Quitting Smoking? Be Accountable to Others
By: Darren Warmuth..
If you want to really quit smoking, you must first be clear that you are serious about it, and it is not just a passing fancy. In order to test your resolve to quit smoking you should form a small support group that will be there for you when you start to feel weak and find it difficult to stick to your decision. After all, it is not easy to break a habit. You need to be answerable to yourself and others to be able to battle with the so-called nicotine beast, other smokers and your subconscious. They can all be very persuasive threats on the road to quitting. That is why it is absolutely essential to have a solid support group of at least two or three other people. If you can have five, it is even better.
When you try to do it alone, you are more likely going to succumb to the overwhelming urge because you are answerable to only one person. But if you have a group, that's a different ball game altogether.
Being accountable to others in the group
Of course, you begin by being accountable to yourself first. For example, if you've been off cigarettes for a week and then the irresistible urge strikes you, and you make hundred and one excuses, you battle with guilt and frustration, and ultimately, you give in because the nicotine beast is very strong and you are only one person. This is the story of many people who break down at this point.
However, if you had five loyal soldiers standing between the nicotine demon and you, it will be entirely different story.
How to make it work?
So, it is best to set up a small support group for yourself via email, telephone, or a support forum. If you can find people who have gone through similar experience, they can be very supportive and encouraging. Once you have a group, tell them your goal to quit smoking. Let them know that you need them at times when you are feeling weak in your resolve, but they should not to pester you about it. They should just be there when you need help and positive support.
Now, with a support group in place, when you again encounter an overwhelming urge to smoke, you will have to get past not just your own guilty conscience, but you have to call these five people and tell them that you have decided to start smoking again.
If you can do this much, you need not do anything else. They will do the talking and you just have to sit back and listen without getting angry or upset. Chances are that they will talk you out of your momentary weakness and encourage you to stick to your resolve. And it may not even take all five voices to convince you. However, if you can make it through all five members of your support team and you still think that you can do with just 'one' cigarette, then you must know that it is not just one – it is always the first one that will get you.
This is why the support system works so well - because now it's six (your support team plus you) against the 'one'.
One last point, you must be well informed about the whole process before you try to quit smoking. The more you know about quitting, the more successful you will be.
To your success,
Darren Warmuth
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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