IRON ONLINE STOP SMOKING ARCHIVE

What About Patches and Gum?

From a smoker former-smoker smoker, I can share with you my experience with patches. When I tried this expensive approach, I realized that lighting a cigarette can easily give me a pounding head ache due to the added nicotine I get from the cigarette. Of course, I knew this beforehand, but the "cigarette" told me "it's o.k., try it." And peeling off a nicotine patch is much more "comfortable" than not lighting a stick. B^)

Yet, when I decided to take a different approach, like constantly reminding myself for about a week that to inhale poisonous gas and pay for it is stupid, I managed to kick the habit cold turkey. As a "superset," I kept on visualizing how good I am for taking good care of my lungs, how strong I am for being able to say "no," how lucky I am compared to those who insist on being "weak minded." For three and a half months, I was out of this monster's grip. Then my first born had a brain operation when the boy was five months old. It was around 3 in the morning, while I was waiting for the five-hour operation that I felt the urge to light "just one stick." Well, thank God my boy is now a bouncy, normal and very bright kid, but for that one stick, I am stuck once more with this very bad addiction. Stress has a lot to do with the "window of opportunity" to quit smoking, as far as I am concern. When my days are "all perfect," the most I ever smoked was five or six sticks. Yet, daily pressures to raise a family, I tend to consume about a pack a day. So, I try to avoid stressful situations and/or manage by stress more productively. Easier said than done, I know, but do we (smokers) eally have much of a choice? Can a sane person really *choose* smoking over a healthier pair of lungs? Healthier lungs mean more mileage for the 20-rep squat, right?

Recently though I decided that I will reward myself with a better health. Since I returned to weight training about four months now and progressing steadily, I have been psyching myself that quitting smoking will provide me better gains, so, today, as planned, will be my last day of smoking. I think quitting really boils down to motivating oneself. For me, thinking how worthy I am to be healthier, stronger and hopefully, bigger too, is a great way to convince myself. Even "visualizing" how much God went out of His way to "lend" me my body helps. Bottomline, for me, at least, is to keep on telling myself what I deserve and how I have to work for it. It is not a matter of "denying" my body the "lift" of lighting a stick, but rewarding my body by not lighting one. The addiction to smoking may be strong enough to distort our sense of what we need and what we deserve, but the body and "soul" will always know the truth. Smoking is bad for OUR health. And good people like us don't deserve to be punished any longer by this addiction. Not that smokers are "bad people," but *we smokers* can be better.

Even the thought that for a pack of what I smoke here, I can buy almost 3 pounds of metal a day is one way. Computing even how many packs will it pay for a "cage" can serve as an incentive. But more than the material and physical cost of smoking, what works for *me* is to keep on telling myself, I don't deserve to smoke. I am not as "stupid" (anymore...?) as those who cannot nor refuse to see the harm that smoking brings to ourselves, etc. Try as I might, I cannot think of one good reason why I have to keep on smoking. Which proves that smoking is more than a bad habit, it is a dangerous addictive drug.

If we can have the grit to keep on lifting those weights, we can have the will to quit smoking once and for all. To all soon-to-be former smokers out there, here's to life!

Ramon
Philippines

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