I was a smoker, thirty a day from the age of sixteen, until I was thirty six. That
equates to twenty two thousand cigarettes, and yet I quit overnight!
How did I do it? I know it's a bold statement, but I just did it. You can too using the
techniques in this booklet.
If you follow the procedures that I used you will become a non-smoker by the time
you have completed them.
The book is deliberately short so that you may reap the benefits within one day as I
promised.
Myths and Excuses
I'm sure, like me, you've tried a few times to quit smoking and then given up, and I'm
sure you've also used the same excuses as myself when you've failed.
'I just haven't got the willpower', "I enjoy a smoke", "It"s one of the few pleasures
that I have', "I need a cigarette to help me to relax", etc.
Yes, I've used all of these, and more, as reasons for not giving up.
Here are a few myths about smoking that I would like to dispel:
The longer you have smoked the harder it is to give up. False. The craving is the same
after a few cigarettes as it is after thousands.
Nicotine patches or gum will help you to quit your addiction. While these substitutes
may help some people to stop smoking, they are still feeding the nicotine addiction,
albeit in a more controlled way. If you cure the addiction then the cigarette smoking
automatically follows.
Fact: It only takes four cigarettes to get you addicted.
Fact: Fifty percent of people who smoke die from smoking related illnesses.
Some of the fears that stop people from trying to give up are the perceived side
effects. Side effects such as a poor sleep pattern, hunger, depression, stress, weight
gain and nasty temper.
The truth of the matter is, and I know this from my own experience, the actual side
effects are the ones that give you a reason not to smoke!
You will be happier, more relaxed, have a sense of achievement and a higher self
esteem. These in turn help you to sleep easier.
There is a tendency to eat more, especially in a morning when you would normally
have a cigarette. But there are ways of combating the weight gain which may ensue.
The Nitty Gritty
This next section outlines the methods that I used to quit smoking overnight. They can
and will work for you too if you follow the procedures. They may seem simple but
they are effective.
Set a Deadline
Give yourself a specific date and time to become a non-smoker and write it down. Not
only does this give you something concrete to work wit but it also allows you to
measure your progress. Two days without a cigarette. A week a month etc.
Replace Nicotine with Oxygen
It takes 48 hours for the body to rid itself of nicotine.
To make it easier to deal with the lack of nicotine, every time you get a craving, and
you will, try the following:
Put yourself in a situation where you would normally have a cigarette, such as in your
favourite armchair after a meal. Now close your eyes and concentrate on your
breathing. The gentle rise and fall as you inhale and exhale. Take a deep and steady
breath to fill your stomach and then then slowly breath out to a count of five.
Now concentrate on your feet, tighten your muscles and then let them relax.
Concentrate on your legs and do the same. Gradually moving up and through your
whole body one section at a time until you are completely relaxed all over.
In the time that you would normally take to smoke a cigarette, the whole exercise
should be completed and you will feel completely relaxed and happy that you've got
over the barrier.
Give Yourself a Reward
Reward yourself at each step of the way. For example after a week you could buy
yourself the latest CD that you've promised yourself. This is a particularly important
part of the process as it reinforces your sense of achievement in a positive and
pleasurable way.
Create an Anchor
An "anchor" is something that was developed from NLP (Neuro Lingustic
Programming). Don't worry, it's nothing scary! All it does is put you in a frame of
mind that you require at a specific time. It means that you can get a relaxed and happy
feeling at any time in an instant.
All you have to do is "act as if". In other words, imagine that you are completely
relaxed and happy and then create an anchor for that feeling. The anchor that I use is
to touch the tip of my thumb to the tip of my middle finger and squeeze them gently
together.
Once your mind can relate the good feelings you have to the anchor, you will find that
you only have to use your anchor to get those same feelings in an instant.
Of course the anchor that you use doesn't have to be physical as mine is. Your anchor
should be one that you feel happy with. The more personal the better. It may be a
word that you say to yourself like "Relax" or even something silly. As long as it
relates to the feeling that you wish to have, that's all that matters.
Reframe those Excuses
Reframing is just another way of turning a statement or situation on it's head. For
instance. Instead of saying "I need a cigarette to help me to relax" say "I"m relaxed
because I don't need a cigarette'.
The most powerful reframing that you can do is to call yourself a non-smoker from
day one. The day before your deadline, say to yourself "Tomorrow I am a non-smoker"
Then when you get up the next morning reinforce that statement.
If someone offers you a cigarette, just say "No thanks, I don"t smoke.'
Where next?
So where do we go from here?
You may still suffer from coughing for quite a while as your body rids itself of the tar
from your lungs. This doesn't happen overnight.
You will still get cravings occasionally. I went for three years without a cigarette and
suddenly felt a craving when someone lit up next to me in a queue. All I did was use
my anchor and tell myself that I was a non-smoker and the feeling went away.
The more times that you reinforce your new found freedom and happiness in this way
the quicker the system will rid you of your addiction.
I hope this booklet has been of some use to you and as I said at the beginning "To stop
smoking overnight."
Just do it!
