The question, "how can I quit smoking?" is not really the full, true question that most smokers want answering. The real gist of the question I believe that most smokers want to know the answer to is "how can I quit smoking easily?" or "how can I quit smoking without any effort?" or "how can I quit smoking when I haven't the willpower to?"
The answer to these questions is a valuable piece of information because quitting smoking is generally seen as a very difficult thing to do. When I finally managed to quit smoking back in early 2006, I actually found it very easy. What was the reason for this? Well, I knew how to quit smoking when I made my last attempt.
Unlike 95% of smokers, when I quit smoking, I had actually learned how to quit smoking before I bothered doing it. By learning what had to be done in advance, I found the process of quitting very easy.
Most smokers, when they chose to quit, do so without the full knowledge of what they are trying to do. They start by 'giving up' cigarettes and hoping to 'beat the cravings'. They enter into the process knowing that they are going to have a battle on their hands.
To put it another way, any normal person will refer to the owner's manual of a car, before attempting to change a wheel or even a light bulb on the vehicle. Once they have read the manual regarding changing the light bulb or the wheel, they will never read it again, because they know now how to do it. What's more, when they do it for the first time, they know what to do and what to expect throughout the process.
The difference of course between changing a bulb and quitting smoking is that hopefully, you should only quit smoking once! But why is it that most people try to quit smoking several times?
Studies have shown that smoker on average take about 7 attempts, normally over several years to quit smoking. Whoa! That's outrageous! Could you imagine how many cars would be abandoned on the road if we didn't bother reading our owner's manuals?
The reason of course why smokers take so many attempts to quit smoking is that they don't know what they are doing! Each attempt is like another fumble round the back of the gym on prom night. But making light of this is unfair. When I quit, I knew what I was doing - I was like an unstoppable sex machine (if only -haha)! This made quitting so easy, it isn't even worth making mention of.
Many smokers who use their 'brute willpower' to quit smoking rightly feel that they have achieved a great success over a crafty and devious foe. And they are right. Using willpower as motivation to quit smoking is bloody difficult! I know, I tried about 15 times to quit using willpower and got nowhere! I tried using nicotine replacement too, patches, gum, lozenges and inhalators, all to no avail.
Quitting smoking using willpower as your main weapon against nicotine addiction is a very difficult thing to do. Becoming a 'gazillionaire' by selling ice to Eskimos is easier than quitting smoking with willpower (I think).
Quitting smoking armed with the full knowledge of why you smoke and what effects smoking has on you (no not the health effects!) is a walk in the park. That is why, when I quit smoking I didn't look upon it as a major achievement in my life. It was so simple, brushing my teeth properly (and I am 35!) is still more difficult than quitting smoking when you know how.
As ever, if you are trying to quit smoking, my most important message to you is to keep trying no matter how many times you fail. Never quit trying to quit.
Pete Howells has written the EasyQuit System that will help any smoker quit tobacco. He also blogs quit smoking advice at http://quit-smoking-motivator.blogspot.com Visit http://easyquitsystem.com/ to find out more about his incredible process for quitting smoking that boasts 96% customer satisfaction.
