How to Quit Smoking for Free

Do you want to quit smoking? Are you prepared to pay whatever it takes to get a program that actually works? If you want to quit, then that's a good start. If you are ready to pay, you might have the wrong notion of trying to depend on what costs something to work for you. You will know if you are depending on the cost before you believe it works-- if you think that this article won't work when I tell you that you have NOTHING to pay for... EVER.

Many people want to know how to quit smoking;
They want to pay for something that works;
If it costs a lot, they get discouraged and look for something else;
If it doesn't cost anything, they won't think it works.

You see, it is not about what you pay for. It is what you think. THE BATTLE STARTS IN THE MIND.
(Now before you accuse me of introducing new age, hypnotism, etc., I will tell you now that it isn't like that. I know how quick readers like you react. That's why I'm saying it starts in the mind. You have to renew the way you think. **A)

I started smoking in 1994, smoked upto 2 packs a day, started the process of quitting in 1999, then succeeded in doing so by 2002. My first stick was Winston, then I liked Lucky Strike, Marlboro (reds, lights, menthol, tried ultralights), Philip Morris, and West Ice. I also tried Rothams, Davidoff, and chocolate flavored tobaccos. But you know what? Even as I write these brandnames down, I don't feel the urge to try one of them anymore. If you carefully read this article, it will help you quit smoking.

Things that didn't work for me:
1. Setting a date - I tried using my "last stick" as a souvenir by writing on it the words "My last one (dated)". It just made me more conscious that I had to take at least one more cigarette. So setting a date will just make you take more cigarettes before midnight and you will find yourself looking for another one the following day.
2. Nicotine patch - Not that it didn't actually work, it just didn't have to come to the point where I had to buy something in order to quit paying for another. And besides, I don't like the idea of adding foreign chemicals into my body.
3. Quitting for someone - If you quit smoking to please a person, you will end up taking more cigarettes when that person disappoints you. **B

Warning: This holistic approach on how to quit smoking has NO side effects!

If you're ready to learn How to Quit Smoking, please read on.

[Confucius, the famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher, once said, "To know what you know and know what you do not know, is the characteristic of one who knows". ]

1st - WHY. you have to ask yourself: Why did I start to smoke in the first place?
- Peer pressure
We were 10 in a practicum group in college. I was second to the last who was asked to try to puff a single stick. I thought there was nothing wrong with one stick. (It's just like in the song Hotel California: " You can checkout any time you like, But you can never leave! ".)
- Boredom
I smoked a few sticks whenever I had nothing to do.
- Everyone else does it
I thought it was the norm.
- It's cool
I felt I belonged. Of course, if you're cool, you won't admit this.
- Problem
Wine and cigarettes used to be my companion when I had problems. **C
- Good for bowel movement
Some people say that smoking in the bathroom helps them. I tried deep breathing and it did just as well.
- Media
We may not be aware that what we see on the television/cinemas, read on the newspapers/magazines, see on the billboards and internet, create a mindset -- that smoking is alright. Media tells us to buy something. And if we want to quit buying it, we have to pay for something else again. It's a good thing that some television/radio stations are now helping in the campaign for awareness on the effects of smoking.

2nd - REASONS. You need reasons to quit smoking.
- I want to live a long life and be with my family, my children, and see my grandchildren and great grandchildren.
- I don't want to have lung cancer.
- I don't want to have bad breath.
- I don't want people to stay away from me because my clothes would smell like cigarettes whenever I smoke.
- I want to save money.

3rd - DETERMINATION. You have to be determined to quit smoking.
- Know the effects of smoking. It will help you to be determined to really stop your bad habit.

4th - ACCOUNTABILITY. You need to ask those whom you trust to help you quit smoking.
- When I got married, my wife helped me quit smoking.

5th - BABY STEPS.
1. Candy/Chewing Gum - Since I liked menthol cigarettes, menthol candies became a substitute until I tried to cut down on my sugar intake. Of course, I successfully quit smoking first before I reduced taking candies. Once you quit smoking, you will find that your self discipline has improved a lot.
2. Exercise - Walking and Swimming. While I was a smoker, I found it hard to walk long distances. I would stop a lot of times to catch my breath. It was also hard for me to stay underwater. But as I decreased my nicotine intake, my stamina increased, and it felt good knowing that quitting smoking has good effects. (Just recently, I slightly bumped my head at the end of a swimming pool because I didn't know I could stay that long underwater.)
3. Gradually decrease usage - Monitor your smoking intake and commit to decrease usage at your own pace. If you are taking 2 packs a day, start with 1 pack a day then look for something worthwhile to do when it is supposedly your schedule to take the next cigarette which you intend to give up. From there, commit to give up 1 stick per week and never look back. If you are taking 1 pack or 20 sticks a day, you should be down to 1 stick per day on your 5th month. Then do 1 stick every other day for 1 month, then 1 stick every week on the 6th month, 1 stick occasionally on the 7th month, until you no longer have any craving for it. Take note, I didn't set a date for the last cigarette. As long as you will be preoccupied with something else, you won't be looking for another stick. Just make sure that you will replace something that will be good for your body and soul.
4. Attraction - Be aware of what you are attracted to. Know how your mind processes the information it receives. If you know that what you see is not good for you, bounce your eyes off that thing.
5. Appreciate yourself - Appreciate every small victory. Appreciate yourself. Write down the things you like about yourself. The more you appreciate yourself, the more you will take care of yourself. However, do not think more highly of yourself than what you should or you will be boastful. **D
6. Read the Bible - We always want to get the original stuff. We always want to hear and read things that work, but a lot of people get turned off when they hear the words God and Bible. What most of us don't know is that everything that works can be found in the Bible. It is there where I found a lot of answers to my questions. It is God who gave me peace. It is He who gave me the determination, and removed any attraction to tobacco products.

6th - MODEL. Choose your model and be a model - I knew I could quit smoking because I looked for a role model **E. Be with people who don't smoke or who have successfully quit smoking. Once you are in the process of quitting, share your experiences with others who also want to quit smoking. You will see that as you become a role model, you will be more determined to do what you are doing because now, you have a purpose. Your life is starting to have meaning. You don't want to lose that new sense of belongingness.

7th - DO IT! Don't just read this article, start now!

I hope that as I showed you the reasons why I smoked, and what I did to quit, you will also do these steps so that you will have a wonderful life that is free from the bondage of smoking.

A pastor once said, "There is a God-sized vacuum in your heart that only God could fill". We fill the void by trying a lot of stuff and smoking is just one of them. We fail to recognize that smoking is just a symptom. It is a symptom, just like premarital and extramarital sex, excessive craving for liquor, etc. The real problem is our need for something that we cannot understand. And we will only understand it if we recognize that there is a God, He wants to have a relationship with us, and that we have a purpose. You see, you can never disassociate God with whatever you do. We need Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Once He is in control of your life, no matter what problems you will go through, He will be with you... and this is companionship that not even smoking can offer. It gives you peace.

Remember, you can also do it! You can quit smoking! God bless!

Notes:

**A . Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) -- 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

**B. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) -- So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

**C. Proverbs 23:31-32 (NIV) -- 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? 30 Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.

**D. Romans 12:3 (NIV) -- For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

**E. Philippians 4:13 (NIV) -- I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.