by Darren Warmuth
It is not easy to break any old habit, least of all smoking, which is more than just a habit. However, if you have reached a point when you really want to quit smoking, you can do that more easily in a group rather than do it alone. But, first things first! You must be honest with yourself whether you truly want to quit smoking or is it just a passing fancy that impels you to give it up for any temporary reason. If you really want to give up smoking, then you must feel accountable to yourself and others.
That is why you need a support group around you that can be of at least two or three other people, though five is ideal.If you only have to answer to yourself when an overwhelming urge strikes, that's only one person the nicotine beast has to overcome, but if you have a group, that's a whole other story.Being accountable to others in the groupIt kind of works backwards to just being accountable to yourself. For example, let's say you've been off cigarettes for a week and for whatever silly reason your mind has come up with, you figure you need a smoke. Well, before you can do that, you have to battle your inner demons and then live with the guilt that you have failed. But the nicotine beast, as I said, is very strong and you are only one person. Many people fall down at this point.
On the other hand, if you had five loyal soldiers standing between the overwhelming urge and you, then it would be an entirely different story.How to make it work?Set up a small support group for yourself whether it be via email, telephone, or a support forum. Tell these people your goal to quit smoking but also ask them not to pester you about it - just to be there when you need help and positive support. Use them for encouragement.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.
Once you have got it off your chest, you need not do anything more. You can sit back and listen to five voices reminding you of your resolve. Then, it is up to you to decide whether they are unfair and misguided and your deep down beliefs that you should quit are suddenly wrong. And, if you think that just that 'one' cigarette will do no harm to your determination, you are wrong. Because its never one; its invariably 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.
Happy quitting !
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