Quitting Smoking is Easier in a Group

By: Darren Warmuth

If you want to quit smoking - and truly quit, not just have it as some passing fancy - you must hold yourself accountable not only to yourself but others as well. The nicotine beast, other smokers and your subconscious can all be very persuasive threats on the road to quitting so this is why I so firmly advocate a solid support group of at least two or three other people. Five is even better.

When you try to do it alone, you are more likely going to succumb to the overwhelming urge because you are answerable to only one person. But if you have a group, that's a different ball game altogether.

When you work with a group, you are accountable to others.

It 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.

The process

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.

If you can do this much, you need not do anything else. They will do the talking and you just have to sit back and listen without getting angry or upset. Chances are that they will talk you out of your momentary weakness and encourage you to stick to your resolve. And it may not even take all five voices to convince you. However, if you can make it through all five members of your support team and you still think that you can do with just 'one' cigarette, then you must know that it is not just one – it is always the first one that will get you.

The support system works so well only because of numbers; it is six times more difficult to convince six people (your support team plus you) against the 'one'.

As I say, the more you know about quitting, the more successful you will be. So get all the information you need BEFORE you try to quit. It's much easier, believe me.

Happy quitting,

Darren Warmuth

Niche Article Directory: http://www.thatsmyniche.com

Is there a magic stop smoking pill? - read some independent reviews of zyban, chantix, hypnosis etc. Also, click here to discover the stop smoking method Darren himself used.
Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated