Preparing Mentally to Quit Smoking

One of the top New Year's Resolutions is to quit smoking. It's been this way for years and will probably be this way for years to come. Why? Because smoking is terrible and quitting smoking is one of the hardest things to do. As the New Year represents new opportunities and a fresh start, it is automatically something that so many people want to quit doing.

But saying you want to quit and even writing it down on a piece of paper is not going to make a bit of difference if you don't prepare yourself mentally to quit. So before that New Year gets here, you need to go over the list below and prepare your mind to accept that you'll be giving up cigarettes.

- You need to be realistic with yourself. Those people that tell you they quit cold turkey and never looked back are fibbing to you. They want to encourage you by making you think that it will be easy but the truth is, it won't be easy. You need to be prepared for that. By not lying to yourself, you'll be prepared to meet the challenge head on. If this makes any sense to you, by knowing that it will not be easy will actually make it easier to deal with.

- You can try to tell yourself that you're doing this for the good of your body all you want and people will say, "Just think of how much longer you'll live!" But in the throes of withdrawal, how healthy you will be will be the last thing on your mind. You will want a cigarette and you won't care about how much your risk of heart attack or stroke will diminish over time. You need to give yourself a motivation other then your health. Have a plan to set aside your cigarette money when you start quitting to save up to buy something you've been wanting but couldn't afford.

- If you are using a stop smoking aide, don't expect it to do all the work for you. When people ask me what I used to quit smoking and I tell them the patch, they say, "Oh, I have heard that it doesn't work." You need to understand that even when using a stop smoking aide, you will have to have the willpower. And don't say you don't have willpower. It's in there. You just need to decide for yourself that's what you want to do. Using a stop smoking aide helps with withdrawals but it will not be a miracle cure.

- You need to get used to the idea that you can't have another cigarette again. Ever. One of the hardest things for me to get through my head was that once I quit, if I had even one cigarette, it carried the risk of undoing everything I'd worked for. It's daunting when you first start the journey to quit. Never another cigarette? Ever? The prospect seemed impossible. Cigarettes controlled every aspect of my life. How could I go the rest of my life without one? But once I psyched myself up for it, it didn't bother me so much when I actually started to quit.

- Who are you quitting for? It seems like a silly question but many people will try to stop smoking for their spouse or their children with no actual interest in quitting for themselves. Until you quit for yourself, you'll continue to try with little to no success.

I challenge you to start preparing yourself mentally to quit smoking. Identify your reasons for quitting and prepare for the physical aspects.

This article is part of an ongoing series for the non-profit group, DeKalbRamblings.com Health Alliance. If you'd like to join this free support group, participate in challenges and help others as you help yourself, please join us by visiting our Yahoo! Group here. We will not try to sell you anything and we don't make money. As a result, we will tell you the truth about what you need to be successful in being healthy.