to jeopardise it because they feel weak themselves. Don’t allow other people’s guilt

affect your life and above all don’t allow them the opportunity to tempt you.

Buddy-Up with a Stop-Smoking Partner

If you have a friend or someone else who you know (and like) who wants to stop smoking,

then it might be worth considering stopping smoking together. This idea may not be for

everyone, but if you are someone who is competitive this will help keeping your motivation

going. You’ll also benefit from having the support of someone else who is going through

similar experiences who can empathise and encourage you. Watch out though, if they

succumb back to smoking…. it doesn’t mean you have to as well.

Join a Support Group

Stop smoking support groups can be of a great help, particularly if you find one that provides

information about smoking and has trained counsellors present. The idea is that as part of a

group you will be with like-minded others where there are opportunities to share withdrawal

experiences some of which will be similar to your own. These groups as well as providing

support, also offer accountability, for it is much harder to give in when tempted if you know

you will have to face the group. Group members share weaknesses and strengths, learn new

skills and work together to help each other, and some groups offer a mentoring provision.

You can find out what support groups are run in your area from GP surgeries, smoking help-

lines and the internet.

There are also many internet forums on quitting smoking whereby you can connect with other

people for support. Visit my Face book page at www.facebook.com/wanttostopsmoking for

advice and support.

Get Support from Other Groups You Already Belong To.

It may be that you already belong to groups that will offer some help. For instance if you

attend a church, or have a faith, you could seek ministry and prayer from that group, and

receive support from other members. Write out a list of all the groups and organisations you

belong to and ask members for their support. The more people you tell and the more support

you get, the more resources you will have to call on.

Voice Your Feelings

If you are someone who keeps your feelings locked up inside you, you could run the risk of

feeling more resentful and may feel overwhelmed with emotion. Try to voice your feelings to

others to enlist their understanding and help. Make sure you tell people around you when you

feel irritable or depressed as this can act as a safety valve. Also others by being aware of what

you are going through can be more accepting of your behaviour and will be able to support

you more effectively.

Get Fund-Raising

Why not raise funds for your favourite charity? Not only will you be helping others, but this

is a great way to get other people involved in helping you achieve your goal. The more

people who are involved, the more likely you are to keep motivated. Just think of all the

people you will help by succeeding your goal. Not only will you feel good about your

personal success, but you’ll also feel good about helping others.

Step 8 - Your Health Matters

“Get me well so I can get on television and tell people to stop smoking” - Nat King Cole

Respect your body, and your body will reward you with good health. What you eat and drink

affects your emotions, your mood patterns and your level of concentration. In feeling under

par – you will be inviting cravings and run the risk the jeopardising attaining your goal as a

non-smoker. In reviewing your diet and taking up more physical exercise you will also help

your body recover from the poisons you have been inhaling, and enjoy the health benefits of

your new lifestyle, you’ll have more energy and have a general sense of well-being.

Avoid Using Food as a Way of Coping with Temptation

It is not unusual for ex-smokers to have urges to eat high calorie foods, particularly within

those first few weeks after quitting. It may be because they have got used to having

something in their mouth or hands at certain times in the day and in certain situations. Or

maybe it’s because there is a feeling that something is missing, and it is particularly stronger

at those times and situations when they used to smoke. Some of this additional eating may be

linked to feelings, such as sadness, frustration, tiredness or stress, when in the past these

emotions triggered a craving.

As stated throughout this book, the best way to avoid pitfalls is to anticipate them and plan

ahead. Get into the habit of planning and preparing balanced meals. Through smoking your

body has been depleted of proteins, vitamins and minerals that are vital to maintaining a

healthy body. By eating healthy balanced meals you will be replenishing your body of these

elements and as a result you will feel more energised and have a sense of well-being. Your

intake of protein will help repair the damage that has occurred through smoking to your

tissues and cells. Additionally you will be ensuring a constant supply of serotonin and

dopamine, important for ensuring the “feel-good factor”. And by eating plenty of fresh fruit

and vegetables you’ll replenish the body of minerals and vitamins depleted by smoking and

as a result feel generally healthier.

Consider seeing a nutritionist for advice. Remember that you have been pumping poison into

your body for some time (may be as much as 20 years or so) and in following advice from a

nutritionist you will be assisting your body in the healing process. As well as giving you a

balanced diet plan that will help with any physical symptoms from withdrawing from

nicotine, he or she will be able to advise you on the wide range of supplements and de-tox

products that are available. Also by doing this you are programming your subconscious to

support your decision to respect your body and what you are putting into it.

Cut Down on Coffee.

A common mistake people make when quitting smoking is to increase their level of caffeine.

This can have a number of effects. Firstly if coffee and cigarettes go hand in hand for you,

then you may need to think about changing your beverage, at least for a while, until your

mind has adapted to a new habit of not drinking and smoking at the same time.

Secondly, caffeine is a stimulant and if you over stimulate your system, you may find you

become more jittery and anxious, which again in turn could trigger a craving. As an

alternative it might be an idea to cut down on the amount of caffeine you have during the day

and try herbal or fruit teas or other caffeine free drinks instead. If you usually drink a lot of

coffee, I would suggest that you don’t cut it out altogether, as you will then have to cope with

dealing with two addictions at once – caffeine and nicotine, which would not be a good idea!

Remember that caffeine stimulates your brain, and as most smokers suffer from sleep

deprivation, it is best to avoid drinking coffee or tea after 5pm, particularly in the early days.

Dealing with Sleep Difficulties

It is not unusual for smokers to suffer from sleep deprivation as nicotine is a stimulant and as

such keeps you alert. As you withdraw from nicotine it may take a little for your body to

adjust, and consequently in those first few weeks of stopping smoking be prepared that your

sleep might be more disturbed than it was before. Lack of a good nights sleep can undermine

your resolve, so it is best to remedy this as quickly as possible and if necessary get help from

your doctor.

There are a number of things you can do to help you get a good nights’ sleep. Firstly it is

particularly important to establish a regular routine, as our bodies and mind like specific

patterns and rhythms, so aim to go to bed and get up at the same time each day even at

weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body's sleep-wake cycle and can help

you fall asleep more easily at night. It is important that you eliminate day time naps and sleep

primarily at night. If you must have a day time sleep limit this to about half an hour and make

it during the middle of the afternoon. If you’re someone who has trouble waking up in the

morning, leave the window curtains open and let the sunlight help awaken you. For those of

you on shift work, when you sleep in the day, close your curtains so that sunlight doesn't

interrupt your sleep.

It is important to get into the habit of going to bed feeling relaxed. You can wind down from

the day, by listening to calm and soothing music, or a hypnotic CD, maybe have a warm bath

or read a book. Get into the habit of doing the same things each night, as this tells your body

it's time to wind down. Create a bedroom that's ideal for sleeping, cool, dark, quiet and

comfortable. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. If

necessary use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan or other devices to

create an environment that suits your needs.

Don't eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Preferably eat a light dinner at least two

hours before going to bed. If you're prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can

make heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed

and avoid caffeine or alcohol (alcohol is known to disrupt sleep). Although your body doesn’t

store caffeine it does take several hours to eliminate the stimulant, so don’t drink caffeine for

about 8 hours before going to bed. If you must drink something try an herbal remedy or tea or

hot milk, but remember too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night

for trips to the toilet.

Regular physical activity such as aerobic exercise during the day can help you have a more

restful sleep, and help you get to sleep quicker. However avoid exercising right before going

to bed, as this may make getting to sleep more difficult.

If you don't fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, remember you are still resting, so don’t

agonize over it as stress will only prevent sleep. If you can’t sleep, get up and do something

else, and go back to bed when you're tired.

Continue to Deep Breathe

As a smoker you inhaled deeply, however, it is not uncommon for ex-smokers to forget to

continue deep breathing, and as stated earlier, shallow breathing promotes tension and

triggers the body to go into “stress response”, releasing chemicals for the body to prepare to

flight or fight, and consequently making the heart beat faster and blood sugar to increase.

Deep breathing is a key relaxation skill to learn in those first few weeks of becoming a non-

smoker

To combat this get into the habit of doing deep breathing exercises regularly. As a smoker

you will have clogged the cilia in your lungs with tar (these are minute hair-like structures).

In doing deep breathing exercises regularly you will be encouraging the cleansing of this

area. Follow this simple exercise, by either lying down or sitting up straight. To deep breathe

correctly it is important to use your belly muscles. Take a deep breath and let your stomach

go out as far as possible as you inhale. In doing this you will fill your lungs more completely.

Put a hand on your abdomen and, as you inhale deeply, feel your stomach expand as though it

were being filled like a balloon. Now let the air out and feel your stomach return to its normal

position. As you do this exercise, take a brief pause at the end of each exhalation until you

feel ready to take the next deep breath. Closing your eyes during deep breathing and focusing

on a restful place can help you achieve even greater relaxation, and a feeling of calmness.

Aim to do this several times a day.

Dealing with Digestion Problems.

People can easily fall into the trap of believing that they were healthier as a smoker,

particularly when experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms that affect the digestive

system. It is not uncommon for new non-smokers to experience symptoms such as nausea,

vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, and stomach pains. This is because your body has had to

adjust its metabolism (the rate your body burns up food and converts to energy). As a smoker,

your metabolism was artificially raised, and now has to make the adjustment back to what is

normal and healthy for your body. Bearing in mind you may have been a smoker for many

years, so it is not unreasonable to expect your body to take a few weeks or maybe months to

recover fully.

When experiencing these symptoms, understand that it is simply the fact that your body is

recovering and healing from being poisoned. You could try eating light foods, and avoiding

anything spicy for a while. If you are constipated you can help your body by eating plenty of

roughage. Or you may wish to take a colon-cleansing supplement from your local health food

store, or visit a homeopath. If symptoms are severe or prolonged visit your doctor for a check

up and advice.

Above all, maintain a positive attitude, and realise that with each day your body is recovering

from the damage caused by smoking and see these discomforts as temporary while your body

heals and adjusts.

Get Healthy

As a smoker you will have compromised your immune system in your gut, as the poisons

from smoking will have depleted the friendly bacteria that are essential to the immune system

working effectively. Just by stopping smoking you will have enhanced your immune

significantly within the first month of quitting. However, as your body needs time to recover

and heal, you may experience more coughs, colds, and general ill-health as your body

cleanses itself of all those harmful chemicals and poisons. To avoid falling into the snare of

believing you will feel better if you started smoking again, understand and recognise these

bouts of ill-health are just temporary and are necessary ‘side effects’ as your body is healing

and recovering from years of abuse. Just spend a few moments imagining and picturing your

body cleansing and healing, and create good positive feelings knowing that every time you

feel under par, it’s because toxins are in the process of leaving your body. See yourself

enjoying the process.

You can also help your body to replenish and restore friendly bacteria in your gut by eating

natural live yogurt daily or by visiting a nutritionist who may advise taking pro-biotic.

Keep Your Blood Sugar Level

Nicotine raises your blood-sugar every time you have a cigarette. In stopping smoking your

blood-sugar levels will naturally dip for a while until your body becomes used to not being

stimulated by nicotine. It is therefore important, particularly during those first couple of

weeks of stopping smoking, to keep your blood-sugar level to avoid feelings of lethargy,

weakness, de-energised and in some cases even a little light-headed, as these symptoms of

low blood-sugar can deceive you into thinking that you “need” a cigarette to make you feel

better.

You can easily maintain your blood sugar level by drinking or eating healthy in-between

meal snacks every hour throughout the day. Ideal snacks are nuts and fresh or dried fruit, fruit

juice and milk. It is also important never to skip meals, particularly breakfast as blood-sugar

levels drop overnight, and to eat plenty of protein as it metabolises slowly and is excellent for

maintaining blood-sugar levels and to help replenish and heal your body of depletion.

Get Daily Exercise

Smoking decreases lung capacity, physical exercise increases it. By getting fitter you will be

helping your circulation get back to normal, as through smoking it is likely to have become

sluggish and clogged up with chemicals. You will find that by increasing your fitness level,

you will also do wonders for your energy level and general sense of well-being. Exercise is

an excellent stress reliever too and can be useful in replacing your dependence on cigarettes

for stress relief.

Here are just some of the ways regular physical exercise can improve your life.

Reduces stress and anxiety

Increases stamina levels

Helps with weight maintenance

Creates general feelings of well-being and good health

Improves muscle tone and appearance

Improves sleep quality

Better performance at work, and mental alertness

Improves self-esteem

Helps create a positive attitude

Ideally, choose an exercise that you enjoy doing, such as walking, biking, swimming, or

going to the gym. For some people it might help to team up with a friend, this way you can

encourage each other to keep going. Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes at a time, maybe

three to four times per week. If you are haven’t exercised for a while, give yourself time to

work up to a regular exercise schedule, and always check with your doctor beforehand.

Step 9 – The Financial Cost of Smoking

“The best way to stop smoking is just to stop – no ifs, ands or butts” – Edith Zittler

Smoking is a big money industry. The average 20-30 cigarette a day smoker spends in their

lifetime is a staggering £100,000, at least. What’s more it isn’t just about money going down

the drain, being wasted, its money spent on damaging their health and the health of their

loved ones. I have often heard smokers moan about the price of a packet of cigarettes

(particularly after Budget Day), yet rarely do I find they work out the full financial cost of

their smoking addiction. For some people the cost of a weeks smoking is affordable, but

when it adds up to over a lifetime, most people have difficulty justifying the huge amount of

money they’ve wasted on smoking. With every smoker I work with, I always get them to

work out the amount of money they spend, and what they have spent on smoking. And don’t

forget it is not just about buying the cigarettes or tobacco products, there is also the cost

involved associated with smoking, such as higher insurance premiums (health and home

insurance), petrol to and from the tobacconist, and money spent on other smoking

paraphernalia such as lighters, matches, pipes, ashtrays and so on. Furthermore there is the

cost of lost wages through days off sick due to smoking related health problems, and the cost

of prescriptions. All in all, smoking is an expensive habit.

In stopping smoking you will reap huge financial rewards. In this chapter you will start by

working out how much you have spent on smoking and how much you will save, and then

start planning on how you will spend the money that you would otherwise waste on smoking.

Work Out How Much Smoking Costs…

Here’s an interesting exercise for you to do, to work out how much you spend on smoking.

Start by adding up the number of cigarettes you smoke during an average day, and how much

it costs you. Now multiply that cost by 7 and you will have the figure you spend on smoking

each week. Next multiply that figure by 52 and you will have the annual figure you spend on

smoking. Take a few moments to let this sink in. Now it gets a little more shocking. Take that

annual figure and multiply it by however many years you’ve been smoking. So for example if

you’ve been smoking 25 years; multiply your annual figure by 25. This is how much you

have spent on cigarettes or tobacco so far.

Now the average age someone lives is around lets say 75 years, although people are now

living a lot longer. Now multiply the amount you annually spend on cigarettes or tobacco by

the number of years you have until you reach the age of 75. Take a few moments to allow

your feelings about this to surface and write them down in your journal. Remember this is

just the money for cigarettes and tobacco and doesn’t include all the other smoking

paraphernalia you need.

You cannot do anything about the past and the money you’ve wasted, but you now know how

much you will spend in the next 12 months on smoking if you don’t quit now and you also

know how much you will spend in the future if you continue to smoke. Write these figures

down in your journal to remind you of the financial cost of smoking. Refer back to them

whenever you feel yourself wavering.

Benefit Now from the Money You Save from Not Smoking.

Now that you have a clear idea of the financial cost of smoking, you know how much money

you will now save by not smoking. The next step is to think about how this amount of money

will help you achieve other things you want in your life. Spend some time thinking about this

and writing down your ideas in your journal. It may be for a hobby, starting a business,

buying a home, furniture, new car, or a holiday. As well as thinking about a “big” thing, think

about some weekly or daily treats to reward yourself. In doing this you have other positive

tangible goals to aim for. Use visualisation, as before, as a way of communicating to your

mind what it is you want, and enjoy the positive emotions you experience when you visualise

having them in the present moment. If it’s a new car you are saving for or a family holiday,

visualise yourself having them now and experience all those emotions now in the present

moment. This will help you stay motivated and avoid giving into the temptation of buying

cigarettes.

Reward Yourself Regularly

Remember, there has to be a ‘pay off’ in our behaviours, and that we naturally seek pleasure

and avoid pain. By giving your self regular treats you are endorsing the sense of personal

achievement and enjoying success. Ideally get into the habit of planning in a positive treat

each week or if necessary each day, to reward yourself and celebrate your victories. Do

whatever you feel is right for you.

Tell everyone what you will do with the money you saved from not smoking. By telling

everyone what you are intentions are, it will reinforce your decision and add some

accountability.

Step 10 – Avoiding Relapse

“I’d rather kiss a mad cow on the muzzle than a smoker on the mouth” - Paul Carvel

Be careful what you think about. In the same way as success with quitting smoking starts in

the mind, so does relapse. If you allow yourself to focus on unhealthy thoughts of smoking,

you’ll find it harder to shake them off. It’s important to understand from the start, before

embarking on any stop smoking programme that thoughts of relapse are inevitable and part of

the normal recovery process. It is vital then in order to be successful, you must be prepared

for these events so that you can maintain control and keep your resolve. When having those

sabotaging thoughts reset your thinking and distract yourself, even if it is just for a few

moments, it will enable you to not sabotage all your good progress.

If you do slip, remember it is not a crime. It’s not the end of the world. But just in case you

need it, this section consists of a plan of action for you to follow to get back on track as

quickly as possible.

Have a Relapse Prevention Plan

Be on your guard and watch out for relapse, for being forewarned is being forearmed. Look

up your smoking profile in your journal to remind yourself of why you stopped smoking and

how long you’ve smoked. Then write out this Relapse Prevention Inventory, (RPI) answering

the questions honestly.

– How long do I think it should be before I am completely free of smoking?

– How long have I been smoke-free?

– If I give up and go back to smoking will I want to quit again at some point in the

future?

– When will that be?

– Will it be too late?

– Will it be easier next time I try to stop smoking?

– Is it worth giving up being a non smoker?

Never Think You Can Get Away With Just One Cigarette

NEVER EVER test your resolve by "just having one". Remember smoking comes in packs

of 20 …and just having one cigarette has been the ruin of many. Don’t kid yourself you can

resist having another, as chances are you will be back enslaved to nicotine again before you

know it, and probably smoking more than you used to.

This is just one example how you can use your mind to cleverly manipulate yourself into

thinking you are control. When in fact what you are really doing is mentally planning a

relapse. See it for what it is; in testing yourself in this way you are giving yourself permission

to start smoking again. Don’t be fooled. Let the truth set you free.

Think instead about what it is you are really wanting. Maybe you are missing something else

in your life? Remind yourself by looking back in your journal and read what you wrote about

having that first cigarette. Remember that one cigarette got you hooked in the first place and

will do again. A lot of people test their willpower in this way, and think they are strong

enough to stop at just having one. But remember willpower has nothing to do with giving up

smoking. You may think that by having a few drags on a cigarette might remind you just how

unpleasant smoking is. Whatever you do, don’t test this; this is just a trick of the drug.

Instead, remind yourself again of that first experience and how unpleasant it was. Maybe you

coughed and choked, may be you felt sick. Smoking is never enjoyable and never the reason

why you smoked. It was all about an addiction. Remember too that one cigarette will cost you

£X amount (the figure you came up with during the last chapter) the amount of money

smoking will cost you if you continue. By having “just one cigarette” or a few puffs, you

will awaken the nicotine monster and you’ll also undermine all the renewal in your thinking

within your subconscious.

Be Prepared for the Unexpected

This can happen when a stressful situation or an event that catches you off guard, such as a

sudden shock, sudden news or being away from your usual environment. Sometimes, it is

about nicotine withdrawal, but there may be other reasons. It might be because of too much

alcohol during a social evening with friends, or perhaps you were anxious about a specific

situation or a future event, or perhaps you feel under pressure from work, or other areas in

your life. Maybe you feel lonely and fed-up. If you do relapse, whatever the reasons, think

carefully about why you succumbed to that cigarette, and write down in your journal what

caused you to take that first puff.

Think about what you could have done instead, and write that down in your journal. It’s

important you learn from this exercise. There is no such thing as failing, just lessons on

knowing what not to do. Did you realise that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb on his

10,000th attempt? This meant he had a success rate of 0.01% and on that basis he had more

failures than successes. Today we only remember the success; one win has wiped out all

those failed attempts. Be like Edison who persevered towards his goal and when he asked

about the failures he simply said he’d discovered another way of how to not invent the light

bulb.

Failing to Draw Support from Others

If this applies to you and was the reason you relapsed, then turn to your support list in your

journal and ask yourself whose support could you have drawn from? Are you using your

support network enough? Remember there is no shame or disgrace in asking for help. Think

of a time when a friend or loved one leant on you for your help – it is likely you were more

than happy to assist.

Don’t Be Hard On Yourself.

Accept the fact that as human beings none of us are perfect, and even with the best made

plans sometimes things do not go as we wish or intend. If you find yourself slipping, don’t go

back down that old road of blaming yourself and feeling a failure. Instead stop worrying and

get back your resolve. Remember, Sir Edmund Hilary did not climb Mount Everest without

slipping a few times, instead of giving up; he got up and started again. Remember relapses

are common and may be part of the process, as change rarely happens overnight. The

important thing is to learn from your mistakes and not feel guilty. What is done is done and it

is in the past. Move on and don’t lose hope, see the blip as temporary.

Get Back to Your Programme Immediately

Another big mistake people who have relapsed often make is thinking that they will quit

again at some future date. These people often find themselves still smoking several years on.

The secret is the sooner you stop smoking again the higher the probability you will be in

becoming successful long-term.

If you have succumbed, revisit all the reasons why you want to be a non-smoker and make a

decision to get back on track as quickly as possible and decide on a new start date. Shower,

wash your hair and put on clean clothes. In getting rid of the smell of smoke and the simple

act of cleansing, you will experience a positive feel-good factor – it’s an act of letting go and

starting again.

By doing this you are focusing on your end goal and taking action, instead of allowing

yourself to drift. Remember that all successful people have “slipped” more than once before

reaching their goal.

Never Give Up on Your Goal

Be wary of falling into the trap of “giving up” on your goal, and going down the road of re-

visiting all those negative self-limiting mistaken beliefs. The reality is that the nicotine

monster from that first puff is tricking your mind, because it wants and needs to be back in

control.

Rebuke this by standing in front of a mirror and say out loud positive affirmations such as “I

am in control” and “I am able to achieve anything I put my mind to”. See yourself still as

someone who does not smoke - just because you smoked a cigarette or two doesn't mean you

have reverted to being a smoker. This continues reinforcing your subconscious that you are

serious about stopping smoking.

Celebrate Your Success

Don’t fall into the trap of not regularly rewarding your victories. By denying yourself simple

rewards you may be in danger of feeling deprived and life seeming mundane and boring,

which in turn can trigger the old thoughts whereby you convince yourself life was more

exciting as a smoker. When you feel this happening reserve some special treats to pamper

yourself with during times when you need an extra boost. Be self-indulgent, and guilt-free.

Here are some ideas to get you going:

– An afternoon trip to the cinema

– A beauty treatment

– Visit to a museum or evening out at the theatre

– A spa bath

– A splurge on your favourite foods

Never Lose Sight of the Benefits of Being a Non-Smoker

Stop looking back on your old life as a smoker with nostalgia. It is easy for our minds to

minimise the discomfort and pain we once felt once we feel we are past danger. This is

because our minds prefer to dwell on pleasurable experiences rather than painful ones, and

consequently uncomfortable feelings get buried in our subconscious. When this happens we

can often think that things weren’t as bad as we once believed they were, and if we are not

careful when we feel low we can give too much attention to those “good old days” when

things weren’t really as bad as we first thought.

Don’t lose sight of just how bad you felt as a smoker, when you lived with the self-disgust of

dirty finger nails, yellow teeth, bad breath, bad cough, stinking of the stale smell of smoke,

and the mental torture of planning your life around when you could have that next cigarette.

Don’t minimise this period in your life. Just because things may not be going the way you

want in your life at the moment, may be because of relationship difficulties, problems at

work, stress or health issues, always remember these things occur whether you smoke or not.

By thinking that life was more enjoyable as a smoker is an illusion, and if you are doing this

you need to think about what it is that you are really feeling and what is there that you can do

to deal with that. Remember smoking is a symptom of something else happening inside. Find

out what it is that you are really wanting or missing in your life right now.

Remind yourself of the benefits and advantages there are by not smoking. Yes, you will still

have problems to deal with in life, but you will not be compounding them with the additional

problems that smoking brings. Put notes with positive affirmations around the house, or a

work, or in the car to remind you of how you want to feel today. These visual aids can be

handy way of keeping your thoughts focussed on your end goal.

Remind Yourself Frequently of the Devastating Health Effects of Smoking

As stated in the previous section, be careful you do not fall into the snare of minimising the

health risks from smoking. Periodically remind yourself of these risks. Try some aversion

therapy such as;

Carry around with you photo of someone you know who died from smoking. This

can be someone famous who you admired or a close friend or loved one. Look at the

photo to remind you of the tragic consequences that smoking has.

Picture yourself dying on a hospital bed from a smoking related illness, and your

loved ones all around you. What do you feel? What would you say to them? Renew

your commitment to yourself that you are not going to let that happen and resolve

never to have another cigarette.

Get some pictures of smoke damaged lungs or other smoking related conditions that

you can look at to remind you of the devastating effects of smoking.

The Devil Finds Work for Idle Hands.

Some people find they really miss having a cigarette in their hands or mouth, and as a result

their hands are restless. This restlessness can trigger of thoughts of smoking. If this is a

struggle for you find something to do to occupy your hands, such as a Rubik’s cube,

doodling, knitting, crocheting or may be write a letter or do another pastime to keep your

hands busy. Fill your mouth with low calorie treats such as vegetable sticks, pretzels, rice

cakes, or sugar free gum or lollipops.

Don’t become overly confident

Even months or a year after you’ve stopped smoking you may experience a sudden desire to

have a cigarette. You may even be tempted as you feel you will have smoking under control.

Be warned – if you do, before you realise it, you will be back smoking again, and probably

more heavily than you did before. Remember nicotine is the fasted addictive drug there is –

and it only takes one cigarette.

Being Patient

Give yourself time for your body to heal and your mind to get used to your new routine and

habits, no matter how long it takes, be patient. Protect your stop smoking programme – it is

the way towards a healthier and happier you, and above all enjoy your new life as a person

who is free from smoking. Take pleasure from the taste and smell of your food, and the clean

fresh smell of your clothes, home, car and workspace. Live your life relaxed and free. Be

happy!

Chapter 11 – Stages of Recovery

“One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoker

again. I got three octaves back after quitting” – Mariah Carey

Whilst stopping smoking is not considered easy, the good news is that your body will start to

reap the benefits almost immediately.

Just in case you need to remind yourself of these benefits, the following list may prove

useful:

Day One

Your blood pressure and pulse rate will be lower

The amount of nicotine and carbon monoxide in your body decreases

The level of blood oxygen will have increased

Your immune system will start to recover

Day 2

Sense of smell and taste are beginning to return

Days 3-7

Carbon monoxide is eliminated from your body

Lung bronchial tubes leading to alveoli (air sacs) are relaxing

Breathing is easier

Nicotine levels will have decreased significantly

Risk of heart attack or stroke is decreased

After 1 week

Nicotine will no longer be present in your body

Your lung capacity will have increased

Physical withdrawal symptoms will be less intense

Your circulation will have improved

You will feel more energised

Weeks 2-4

Mental and emotional withdrawal symptoms (concentration, anger, irritability,

insomnia and depression etc) should have lessened

Heartbeat rate and blood pressure should be stabilised

Skin tone will have improved

Months 1-9

General improvement in your health

Risk of suffering a smoking related illness is reduced significantly

Improved concentration

Cilia has re-grown in lungs, keeping your lungs clean and reducing risk of infections

Increased energy levels

Year 1 -5

Risk of coronary heart disease reduced to less than half that of a smoker

Risk of stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker

Chapter 12 – Smoking Reality

“What a weird thing smoking is and I can't stop it. I feel cosy, have a sense of well-being

when I'm smoking, poisoning myself, killing myself slowly. Not so slowly maybe. I have

all kinds of pains I don't want to know about and I know that's what they're from. But

when I don't smoke I scarcely feel as if I'm living. I don't feel as if I'm living unless I'm

killing myself.” - Russell Hoban, Turtle Diary, 1975

Just in case you need reminding, here are some harsh facts about smoking.

According to the General Household Survey, in 2005, 24% of people in the UK over the age

of 16 smoked. On average 13 million adults smoke in the UK that is 1 in 4 women and 1 in 3

men. In the same year just over two thirds (68 per cent) of cigarette smokers in Great Britain

said that they wanted to give up, but 56 per cent said it would be difficult to go without

smoking for a whole day

Smoking kills around 120,000 people in the UK each year. Smoking causes around 30%

cancer deaths, 80% lung cancer deaths, 17% heart disease deaths, and 80% deaths from

bronchitis and emphysema. Around 250,000 people are admitted to hospital every year in the

UK, all suffering from diseases caused by smoking.

Consistently research has shown that non-smokers are put at risk by exposure to other

people’s smoke. This is generally known as passive smoking, or ETS (environmental tobacco

smoke). 85% of the smoke from cigarettes goes up directly into the atmosphere. It is

unfiltered and is inhaled. ETS has been classified in the US as a Class A Carcinogen, and is

the cause diseases associated with smoking as well as causing asthma and other chronic

respiratory diseases in children. The UK government’s Scientific Committee on Tobacco and

Health (SCOTH) concluded in 1998 that “ETS caused lung cancer and heart disease in adult

non-smokers”. It is estimated that exposure to ETS in the home causes around 11,000 deaths

in the UK each year from lung cancer, stroke and heart disease.

Even if you don’t believe these statistics, logic and common sense informs us that the

ingredients that constitute tobacco and cigarettes are lethal and subsequently carry no health

benefits whatsoever.

Here is a list of what goes in cigarettes:

Ammonia – used to speed nicotine to the brain

Sugars – to artificially raise blood sugar level

Addictives – as a tobacco preservative

Chemicals used in making rocket fuel – added to the paper to ensure continuation of

burning

Here’s a list of some of the chemicals that you inhale every time you smoke:

Nicotine – this is the base ingredient of many insecticides and one of the most

poisonous substances known.

Tar – this is a thick, brown, sticky substance this forms a lining in the lungs and

respiratory system.

Carbon monoxide – this is the gas of exhaust fumes. It binds itself to hemoglobin, and

blocks oxygen from getting into the bloodstream.

Formaldehyde – this is a carcinogenic, and is used to preserve dead bodies.

Methane – this is one of the major contributors to climate change.

Arsenic – a lethal poison

Cyanide – another lethal poison. It kills the enzymes that carry blood around the body.

Benzene – this used to make pesticides, dyes and rubber. It causes stomach and

digestion problems and increases the heart beat.

Acrolein – this is used in weed killers and pesticides. It damages the throat and nose.

Benzoapyrene – another carcinogenic found in oil. It causes skin diseases and

problems in development and fertility.

Toluene – used in paint and paint thinners. Effects are loss of memory, loss of

appetite and nausea.

PLUS other around another 60 chemicals…..too numerous to mention here.

The tobacco companies have known for a long time that nicotine is addictive, and that

smoking is known to cause cancer, yet they still are able to legally produce these substances.

The choice to smoke or not to smoke is yours. I hope this book is of great benefit to you,

through shedding light on the truth, and in empowering you with the knowledge, skill and

techniques on how to overcome and deal with those common hidden snarls, snares and

struggles that exist in your journey towards becoming a non-smoker for life. I wish you every

success, for your health and your future.

List of Therapies that you may find helpful.

Hypnotherapy: Very effective. According to 1992 New Scientist Magazine the published

results of an extensive clinical study showed the following results;

60% - single session hypnosis

24% - acupuncture

10% - NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy)

6% - Willpower alone.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): This approach involves changing behaviour and

thinking to bring about positive changes. This approach works well when combined with

hypnotherapy.

Reflexology: Ancient healing art that releases blockages and restores energy flow,

encouraging the body to heal itself.

Aromatherapy: Improves physical and emotional well-being.

Homeopathy: stimulates the body to repair itself and restore natural balance.

Acupuncture: Holistic method of restoring the body’s nature, physical, emotional and

spiritual balance.

Herbalist: Ancient art of medicine from plants and plant extracts to improve health and well-

being.

About Jackie Hill

Jackie Hill has many years’ experience as a fully qualified integrative psychotherapist,

clinical hypnotherapist, and NLP practitioner. She has helped many smokers overcome

addiction to nicotine, and has worked with people with addictions to alcohol and drugs, as

well as working with individuals, families and relationship counselling. She ran a successful

private practice in Suffolk for several years, and now works from her London office. She has

also run for many years the residential ‘BreakAway’ stop smoking programme at her retreat

in France.

For more information about Jackie or her other self-help products please visit her two

websites – www.want-to-stop-smoking.com and www.jackiehillcounselling.com

You can contact Jackie by emailing jackie@want-to-stop-smoking.com