I had been smoking cigarettes for about 9 years before I decided to quit. I had several attempts before I figured out what would work for me, and I was surprised that the reasons it wasn’t for my health. I just read this article http://www.buzzle.com/articles/reasons-to-stop-smoking-why-should-you-quit-smoking.html and was surprised that many of these reasons were health related. I did not quit because smoking is bad for my health. THe extreme warning on a pack of cigarettes does not deter from the millions of addicts’ desire to have another cigarette.
My reason for quitting was because I wanted to know myself, and every time I had a cigarette I was taking myself out of the game of life! Through tracking every time I had a cigarette, I realized that most of the time it was because I was having a feeling – mad at someone, hurt by someone’s comment, needing a break, and even wanting to celebrate. But getting away to have a cigarette was actually squelching all these feelings, and I never got to know why I was feeling the way I was feeling. I just formed this habit that kept me feeling wired, buzzed, and numb.
I made my One Decision (see www.judithwright.com) to know myself and to know what I was feeling. I realized that if I wanted to live a life of any meaning and significance, I had better be aware of what I was feeling from moment to moment. This is what I focused on, and using tools to help me quit smoking, I was able to do this with success.
The powerful decision I made to know myself worked better for me than worrying about getting cancer in the future. This is one of the moments in my life that I remember as a milestone in my growth and I also remember how difficult it was. If I made it through quitting, I can make it through anything.
If there are any people who have quit smoking, why did you do it? Is anyone with me in not doing it for health?
Soft Addictions 