My New Year's Resolution to Quit Smoking Cigarettes

My 2010 New Year's Resolution is to quit smoking cigarettes. I have been smoking cigarettes for 19 years. I have tried everything to quit smoking, including patches, gum, stop-smoking magnets, deep breathing exercises, and sheer willpower. A former employer actually offered me a $2,000 bonus to quit smoking cigarettes. I lasted only 4 days, so I had to give the money back. This year, it is going to be different. I am going to share the 5 ways I plan to make my 2010 New Year's Resolution to quit smoking a success.

1. Sleep. You cannot smoke cigarettes while you are sleeping! I could spend my entire year sleeping; however, I've been an insomniac since I was a teenager. 72 hours up, 4 hours down is my regular wake-sleep cycle. Even though I feel fine with the limited sleep I get, I am probably really just too exhausted to realize it. I, like many people, tend to smoke more cigarettes when I am tired, so if I can just force myself to sleep 8 hours a night, maybe the urge to smoke cigarettes won't be that great.

2. My children are allergic to cigarettes. As a result of my smoking, they have allergies. I asked my pediatrician how my smoking could cause their conditions, as I'm never around them when I'm smoking. He told me that nicotine is a very sticky substance that clings to my hair, skin, and clothes like glue. After I'm finished smoking my cigarette, I come inside, hold my children, and the nicotine transfers to them, which causes a reaction, like allergies.

3. I am going to avoid my in-laws. Smoking cigarettes is a pastime in my husband's family. Going over to their house is like walking into a bar. They are loving people, however, when I tell them I am quitting smoking and I visit their home, they are always offering me cigarettes. My husband's grandmother has on several occasions gone out and returned with a pack of cigarettes for me and insisted I smoke all 20 of them while chatting with her. You do not refuse grandma. The unspoken rule is that I smoke with her or she will hurt me.

4. I will spend my days painting. When my hands and mind are busy, I smoke less. I will get out my dusty art supplies and paint all day, every day until the craving for cigarettes go away. If that takes all year, then so be it.

5. Fruits and vegetables. I will change my diet to include less packaged foods and more fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables will give my body the vitamins and nutrients it desperately craves. Besides, when was the last time you saw a vegetarian smoking a cigarette after enjoying a fruit salad? Smoking cigarettes and healthy eating do not go together.

Every year, my New Year's Resolution is the same: to quit smoking. I have failed every year, however, using the above tips, I will greatly improve my odds of succeeding.