Rab's Method.

Firstly, read smoking in full and you'll get to understand why my method works and the need to progress towards being a non smoker.

  1. Start to create smoke free zones.

  2. Decide on a significant day to stop smoking and tell all your friends about it.

  3. Start new hobbies or pastimes or habits. You might take up swimming, walking, dancing, sport, drawing and painting, anything that will increase your enjoyment in life and preferably use up all the excess energies you are about to experience when it comes to fighting the addiction. It can be a good thing to take up chewing gum or some similar habit in the initial stages as a replacement habit that does you no harm. Every positive habit you can indulge in will keep your mind focused on the good and not the negative side of thinking which arises from being anxious through withdrawal from nicotine in the early stages. 

  4. Open a bank account, preferably a long term savings investment account and fill in a direct debit to pay every penny you would have spent on smoking into the account every week. This is your main incentive and it must be maintained. You must know how much this account is worth at all times and try not to spend anything for at least the first year.  Example

  5. Be honest with yourself. Don't pretend, to save face. Admit your mistakes. Tell friends you need help and encouragement and no teasing. Be prepared to bop the first idiot who tempts you with fags. If possible stay away from pub life in the early stages and most of all, say a firm no, to each craving you get.  It will get easier each time. The first 3 weeks are going to be hard but if you can say no for that long you are nearly there.

  6. Try to do breathing exercises. As  a smoker you are mostly in the habit of breathing through a cigarette.  You must learn to breath deeply on the free and sometimes fresh air that may surround you.  Getting a rush of oxygen to the brain is more exhilarating than a nicotine numbing of the senses.  I don't just believe, I know that oxygen is a much better buzz than tobacco.  The  deep tingling sensation in the lungs and tranquilizing effects of breathing in tobacco smoke can be as easily served with good fresh air.  Smokers don't realise it but the air they breath in deeply through their smoking habit is more beneficial to them than the tobacco smoke that pollutes it.  Most smokers breath very little.  They breath deepest through a fag.  Be aware of this and please do treat yourself to a few deep breaths of clean fresh air whenever you get the chance.

(to be continued.)

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