How to quit smoking

Smoking imprisons not only the human body but the soul as well. After the first unpleasant experience many smokers find themselves trapped in a hole. They want to quit but they find it difficult to do so. When a person reaches for their first cigarette s/he is often unaware of what they are entering into. And it was so easy to start.

The majority of smokers would like to stop smoking but only those wishing to do so from their heart will succeed. If you say, “I want to quit” it's often a wish for avoiding discomfort and tribulation of unpleasant consequences of smoking and it is not a deep desire to terminate bad habit. That's why it is so hard. The need to quit is often superficial, when in reality smokers are reluctant to part with the pleasures provided by smoking. So the reality is, the physical act of quitting smoking is not hard, but the heart's desire to stop smoking is not real.

True desire is a decision of the spirit, not merely mental thoughts. It is based on knowledge and experience of what the act of smoking is. It is not an image made by rational thinking, image of easily overcoming consequences without solving reason. Understanding the effects of smoking, and where it leads is possible only by spiritual experience. Only real wisdom obtained by the heart can set you free, not the mere desire of your rational mind. A very deep examination through your heart can help to discover the cause, and modify the action, which is smoking. It requires self-reflection and courage to see the real cause of smoking. Only spiritual wisdom can liberate, it is not possible by rational decision.

They are several reasons why one sticks with cigarettes. It is a complex puzzle which needs to be solved step by step with self-knowledge. We will examine here some aspects of the bad habit. Do not expect to find a complete “how to do” manual here - rather, we will set you on the path that will allow you to gain self - knowledge and the power to break the hold smoking has on you. It is obvious that quitting smoking cannot be done by anyone else but you. To be clear, if you grasp the concept of which we speak, there will be no need to quit. The problem will be solved by itself. Ones desire to quit is an additional burden to bear on the shoulders. Whether you want to quit or not, your mind is preoccupied by cigarettes and your thoughts empowers energy for smoking. The right way to deal with it is to feel and savor the effects of smoking, then your innermost spiritual longing is built up which has power to break addiction. Now, let's expand on that line of thinking.

The first part of puzzle is nicotine addiction. There is a craving on the body's part that must be satisfied by the drug. Although this drug is the reason for smoking, the actual addiction is minimal, and you will not noticed that you have overcame physical addiction, in spite of the fact that tobacco companies add compounds which increase addiction.

Second consideration is mental addiction. We dignified smoking as a ritual. Cigarette with coffee, cigarette after meal, cigarette while waiting, cigarette when talking, cigarette with alcohol or cigarette when you do not know what to do, and many other situations. Resolving this problem is more difficult. There is need to replace the cigarette ritual. But if you pay close attention during the ritual, you will find what you are looking for is relaxation, and so, you just need to break from energy robbing activities. And you can find the way to relax without cigarette too. Conscious relaxing without cigarette is much more intensive, effective, and not time consuming. On the other hand nicotine effect lasts only a short time; it causes even more exhaustion and further need for another break. Therefore relaxing with few deep inhalations without smoke, while concentrating on breathing and experiencing the benefits of replenishment your lung with fresh air during a one minute period, will give you more energy than smoke which only reciprocates the problem. You might find that the act of breathing itself is satisfying.

The third element to be considered, is the actual cause of why you smoke? It is not difficult to find out why, but most smokers do everything to protect themselves from seeing the reasons. If s/he would devote their full attention to cigarettes, and the act of smoking, s/he would be unmasked. That's why a secondary activity usually accompanies the act of smoking. S/he does not want to take a risk of being exposed to truth because it could seriously jeopardize his/her smoking. Do you not believe this to be so? Then try to light a cigarette and do nothing, providing your full attention to smoking of that cigarette. You may find yourself surprised by the fact that you do not like the taste, and perhaps you will not even finish it.

If you will pay full attention you will start to feel what effect cigarettes really cause. They will be no need to think about the harmfulness of smoking and to visualize the effects on the lungs due to tar. You will have personal experience of how tar infiltrates your organs. You will acquire a deep knowledge of what smoking really does, not through cognition, which does not encourage you to deal with the problem. Thanks now to the attention focused on cigarettes, you will finally discover its effects on you, as an organism, which was not possible when combining the act of smoking with other activities. You will now sense how difficult it is to breath, you will be aware of the unpleasant smell and poisonous taste of tar. You will be tired and weak and feel how cigarettes reduce your vitality. It can make you angry, but it is worth to stay focused. Only this kind of knowledge has the power to terminate your tribulation because mind alone is not able to deal with it.

Let's return to mental addiction for a moment. Do you know what nicotine does exactly? It strengthens the body by fortifying the brain with energy. But it draws this energy from elsewhere. Do you know that source? It is your spiritual energy!!! It weakens your fine perception and the flow of your “life energy” is limited. You deceive yourself. Instead of using your energy for unraveling your real problems, you waste it to mask situations before yourself. Smoke veils your troubles, which are waiting to be worked out. Instead, you are content by playing with the problems in your imagination; it all seems so smooth with a little help from nicotine. But smoking reduces vitality, keenness of your senses, and your perception of the world around you. This price is too high. As a smoker, you do not live your life in fullness; your life mirrors that from the smoke of a cigarette.

If you resist lighting a cigarette in a moment of craving, you have chance to see the actual reason of your addiction. You will experience anxiety, impatience, stress, tension, and nervousness. Those are the attributes you are trying to deny before yourself. The situation which has caused these feelings asks for a solution, and the cigarette is the escape. If you would deal with your problems there would be no need for smoking. Severe health consequences of smoking reflect how serious your problems are. Tar accumulated in small capillaries (“light” cigarettes often proving more detrimental, as smaller particulars of tar are able to pass through filters) decreasing ones ability to breath. Spirit and respiration are related to each other. Tar restricts lung function (long-term smokers can have kilograms of accumulated tar in the lungs) and consequently, a person looses their vigor, which has a great impact on quality of life. Smoking restricts the spirit itself, which is the essence of a human being! The smell is often unpleasant to those around the smoker and non-smokers alike. They are forced to tolerate it but they express their resentment directly or indirectly in their relationship. The senses of smell and taste are also restricted, which further inhibits ones ability to enjoy some of life's greatest facets; such as the scent of a flower or taste of meal. Smoking leads to hair loss, parodonthosis and loss of teeth, early ageing and a lot of more severe illnesses not listed here. The smoker truly is a slave, both monetarily, and with regards to time, in the effort to satisfy the demands of his/her addiction.

Thankfully, while paying attention while smoking you can reach freedom and have greater profit from it. But focus and awareness of what and why you are doing it is required. The smoker is often unaware that s/he is smoking, only becoming aware once the cigarette is extinguished. Frankly, is it worth for it?

Do not let fear rule over you - like I need to have a cigarette now because there will be no time for it later - and other such excuses. Actually, the need for cigarette does not exist - you have only need to mask and not see something. So pay close attention, awaken, and choose life rather than a slow death. Healthy spirit is in a healthy body.

As a reward for those troopers who read all the way to the end. If you decide to no longer smoke in a robotic fashion, and to light up a cigarette only when you truly crave the taste; the desire for that taste might never come. You will stop smoking without fighting with it. This is the power of contemplation. It reveals the lies of your mind, the lies that try to convince you of the pleasure of the taste, and the ritual of smoking. Focusing on where the “taste” comes from can make miracles. Desire will go away naturally and you will laugh over the idea that you have been trapped by your concept of nicotine addiction. But it requires courage to see the truth, truth of your personal inner problems and not everyone has the courage. If your anxiety allows you to pay attention only partially keep trying. Be persistent, number of cigarettes will decrease slowly. Fewer the cigarettes, the more capability for perception, which will in turn enable you to be more focused and aid you in quitting smoking for good!