The Boilerplate Points 2

The Boilerplate Points 2

• To talk to a live human being, call 1-800-QUITNOW for a free quit smoking counselor, or call the National Cancer Institute's free Smoking Quit line, 1-877-44U-Quit. Proactive counseling services by trained personnel will be provided in sessions both before and after quitting smoking.
• Check out QuitNet.org and go to their chat room, where those quitting are doing it together, not alone. It can be a great source of support -- like a Nicotine Anonymous meeting, but online. Quintet was originally funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Tobacco Control Program, which was funded by a State cigarette tax increase passed by the Massachusetts legislature in the early 90's.
• At Nicotine Anonymous meetings, you'll find support and fellowship, which can be more comforting than a computer screen. If this appeals to you, find a meeting near you at the website of Nicotine Anonymous -- they are all over the US. Meetings are based around the classic 12-steps, borrowed from Alcoholics Anonymous' winning formula to overcome addiction. Attendance is 100% free, and this org is run entirely by volunteers. At the website you can also find out how to start your own meeting. Support groups like Nicotine Anonymous might initially seem unnecessary -- but they provide a GREAT outlet to vent verbally, and you men might be surprised at how good this feels! Best of all, it could help spare your family and friends much grumpiness. It's truly therapeutic to see how other quitters are doing in their own struggles to stop, and to get support from others going through the same struggle you are.
• Write down ten good things about being a nonsmoker -- and then write out ten bad things about smoking. Do it. It really helps.
• Don't pretend smoking wasn't enjoyable – it was. Quitting can be like losing a dear old friend – and it's okay to grieve that loss. Let the feelings engulf you instead of avoiding your pain with sweets or some other distraction. Letting your feelings out is how you heal, and put the source of your pain behind you. It's a process: feel, and you will heal. So stick with the difficult feelings. You can do it!
• Several times a day, quietly repeat to your self the affirmation, "I am a nonsmoker." Many quitters see themselves as smokers who are just not smoking for the moment. They have a self-image as smokers who still want a cigarette. Silently repeating the affirmation "I am a nonsmoker" will help you change your view of yourself, and, even if it may seem silly to you, this is actually useful. Use it!
• Here is perhaps the most valuable information among these points. In Phase 2, the period which begins a few weeks after quitting, the urges to smoke will subside considerably. However, it's vital to understand that from time to time, you will still be suddenly overwhelmed with a desire for "just one cigarette." This will happen unexpectedly, during moments of stress, whether negative stress or positive (at a party, or on vacation). If you are unprepared to resist, succumbing to that "one cigarette" will lead you directly back to smoking. Remember the following secret: in these surprise attacks during Phase 2 -- and they will definitely come -- do your deep breathing, and hold on for five minutes, and the urge will pass.

In conclusion, get the info and support you need to make the stopping process a little easier. DO NOT try to go it alone. Get help, and plenty of it.

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