That's right..I said it..with ATTITUDE! What kind of attitude am I bringing to this butt kickin'? Well, mine is an educated positive one. I believe by treating my quit this way has allowed to be more successful at this quit than any of the umpteen other times I quit and failed. Why did I fail? Because I didn't believe I was or could ever be a nonsmoker. I focused on all the bad elements of my quit instead of looking at the positive things I was doing for myself. For example...then = I'm trying to quit now = I AM quitting then = I can't do this now = I AM doing this...... then = I want a smoke SO bad now = I don't smoke.... then = I feel so crappy not smoking now = I feel so good not smoking. Positive attitude folks. It's what has helped throughout this "turkey" quit of mine. I'm not trying to minimize your complaints but my mom always told me that if I focus on the bad that's what I'll get. Focus on the good and watch your dreams come true. (Thanks Mom) Yeah, it's hard. I had my "Hell week" and my "Heck week" just like everyone else here. I dwelled on how hard it was and thinking about them all the time. Lamenting the loss of something I thought was helping me deal with life and all its up and downs. What changed me? EDUCATION!! I went to whyquit.com and started reading. First I read Joel's book, "Not One Puff Ever" and then I went on and read Allen Carr's book ,"The Easy Way To Stop Smoking". Those books totally opened my eyes to what I was up against. I wasn't quitting a habit...I was quitting an ADDICTION. Now you may be wondering what's the diff? To me, the difference is that a habit can be stopped without a disruption to your daily living. Like biting your fingernails. On the other hand, an addiction is something that totally disrupts your way of living if you try to give it up. Like smoking! Once I understood this I realized that I am a nicodemon. I would do anything at anytime to get my next dose of nicotine. And heaven forbid if I thought I didn't have enough to get through my morning coffee. OMG..talk about gloom and doom. I would literally have a panic attack! Now that I'm educated I KNOW that Nick O'Demon is throwing everything he has at me to get to take that one puff. One puff. That's all it takes you know. One puff. Go back to your old ways. One puff. Kill yourself slowly all over again. One puff. Nick O'Demon wins and I am NOT a good loser. By educating myself and changing my attitude I have transformed myself into a happy nonsmoker. I'm not saying I never get cravings but I can handle them better now because I believe in my ability to quit. I believe in my strength to say no to the cravings. I believe in my educated mind to recognize when Nick O'Demon is trying to trick me. I believe my good attitude will help me kick those butts to the curb. Positive attitude + Education = Successful Quit So join me folks. Start thinking positive about your ability to quit suckin' those butts. You CAN do this....You ARE doing this! We are QUITTERS!!
