Thinking About the Decision to Quit Smoking? What are you Really Afraid Of?

You make the decision every day to smoke cigarettes. Yes, it may also be an addiction. But think about it for a moment; every single time that you have the urge to smoke a cigarette, you make the choice to reach into the pack, pull out a cigarette, light the cigarette, and start puffing. Now don’t get me wrong. I am never going to say that the alternate choice (the choice not to smoke) is an easy choice to make. I’m sure that for many people the prospect of making the decision to do away with cigarettes for good is an absolutely frightening thought!

Let me ask you a question though: What is it that you are afraid of? Is it a fear of loneliness that may follow? Many smokers say that to quit smoking is like losing a friend. It isn’t unexpected that someone who has been smoking for some time would develop an emotional attachment to cigarettes.

Perhaps it is the social aspect of smoking. Maybe you are afraid that if you make the decision to stop smoking, you will lose the friendship of your smoking buddies at work or school. How about being married to a smoker? The prospect of quitting could put strain on the relationship.

Is it the fear of failure? This is probably one of the most common fears associated with the cessation of smoking. Who wants to fail? Failing is a painful process that can have a dreadful effect on self-esteem and self-confidence. Perhaps you have tried to quit before, but weren’t able to. Why put yourself through the process again with the possibility of an identical outcome?

Another common fear associated with quitting, strangely enough, is a fear of successfully quitting. If you are going to stop smoking cigarettes, than you are hopefully going to stop for life. It is understandable that this can cause fear or panic for the smoker who for so long has relied so heavily on this release of smoking.

Regardless of your particular fear or fears, the fact is that you do, and always will, have the choice to stop. The benefits of quitting smoking are endless and abounding. Think of saving the $2,000 a year spent on cigarettes and other related paraphernalia. You could put that money towards food for your family or taking a loved one out to dinner. Think of the benefits to your health and the feeling that you will have when you have learned to take back control of your life.

The thought of quitting something so central to your life is scary. I know it is, because I did so myself. I was a smoker for over 25 years before I made the biggest decision of my life to quit smoking. It took a few events that shattered my world and made my need to quit a harsh reality, but I am oh so glad that I did so.

I would like to refer anyone interested to a website called EasyQuit Systems that provided me with an amazingly developed method that helped me to quit faster than I had imagined possible. The methods developed by the people at EasyQuit Systems are methods that have been proven to help 19 out of 20 people to quit smoking quickly, and without the terrible withdrawals. I encourage you to take a look at this link and put an end to your use of tobacco and to begin leading a healthier, fuller life also.