| Want to quit smoking? Cigarettes are terrible for your | | | | promise yourself to be gentle with yourself. AND to |
| health, yet they're hard to let go of. Yet read on for | | | | give yourself every tool you can to help you succeed. |
| some strategies and tools that can help you quit | | | | 2) Give yourself tools |
| smoking for good. | | | | I stopped smoking myself -- many years ago. It was |
| First of all, if want to stop smoking cigarettes, give | | | | very hard. I stopped many times before I was able to |
| yourself a big pat on the back. This is probably the | | | | make it stick. |
| single most important improvement you can make to | | | | One thing that finally helped me do it was Nicorette |
| achieve better health. | | | | chewing gum. That allowed me to separate the |
| I won't bore you with a list of reasons why you should | | | | pleasurable part of smoking and the social aspects |
| stop smoking. Chances are you're all too familiar with | | | | from the physically addictive part. |
| them -- and have tried numerous times before, but | | | | I was able to deal with those first, while still getting my |
| without success. | | | | nicotine fix. But I hated the gum, so eventually, I relied |
| Why would this year be different? | | | | on it less and less. |
| Let me give you a few important strategies that can | | | | I also acknowledged that this would be hard. I had |
| really help you quit smoking and stay quit too: | | | | proof of it too -- all those many attempts that led to a |
| 1) You take the task of quitting smoking seriously | | | | re-start of smoking. |
| What do I mean by that? Exactly what it says. Just | | | | And if there's a special reason -- special to you -- that |
| because the non-smokers around you don't think it's a | | | | might motivate you to stick with it this time around, by |
| big deal doesn't mean they're right. In fact, kicking the | | | | all means, use it. Maybe you'd like to avoid wrinkles, or |
| smoking habit may be the most difficult thing you'll ever | | | | impotence, or the fact that each time you try to stop -- |
| do. | | | | unsuccessfully -- you put on another 5 pounds. |
| Smoking feeds your pleasure circuits in ways few | | | | 3) Get MORE tools -- and support |
| other things do. And the withdrawal symptoms can be | | | | Give yourself some support. Whether it's a group or |
| hellish. In fact, smoking is more addictive than heroin. | | | | just some friends who are supportive of you. |
| And that doesn't even get to the social aspects of | | | | And then, consider that there are even more and |
| smoking -- the fact that it may be pleasurable, that it's | | | | better tools out there now to help you quit smoking |
| part of your routine, that you may have built a social | | | | than there have ever been before. Nicorette is |
| life around those cigarette breaks you take throughout | | | | available over the counter -- no more need for |
| the day, and so on. In fact, you may be worried that | | | | doctor's appointments and embarrassing admissions |
| without smoking you won't get those breaks anymore. | | | | that you STILL need it. And there are new prescription |
| So the first step should be to acknowledge the | | | | drugs that may help you stop smoking cigarettes too. |
| enormity of what you're about to undertake -- and | | | | |