Without a doubt this is one of the most comprehensive self-help books on the market today. It's not just another "how-to-quit" smoking manual. As tobacco prices continue to escalate, now is time to seriously consider breaking this cycle of addiction. In this book, Douglas uses a variety of familiar anecdotes to teach, admonish, and to persuade his readers that they can tailor a practical plan for quitting. His clear, descriptive language and candid story-telling will entice you to read the book in its entirety. Further, he introduces a proven strategy which you will find both useful and trustworthy. The information is both factual and credible, and his method for quitting is duplicable. Without bias, he describes a variety of cessation options for the smoker. However, his main focus is employing the "cold turkey" method for quitting the habit of smoking. This method not only saves you money, but it also minimizes the amount of psychological and physical discomfort associated with withdrawal and abstinence. The book builds on the premise: to successfully QUIT SMOKING you must STOP THINKING about it.
IF A CAVEMAN CAN QUIT SMOKING, WHY NOT ME?
By Douglas HughesAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Hughes
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4389-9763-6Contents
Acknowledgments....................................................viiDedication.........................................................ixPreface............................................................xiMake the Decision..................................................1Define the Terminology.............................................7Follow the Yellow Brick Road.......................................14How I Started Smoking..............................................18Nicotine, the Real Enemy...........................................25Smoking Cessation Options..........................................30This Could Make You Sick...........................................48The Gradual Withdrawal Method......................................55Personal Testimonies...............................................60Change the Way You Think...........................................65Look at the Rewards................................................73Winners, Losers and the Law........................................78Determine Your D-Day...............................................86Prepare Your Strategy List.........................................92Concluding Thoughts................................................98References.........................................................101Appendix A: Principles, Attitudes, and Beliefs.....................105Appendix B: Selected Smoking Cessation Options.....................107Appendix C: Benefits...............................................109Appendix D: Strategy...............................................111Biography..........................................................113
Chapter One
MAKE THE DECISION
The questions that haunted me for at least five of the ten years I smoked are equivalent to the ones you may face: Is your pain so evident that it compels you to quit smoking? Are you ready to adjust your thinking, focus your mind on other matters and stop thinking about smoking? Are you willing to change your lifestyle (e.g., avoid bars, frequent non-smoking areas of businesses, risk losing friendships, or start a new hobby) so you can quit smoking and stop thinking about it all the time? Do you want to experience true and lasting freedom from nicotine addiction? Consider this: success is measured by the amount of time you spend thinking or not thinking about smoking. What I found most helpful was learning how others had quit smoking cold turkey and remained smoke-free.
Most smokers will experience some or all of the withdrawal symptoms listed above sometime during their lives. Oddly, I have met only a handful of smokers who experienced atypical symptoms (i.e., no withdrawal cravings or a desire to smoke). People have differing tolerances. Some can quit without hesitation and yet others are desperate for help. The pattern that creates the cycle of addiction is quite simple: ingest nicotine through tobacco use, experience some degree of withdrawal, and then repeat. However, changing the behavior adversely affects the smoker and those in his/her social network.
We all ask the question, "Why is quitting so difficult?" Since smoking involves more than just ingesting nicotine, many smokers don't fully understand the psychological and emotional behaviors linked with the habit. Gaining such knowledge will eventually create a stronger foundation and a deeper desire to quit. Remember, knowledge translates into power; therefore, it is imperative to begin collecting information about your habit and smoking experiences before arriving at the day you have chosen as your D-day. Wikipedia, the free on-line Encyclopedia, offers an interesting but appropriate definition for this term, "Often, the day something big happens, when a decision that can't be changed is made, it is called 'D-Day'" (D-Day, 2009, para. 4). What could be a bigger day for you than the day you finally quit smoking? Your mental preparation greatly increases the likelihood of quitting permanently!
To experience genuine freedom there is only one true cure: you must STOP THINKING about smoking so that you can QUIT SMOKING ... forever! Is the solution that simple? Yes! Stop thinking about smoking and you will stop smoking. The process, however, will vary with individual smokers. For example, eight to nine weeks after smoking my last cigarette I experienced this epiphany. I could literally measure success in terms of the amount of time I spent either thinking or not thinking about smoking. The key to success is training your mind to stop thinking about smoking. One of my barber customers said it very clearly, "You choose to quit smoking and never look back again." Having tried and failed at least a dozen times, something finally occurred to me. If I expected to "never look back again", then I needed to create a quit smoking plan that was designed and tailored to increase my chances for success. Consider this maxim: knowledge of the subject + personal preparation (designing a plan) = confidence to quit smoking.
Prior to quitting I had no such thoughts; therefore, a "battle plan" was needed to combat each and every temptation I would likely encounter after deciding to quit smoking. Later in this writing I will briefly discuss a journaling exercise I found invaluable to use during the times when I was tempted to smoke. You will have the opportunity to employ this same activity when you are determined to quit smoking. It's important for you to write about those times when you feel weak or susceptible to smoke. The purpose for journaling is two-fold: 1) to help you think through every scenario that you are likely to encounter, and 2) to suggest a method for coping in your moment of temptation. You want to develop a comprehensive understanding of yourself and exploit those times when you are inclined to smoke.
Quitting smoking is no easy task! For most people it's hard work because they are fighting two battles: the habit of smoking and the addictive chemical in tobacco. Imagine for a moment someone inviting you to climb 29,035 feet to the top of the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Thousands of people have tried, although only a few have been successful, and many have lost their lives in pursuit of this goal. If someone asked me to accept such a challenge I would flatly refuse the offer. Why? Because the mountain is just too big! I could not endure the climatic changes and the extreme physical hardships along the way. More importantly, however, I would have to change my lifestyle; sacrifice a few pleasurable things; modify my diet; solicit financial sponsors and purchase expensive but essential gear; and I would need to train my mind and body regularly for this distant but approaching event.
Quitting smoking will seem much like climbing Mount Everest, yet people generally don't wake up one morning and fly to China with their climbing gear. Hikers and climbers who expect to successfully climb this mountain will always climb progressively, more challenging elevations. Unfortunately, no matter how well people plan a high-adventure outing, something happens to create a stumbling block or a hindrance to their progress. Regardless of their foresight, people will experience a variety of health, weather, and equipment issues even on terrain that is not as challenging. Thankfully, they will learn from both their successes and failures; hence we can apply the proverbial statements, "It is better to have tried...
