Kicking the smoking habit is known to be one of the hardest things to do. The addiction can be so overwhelming to so many people that they feel like they will be chained to smoking forever. And now more than ever, pharmaceutical companies charge in to the rescue on our TV screens, in our magazines and on our radios touting the new wonder patches, pills and inhalers that will supposedly make kicking the habit as easy as turning off a light switch.
But why is it that these drugs fail 95% of the time in getting smokers to quit for one year? Is it really nicotine that makes it so hard to quit smoking or is it the powerful beliefs of the mind? Nicotine is completely gone from the bloodstream in 72 hours from the last cigarette. But this is when the cravings become the strongest and this is the smokers first real challenge to over come a real physical desire. But the physical cravings gradually go away and studies have shown that after 30-45 days, the addiction is all psychological. And this is where most smokers who want to quit fail. With the physical cravings being so short-lived and being such a small part of failing, Nicotine Replacement Therapy or NRT only prolongs the physical addiction which is gone soon anyway but does nothing for the stronger phsychological pull that the smoker will eventually have to face anyway.
Like steel cables, the smoker has made pleasurable relationships with smoking such as hanging out and talking with other smokers. The good feelings they got were actually from the camaraderie and the companionship but because they were smoking during those times, the smoking is heavily associated in the smokers mind with these pleasures although the smoking had little or nothing to do with it.
Since smokers often smoke during or after meals or when drinking coffee, the pleasures they got from these things alone are now identified with smoking and they have difficulty imagining that they could actually enjoy one without the other.
But here is the funny thing. Smoking itself is not an enjoyable experience. The body actually rejects it. Hacking coughs, smelly clothes and hair, yellow nails and teeth, having to go outside where smoking is prohibited. All these things are what really make up the smokers world. But movies, TV and magazines have made smoking look so enjoyable and not to mention, cool, that reality of it is left at the door.
That's what 39-year smoker Rick B. discovered for himself and this was the discovery that set him free from a lifetime enslavement to smoking when nothing else he ever tried worked at all. In his own words: "I must have said a thousand times, 'I enjoy smoking'or'that cigarette will taste good right after dinner', but that was because they (the Tobacco Industry) made me belive that smoking cigarettes was a natural and pleasurable thing to do. What I soon learned was that I really love not smoking!"
Rick was soon able to enjoy a life that he thought he would never know again. Foods tasting great, no more shortness of breath. His teeth are white again. He has a lot more energy and he thinks much more clearly. the big secret to his success was by retraining his mind with his own personal technique to see smoking for how it really is and disconnect any perceived pleasure from it.
And that is the secret behind ending most bad habits: severing the minds association of pleasure with them.
Related Articles
Stop Smoking – Cut Down - Then Stop a Proven Way to Quit for Good
By: Sacha Tarkovsky | 08/01/2007 | Diseases and Conditions
Cutting down your smoking, is an easy way to give you the eventual confidence to stop completely and can be achieved by anyone.
Lets look at how cutting down can make giving up in the long run easier and some simple tips to make it work for you.
7 Ways to Resist the Urge to Smoke
By: Jane Olsson | 19/12/2007 | Quit Smoking
If you want to quit smoking, read those excellent tips.
Why it is not as Difficult to Stop Smoking as You Think it is
By: Mike Row | 25/06/2008 | Health
Millions of Americans and people all over the world are addicted to cigarettes but it need not be that way. You really can quit smoking
Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms – Cope With Them and Quit for Good!
By: Sacha Tarkovsky | 08/01/2007 | Medicine
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms are one of the major challenges for anyone who wants to give up smoking. If you can cope with them your chances of quitting go up dramatically.
Let’s look at the best ways of coping with nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
400,000 Reasons to Quit Smoking
By: Jane Olsson | 20/12/2007 | Quit Smoking
Are you ready to face the facts? Quit smoking today, that is the best gift you can get.
Quitting Smoking Does not Have to be This Hard
By: Sue Jan | 08/10/2007 | Quit Smoking
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug. Once the smoker gets addicted to it, the addiction is difficult to break. Despite the serious health consequences, smokers find it extremely tough to quit smoking.
When you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine level in your body spikes and your body receives an immediate rush of nicotine. As the nicotine level slowly dissipates and then drops below a certain point, your body craves another spike or "hit", obviously through another cigarette, in order to relieve t
How to Beat Cigarettes With Psychology
By: Paul Wolbers | 29/08/2006 | Health
If you're like most people, you will see that your reasons for becoming a smoker are no longer valid, and are easily outweighed by the risks to your health and your family's well-being.
Quit Smoking: are you Sure you Want to Quit Smoking?
By: Sig Kabai | 26/08/2007 | Quit Smoking
You know that smoking is bad for you, even potentially lethal to your health, but you continue to smoke.
Read about the some of the benefits of quitting smoking and find a great resource that has everything you possibly need to help you quit.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I clear my arteries?
By: dcha12 | 22-07-2008
how can I clear my arteries?
I want larger, thicker, fuller and longer ejaculations
By: Wise Ali | 22-07-2008
How would I be able to produce a larg(er) amounts of semen during an orgasm. Is there a food or drink or exercise that I can intake or perform that increases the amount of cum I have to give?
Lice
By: nagalie | 22-07-2008
I am so grossed out, tired, and aggrivated. I need help. I need some feedback. To begin with, I'm an ultra clean person but I think I have lice. I am not sure. for a week now I have been itching like crazy but didn't find anything until today. I can never find anything at will. Nothing in the seems of my clothes. I only feel them. anyway, today I found on my arm ( think it fell from my head) what I now know looks like lice according to pictures i've seen. It had 6 legs was a transparent brown exept for the dark insides of its body. It was about the size of the period at the end of this sentence but a bit larger including it's legs...(Sooo sorry that you are getting this gross info but it's quite necessary for the process of identifying my problem.) Anyway, I am pretty sure it is lice but the question i want to ask now is what kind? If it is body lice it should be treated different from head lice I think. I know you can get rid of head lice with olive oil but body lice? Here are my symptoms... I am 90% sure I got this from my dog who was in some tall grass the other day. I saw her itching intensely but shes never had any bites before so I didnt think about it. I thought it was allergies and gave her a benedryl. THEN I started itching along with her. I know its not fleas. I don't think its scabies because my bites dont run in lines or around the webbing of my fingers. Not only that but scabies dont look like lice from what I know. Now, I can't tell if it is head or body lice because of this, they are both on my head and on my body. I even feel them in my eyelashes. I have them in my nether regions...and I've never had sex.lol I have bites that look like pimples all spread out on my legs...nether region...round my belly button, on my behind, back and neck. None on my chest or face thank God for that. But head lice are supposed to remain on the head for all I know and body lice on the body. I even feel itchy in my ears. I can barely sleep. Someone help me so I can search for a remedy pleeease. If you have a remedy for either please share it with me . Thanks
How much chemical (all composition together ...
By: ARTI | 22-07-2008
how much chemical (all composition together) present in one cigarette ?
Losing weight, not friends
By: Coast-to-Coast | 21-07-2008
If I have gained weight and want to lose it what is the best way for me to find support for that? If I can't just do what I want to do because I have others to think about and have to work with them too, then how do I motivate them to get active and stop eating so much? Do you find that your weight and motivation to watch your weight varies by what you are doing? Thanks for all the good answers, I really am not sure how this works, guess I will be finding out.
Manny pacquiao next fight?
By: newsblogo | 19-07-2008
manny will should face ricky hatton or nate campbell for a big money and for a history as a legend then retire, manny should not wait that somebody will took his place as a number 1 pound for pound.
manny pacquiao next fight
Q&A Powered by:
More from Simon Hightauer Jr.
Belly Fat? Parasites May Be To Blame
By: Simon Hightauer Jr. | 19/05/2008 | Health
If you've tried everything to get rid of belly fat and nothing works, the real culprit or should I say, culprits may be parasites that live inside of you. Not only can they make you fat but they have been recently linked to many deadly diseases too like cancer and heart disease. Get rid of these parasites and you can lose up to 100 lbs. You might even save your life as well.
Chronic Candida: The Unrecognized Illness
By: Simon Hightauer Jr. | 19/04/2008 | Health
Sufferers From Candida Have Trouble Finding The Help They Need. They Are Often Misdiagnosed Or Falsely Labeled As Hypochondriacs. But Natural Cures Offer A New Hope To Those Afflicted With This Nightmare Condition.
Pharmaceuticals On TV: Boob Tube Rx?
By: Simon Hightauer Jr. | 16/04/2008 | Health
Are tv commercials taking the place of your doctor when it comes to deciding which prescription drugs you should take? See how "big pharma" is shaping your reasoning.
Health 
