reduce smoking

I thought I would be able reduce smoking further, but I am convinced that I could reduce only upto 50% in this manner.

I will have to take some more serious alternative to achieve this goals.

So till then no further entry will be made.

Friday 5 December 2008

The month of November has passed without any improvement. The quantum of smoking per day has remain same as last month. Only hoping for some reduction this month.

As mentioned in my last two entries, I almost maintained it to smoking around 8 cigarattes and not 5 as I wanted, because I do come across my friends or collagues, who has no such set goals and it would have been too much for me to be adamant with them all of a sudden about not wanting to smoke, this is because I use to feel that I would not meet them daily or frequently and thereby I would be able to persuade the goals.

But then 2 weeks back I got an idea and that is to say to anyone who offers to smoke that I just had few minutes back and hence I do not have the urged to smoke one more again. But being a smoker myself for more than 15 years when I see others smoking in front of me and that too a friend then it became too much to resist and especially when I have some snacks with tea/coffee then I along with friends smokes. After some occassion I use to share my cigarette with my friend, instead of both of us smoking seperately.

With the above experience I realised I have to modify my strategy towards acheiving this goals and that is ‘Money Saved Is Money Earned’.....

I have a habit of maintaining online check register for the last two years, where you can set your monthly expense limit towards all or any particular expense category. In that I set my target regarding cigarette expense, after checking last six months expense I set target and this I disclosed to my friend, where I show them if we maintain it how much we would or could have saved and with that saved money we could have/buy many expensive/high end electronic gizmos/gadgets for which we are crazy. With this they realise that I wanted to reduce smoking and to my good luck they are now showing signs of not always offering me to smoke.

Never mind within a month to overcome this habit is not an easy task, especially when I am determined to reduce and eventually quit totally without medication. But I am confident to acheive further progress.

More progress would be posted at the end of the month and during this days apart from controlling myself when I meet my friends their is a teething problem within me and that is ‘Withdrawl Symptoms’

I feel my mind is almost ready to give up in phase manner but when my ‘nicotine level’ gets reduces then I cannot concentrate reading newspaper or watching TV and there is where I slip when I am alone.

At that time I do not even remember god, in front of whom i have taken private oath to reduce smoking, but I am following a phrase, i.e ‘Try & Try Till You Succeed’ and with the monetary benefits I am seeing I have become more determined.

Lastly I would like to express my thanks for one cheer by(Sona7a) I received to my first two entries and needless to say it only boosted my confidence. Thanks once again.

More of the above at the end of the month.

After my encouraging start to reduce smoking, I undertook one more step and i.e. when i smoked 3 cigarette less for the next two days that much money I have set aside and kept that money at a place where I worship God.

I am confident that as I will do this daily, since I worship God daily, my savings will swell and make me realise that how much money I was wasting apart from serious health problems I may face. To do this I have made up my mind that my daily worship will not be over unless I do not add my savings on cigarette, even on occassion it may be 1-2 cigarette.

i am sure of acheiving my goals.

Because of the daily email reminders from 43 things about this goals since last few days I was sure of one thing that it will atleast be reduced by one ciggarate a day.

When I could carry on the above for few more days, i was myself encouraged to reduce further. To make a matter a little less taxing the government introduced smoking ban since thurs 2 oct 2008 at all major public place, but as expected the result is not yet tangibily visible among public. But still I was determined to make it work for me moreover as mentioned above the daily reminder emails was literally haunting me.

So i now concluded that with the email reminders and smoking ban at public place has started taking desire effects on me and yesterday I smoked only 5 ciggarate instead of 15 daily.

After write it here I am sure i would be somewhat be able to maintain my yesterdays quota, this is because now updating this entry would push me to reduce smoking and ultimately quit a little faster.