Are you thinking of stopping smoking ?

[monky]

Emjay, one of our lovely support advisers posted this a while ago, it may just help some of you

Posted by EmJay ROY CASTLE

20 Jan 2013

Stopping smoking isn't just always as simple and easy as making a decision to stop, putting out that last cigarette and then that's it, job done. If only.... There's a whole process to get through, not only leading up to quitting (preparing), there's also a 'middle' part (stopping) and then of course there's afterwards (staying stopped)

Depending on your reasons for wanting to (or sometimes having to) stop will determine how the process will leave you feeling - before, during and after.

For some people, giving up smoking isn't necessarily about the positive health benefits it can gain. It can quite often be to try and save money for a particuar reason, a holiday, more clothes, nicer things in life etc... sometimes it may simply be that this habit is no longer affordable and there are other important aspects of your life that the money needs to go towards.. Bills, food, clothes, etc

Sadly, if the reason for quitting is because it's become less affordable, then the person who is stopping smoking will quite often 'miss' smoking and feel that they really have 'given up something', as though they have had to sacrifice 'something' to get 'something' better

I think maybe if we can help this type of person to find another reason to stop smoking, a more selfish (in a positive way) reason so that they want to stop because they 'want to' rather than having to stop because they 'have to'... If that makes sense?

If you are of this kind of quitter, and you are doing it just for the money, say you win the lottery this week (fingers crossed, as you never know!) would you be more than likely to carry on smoking....?

If this is the case, then although we can help you to stop and you may never smoke again, it will be highly likely that you will always feel that your missing your (so called) friend. This means you'll never be totally free from smoking

It's really important to try and think about 'why' you smoke and 'what' you get out of it? What reasons can you think of that leads you to believe that smoking is something that you want to do for the rest of your life?

What do you actually enjoy about smoking? Remembering that the word 'enjoy' tends to lean towards something pleasurable. Is smoking really a pleasure? Some people actually think it is

Thinking about the financial and health benefits if quitting; The financial gains to quitting is quite unbelievable. Smoking is so costly these days. A 20-a-day smoker can save over £2,000 a year. However, the health gains are amazing and you definitely couldn't put a price on these benefits. Physically and mentally, the benefits are endless. Physically, the way your body makes a speedy recovery from the damage that smoking does to it is unbelievable. Within 20minutes things start to happen... Mentally, smoking makes us believe that we 'enjoy' it, it leads us to believe it makes us think straight, alleviates our depression, makes us happier... When really smoking causes us all the opposite of these problems and can lead to you feeling far worse.

Thinking about stopping smoking and staying stopped, it really can be just as simple or as hard as you make it...

Just the way you 'think' about it can determine how your journey goes....

So come on... Think about it ;