QuitSmokingWhileStillSmoking.Org
Smoking Related Associations

Common Smoking Associations:

Coffee

I've been drinking coffee since I was eighteen years old. At twenty-one, when I started smoking, I discovered that these two items went really well together. I've heard many other smokers say this as well. As my smoking increased over the years so did my intake of coffee. Because of the carbon monoxide in the tobacco, which would make me sleepy, I needed the caffeine in the coffee to pick me up again. Now that I'm no longer a smoker I've noticed that I can go weeks and even months without ever thinking about coffee. It feels really good to have my own evergy back again.

I still enjoy drinking coffee. But the difference now is that I drink it because I want to and not because I need to.

After a Meal

Cigarettes after a meal was like a good movie after dinner. You're ready to enjoy the next several moments relaxing. Smoking wasn't always this easy though. At first, you really have to "Choke it down." You know what I mean. It just does not go down smoothly at all during your first few tries. Ah but then, one day while you're lighting up the cigarette and taking that next drag you start to think, "hmm, this is starting to feel pretty good going down."

What is it that makes a cigarette taste so good after a meal? Does the cigarette really taste good? I don't know. Maybe. Personally I would have smoked the cigarette after dinner whether it tasted good or not. When you think about the day you first smoked a cigarette it wasn't the taste that kept you coming back. Let's face it, when we decide to take up the smoking habit (and it does become a habit no matter if we're planning on it or not) the reason has to do with anything but taste and smell. In fact, the most common attractions to smoking cigarettes is the misconception that you will lose weight. But this is false. Just look around at all the overweight smokers! Don't be fooled by that one. Another reason is the misconception that smoking cigarettes relieves stress (that's the one I fell for). You only THINK it does because the carbon monoxide in the tobacco is slowing down your system. You know, carbon monoxide, that stuff that comes out of the tail pipes of those big yellow school buses. Actually, carbon monoxide comes out of the tail pipes of ALL fuel burning vehicles, gasoline and deisel alike.

For whatever the reasons are that smokers join the smoking band wagon, they all share one thing in particular in common; they all associate their cigarettes with certain every day activities. And just like an alarm clock going off, every time they start to perform any of those activities you can bet their cigarettes are close by. These activities I like to refer to as smoking associations. An example of these associations are; smoking with coffee, another cigarette after a meal, smoke again before going to bed, while driving a vehicle, when talking on the phone, and of course, upon waking up so you can do it all over again.

Once you've passed the torture period of trying to become a smoker and start to look forward to the next one... you're hooked! So now you spend the next twenty, thirty, forty years (or more) trying to quit smoking. So you quit. Then you start again. Then you quit... then start again. it's no fun being hooked on cigarettes. So now you realize that quitting completely is just out of the question because you've already made the cigarette a very close friend. You find that you've allowed yourself to smoke anywhere, everywhere and anytime you want to, which was your second mistake. The first one was starting in the first place. Then as time goes on you continue to develope even more associations; light up while you're socializing with friends or co-workers, family, etc., have a cigarette or two while you're waiting for someone. I got to the point where I couldn't even take a shower without having my cigarettes, lighter and ashtray sitting on the bathroom sink waiting for me when I got out. The more associations the smoker develops the harder it is to quit.

The way that I quit was to cut down on smoking gradually, but with a plan. I realized one day that I never gave any thought to when or where I smoked I just did it. The problem with this is that when you try to cut down on smoking your're not going to be consistent. Not without a plan. I quit smoking with a plan that works with a Special Smoking Calendar. It keeps track of when and where I smoke and shows me my progress on a daily basis before I go to bed at night. After being a smoker for ten years I was a non-smoker within six months!

I urge you to download the free sample at the bottom of this page and receive the free newsletter along with it. If you're ready to make the effort to quit, or even if you're not but you plan to someday, take advantage of the information today. If you're someone who is saying, "I'm ready now," then purchase the book now. It's small and easy to read and very easy to follow. It gets right to the point of how to quit smoking. It's also small enough to put in your purse or pocket so you can take it everywhere with you for continuous support. And remember, you'll learn how to quit smoking while you're still smoking so you won't feel deprived at all. Don't worry about weight gain either because you won't be replacing the cigarettes with food. In fact, you won't be replacing them with anything at all. You'll simply learn how to take control of your cigarette habit until it's gone for good.

Upon Waking Up

I don't think I have ever met a smoker who didn't smoke shortly after they woke up. It's just another "association", like what I talk about in my book, "Quit Smoking While Still Smoking." We associate the cigarette with whatever we're doing at the time. This could be; talking on the phone, drinking coffee, driving, etc. Wow, what an addiction cigarettes are. Even during the times that I really enjoyed smoking, my "private little party" was always crashed by that little voice deep inside that would always say; "What are you doing? Those things are gonna kill ya." So, I would quickly try to think about something else. When a person is not ready to quit smoking, even they themselves can not talk themselves into quitting smoking. That's a very sad place to be because if you're not ready to quit soon enough on your own, circumstances will come along that will take your smoking habit away for you.

The next time you light up a cigarette pay attention to what you're doing at the time and you'll see what I mean. And try to imagine what it would be like if you found several associations that you could break, or even just a few. You would realize that you were on the right path to quitting smoking.

After a Shower

Okay, so you've never been there right? Yeah, me neither. Well, maybe sometimes. The point is this; when you're hooked you're hooked. I realize that there are people who don't smoke right after getting out of the shower. In fact, some people only smoke four or five cigarettes a day, AND they've been smoking that way for many years! I can't imagine how they do it. However, whether you smoke a little or alot, it's important to realize that any amount of nicotine going into your system is too much. I use the example here; reaching for a cigarette as soon as your hands are dry, to emphasize how out of control a smoking habit can get. I used to associate cigarettes with everything I did. Smoking right after getting out of the shower is only one of many that I had to break. When I stopped to count just how many associations I really had, it came out to be twenty-seven! That's a very large amount. But even so, I managed to break every one of them and became a non-smoker within six months. That's not bad being that I smoked for ten years and was up to two and a half packs of cigarettes per day.

I did it and I know that you can too. Please don't leave this site without at least downloading a free digital sample of what the book is like inside. There's a free newsletter that comes with it also that gives tips and support throughout the week.

Socializing

One of the fun things about smoking is when you're with company. Not always. You know, sometimes it's fun to smoke alone. There's times, for example, when you have several things on your mind and you're just not in the mood to talk to anyone. During those times you just want it to be you and your smokes. But when you're socializing, especially if you have some some sort of social anxiety it's nice to be able to keep your hands busy with a cigarette. Now if you're with non-smokers, forget it, you don't want to light up a cigarette. You just have to grin and bear it. I have to say though that since I quit smoking I find that I'm actually more relaxed in a group of people now than when I was a smoker. I don't know if it's because most people are non-smokers these days and it just isn't cool to be a smoker anymore, or if it was just all in my head to begin with. Well I do know this; if I knew how easy it could be to quit smoking I would have done it a long time ago.

Waiting for Someone

How many times have you had to wait for someone and thought you were going to pull your hair out if they didn't show up soon. Not too many times if you're a smoker right? It's like what we were talking about regarding the emotional connection to cigarettes as far as "having a friend with you all the time." The other reason is the carbon monoxide found in the tobacco. It fools you into thinking that your're calm when actually you are slowly dying. That's a very frightening realization but it is the truth. It's also true that you can go many, many years before it kills you. But think about the suffering you have to go thru in the meantime. Suffering can be as minimal as always smelling like nicotine and you know that others around you can smell it too. How about the way nicotine prematurely yellows your teeth? These are not life threatening things of course, but the more serious forms of suffering is when you realize you don't have the energy you used to, or how you find yourself short of breath. Once these things begin to happen they tend to escalate rapidly and then you find yourself in all kinds of trouble; diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, COPD and cancer to name a few.

You don't have to suffer. You may think that it's too late for you because you already are suffering the serious effects of smoking, but that couldn't be more false! The human body is a remarkable creation. It begins healing itself as soon as you've smoked your last cigarette! How ever much time you have to live, while your still smoking, can be increased greatly once you quit.

Before Going to Bed

I don't think I could have slept very well if I didn't have at least one more cigarette before falling asleep. At least that's the way I thought at the time. The truth is I sleep very well now that I don't smoke anymore. In fact, when I was a smoker I not only smoked cigaretts before I fell asleep, I would also wake up just a few hours later to smoke again. It really sickens me that I was so hopelessly hooked on cigarettes. But in another way I'm glad. Because I know there's smokers out there that would just love to be free from the bonds of nicotine and tobacco, and if I hadn't gone thru it I wouldn't have this great plan to share with you. The good news is that it really can be so. And it can be done without drugs, the patch, hypnotism or gum. It can be done with pure common sense and a simple plan in the form of a Special Calendar. This is the way that I quit several years ago and you can to starting now.

These are only a few of the common associations smokers relate to smoking cigarettes. You may have many more like I did. What's important is to identify each and every one of your associations and then break them one by one. And be sure to always begin with the easiest ones first!