The drug nicotine although legal is no different to any illegal drug when it comes to addiction, if not worse. This drug, a drug considered one of the most difficult drugs in the world to kick is one drug that millions are addicted to and one that results in more deaths than AIDS, traffic accidents, illegal drug abuse, suicide or murder combined.
Estimates suggest that 70% of all smokers would like to stop smoking or regret ever starting and with nicotine a difficult drug to kick and one with a high rate of relapse, this is not a drug to be quit on a whim.
If you are going to stop smoking then you need to be mentally prepared before you get ready, get steady and then "stop", or else you will make a false start, land yourself back at square one and continue to smoke as if you had never stopped smoking.
When it comes to stopping smoking, going on a diet or just deciding to join a gym and get fit and healthy the same pattern applies and is not a straight forward A-B process but one that includes a number of steps or stage that involve:
Articles
Stop Smoking Steps and Stages
Pre-contemplation - You smoke but you don't think about stopping. If you visited this site then you have passed this stage
Contemplation - Maybe it's money, maybe it's health or maybe it's the smoking bans and the inconvenience of smoking. At this stage you're thinking about stopping but have not yet tackled the problem.
Preparation - Here you shift through the options, decide on a method, pick a day and then prepare to take action.
Action - With a plan in hand you meet the problem head-on and commit to the goal of giving up smoking.
Maintenance - The real work begins as you struggle with withdrawal and the temptation to smoke as you attempt to maintain you're commitment to not smoke.
Termination - You've overcome cigarettes addiction and smoking habit and relapse is less likely and maintenance less necessary.
Stopping smoking is like snakes and ladders. From pre-contemplation to termination most smokers will bounce between the various stages before finally giving up for good.
Finally if you decide to give up smoking then you need to give up nicotine. Giving an IV drip full of alcohol to an alcoholic, letting a heroin addict smoke rather than inject or giving a smoker the nicotine patch or gum will not solve their addiction. To stop smoking you need to rid your body of nicotine.
For a smoker that fails to stop smoking it is not usually the method but smoker that failed. To stop smoking and remain a non-smoker you need to do more than just stop smoking. You need to change your attitude to smoking since smoking is all in your head.
Most smoker however simply jump from contemplation to action without any preparation which is a quick recipe for relapse, while others reach the stage of maintenance only to slip back to the pre-contemplation stage before moving back to contemplation and then attempting again.
Estimates suggest that the average smoker will attempt to stop smoking between 5-7 times before they finally give up smoking for good and even then many ex-smokers who had reached the stage of termination smoke a single cigarette and then return to the stage of pre-contemplation.
A saying in the tobacco industry is "A smoker is a smoker for life no matter how short that life is." If you make it to the stage of termination then you will still need to keep your guard up as one cigarette can lead you quickly back to stage one.
If you fail to stop then it's important to continue trying, learn from your mistakes and start again. One cigarette although it will set you back two step is a lapse but to continue smoking is a relapse which will probably result in thousands more cigarettes.
Copyright © 2009 - 2012 KickingButts4Life.Com | Stop Smoking Steps and Stages. All Rights Reserved.
Money Back Guarantee!
Instant Download
A Quit Smoking Book Every Smoker Should Read
ATTENTION!
A Smoker's Guide To Quitting! What if I told you that withinin a week from starting this stop smoking program you could be smoke free forever, beginning today!
P.S. We're so confident in the power of this system that we're willing to reverse all the risk. This 'Quit smoking Book Every Smoker Should Read' priced Only £7.99 comes with a full 30 day money-back guarantee! No questions asked. Click the BUY NOW BUTTON and Stop Smoking Today!
This course reveals everything you need to know both mentally and physically and once you've seen the information in this 72 page book you'll find yourself ready, willing, and able to quickly and easily stop smoking.
