How to give up smoking
How I did it: I started smoking when I was 13. By the time I was 16 I was smoking at least a packet a day. When I was about 25 I decided to give up but found that every method I tried was a complete failure and believe me I tried EVERYTHING.
In the end what I realised was it wasn't the methods that failed me it was my attitude. I kept focussing on reasons that I didn't really care about at the time, like cost and how I smelt and vague ideas about it being bad for my health.
What eventually worked for me was getting angry. I accepted that I was a drug addict. I know that sounds harsh but it's the truth! I didn't want to be an addict. I hated the fact that I would wake up at 3 in the morning craving a hit. I hated the guilt that went with blowing my budget for drugs and I hated the fact that I felt completely out of control when I couldn't get my hands on a smoke.
I read a book called the Easy Way which did help a bit to shed some light on how nicotine addiction works but the biggest thing was just deciding that I wanted control of my life back.
The day I decided to quit I went and signed up with the Quitline Program. I set my quit date and started to prepare. 3 days before my quit date I said enough! I didn't want to wait anymore. I just stopped. I think I finally convinced myself I really didn't want to do this anymore.
It's been 4 years now and I can honestly say I've never looked back.
You just have to want it badly enough!
Lessons & tips: Work out why you want to give up and really believe it
Resources: The Easy Way - Allan Carr
Quitline
