Day 12
“Each day is a process, each day is a journey.”
-Anne Wilson Schaef
One of the ways you can help yourself become a non-smoker for good is to change how you see yourself. Until now, you’ve seen yourself as a smoker, and this image has probably been linked to comments from other people and advertisements. Advertisements greatly affect how we see ourselves and the cigarette companies have worked hard to make smoking seem attractive.
Times are changing, and so is the image of the smoker. All around us there is a war against smoking. For example, many states and cities are passing laws to forbid smoking in public places.
Now is the time to start working on a new, strong image of you as a nonsmoker. What can you do?
- You can take an active role in seeing that nonsmoking rules are kept.
- Each time someone offers you a cigarette, remember to say out loud, "No thanks, I don’t smoke.”
- Every time you have the chance to say this, you will build a stronger image of yourself as a nonsmoker.
Another good way to build your image as a nonsmoker is to start watching other nonsmokers. When you are in a situation where you would have smoked in the past, see how the nonsmokers act. What do they do with their hands? Ask other nonsmokers how they deal with everyday worry or boredom. They may have some very good ideas that you could use.