Your New Life

After stopping smoking, the first thing most people do is to keep a record of the number of days it has been since they stopped. This should be avoided because it brings back the feeling that stopping smoking is a sacrifice - as though you are trying to break the world record for not smoking. Why do it? What you have done is to close one chapter of your life and start a new one. Counting the days that have passed makes it seem like you are waiting for something to happen. The people who do this are generally the ones who have stopped using nothing but willpower. They will be disappointed because nothing is going to happen. Many will say 'I stopped smoking ten years ago and I still miss it'. Now we know that the physical addiction left years ago but it is this feeling of sacrifice that makes the ex-smoker think that they still miss smoking - and they think that it is only thanks to their strong willpower that they have been able to stop.

You, on the other hand, are already convinced that you are not missing anything, that life will be so much better as a non-smoker and that you have not made a sacrifice. There is no reason for you to feel bad because you will be totally clean. The nicotine will go, the dependence will go, the craving will go and you will be a non-smoker again.

Also, do you not think that time passes much more slowly when you watch the clock? I can't imagine what it must be like for these ex-smokers who sit with quit-meters on their computer - watching the seconds tick by and the savings slowly ticking up. This will make stopping smoking so much more difficult - especially in the early stages when you are waiting for up to three weeks of physical craving to pass. Your quit-meter will tell you that you have saved x amount by not smoking - and this is no consolation in the short term because the craving can make you feel like you would spend ten times that amount just for one smoke.

Just say to yourself 'I am a non-smoker' and get on with your life rather than see each day as a struggle. If you want to count something, count the big things that you have bought with your smoking money since you stopped. Then, instead of being the person who looks miserable and still wants a smoke ten years later, you will be the one saying 'I have bought a new car, a new kitchen, I have redecorated the house etc.'

Some people will tell you that they have been miserable since they stopped smoking and others will tell you how wonderful they feel. The only difference between the two is their mental attitude towards smoking. One sees it as a fantastic liberation and the other sees it as a great sacrifice.

I hope that the advice you have read at SmokeWorm.com has convinced you that you are being liberated.

Please email me and let me know how you get on. If you succeed in stopping, I want to know what parts you found most helpful. If you have not been able to stop, tell me why - maybe I can help!

All the best,

Jonathan.

PS If you have found this site useful, please tell your friends about it - or even buy the book! :)