Day 8
Day by day, minute by minute.
You are part of the way through the battle!
This is the beginning of the second week of not smoking. One week down and accomplished. One of the worst things people do when they stop smoking is tell themselves they’ll never smoke another cigarette. Rather than making such giant commitments, it’s easier to take your decision day by day. Soon you’ll see that you can begin to take it week by week, and then even longer after that. You are on your way to making a life long decision.
If for some reason you were locked up for a month without cigarettes, you know that while you might have some trouble, you would survive the experience. Maybe you could go a year without cigarettes if someone offered you a million dollars to stop smoking! These situations are make-believe, but they show that a large part of kicking the habit is the attitude you have about it. Having the right attitude – a positive one that is willing to look at the short-term and long-term benefits of quitting – will be a great help in beating smoking for good.
It is also a good idea to have in mind some kind of plan for how you’re going to avoid giving in to urges to smoke. One of the best ways to avoid giving in to an urge is to put off starting to smoke altogether.
• Promise yourself not to give in to an urge to smoke today.
• Keep busy!
• If you do slip, put it out and don’t finish the cigarette. A minute at a time. Start over.