| As
an aspiring ex-smoker you have two monsters inside you that you want
to let die. The first, a little monster in your belly which is the
actual nicotine withdrawal. The second, a bigger monster in your mind
which convinces you that you need to smoke and that you can't stop,
at least not today.
The
little monster will die simply if it doesn't get fed. So if you
give it no more nicotine, it will stop hassling you. The pangs will
subside in stages for most people and after three short weeks your
body will lose the need for nicotine completely.
What
about the big monster that's in the mind? This apparent need to
smoke is in actual fact an illusion. Nicotine only serves to feed
itself. The only thing that follows from one cigarette is another
cigarette. So when you smoke you take in a certain amount of nicotine.
As soon as you put out your cigarette the nicotine in your body
starts to go down and the withdrawal builds again. If you are forced
to wait beyond your normal smoking time you become uncomfortable.
Yet you can sleep all night without being awoken by the urge to
smoke!
When
you decide to stop there is no point in turning to substitutes,
be they nicotine gum or other things. The best approach seems to
be the positive affirmation that; once you've decided you're not
going to smoke anymore - whenever you think about it, or feel the
withdrawal, say to yourself "YES, I'm a non-smoker, I'm free
from the ball and chain. YIPPEE". No more suffering as a helpless
smoker. Freedom. From day one simply enjoy life as a non-smoker.
For
more information on giving up smoking check out
Alan
Carr's The Easy way to Stop Smoking.
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