Back when I quit, I spent a lot of time prepping for this last quit. In fact, this was the first time where I really did prep for my quit. I’d had other quits before, only to relapse. I made it a year once, but was addicted to the patch for six months out of that year.
And that time when I relapsed, it was because of a person dying. Now, how ridiculous is that? Poisoning my body in order to honor one who died? The madness of addiction! Well, after that relapse, I smoked for another fifteen years before this quit.
The one thing different this time was that I prepped hard for this quit. I knew that the fear that I felt when I first thought of quitting must not be there when I put out that last cigarette. I knew that I had a war on my hands and wanted to be sure that there was no uncertainty there when I began.
I analysed my reasons for smoking and made sure that my reasons for quitting were firmly embedded in my mind before I put out that last cigarette. And I knew that before I could succeed, I had to find myself. I had to know the internal workings of my own mind better than I ever knew them before.
I took that prep time very seriously, knowing that a strong foundation is a must in order to really complete the journey. I did a lot of internal thinking and yes, I used my visualization as a tool both during my quit and my prep. I got to know my addiction very well. What made the old enemy tick.
And one by one, before my quit I took away the addictions power over me by using examples to teach my mind what it was going to be like in the future. Don’t get me wrong. It was still tough on those first days, but somehow it wasn’t surprising.
And when a person isn’t blindsided by the addictive side of the brain, the chances of success improve tenfold! But all of the prep in the world won’t work unless deep inside of us we have a burning desire to see the future rather than the discomforts of our quits.
When it’s more important to see a clean and healthy future then it is to smoke, then we’re ready. When we can see ourselves in the world and in our daily lives smokefree, then we’re ready. When we understand that freedom is the most important thing that we can ever achieve, then we’re ready.
And those of us here at EX are ready to help you when those first hard days hit. To help you stay on track and remind you of why you want to quit. EX has been a Godsend for me and it will be for you to, so long as you take that first step.
So do what you must to feel comfortable that when you quit, you really can stay focused on the freedom in the future. That’s part of what makes quitting so hard. That all of the rewards lie ahead. Look to those happy days that you are creating right now, even as you go through the discomfort. You know you’re worth it. You know you can do it. Keep looking ahead and soon you’ll be on the other side of this horrible addiction. I look forward to your success!
ONWARD TO FREEDOM!!!
Chuck
