Out of the Ashes Book

[drifter]

"Smokers do not become non-smokers, they become ex-smokers. The distinction is crucial. Non-smokers are people who do not want to smoke. They have never smoked, and have no interest in it whatsoever. ex-smokers on the other hand, do want to smoke. It's just that they want to stop smoking even more. I will never be a non-smoker. I will always have cravings, at least once in a while. But if I understand that these occasional feelings are the only alternative to smoking, I can treat them as a small price to pay for the freedom, better health and peace of mind that I get from not smoking.

A desire to smoke is not a command which must be followed. Just because I want to smoke, that doesn't mean I have to smoke. My craving is a feeling like any other. I can act on it, or choose not to. There is no such thing as an overwhelming desire to smoke."

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO STOP SMOKING:

I, (your name), hereby give myself permission to Stop Smoking and to be 100 percent healthy. I deserve, create, and have health and happiness in my life. I believe in myself and my ability to quit smoking right here, right now. I do my affirmations regularly. I take responsibility for health and body. I find and employ ways to improve my health daily. I enjoy relaxing, meditating, and exercising. I love myself unconditionally. I accept and approve of myself. I allow myself to be me. I am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious, and happy, to the good of all parties concerned.

I AFFIRM:
My health is improving daily. The desire to smoke becomes less and less every day, until it completely leaves my body. I enjoy being a non-smoker. I enjoy a smoke-free environment. My body and mind now totally accept this affirmation as a statement of truth. I am peaceful. Every cell, nerve, tissue, and muscle of my lungs and my whole body is now healing and becoming 100 percent healthy. I enjoy being and now am smoke-free. I believe in myself and my ability to be smoke-free. I easily refuse cigarettes or any form of tobacco, to the good of all parties concerned.

[drifter]

FROM OUT OF THE ASHES

One Puff...

There are people who can smoke occasionally. The evidence of my life proves that I am not one of them. Just like an alcoholic who takes one drink and goes out of control, taking one puff will almost certainly take me back to smoking. Maybe for a week, maybe for a year, maybe for the rest of my life. Knowing that it's unlikely to be just one puff, or just one cigarette, helps me think twice before lighting up.

Decisions..

I may want to smoke, but I want to stop smoking much more.

I can smoke, but I don't have to smoke.

I might smoke later, or I might not. All I need to worry about is this moment.

My options are to experience this craving now, or go back to smoking.

I choose, for now, to accept these mildly uncomfortable feelings, because they are the only alternative to smoking, and because they are the only thing in the world which will allow me to breathe better, live longer, like myself more and be more alive.

[drifter]

Affirmations for Quitting Smoking

(suggesstions)

I am taking back control of my life and my health
I am helping my loved ones, the world, and myself by not smoking
I am saving money by not smoking – money I can spend in anyway I want
I am free of the burden of smoking – of having to find the place and the time to smoke
This feeling will pass
I am making an investment in my future and myself
This moment of discomfort is worth it for all the rewards I am getting
I will succeed in my effort to quit

STEPS TO WRITE YOUR OWN AFFIRMATIONS TO CONTINUE TO SAY NO TO CIGARETTES

1.  
      Step 1
    

      Write a script. Think of phrases that will convince you that you do not need to smoke. For example, you could use "I am a non-smoker who feels great about life."

2.  
      Step 2
    

      Keep all affirmations in the present tense. Instead of writing "I will be a healthy non-smoker," you should write "I am a healthy non-smoker."

3.  
      Step 3
    

      Push out negative thoughts. When you create your affirmations and use them daily, try to keep any negative thoughts at bay. Many smokers focus on their need for a cigarette. These types of thoughts delay the cessation process.

4.  
      Step 4
    

      Place affirmations in places where you will see them often. Put them on your screensaver at work, on your bathroom mirror and the refrigerator door.

5.  
      Step 5
    

      Record a CD with your stop smoking affirmations. Make a CD that you can listen to while driving or relaxing at home. Affirmations only work if they are used often.

6.  
      Step 6
    

      Let your mind focus on the words. Concentrate on the words and what they mean to you. Picture yourself healthy and as a non-smoker.

[silverwolf4]

I like to read this keep it up i think this will help me after 34 years of smoking. 

[drifter]

Daily Reflection from:

Out of the Ashes 12/17/2009

Decisions...

Being and ex-smoker means accepting desires to smoke. "Accepting" something is the opposite of trying to avoid it. When I get the desire to smoke, I just relax my body and let the desire wash over me like a wave. Or I embrace it as the only alternative to smoking. I let it stay as long as it wants, and go on about my business while it's there. It was somewhat distracting at first, but with  practice I learned to coexist with it peacefully. It's mildly uncomfortable, but it's not pain or suffering. It's just a face of life.

[drifter]

Daily Reflection from

Out of the Ashes 12/18/2009

Denial...

Just as there is no such thing as a happy drunk, there is probably no such thing as a happy smoker. Smoking is so inherently antilife, so contrary to a healthy person's values, that deep down all smokers must feel self-reproach. I see evidence of this when my friends who smoke find out I'm not smoking. The excuses, the nervous jokes, the defesiveness all betray deep underlying unease.

Difficulty...

Almost everybody has problems when they stop, especially at first. Success does not mean not having problems or difficulty, Stopping smoking successfully means having problems and being able to work through them, sometimes quickly and sometimes gradually. These problems can include cravings, conflict, rationalizations, irritability, the desire to substitute food for smoking, and even relapses. If I understand that these feelings and issues are a normal part of stopping smoking, I can face and work through them in a positive way. If I expect stopping smoking to be effortless and smooth, I am much more likely to be thrown when I hit a bump.

[judi6]

What a cool, refreshing site, so positive.  Most useful thing I've read on here yet!

[drifter]

Daily Reflection from

Out of the Ashes 12/20/2009

Defeatism...

Hope is essential to recovery. For instance, in 12 step programs, the second step of recovery is "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." This does not have to mean a particular concept of God. It just means that for recovery to be possible, an addict must be open to the possibility of recovery, and that he or she will need help along the way. When I start to think in hopeless or defeatest terms, I am not only endangering my abstinence -- I am thinking unrealistically. There is nothing wrong with me. There is no reason I cannot successfully stop smoking. I can do it, and I am doing it.

Responsibility...

Avoiding situations where you usually smoke--sitting down with a cup of coffee, having a beer after work, socializing with friends who smoke--is to act out the principle: "In certain situations, I cannot be responsible for my actions. I cannot trust myself. I am at the mercy of forces outside myself." This belief is fundamentally irresponsible. Today I will live my life just as I normally would. I will do anything I would do as a smoker. If I get a desire to smoke, I can choose to act on it or to not. There is no situation which can force me to smoke, or undermine my resolve if I don't let it. No matter where I am or what is going on around me, I am capable of not smoking.

[drifter]

I would like to share with you an excerpt from Wayne Dyers book "Your Sacred Self." This book really helped me to grow to find an inner place of empowerment, faith and to take action to care for myself. I hope you enjoy this excerpt and if you do, I enourage you to get the book.
Drift

I know in each moment I am free to decide.

Divine Energy

"There dwells within all human beings a divine energy. The power of this energy permeates our entire being and permits us to perform every function in the vast repertoire of human thoughts and behaviors. There are two aspects to this divine energy. The outer aspect causes the heart to beat, the lungs to inflate and the senses to function--it essentially keeps our physical bodies alive. The inner aspect of this energy is dormant, but it can be awakened.

This inner universe is vaster than the outter universe. Inner jok makes all joy that is experienced in the world of the senses seem meaningless. When the divine light within you is experienced directly, it adds a radiance to life unlike anything that can be described with words or pictures. When you discover your sacred self, you awaked this dormant inner energy and let it guide your life. The word most commonly used to describe this inner force is "spiritual."

When I takl about spirituality and being spirtitual, I am describing an attitude toward God and the inner journey of enlightenment. I am speaking of expanding the glodlike qualities  of love, forgiveness, kindness and bliss within ourselves. In my interpretation, spirituality is not dogma or rules. It is light and joy an dfocuses on the experience of love and inner bliss, radiating those qualities outward. I call the journey to discover your sacred self your "sacred quest."

[drifter]

A guided meditation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-klfBJlHc