When To Quit Smoking?

Most smokers at some point ask – When should I quit smoking?

I know that quitting smoking is not easy for many. However it is certainly possible, and if you give yourself good enough reasons to quit smoking, it makes motivation far easier. There are some certain rules on ‘timing’ that I will discuss with you later, that will significantly help you quit smoking.

A scenario for you

Let’s look at the scenario of a 30 year old man from the US, who we will call Hank. Hank smokes an average of 2 packets of cigarettes per day. That works out at about $3 per packet, which makes $6 per day. That adds up to $42 per week, which equates to about $180 per month. Now unless we hit REALLY hard times, then Hank is going to be able to rise above almost anything that an economic crisis can throw at him, simply by quitting smoking.

As a smoker, Hank probably spends about 40% more on health insurance than he needs to. Hank may well be spending around $560 per month, when he could be spending $400 per month. That is a further saving of $160 per month. Add these two together and Hank will be saving $340 per month, which is $4080 per year. Hank may struggle to land higher paying jobs as many firms are becoming increasingly reluctant to employ smokers.

Health cost

Then of course there are the health implications, which you probably have heard to death. These include the increased risks of cancer, strokes, heart attacks, lung diseases etc. Plus the increased health risks of your loved ones that breathe in your smoke. It just doesn’t seem logical to smoke does it? This is probably why there are a large percentage of smokers that want to quit. It just doesn’t make sense. It’s a lose-lose situation for most smokers. They lose money, lose health, and don’t even particularly enjoy it.

Why do people smoke?

Why do people smoke then? Well, ask yourself why you started smoking. Think back to when you started smoking, your first few cigarettes. Spend a moment just thinking back to the time you started smoking. Did you enjoy it? What made you do it?

Common responses to this question seem to be to fit in and to be cool during adolescence. However this habit lasts well beyond adolescence.

What can be done?

Most smokers that want to quit never actually make a proper decision to quit. It’s always next year, next month, next week, never NOW. Pick an exact time and date to become a non smoker, and quit. Don’t leave any grey areas or uncertainties, because your unconscious mind is likely to find a way round your personal pledge.

Say for example you pledge to yourself that you will quit ‘next week’. When it comes to next week, on Sunday, your unconscious mind may say ‘I meant Monday when I said next week, I’ll quit tomorrow’. When it becomes Monday, your unconscious mind may again manoeuvre your goal.

It might say to you ‘You’ve got a hard day ahead, and you didn’t say which day this week. Let’s quit on Tuesday or Wednesday’. By the end of the week it is likely that you will have totally forgotten that you were supposed to quit smoking.

That is why it is so important to pick an exact time and date to become a non smoker, and just stick to it. ‘I will be a non smoker at exactly 3pm today’. There is no room for maneuver, and no room to focus on the ambiguities. If you are serious, you will do it.

There is NEVER a good time to quit

When you are stressed, you want to smoke. When you are relaxing, you want to smoke. People can spend years batting the excuses back and forth that ‘I am too stressed and busy to quit smoking’, and ‘I have some leisure time, I don’t want to spend it quitting smoking.’ Just pick a time and date, and stubbornly stick to it, whenever is going on in your life.

Have a last cigarette just before your nominated time if you wish. Have 10 if you really want. Just stick to the time you decide to quit smoking, and decide to be a non smoker. No excuses, no blame, ‘just do it’. You are a grown adult (at least I hope you are if you have read this far!) and it is your responsibility to quit smoking if you really want to. Booking a hypnotherapy session can help with this. Once it is booked, it is booked. At the end of the session you are a non smoker. As soon as you wake up from your trance, you are a non smoker, no ifs or buts.

Now once you have picked a time and date, and stuck with your personal pledge to quit smoking, you are still not quite home and dry. Your unconscious mind may still try and play some tricks on you. It may start feeling cheated, like it has been ripped off. It may start focusing on what is missing, rather than what you are gaining. This isn’t always the case however. I have had many patients who have contacted me to say that they no longer have any urge to smoke whatsoever. Most people, however, experience at least some unconscious trickery.

How to remain a non smoker

In order to keep on track and remain a non smoker, you must keep reminding yourself why you have chosen to become a non smoker. It’s a good idea to write down all the benefits you receive now that you are a non smoker, and display them somewhere that you will see them regularly, like on a wall, or on your fridge.

It is also a good idea to regularly give yourself a tangible benefit for being a non smoker. Your unconscious mind may not understand that it is denying itself a habit for money or health, but will understand when you start receiving pleasurable gifts on a regular basis. You may use your extra money to go out for a meal, buy new clothes, or anything else that you like. When you are enjoying these rewards, remind yourself that you have received this reward because you are a non smoker.

Hypnosis can help

If you really need to, hypnosis can also help. A good hypnotherapist can bypass the conscious part of the mind, and talk to your unconscious mind. They can tell it about all the benefits that you will receive by becoming a non smoker. By telling your unconscious mind why you are quitting smoking, you can significantly increase you chances of remaining a non smoker for life.

Final thoughts

The responsibility of quitting smoking lies with you. You must make a definite decision to become a non smoker. You must put in the effort to remain a non smoker. It’s up to you when to quit smoking.

Happily you can also enjoy all the benefits and the glory of becoming a non smoker. Imagine yourself being a non smoker with better health, and more money. Imagine friends and family being amazed, perhaps even jealous, at how easily you quit smoking.

It’s yours for the taking, you just need to maintain the right mental approach. Make a definite decision of when to quit smoking, and stubbornly stick to it. Keep reminding yourself why you want to be a non smoker. It can be done!

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