Quitting Smoking is Easier in a Group

If you want to really quit smoking, you must first be clear that you are serious about it, and it is not just a passing fancy. In order to test your resolve to quit smoking you should form a small support group that will be there for you when you start to feel weak and find it difficult to stick to your decision. After all, it is not easy to break a habit. You need to be answerable to yourself and others to be able to battle with the so-called nicotine beast, other smokers and your subconscious. They can all be very persuasive threats on the road to quitting. That is why it is absolutely essential to have a solid support group of at least two or three other people. If you can have five, it is even better.

When you try to do it alone, you are more likely going to succumb to the overwhelming urge because you are answerable to only one person. But if you have a group, that's a different ball game altogether.

When you work with a group, you are accountable to others.

Actually, it’s all about holding yourself accountable to others. If you have been off cigarettes for one week and then your mind comes up with some silly reason that you need a smoke. It will very cleverly convince all the dissenting voices trying to remind you of your resolve so that you become weak and break down before the urge and take a smoke.

On the other hand, if you had five loyal soldiers standing between the overwhelming urge and you, then it would be an entirely different story.

Here's how it works.

So, it is best to set up a small support group for yourself via email, telephone, or a support forum. If you can find people who have gone through similar experience, they can be very supportive and encouraging. Once you have a group, tell them your goal to quit smoking. Let them know that you need them at times when you are feeling weak in your resolve, but they should not to pester you about it. They should just be there when you need help and positive support.

Now, with a support group in place, when you again encounter an overwhelming urge to smoke, you will have to get past not just your own guilty conscience, but you have to call these five people and tell them that you have decided to start smoking again.

If you can do this much, you need not do anything else. They will do the talking and you just have to sit back and listen without getting angry or upset. Chances are that they will talk you out of your momentary weakness and encourage you to stick to your resolve. And it may not even take all five voices to convince you. However, if you can make it through all five members of your support team and you still think that you can do with just 'one' cigarette, then you must know that it is not just one – it is always the first one that will get you.

The support system works so well only because of numbers; it is six times more difficult to convince six people (your support team plus you) against the 'one'.

As I say, the more you know about quitting, the more successful you will be. So get all the information you need BEFORE you try to quit. It's much easier, believe me.

Happy quitting,

Darren Warmuth