The scruffy boy sat in front of our gate today for quite some time. He was waiting for me to get back inside so he could talk to me. He is 16 years old, but I’ve known him since he was 13. An orphan, having had his father murdered (and with the murderer of his father also murdered), he is a Read more
“I am tired of being nagged about my smoking. I have tried to quit several times and I fall back into my habit whenever things go wrong. Some people swear and I smoke. It relaxes me and I feel calm with a cigarette in my hand. So just leave me alone, it is not going to happen, I can’t quit Read more
Did you know that when you stop smoking , the health benefits begin immediately? They start as early as a few minutes from your last cigarette! Within 20 minutes your heart rate drops, and within 12 hours the levels of carbon monoxide in your blood are dramatically down. Within 72 hours you should find that your sense of smell and taste improve as well. Read more
A little bit of compassion will go a long way. Just like the steps we all take to break our addictions, whatever they may be. I am a super procrastinator and also a complainer. It does not matter what they are, because all bad habits hurt. That’s why they are called bad habits!
So this is how compassion can help: you can get through the ups and downs of life better. Read more
The Craving will pass… whether we choose to ride it out, or smoke, The Jonez Will Pass! When it comes to withdrawal symptoms, cigarette addicts actually have it pretty easy. The only substance whose withdrawal symptoms can actually be fatal is alcohol. The serious, heavy-maintenance drinker who suddenly stops can go into seizures and cardiac arrest. Heroin withdrawal is nasty; vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fever, insomnia. Read more
Starting Out: You Want to Want To Start “Not-Smoking”
I’ve encountered very few smokers who want to keep smoking. Most of us want to “quit” but are reluctant for some reason. Keep reading; we’re in this together and you’re not alone. We have yet to be completely sold on
the idea and the often painful process of “quitting”. Wow. That sounds like a break-up, like trying to leave an abusive partner; we know the relationship is killing us, but can’t see living without that partner who used to be a friend, but is now slowly killing us. We want to quit, but don’t even know how to start. First, we have to Want to Want the freedom. Maybe that person is You. Let’s start by changing a scary word into a pro-active phrase.
Smoke Free Life Step Program Step 3
For the first two weeks you kept a log on when you smoked. This showed the behavior habits that came naturally to you. The first cigarette of the day, the routine you performed, and the times during the day when you smoked. These habits came natural to you and you performed them each day. The second step was adjusting these habits and changing your way of thinking. Instead of waking up in the morning and lighting a cigarette you went directly to the kitchen to make coffee. You started to reduce the number of cigarettes you smoked each day. The next logs showed a new habit-forming. The subconscious mind starts changing and each time you reach for a cigarette you think. Why?
The next step is asking yourself do you enjoy a cigarette and why? Are not other events in life more enjoyable? Why do you have to have a cigarette and panic sets when you do not smoke? The next stage is changing your frame of mind. In the past when you tried to quit but the feelings were unbearable similar to mountain climbing and never reaching the top. Each day you would wake up craving a cigarette and envying others who smoked. The next stage will start you to realize why are you smoking?
In this step you will realize that giving up smoking is not the real problem. Each time you light a cigarette and put it out you have stopped smoking. You say to yourself "I do not want to smoke any more". Each person who smokes says this at least once a week not realizing the powerful images behind this message. This is not the real problem; you make it through day one. Now day two, day ten and you have made it now a year when one day you light one cigarette. You feel just one will not start you smoking again. You are wrong it only takes one cigarette to give you the rush and start smoking again.
At this stage we work on the brainwashing and sleeping partner. We start to work on why we started to smoke the first time. In this stage we will examine the powerful effects of the subconscious mind. Here we will realize that 99 percent of our make-up comes from society. Each person is a product of society; the clothes we wear, the houses we live in, and our basic life patterns.
Our subconscious minds formed from the beginning see advertising on how cigarettes relax us. Cigarettes give us confidence, courage, and cigarettes are the most precious item on earth. In cartoons or movies where a person is about to die what is their last wishes? It is a cigarette. We see this each day and no longer register these images in our conscious minds. The subconscious mind absorbs these messages and when we sleep passes on the messages to us. What the subconscious mind sends you is the message 'the most precious thing on earth and your last thoughts will be to smoke a cigarette.'
We're brainwashed by cigarette companies. Years ago cigarette advertisements no longer could air on public television. But seeing the facts they are still there in a different form. During peak viewing time or watching the Grand Prix you still see people playing pool and smoking a cigarette. Even the top race cars named after top cigarette brands. Even in Hollywood when a man is about to face death the soft music starts to play as he lights up a cigar. Remember Colombo the detective what do you always see him with? Yes a cigar in his mouth and he removes this when interrogating a suspect. The cigarette companies still advertise smoking only now in a different way. They cannot come out directly and advertise their product but their products still used in films and advertising on prime time television.
Now you have to realize once you have become addicted to nicotine the brainwashing increases. The monster inside your head feeds you to block everything else out. To give up smoking the brainwashing is the most difficult to change. In this step we speak of 'giving up' smoking. This is a classic example of brainwashing. Giving up smoking does not imply a genuine sacrifice. In truth there is nothing to give up. You are not giving up anything but in fact freeing yourself from a terrible disease and achieving marvelous positive gain. This stage removes the brainwashing programmed into our subconscious. Step 3 changes our brainwashing to stop thinking about; giving up, quitting or escaping from smoking.
In this step the brainwashing is powerful and you must be aware of the effects. Each night when we go to sleep we need to concentrate on health, energy, wealth, peace of mind, confidence, courage, self-respect, happiness, and freedom. The brain needs reprogramming with the images of you getting back your life, peace of mind, tranquility, and confidence. Each night before sleeping read the list:
Keep this list with you at all-times. Each time you reach for a cigarette have the list next to your pack of cigarettes. Read this list. You are brainwashing your thought now from smoking. You are considering what life is and how beautiful life can be. You can give up cigarettes and live a healthy life full of energy. Each day you can wake up with peace of mind and confidences knowing you have the courage to give up smoking. You know you can gain back your self-respect, happiness and freedom and there is no need to smoke cigarettes.