Jeff's List of the Pros and Cons of Smoking

7 Reasons Why I Thought I Liked Smoking

1) Smoking made the empty, anxious, tense feeling of nicotine withdrawal go away for a short while. I now know that I am and will always be a nicotine addict. I know that the craving to smoke is not coming from the cigarette but from my mind. No matter what doubts, negative thoughts or excuses enter my brain, I will not accept them. I know that I can never have another cigarette or I will be back exactly where I started, smoking myself to an early grave.

2) I unconsciously thought that cigarettes were my friend. We went through all the bad and good times together. Smoking was always there for me for over 35 years. I now know that cigarettes are not my friend, but instead were slowly poisoning and killing me.

3) The time away from work/life that were free from worry, concern and stress while I smoked. I unconsciously transferred the pleasurable feelings of peace and relaxation during those breaks to the act of smoking a cigarette. I now know that I can experience this feeling of inner peace by just taking a short break without smoking a cigarette.

4) I believed that I could never be truly happy as an ex-smoker. I now know that this belief was conditioned in me from a young age through my early experiences with smoking and constant advertising attacks by cigarette companies. I now know I need to question everything I ever thought I understood about smoking. I can be truly happy and healthy as an ex-smoker.

5) The smell of a good Cuban cigar or the smells as you open a humidor. I have to admit that I still like the smell of cigars. However, I now know I can never smoke them again. I have relapsed twice because I thought I could have just one cigar. I now know I can never ever have another puff off a cigarette or cigar. A puff will lead me back to full-time smoking; there is no in-between.

6) I was afraid of quitting and the terrible feelings of withdrawal from nicotine. I feared I could not handle quitting and the triggers to smoke that I would face. I looked at the act of quitting as the most difficult, tedious and unpleasant thing I would ever do. While quitting may be difficult, I now know that I need to focus on the positive effects of being an ex-smoker. I know that quitting is a learning experience. I seek and embrace the triggers so that I can conquer them and establish new healthy habits in their place.

7) I was afraid to make the commitment to myself to never have another puff because I feared failing. I have now made a personal commitment to myself to quit smoking for good.

Page 2: 50 Reasons I Hated Smoking