A guy stopped by my office (SOS International) the other day and said he wanted to quit smoking. He was a Hollywood actor and seemed to be in his early forties. He’d been born into a large family; his parents and siblings all smoked. He’d quit for periods of up to seven years, then, when stress hit, he’d light up again and again.
I shared that I’d never been fond of pain and had devised a painless method in ’93 to quit my thirty year addiction to cigarettes. I also explained that stress tests, i.e., life challenges, had not brought “I need a cigarette!” to mind since I’d stopped over fifteen years ago.
I went on to share my concept of “cognitive/visceral synchronization”, i.e., to use one’s head and one’s gut at the same time in confronting and splintering an entrenched addiction while gradually reducing one’s intake of nicotine, gradually replacing the drug with moderate exercise, sugar-free lollipops, gum, carrot sticks, toothpicks, healthy low-fat foods, sugar-free beverages, and human support.
He’d heard about free self empowerment SOS meetings, held on an anonymous basis, welcoming all addicted persons, including folks wanting to stop smoking.
I went on to say that gradual cessation is an accepted method for arresting an addiction to nicotine (not booze, cocaine, etc.).
He indicated that he’d checked out our SOS website and had found the Tuesday 8 P.M. SOS meeting held in this same building, and he also said that he wanted to purchase an “escape pack” (my book, companion DVD and audio CD).
I congratulated him for taking action to put an end to his debilitating cigarette addiction before it potentially put an end to him. I’m confident that false promises of nicotine coolness, being hip, sexy amid backlit scenes are no longer swallowed by this guy; fortunately he still has the ability to swallow. As for hip, a smoker I know has had two of them replaced due, in part, to booze and cigarette addiction.
My visitor expressed a desire for the return of energy he’d felt during his non-smoking years. I can recall the difference between feeling pleasantly tired at the end of the day as opposed to feeling dragged out and fatigued from smoking years ago. I wished the guy “all the best” as I wish you.
Visit me at quitnicotinenow.net and I look forward to being with you again next week.
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