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Foreword
I have been smoking for too many years and I am smoking addiction free for a few months now when I write this small book. Before I was quitting for a few years now and then, just to fall into addiction again.
My small steps helped me to reduce smoking and quit. It is not the easiest but the most effective way. Do not assume, that method of quitting smoking described in this book is easy. It is a bit painful.
Not only because of body detoxification but because of humiliation and socially awkward situations which awaits you. Not ready for this? Then continue to poison yourself with the nicotine, smoke, and other fillers of cigarettes. Curious and want to give it a try? Then please continue to read.
Following the rules and steps in this book can help you to become smoke-free in a few months' time. Wait a moment, why in a few months? — you can ask. Well, if you have the courage and willpower to quit just like this, then do this now, and you do not need to read further. But I encourage you to read the next pages. If you see what kind of suffering and humiliation awaits you, if you follow these steps, maybe you really will be ready to quit just now. Ready for this journey? Let’s start!
Take my hand and follow the steps. It will lead you to health improvement, better physical shape and more happy lifestyle. The books on quitting smoking promise an easy way of getting rid of this addiction. You just think once about quitting smoking, the magic wand appears in your mind and it does all the dirty work. Suddenly you are free from smoking.
It’s not that easy. Am I correct?
There are some cases when the level of pain was higher than the level of pleasure, connected with smoking. In these cases, miracles happened. We all know this uncle, who stopped to smoke just like that. We are envious of the same success. But it rarely happens. Hey, listen! You made the first step. You want to quit. And an even more basic step — you admitted to yourself, that you have a smoking problem.
Realizing that you are in such a scenario is the first step to being smoke-free. Few words about me. I have been smoking for several years with few breaks. At the moment I am smoke-free, but you know… You stay the smoker till the end of your days. I have not been smoking for a few months, and my method is working. You just need to avoid “Oh, that one cigarette will not make me any harm” attitude.
I’m writing also this short book, for better motivation and understanding, so I would never come back to this horrible addiction. No more yellow stains on the fingers, no more yellow teeth, short breath and some other horrible adds to this activity. Let’s start together our painful journey to become smoke-free. You will suffer for sure, but, as they say: no pain, no gain.
Step 1 Awareness
‘I am not addicted, I am just free and do what I want,’ said one of my friends, after his first heart attack and cancer treatment. He was — and I believe he still is — a heavy smoker. If you smoke on regular basis and can not stop doing this, you are addicted. It does not matter the number of smoked cigarettes. Period. This is the end of this „quiz”.
Chances are that you or someone you love, are addicted to smoking cigarettes. I’m writing this book on Sunday night, to help other people quit smoking.
When using this painful and humiliating way, you can wake up and stop the addiction vicious circle. They say that the first step to quitting smoking is the awareness of being addicted.
Now, that you know, and are aware that your „habit” is an addiction, let’s go a few steps further. I want you to become aware of when, why, where, and what for do you smoke.
The first week of following my method plan will be easy. You can smoke the same amount of cigarettes. Just buy a small notebook and create little posts, answering the questions below:
Date?
Day of the week?
Hour?
Where did you smoke?
Why did you smoke?
What kind of emotions did you experience?
Were you happy? Bored? Angry? Stressed? Excited?
What was the occasion?
I am going to create a special notebook to support you on this journey. It will be designed in a certain way to help you make notes while following my plan. Why should you be aware of the smoking situations?
Some people smoke when they are bored. They take a look at the watch, and decide, that „it is time to feed their cancer”. The others are anxious, and they „need to smoke to calm down”. These are totally different states of emotions. The point is to spot your smoking pattern — on which occasions do you smoke and which emotions do you experience?
Then you can find different solutions for boredom or anxiety. On each occasion helps to do some art. Let it be painting, singing, or playing an instrument. Or maybe even writing.
It does not matter, how good skills you have — so stop laughing at adult coloring books and better join the circle of their fans. Art helps to express our feelings and emotions. Also keeping diaries helps.
Gratitude journal, everyday notes, morning pages — if you don’t want to buy a ready journal, just start to write in any type of notebook. You can answer every day these few gratitude questions:
- What I am grateful for today?
2. What kind of good experience I had today?
3. Nice things I saw today…
4. Admirable people in my life and those whom I met today…
5. What I am proud about today?
6. What kind of great things and events await me in the future?
7. What can I learn from my obstacles today?
8. What kind of nice ideas I had today?
(You can find my Gratitude Journal on Amazon.)
You might say, that these are „stupid questions” and you are too serious to be bothered. Relax and trust the process. After answering the questions you should also write down a few pages in the diary.
You can write about anything, from finding on paper answers to eternal philosophical questions to considering buying a new sofa. None of the ways to write a diary is bad. Any way of writing a diary is good. Even if you are a criminal, and jot down your bad deeds, it might be useful for the police later… excuse my sense of humor.
I have for you some good news. It is a secret known by many coaches and psychologists. You have all of your answers in you already. Yes! You know deep inside you what’s best for you. That’s why in many talking therapies the coach or psychotherapist is just guiding a patient with sets of questions until the person will find „suddenly” the satisfying solution.
For those, who are rich, all therapies with good professionals are suggested, but for those, who cope financially, self-therapy by everyday journaling can do. Just ask yourself sets of questions, like:
- What is the problem?
2. How can I solve it?
3. Who can help me with finding the answer?
Why you are the expert in finding solutions to your problems? Because you know yourself the best. The same outcome or fixing the problem might be satisfactory for one person, and not acceptable for others. You might also say, that your problems are not easy to solve. So I will tell you secret number two. It is called „modeling”. Try to find the person, who had the same problem, and check, how she coped with it — then divide the whole process into small steps, and follow it. Journaling is extremely helpful when coping with any type of problems, emotions, and events. Following the methods, described in this book, you will be modeling my way of quitting smoking.
Step 2 Making a decision
You have to decide, that you are quitting. It has to be a serious decision. From now you want to become smoke-free. You need to convince your mind that without cigarettes your life will be better. And as you were smoking in some pleasant moments, your mind might be afraid of sudden emptiness.
After eight months I stopped to think about smoking at all. There were a few moments I wanted to break my promise to myself and run to the shop to buy some cigarettes. For this occasion, I keep something in my house, which will be described in the further step.
You have to find your own motivation. Do not expect me to write long pages about motivation, which will not work for you, because we differ from each other. Take a piece of paper and write down your decision, your motivation, your rewards and new ways of behaving while experiencing difficult times.
Step 3 Smoking only outside
As in the title of this small chapter — you are allowed to smoke only outside of your house, let it be in the garden or the street. And it is the must rule.
No more smoking inside the house or in the buildings. Also, the bad weather is not an excuse — let it be cold, snowy, or rainy. I want you to suffer. The worse weather, the better for your quitting. Do not make yourself comfortable.
Step 4 Buy the most expensive cigarettes
‘Hold on!’ you might say. ‘I wanted to quit to save money and you want me to spend a fortune on ciggi whereas I can buy cheap smuggled tobacco and do few rollies?’
I told you, this will be a painful journey.
First of all, you have to feel this pain. So — no more tobacco, no more cheap cigarettes. You are after the most expensive ones. You can say, that you will not be able to afford food. And that I am stupid and this step is too radical.
I will tell you — wait for the other steps…
Smoking is painful for your body. You are damaging it with each smoke inhale. Your mind must also understand, that this is not fun anymore. If you keep smoking a packet per day, the cost in the United Kingdom at present would be around 400 pounds per month. I think it would be better to put aside this money for traveling times — if you want to know what is really fun.
I hope nobody will die while following this step, out of hunger. So do it sensibly and implement it together with the following step.
Step 5 Reduce!
One of the typical steps, but done with my method, so it looks a bit different. Did you do „Smoking awareness diary posts” each day? Now you should know in which situations you smoke the biggest amount of cigarettes.
So the first phase of reducing is to stop smoking during fulfilling one of your roles. Let’s say you spend a few hours at work each day. Let’s make it not smoking period during the day. Potential gains — you will be seen as more productive, than those who go every hour for a puff. Just count it — around 5–6 minutes for a cigarette plus a few minutes to go to the smoking area and coming back, which makes it around fifteen minutes. It makes during a day 120 minutes estimated, which equals to two hours of time, paid for by your employer.
If he will read this book, expect him to not look favorably at your performance with smoking at work. (Till now you probably admit, that choosing a pen name to publish this book would be a good idea).
You can say, that smoking can help you to focus. This is not true, you are just breathing deeper, and you can do this without cigarettes to give some boost of oxygen to your body. You will say, this theory is not true.
Well for sure smoking cigarettes does not help with anything. Now that you do not smoke during your working time, during the rest of your time you can smoke, but only — one packet per week.
(I don’t want you to go bankrupt with the expensive poison). There are a few ways to reduce this. Smoking three cigarettes per day, or smoking the packet during the weekend. I am assuming that the weekend is the time when you are meeting your smoking friends, it is also, or was, a time of drinking from time to time, and most smokers like to smoke when they drink.
If this step and allowance of one packet per week made you happy, I m sure you will hate me with further steps. The reducing phase might take some time, especially when your body and your mind are still addicted. Do this at your own pace, but remember — only one packet per week is allowed. When ready, go to the next step.
Step 6 Beg for cigarettes!
After a few weeks or a maximum of three months of reducing, it is time to go to step 6. Now you can smoke the same amount of cigarettes but you are not allowed to buy them. You can beg. I used to buy and pay 0.50–1.00 £ for one cigarette. Why I am suggesting this step?
This will make smoking associated in your mind with humiliation. You will have to chat up a stranger or a friend and as you probably know, not many people like to share their cigarettes. You need to change your way of thinking about smoking.
So far you memorized it probably together with the nice moments in your life — worry-less times, parties, holidays, nice times. And now — it will be memorized with these 15 nice times. And now — it will be memorized with these awkward moments. Not fun at all. But it is good for your mind.
Step 7 Avoid other smokers!
Yes, so this is an extreme way. You will lose your best friends. It is time to avoid all smoking situations and smoking with friends. This will save your health. By the way, how many of these friends offered you help when you had the flu?
Believe me, you have all rights to be selfish and chose your good health over friendship with smokers. Why this step? They will not let you last long. They will manipulate you, to smoke again. You made a change, and the change is scary for most people. This is the unknown area, where everything can happen. They do not want you to be different than them. Plus probably they might feel bad, that they are stuck in the addiction, whereas you are becoming smoke-free.
So this is the time to end some relations. The other way is to offer them this book. ‘I can’t be alone!’ You can shout. First of all, it is better to be alone for a few weeks and become healthy.
Secondly, it is time to find friends with better habits and attitudes. At the moment I do not meet with any smokers, and probably that’s why I am smoke-free.
A few months is a short period of time. You are not yet solid with your new non-smoking attitude. That’s why leaving smoking circles of friends is that important. Let me tell you directly — smoking is for losers. Period. Smokers are so stupid, that they kill gradually themselves, paying for this with their own money. It is not a successful way of living for sure.
Step 8 Find „the replacement”
It can be as simple as eating fruits, instead of smoking or doing any of the popular breathing techniques. Do you remember the awareness diary? Find out the situations and triggers, which were causing you to smoke a cigarette. Then swap them for something healthy. Some people like to eat sunflower seeds, while others are doing relaxing techniques. During all of this quitting time try to experiment, what is better for you
Step 9 New behavior
Find also a new pattern of behavior for a bad day, or bad news frustrating time. There was a time I did not smoke for three years. Out of the blue someone threw a stone at my window. The glass broke. I was firstly in shock and than angry. My neighbor offered me a cigarette.. and after a few years, I started to smoke again.
This was „an excuse” moment. Life can offer many such „excuse moments”. Prepare your mind for this.
Step 10 Rewards
You did good work, quitting cigarettes. Did you experience a hard time, while doing so?
Reward yourself. It can be a tiny thing, like going for a coffee with a nonsmoking friend, or more expensive, like buying a smoothie maker or going for a one-day trip somewhere close to your place.
You can go to the nearest park or forest, to breathe with clean air and feel more in contact with nature. Find out what makes you excited and waiting for certain things.
Step 11 Herbal cigarettes
They are advertised, as smelling lovely. Well, they smell like hay and taste like hay. But they really helped me to quit. The cost is low, compared to real cigarettes.
When you are really desperate to smoke, you are just taking this herbal cigarette. I do not want to write down and brands or companies' names. In the description there is written, that this is a combination of herbs.
In my opinion, they just cut the grass on the meadows, dried it and created this stuff. Anyways they work as a perfect replacement in crisis times.
End notes
I made it a quick read, to be more effective. It is not the book to motivate you, it is a plan for action. I could write endless sentences about the benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle.
And remember, you are not less cool when you stop to smoke. You do not need this stinking attribute, you are a wonderful person and the world is ready to offer you wonderful experiences. It would be a shame if you managed to achieve something just to get ill because of the results of smoking addiction. Love yourself, not hate. If other people are saying something against you, and want to hurt your health and body, they are either stupid or not wishing you well. Your body will thank you for losing this addiction. Also, you will become freer. Let’s face it — smoking rules in your life.
You can be aware of this, or not. If you are poor, you are focused on getting money for cigarettes. If you can afford it — you can do this now, but what would happen, if you lost your job?
What would you be able to do, to get a packet of cigarettes? Would you steal it? Take the cigarette from the ground? Or sold your all house appliances just to smoke for a few days? Yes, people were and are able to do such silly and even worse things, like crime, prostitution, or going into debt, just to be able to smoke. It does not sound cool now, right?
Do you still want to be the slave of this addiction? People were able to kill or sell their bodies just to get cigarettes.
Once I was smoking and a woman approached me. She asked for a cigarette and then said: ‘Don’t smoke, quit when you can.’ ‘I am smoking just from time to time,’ I replied. She started to describe a horrible story where she was selling her body for a packet of cigarettes.
The other time a man approached me. He was very high, and it was visible he did not smoke for a long time. He asked for a cigarette and I knew he might rob me if I will not hand him a few.
The other time I was smoking at a train station. This was my last cigarette, I was going to go and buy later the new packet. A teenage girl approached me. „Give me a cigarette!’ she said.
I did not like her attitude, plus I had no left cigarettes. She did not believe me. ‘I am coming with my friends soon, bitch,’ she said.
I did not wait for this battle and went for my train.
As you see people, who have no money, can do many things, to fulfill their addiction, also smoking one. The lightest but same humiliating way is when they look for the ends of cigarettes in the trashes. Adding bad health symptoms on top of that, it is not fun at all.
I described these stories just for your better awareness. I believe that some eternal power put these persons on my way, to understand where can lead the „smoking adventure”. It is like the guardian angel wanted to show me this. I hope, that you will call me your angel as well one day when you will become smoke-free. We do not know what kind of future awaits us.
It is better to be independent and tough. Smoking addiction makes you weak. You stop respecting yourself with each cigarette you smoke after your New Year's promises and resolutions.
A few days ago I saw a pregnant woman, who was smoking. She was that much addicted, that she did not care about the health of her soon-to-be-born baby.
I can add more dreadful stories, but you get the point. I wish you all the best on your smoke-free path. You can do it!
SO QUIT SMOKING TILL YOU CAN!
You can buy a paperback copy of this book on Amazon
