[bricks]

Originally Posted by Dr. Pepper

A little background information;

I've been smoking for about a year. I smoke about a pack a day, maybe a little less. I've noticed that since I've started smoking, I get sick easier, I have a hell of a lot less cash laying around, not to mention I hate smelling like smoke, (all my shit smelling like smoke, etc).

I don't want to do the e-vape thing. But quitting cold turkey scares me a little.

Any advice for me? Words of encouragment? I'm all ears, and would appreciate some postive support.

Thanks,
Big Smoke

Don't be afraid.

Think about this for a second? Fear is an enemy. It's an obstacle to your path to success. It can be destructive in a sense where it hinders your own self-confidence. You MUST learn how to conquer your fears and don't allow them conquer you. You need the confidence and the trust and belief in yourself that you will do this in order to achieve. And you WILL do this.

But Don't think too far ahead. Take it one day at a time. And when you find yourself successful for that one day that you didn't touch a cigarette period, say to yourself, "I am a successful person today and it's days like today that proved I will do it."

And when you get up the next day, say to yourself, "today is a new chapter in my life but I shall call upon yesterday to give me that feeling of reassurement or evidence that I'm ready, willing and capable of not touching a cigarette again today." You need that positive reinforcement to help subside the fear. All it takes is that one time and you could use that as a building block or as a stepping stone.

If there are times where you crave or are battling the temptation of evil, say a prayer to God and ask him to dwell within you to comfort you and to help you persist through your battle. I'm a believer that success does not come alone.

There will be times where you will struggle. It's normal and part of the process. This isn't easy. It will be a challenge. You're gonna need that courage. You need to know what courage is. Courage isn't the absence of fear, but the judgement of something that is more important than the fear itself.

Seek out judgement and ask yourself questions. Challenge yourself. Say stuff like, "what's more important to me for the here and now? Smoking this cigarette which will contribute to me starting up again, making me feel like crap, and increasing my risk of cancers, diseases or perpetuating the quiting process so that I could continue my journey of feeling good about myself and being healthier and reduce my risk of cancers, diseases." Feel it out through your body and draw comparisons of the times when you felt like crap to when you were smoking, to the times when you didn't smoke and how much better you feel. Stop, think, and feel....then use your judgement and apply it to your decision making.

But then again, this won't be easy. What if you have a scenario where you're in a social setting with other people who smoke and smoking is a way to engage in that social setting? Now all of a sudden, you start to experience negative emotions where you crave, you want to blend into that setting and so you start to become irritable. When this happens, stop, and think. Don't let your emotions get the best of you, control them. Don't let your emotions distract you, and cloud your judgement. FOCUS! Go to a quiet place (I.e., a bathroom cubicle) and call upon God to help you persist through the battle of temptation of evil. Once you've done this, get out of that setting you're in. Yes be selfish about it. It's okay.

You could also be in a situation where you're stressed out and may need to seek out something like cigarettes as a way of compensating the stress. Please don't. They are plenty of things life has to offer to help relieve you from stress. Stress is all self-imposed. A lot of is how you think. You could always change the way you think, by switching your focus from negative thinking to positive thinking. This helps a lot. Thinking is synchronized with how you feel. You could always meditate, or do progressive muscle relaxation exercises to relax you as another way of relieving the stress in your body or to simply distract you from the stressors themselves. You could always exercise and go for a jog as well.

You also may want to Put a picture up of someone in your room that is suffering and dying of lung cancer and right beside that picture write with an arrow pointing towards that picture saying, "oh my, I don't want this being me." You could something like that as a motivational tool.

Lastly, good luck to you brother. I wish you the best!