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Is Nicotine The Only Thing Preventing You From Quitting?

Without a doubt you�re aware that beating your nicotine addiction is one of the biggest problems you will face when you decide to quit.

And you�re probably wondering how you are going to beat withdrawal symptoms, cravings and pangs and irritability and weight gain.

But did you know that there is one other crucial problem that when ignored can single handedly bring your efforts to a sudden painful stop?

Unfortunately most smokers either ignore or are unaware that their mind has just as big a part as nicotine when it comes to smoking.

Let me explain. Since you started smoking you have created a huge pile of different smoking habits and routines, and these have a much, much bigger role in your smoking life and your ability to stop smoking than you think.

Overlooking the role your mind plays is a critical mistake because your mind is responsible for most of your smoking behaviour.

And the one thing most smokers don�t realise and aren�t told, is that when it comes to smoking, your behaviour and habits are just as, if not more important than addiction.

Even though nicotine plays a huge role in your need to smoke, it is the mental addiction to smoking (which you have created by relying on cigarettes to deal with stress, cure boredom, relax, give yourself composure and confidence and let you think) that makes it unbelievably difficult to quit.

This mental and psychological reliance, which you have created over time, is one of the major factors and causes of relapse.

Think about it, what kind of things, other than your physical addiction make you pick up that pack of cigarettes?

If you stop to think about the cigarettes you�ve had today you will see that any number of places, events, people, emotions and situations made you smoke, and there will be some cigarettes which you weren�t even aware you smoked.

You have situations and events that depend upon, revolve around, begin with or end with smoking cigarettes and yours will be different from other smokers.

Some of these events include things as getting out of bed, after your cup of tea or coffee, on your trip to work, as soon as you walk out of the door to lunch, reducing stress, when you�re drinking and socializing, when the phone rings, just before an exam or test, after a meal and after sex. The list just goes on and on.

These situations, times, events, emotions and people are triggers (a mental cue or sign). And these triggers, such as a particular event, a strong emotional feeling, a certain time of your day, make you have a cigarette.

As a whole these triggers are known as Smoking Links. And over time as you�ve been smoking you�ve tied these two things together � and now they happen automatically.

And your mind often relies on cigarettes to get through or cope with these situations � this has nothing to do with addiction. Your mind often relies on a cigarette to cope with stress or helps you �clear your mind / head.�

The situations have happened so much that a link has been created in your mind, now your mind takes care of it for you and makes you smoke.

How do you know this is true? Well, have you ever found a cigarette in your hand and not been able to remember lighting it? In this case a certain event, emotion or situation came about which triggered a cigarette, and it was your mind that made you pick up a cigarette without you even realising it!

So when you decide to stop smoking cigarettes this is going to happen again, it is inevitable isn�t it!! Your mind will make you want to smoke. I can guarantee it.

Why? Because you have trained your mind to rely upon and need a cigarette at certain times. This is one major reason why you can �crave� cigarettes � your mind is reminding you smoke. Your body doesn�t need it, it�s your mind that makes you think you need one.

Since you started smoking you have mentally associated a cigarette with an event, time or place and now they both go hand in hand. You have taught yourself and your mind that this is what you do.

You have taught yourself that some situations are incomplete without a cigarette. And the hardest part to understand is that you don�t even think about it anymore � it just happens!

We are creatures of habit and once our mind is programmed to do something it is very hard to change it.

For example, have you moved the place you keep the dishes or rubbish bin in your kitchen or parked your car in a different place to usual and found that you are still going to the old location?

Your mind was so used to reaching for the same cupboard or taking the same walk, that your mind now does it all for you. You were programmed to go to a certain place � it�s a habit that has been created and continues to control you despite your conscious decision to do otherwise!

Smoking is exactly the same - the habits and routines you have created are the most dangerous to you when you decide to stopping smoking - because you are so used to doing them they are inevitably going to lead you to think about a cigarette.

And just as importantly - they are the main things that are likely to make you relapse in the weeks after you stop smoking cigarettes.

After a lot of repetition and years of training, just like driving or riding a bike, smoking has become automatic - you do it without thinking. It�s your mind that controls your smoking � not addiction.

The reality now is that you don�t think to yourself �I�m stressed� or �I�m with my friends, I�ll have a cigarette.� Now, you just pick up a cigarette out of habit, it just happens.

Your subconscious mind has taken over. For you, now several situations call for a cigarette, certain events and certain people have led to a habit - a habit that you can�t consciously control because it is part of your subconscious mind.

But smoking and your habits are controlled by your subconscious mind.

If you�ve tried to stop smoking in the past you will know that you begin to think about cigarettes during all the usual times � when you go to sleep, on the trip to work, when you�re having a drink etc. the situation is a reminder and a part of your habit.

And that is why your mind has a bigger role in your smoking life and activities than you think.

When you stop smoking you will no longer have cigarettes to help you rely with difficult situations, you will constantly be reminded of cigarettes when you drink and you will really want a cigarette when you�re highly stressed.

So unless you re-train your mind, you will really struggle when you face these situations. This is a major problem that 99.9% of smokers don�t think about or realise when they stop smoking cigarettes.

Why? Well because you haven�t been told by your doctor or friends! And trust me, a patch or a pill or your will power alone will definitely not be able to help you here.

If you don�t plan on and explore how to replace your psychological reliance on cigarettes, then you will no doubt suffer terrible �pangs�, �cravings� and a strong desire to smoke.

When you stop smoking it is essential that you find out the things, people and events that make you smoke.

This will then help you to stay stopped � an area of stopping smoking that is largely ignored by most budding ex-smokers. They don�t pay any attention to how to really stay off the cigarettes. Most attention is paid to stopping smoking, but very little or none on staying that way.

When you know what the subtle triggers are, you can take action to help break them and also to avoid them once you have stopped smoking. Off the top of your head you can probably name a handful of things that lead to a cigarette. But there are many more, some of which you are never really aware of.

So what you need to do is find and break these Smoking Links and associations and ensure that they do not get in your way when you stop smoking cigarettes.

Once you�ve broken and removed the things that makes you smoke, you can then get on with the other important aspects of quitting smoking, like properly dealing with stress, preventing withdrawal symptoms and weight gain and how to enjoy life and social situations without cigarettes.

If you are interested in learning more about planning and dealing with all the other issues involved when you stop smoking cigarettes click on the link below.

Daniel Fargher
Stop Smoking For Good

Click here to learn how to quit smoking with hypnosis in less than 28 Days - All Completely Risk Free!

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