Be an Ex Smoker With This Appealing Plan
- By Marie Herik
- Published 01/4/2012
- Wellness, Fitness and Diet
- Unrated
A few months ago, I wrote an article about the system I used to finally get myself rid of a 45 year old smoking habit. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by the success of that article but it made me realize how many other folks are still in the same old battle that I was. Smoke, worry, quit, don’t worry, smoke again, worry, etc. Honestly, the worrying about my health was taking more of my time than the smoking was. So, maybe you, too, can become an ex-smoker with this plan. Part of what's so appealing about this plan is that you get paid for not smoking.
In any event, an old friend of mine, stunned that I’d finally broken the cycle as well as the habit, recently asked me for help. While my electronic cigarette was a big part of my success, she and I sat down and together we came up with an elaboration of my original system for quitting. There's quite a bit of flexibility in this plan that we worked out so in that sense, it's more appealing than a number of other plans we'd come across.
While this system may at first appear rather elaborate, the habit of smoking itself is elaborate if you think about it: the tension of always checking to make sure you have cigarettes with you, the panic as you near the end of the pack, the sheer desperation of having gotten off a plane with cigarettes but no lighter or matches. Add to that today’s environment and trying constantly to find a non-offensive location to smoke in. Let’s not even talk about all the sneering looks. Goodness, all this utterly nerve wracking stuff everyday, all day long.
So, in moving on, please think of all that if, indeed, this system for quitting seems almost as neurotic as the habit itself.
First off, don’t set a quit date, we’ll do that later. Right now I just want you to start cutting down your daily intake of cigarettes. If you smoke 20 cigarettes/day, cut down to 15. After doing this for four days, pay yourself the $7 or whatever dollar amount a pack costs in your area (5 cigarettes times 4 days = one pack). Continue this pattern religiously. You might not be able to quit yet but you certainly can cut down. You’re paying yourself to do this and your money is going to add up quickly, believe me. Instead of counting the number of cigarettes you do smoke, you’ll be counting the number of cigarettes you don’t smoke which is much more motivating and hence, appealing.
Next, get a large clear plastic jar or such that has a tight lid on i
t. Put every cigarette butt you can in it. Screw the lid on tight after depositing your butts. Make sure this container is see thru and that you look very closely at it several times a day. Make sure that you put this container somewhere where you can’t miss seeing it regularly. This will be a strong reminder of what you’re putting into your body and will help you with the denial part of addiction. Denying the damage that smoking does to your body is a huge part of the problem with addiction so don’t skip over this part.
To further address the denial involved in cigarette smoking, go to the American Lung Association and get some photos of a smoker’s lungs. Paste those pictures where they are very visible and you’ll see them everyday. My friend posted his on his bathroom mirror.
Continue to cut down on your daily cigarette intake, making sure to pay yourself for every pack of cigarettes you don’t buy. Keep all this money in a safe place and just keep letting it accumulate. If you get to the point where you’ve cut down two paks a week at $7/pak at the end of the month, you’ll have $56 to spend on anything you want…..anything except cigarettes, that is. After six months, you’ll have $336 earned in your own “get paid to not smoke” stash. If you’re a heavy smoker and manage to cut your smoking in half, you can probably double that amount to earn $672!
When you have cut down to 5-6 cigarettes a day, consider buying an electronic cigarette and replace your tobacco cigarettes with it. You know yourself and whether or not electronic cigarettes might help you. The idea here is to phase out the tobacco cigarettes completely. Use the electronic cigarette with progressively less nicotine in the cartridges until you’re completely off the tobacco cigarettes. Using an electronic cigarette can help replace the habit and hand to mouth simulation of smoking.
Next, there are some things you can do to address cravings and the psychology behind smoking: everytime you crave, breath deeply several times. This simulates the relaxation you feel when you inhale. Secondly, DO NOT think about quitting for the rest of your life. Use the AA method and only think about quitting for one day at a time. Baby steps.
Lastly, you also might want to consider undertaking a lung detoxification program to help clear your lungs more quickly and reduce some of the damage smoking has caused.
Quitting smoking, an elaborate habit, may require elaborate measures. How elaborate your own plan to become an ex-smoker gets, it will be well worth it. And, by the way, I still pay myself for every pak I don’t smoke all these months later.
In any event, an old friend of mine, stunned that I’d finally broken the cycle as well as the habit, recently asked me for help. While my electronic cigarette was a big part of my success, she and I sat down and together we came up with an elaboration of my original system for quitting. There's quite a bit of flexibility in this plan that we worked out so in that sense, it's more appealing than a number of other plans we'd come across.
While this system may at first appear rather elaborate, the habit of smoking itself is elaborate if you think about it: the tension of always checking to make sure you have cigarettes with you, the panic as you near the end of the pack, the sheer desperation of having gotten off a plane with cigarettes but no lighter or matches. Add to that today’s environment and trying constantly to find a non-offensive location to smoke in. Let’s not even talk about all the sneering looks. Goodness, all this utterly nerve wracking stuff everyday, all day long.
So, in moving on, please think of all that if, indeed, this system for quitting seems almost as neurotic as the habit itself.
First off, don’t set a quit date, we’ll do that later. Right now I just want you to start cutting down your daily intake of cigarettes. If you smoke 20 cigarettes/day, cut down to 15. After doing this for four days, pay yourself the $7 or whatever dollar amount a pack costs in your area (5 cigarettes times 4 days = one pack). Continue this pattern religiously. You might not be able to quit yet but you certainly can cut down. You’re paying yourself to do this and your money is going to add up quickly, believe me. Instead of counting the number of cigarettes you do smoke, you’ll be counting the number of cigarettes you don’t smoke which is much more motivating and hence, appealing.
Next, get a large clear plastic jar or such that has a tight lid on i
To further address the denial involved in cigarette smoking, go to the American Lung Association and get some photos of a smoker’s lungs. Paste those pictures where they are very visible and you’ll see them everyday. My friend posted his on his bathroom mirror.
Continue to cut down on your daily cigarette intake, making sure to pay yourself for every pack of cigarettes you don’t buy. Keep all this money in a safe place and just keep letting it accumulate. If you get to the point where you’ve cut down two paks a week at $7/pak at the end of the month, you’ll have $56 to spend on anything you want…..anything except cigarettes, that is. After six months, you’ll have $336 earned in your own “get paid to not smoke” stash. If you’re a heavy smoker and manage to cut your smoking in half, you can probably double that amount to earn $672!
When you have cut down to 5-6 cigarettes a day, consider buying an electronic cigarette and replace your tobacco cigarettes with it. You know yourself and whether or not electronic cigarettes might help you. The idea here is to phase out the tobacco cigarettes completely. Use the electronic cigarette with progressively less nicotine in the cartridges until you’re completely off the tobacco cigarettes. Using an electronic cigarette can help replace the habit and hand to mouth simulation of smoking.
Next, there are some things you can do to address cravings and the psychology behind smoking: everytime you crave, breath deeply several times. This simulates the relaxation you feel when you inhale. Secondly, DO NOT think about quitting for the rest of your life. Use the AA method and only think about quitting for one day at a time. Baby steps.
Lastly, you also might want to consider undertaking a lung detoxification program to help clear your lungs more quickly and reduce some of the damage smoking has caused.
Quitting smoking, an elaborate habit, may require elaborate measures. How elaborate your own plan to become an ex-smoker gets, it will be well worth it. And, by the way, I still pay myself for every pak I don’t smoke all these months later.
Marie Herik
Haven’t you smoked enough cigarettes? Why not stop worrying and take some action instead? For more information about electronic cigarettes go to Greensmoke Electronic Cigarettes and to learn more about lung detoxification CLICK HERE.
View all articles by Marie Herik