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BigBen · 03-15-2005, 08:28 AM

Hey, good for you.

I quit about 50 times before I finally put the pack down. I just want to say that although quitting cold turkey is the way to go...

Don't kill yourself if you slip and have one. I would beat myself up for a couple of days when I would crumble and have a smoke. I should have done what I eventually did:

Stopped worrying.

I want you to adopt a new self-image: A Non-Smoker. Not an ex-smoker or a smoker who is in the middle of quitting, but someone who does not smoke.

If you lose your mind and run out and buy a pack, or bum one off a person, then what would a non-smoker do? They would go about their lives and continue to not smoke... an ex-smoker might think of themselves as weak and worthless. A smoker who is trying to quit might think of themselves as a failure.

I would have one smoke, beat myself up, then have the rest of the pack, feel worse, and the quit attempt would be finished. It kept on dying. What eventually worked was my frame of mind changing. I refused to let one cigarette, or one pack, or one carton that I smoked tell me that I was a smoker.

Imagine the looks I got when someone would walk up to me while I was puffing away and say “Hey Ben, I thought you quit smoking!” as if they had just caught me in the most embarrassing situation.
I would calmly turn to them and smile as I replied, “Yes, I have quit smoking and I feel great. This cigarette that I am having has no bearing on that.” I WAS THE ONE IN CONTROL. The cigarette lost its power.

I quit smoking, and I didn’t quit quitting.

Keep it up.

03-15-2005, 08:28 AM	#12 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	Hey, good for you. I quit about 50 times before I finally put the pack down. I just want to say that although quitting cold turkey is the way to go... Don't kill yourself if you slip and have one. I would beat myself up for a couple of days when I would crumble and have a smoke. I should have done what I eventually did: Stopped worrying. I want you to adopt a new self-image: A Non-Smoker. Not an ex-smoker or a smoker who is in the middle of quitting, but someone who does not smoke. If you lose your mind and run out and buy a pack, or bum one off a person, then what would a non-smoker do? They would go about their lives and continue to not smoke... an ex-smoker might think of themselves as weak and worthless. A smoker who is trying to quit might think of themselves as a failure. I would have one smoke, beat myself up, then have the rest of the pack, feel worse, and the quit attempt would be finished. It kept on dying. What eventually worked was my frame of mind changing. I refused to let one cigarette, or one pack, or one carton that I smoked tell me that I was a smoker. Imagine the looks I got when someone would walk up to me while I was puffing away and say “Hey Ben, I thought you quit smoking!” as if they had just caught me in the most embarrassing situation. I would calmly turn to them and smile as I replied, “Yes, I have quit smoking and I feel great. This cigarette that I am having has no bearing on that.” I WAS THE ONE IN CONTROL. The cigarette lost its power. I quit smoking, and I didn’t quit quitting. Keep it up. __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.