The smoking behavior sometimes seems to just stick with us!

It really is true. It is not just about quitting smoking. It is really about developing a healthy mind-set, and from that, develop a healthy life in general. Good health is a way of life.

I believe that most of the people who do not succeed at quitting smoking find themselves stuck with it because the only change they really try to make is the stopping of the smoking behavior itself. Everything else remains the same. There life doesn’t really change. But when the goal becomes “being a healthy person”, then “everything” changes. Smoking is only a symptom of an unhealthy life or unhealthy way of thinking and believing. When a person takes an interest in creating a healthy “life”, every aspect of life becomes reconsidered and reevaluated.

Let me give you an example; one that applies to my life. A few years ago, in my early 50’s, the people in my inner circle who were within my age group were dropping off like flies. Mostly from cancer. One had a heart attack but survived and is now partially disabled. Why should this interest someone who wants to quit smoking? I am not sharing this to tell you that smoking can make you sick. You already know that and there are plenty of people in your life to graciously point this out to you. You don’t need one more people-fixer to straighten you out and cause you to get frustrated, angry and develop the desire to smoke even more just to spite them. I am sharing about those people who got sick for the purpose of telling you what motivated me to make a change while I still had my health.

The key point here is that I decided it was time to develop a healthy “life” in order to maintain my current condition while it was still good. I realized that I was paddling down a river that had a waterfall ahead and I did not want to fall over it. I decided to get out of that river and get into another one that was more safe. So for me, I did not want to get cancer or some other major physical breakdown. I want to be healthy in my old age and to die healthy; ha, ha! I developed an interest in a healthy diet as a result. I became convinced by the research I did that a diet which was non-nutritional and unhealthy is the main cause of internal physical illness in conjunction with lifestyle contributing factors.

In some of my other writings, I mentioned that “desire” is where change begins. I really had a desire to be on a healthy diet and to lead a healthy lifestyle. Well, I did in fact, get on a healthy diet. I was 15 pounds overweight before doing so. This did not concern me in the slightest nor did I look overweight. I really never gave it a thought and it was not my motivation for changing my diet. It really never occurred to me that I would lose weight nor did I even try to. My only thoughts were about maintaining good internal health. Now here is where I come to the point I am making. Within two years after changing my diet, I lost 30 pounds. By developing a healthy life, the lost weight resulted as a by-product. (Here is a side note, then I will get back to the point. One similarity to quitting smoking and going through nicotine withdrawal, was quitting all the sugar and going through sugar withdrawal. This was the most difficult part which lasted only a few months. It really can be done when you are “inspired” to obtain a greater reward. For nicotine withdrawal, there are all natural products to help with this phase. For the sugar withdrawal, I just drew on the strength of my determination about who and what I really wanted to be. This comes from an inspired desire that wells up from within. No one can give you that. You either have it or you don’t. It usually requires being ready for it. This is something that comes in time and it can’t be forced.)

Now, to get back to the point. After losing the 30 pounds, I discovered other dietary things that I believed would be even more beneficial to my long-term health. By adding these things to my diet program, I started losing even more weight. I did not want to, but I did. I actually got scared. I thought I might have made myself sick; the very opposite of what I was trying to do. I started weighing myself every day because if this continued, I was going to run to the doctor. By the end of the 3rd year, I lost another 10 pounds. I had now lost a total of 40 pounds. Then finally the weight stopped coming off. I was relieved. Fortunately, I discovered that I was just fine. Since then I have enjoyed a few foods (in moderation) that I previously eliminated. This brought my weight back up about 10-15 pounds but I am at a nice body weight.

Here is specifically the point. Making a change in my life for the purpose of being a healthy person had a side benefit. Namely, weight loss. Though this was not my purpose, it is just the natural result of developing a healthy life in general. When our desire is “to be a healthy person and have a healthy life”, then all these other issues (smoking, drinking, overweight, etc.) just take care of themselves, so-to-speak. Regarding smoking, once your desire changes from “wanting to quit the smoking behavior” to “wanting to be a healthy person with a healthy life”, then your whole life focus changes. It is no longer about “stopping” something (which only causes frustration). Instead, you become inspired to “become” something new; to develop something new; a new life! It becomes more interesting and exciting. Can you feel the difference? In many ways, you become a renewed person with a whole new approach to life that changes many areas of your life along with a new purpose and new lifestyle.

To your good health!

Studies have shown that you have the best chances to quit smoking for good if you use these five steps together.

1 – Get ready;

2 – Get Support;

3 – Learn new skills and behaviors;

4 – Get medication and use it correctly;

5 – Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations.

1. Get Ready: Set a quit date. Change your environments; get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work….and, DON’T let people smoke in your home. Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what worked and what did not. Once you quit, don’t smoke – Not even a PUFF!

2. Get Support and Encouragement: Studies have shown that you have a better chance of being successful if you have help. You can get support in many ways; tell your friends, co-workers and your family that you have quit smoking and want their support. Ask them not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out. Talk to your health care provider (for example: doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, psychologist, or smoking counselor). Get individual, group, or telephone counseling. The more counseling you have, the better your chances are of quitting. Programs are given at local hospitals and health centers. Call your local health department for information about programs in your area.

3. Learn New Skills and Behaviors: Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke. Talk to someone, go for a walk, or get busy with a task. When you first try to quit, change your routine; use a different route to work, drink tea instead of coffee, eat breakfast in a different place. Do something to reduce your stress; take a hot bath, exercise, or read a book. Plan something enjoyable to do every day. Drink a lot of water. Study educational information that will teach you why you smoke and the ways that will help you quit.

4. Get Medication and Use It Correctly: Medication can lessen the urge to smoke and help you to stop smoking. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as of January 2006, has approved five medications to help you quit smoking:

- Bupropion SR: available by prescription – Nicotine gum: available over-the-counter – Nicotine inhaler: available by prescription – Nicotine nasal spray: available by prescription – Nicotine patch: available by prescription and over-the-counter There is also all-natural nicotine replacement (herps – not medicine).

Ask your health care provider for advice and carefully read the information on the package. All of these will more or less double your chances of quitting and quitting for good. The use of medication is something that everyone who is trying to quit may benefit from. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, nursing, under age 18, smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or other health care provider before taking medications. It is always best to consult with a health care professional under any circumstances.

5. Be Prepared For Relapse or Difficult Situations: Most relapses occur within the first 3 months after quitting. Don’t be discouraged if you start smoking again. Remember, most people try several times before they finally quit. Here are some difficult situations to watch for:

- Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking lowers your chances of success.

- Other Smokers. Being around smoking can make you want to smoke.

- Weight Gain. Many smokers will gain weight when they quit, usually less than 10 pounds. Eat a healthy diet and stay active. Don’t let weight gain distract you from your main goal; quitting smoking. Some quit-smoking medications may help delay weight gain.

- Bad Mood or Depression. There are a lot of ways to improve your mood other than smoking. If you are having problems with any of these situations, talk to your doctor or other health care provider.

Questions To Think About: Think about the following questions. Talking to your health care provider about your answers is something you may want to do.

Why do you want to quit? When you tried to quit in the past, what helped and what didn’t? What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How will you plan to handle them? Who can help you through the tough times? Your family? Friends? Health care provider? What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure if you quit?

You CAN Quit!