The Vicious Circle … Smoking

Smoking… Smokers love to hate it!

We think that we enjoy it, we thing that it relieves stress… But without the addiction there would  be no stress to relieve (i’ll explain later)..

I have been a confirmed smoker for roughly about 10 years – thats just under half my life! Gross when you think about it like that… Thats nearly 2,600 packets of cigarettes, at $20 a packet (yes i know they were much cheaper when I first started) but thats nearly $52,000 on an addition that smells and caused my body to be unwell… I have smoke induced asthma and had bronchial infections all my life..  For the 6 months that I was a non-smoker, my workouts were better, the results of my running were building up and up… Why would anyone fall back into the trap after knowing how amazing they feel when they kick it!?

Something else really interesting, advertising… As you know, smoking campaigns have been banned since the health warnings.. However we are still all brainwashed by this filthy habit.. But marketing just got sneakier! Think of Rihanna for example, amazing body, perfect complexion, yet she is a smoker? Do you think she would be a cigarette smoker by choice? Doub’t it! So many TV shows have subliminal advertising for cigarettes in there, but you really don’t realise.. Look at Jax – he does make it look pretty damn appealing!

 

I have tried all types of methods to help me quit smoking, from patches to champix (prescribed by doctor).. The breakdown… Patches – do not work… they keep feeding you nicotine, they help you break the habit but the addiction will remain there.. Cutting down (vicious circle) – the less you have the more you crave so when you finally allow yourself that cigarette you enjoy it more, POINTLESS. Champix – best way so far to help me quit, it stops your body from being able to enjoy the cigarette, this helped me quit smoking for about 6 months and I felt great, however it doesn’t change your mind set so can easily fall back into the smokers mentality (I DID!)

So far, none of these methods have really help me kick the habit and addition.. I have started to read the Allen Carr‘s – Easy Way To Quit Smoking many people have said to me that his method has helped them quit so I thought, why not give it a go – so I bought the book on iTunes for $9.99 and so far I have enjoyed reading it. It gives you a whole different light on why you smoke and continue to smoke.. I am 3/4 of the way through the book however, I can’t seem to get myself into the right mentality to really kick this habit.. I am going to finish it, and if I am still smoking at the end I will re-read. However millions of ex-smokers can’t be wrong?! What makes me any different..

http://www.allencarr.com.au/ <——— if you have money .. he does some seminars also…

One thing that really stuck with me from reading this book… Cigarettes cause the anxiety for the next cigarette, that is what the toxin does.. You only crave the toxin as it is leaving your body which causes anxiety and stress in a lot of people.. So if you don’t have the cigarette, you don’t have the anxiety for the next one… Hence why the cut down method does not work..

As determined as I am to quit, as much as I love when I am a non-smoker I just can’t seem to get my head around it.. Nothing about smoking anymore makes me want to smoke, but it is a sub conscious, automatic behaviour that just seems to be ingrained in me…

Next stop – hypnotherapy… I will keep you posted on the progress..