Smokers Unite

Why do you smoke?

That was yesterdays question. So have you explored the reason? Or is one day not enough time, should it be that difficult to know why. So let's explore those options, taken from smoking clinic questions.

Feeling hungry - nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so no time to eat but smoke on the go, the smoke itself is of course bad for health, but is having to skip me time good for our health, no it isn't because we all need battery recharge time, so can you get off of the carousel, if this is your reason for smoking. I don't mean by giving up, if it was that easy then the anti-smoking placebos would have no place, I mean by changing what you do first. Have that cigarette but sit down and smoke it as if it was meal time, so you still get the me time. Think about every single draw and taste each individual mouthful, then write down or if that isn't possible, commit to memory, how it feels.
One of the biggest concerns amongst smokers is that if they quit they will put on weight, if you are replacing food with nicotine then yes initially you will, because you are likely to be a thoughtless snacker as much as a thoughtless smoker. But this can be dealt with while you are a smoker, to stop the pattern.

Willpower - Have you got the willpower to quit? That isn't necessarily the problem, smoking is a prop for something, even if you want to pretend it isn't, so do you need to replace it with something, maybe, you could be someone who does. You can give up smoking and have determination to succeed, rarely does anyone who can just quit need advice, help or alternatives.
When I gave up smoking for good, it was after a few feeble attempts, I had a box of 20 and would buy 10's to top it up to convince myself it was still the same box, sad huh. The answer for me was to throw away the whole box, there were 19 in it at the time, break each one in half, to save salvaging them from the bin, been there before, throw away lighters and ashtrays! Then put the rubbish out for the bin man, to save me being the ultimate saddo and be caught rumaging in the bin in the front garden later that day I actually went to the high street and put it in a public bin, there was no way I'd be caught fumbling through there in the middle of the night. So it may sound dramatic, but quitting is a really big deal and everyone needs a plan. Of course willpower has a place but you can give up with very little of it, trust me.

Enjoyment - A little bit of what we like does us good. I asked this question the other day, do you enjoy smoking, this is something that comes up regularly, but it also comes up a lot from those who have given up but attend our maintenence clinic. I like smoking, I enjoy smoking, I can't imagine having a drink with friends and not gathering with the social smoky group outside. So which bit is the enoyment, the lighting, the inhaling, the first puff, or your last puff. Topping up your nicotine levels, the fix, that is the pleasure zone, but on a night out those levels are often topped up and then exceeded, too much of that and one cigarette will have to be two to get back up where you want to be, only careful control can stop that spiral, how many do you know who smoke socially and draw a line.

More later ...