Kick Butt!

How to kick
the "mental" habit.

 

 

Pretend you’re a spy!
Pay attention to yourself. What makes you "reach for one"… make notes on the whens and whys involved… are you bored, mad, hungry, relaxing, drinking? The 1st step in breaking the mental habit is finding out what it’s associated with.

In a boat? With a goat? With a bear? Anywhere?
If you can smoke anywhere, chances are, you will. Make it less convenient to smoke. This will Automatically cut down on your intake. Put your smokes in the freezer or an out of the way place, only smoke outside or standing on one foot.
Whatever works.

Wait for it.
The actual physical craving for a smoke only lasts 20 seconds. Distract yourself or if you are determined to have one, just wait a little longer and you will develop greater control. Go for a walk after dinner (then have a smoke if you still want one).

Like peas and carrots.
Associations and routines are the anchors that connect us to a habit…. I always smoke when I… Pull a fast one on your smoking habit and switch things up a bit. When you change some of your other habits (even just a little bit) your smoking habit will change too.

Don’t pick the "favorite".
If you smoke menthol, get plain, if you smoke plain get menthol. Don’t buy your "old standby."

Do I really look like that?
Imagine again you are on the outside… a witness to you in action. Check out others when they smoke… does it look good? Is it glamorous? Is it cool? Would you like to lock lips with them?
Hmmm?

You wanna dance…. You gotta pay the band.
At nearly 5 bucks a pack it’s not difficult to wonder how to justify the expense. Add dry cleaning, teeth cleaning and gum and you coulda had a pony (or maybe a convertible) already.

I don’t love you anymore.
Save your butts in a can or jar. Multiply by 7 to get the amount of quality time you loose with each one. To kick it up a notch, add a little water and a lid. Take a big whiff when you get that 20 second urge, that’ll help.

Get that monkey off your back!
Peer pressure just doesn’t end, let it work for you. If you promise someone else (especially another addict) that you are going to make changes, you probably will. You will gain greater respect in this crowd – cause they know how hard it can be to give up a habit.

"Birds of a feather"
Hang with a different crowd – a crowd that doesn’t smoke. Need some ideas? Ball room dancing, book clubs, bike riders, Toastmasters or even the local "stitch-n-bitch".

How to say goodbye to Physical "Jones"?

Bathe that’s right, you heard me. Even if you are a guy, even if it is’t Saturday. Taking a bath (with a few handfuls of Epsom salts) will really help pull the junk out. Less junk, less craving, and more room for… good stuff.

While you’re in there… help the body out. Use a wash cloth, tub scrubbie or medium hard brush to help your bod detox by emptying out the body’s "filters" (aka lymph system) by "brushing." Easy, relaxing, good. Try it… On the top half, with cloth in hand, brush from wrist to armpit, then carry on to just below your heart, this is where the main drain is for your top 1/2. Do this several times. Then go down from the side of your neck (the glands just below your ears) to the same place, several times. For your lower 1/2, brush from the ankle, up the inside of the leg, knee and end up on the front of your leg at the groin. Do this on both sides.

Take a breath… this may sound simple and, it is. Slower and deeper is good, real good. More oxygen increases mental focus, is calming and helps the body to detox (plus… it doesn’t cost a penny!)

Eat… fresh fruits and veggies that are yellow, orange and dark green. These are chok full of carotenes (water soluable anti-oxidants) and phyto nutrients. These are super for detoxifying and help body tissue to become healthier. If you're looking for something ready to go… look for bottled carrot orange juice or greens in the produce section of grocery store.

Drink… while money is the universal lubricant, water is the universal solvent. Water (not coke, iced tea, coffee or Mt. dew!) is nature’s way of diluting toxins. If you tend to smoke when you’re hungry, drink a tall glass of water. Each of our trillions of cells are 65-90% water while our bodies consist of 60-70% water. Follow the 8x8 rule (8x 8oz glasses daily.)

Be merry! This is going to be easier than you thought!

Drink more fresh water. As any chemist can tell you, water is the universal solvent. Drinking plenty of fresh water will help to dilute toxins in your body as well as help to flush them out. If you have a tendency to smoke when you're hungry a tall glass of water is a healthier substitute.