Articles

Here's some useful quit smoking articles. You're welcome to use these on your own website or publications, but please respect the rules on this  i.e. don't change the article & leave the resource box in place. 

Article 1

word count: 377
character width: 60
resource box: 3 lines + web link to QuitSmokingWithNLP.com

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" The truth about Smokers 'Concentration Con' "

- by Neil Stelling B.Sc, MBA

© DigiLectual Inc. 2004
http://www.QuitSmokingWithNLP.com/concen
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Smokers make many excuses for not quitting. One of them is
the 'concentration con'. How many times have you heard a
smoker say, 'I'd like to quit, but it helps me
concentrate'. Maybe you've said it yourself ?

In reality, smoking doesn't help concentration from a
medical viewpoint. So the idea that smoking helps
concentration is just a perception, or an imagined positive
reason for not quitting.

It's true that withdrawal symptoms, starting not long after
your last cigarette, cause feelings of irritability and
restlessness. These feelings started because of
cigarettes, and it's strange that another cigarette should
be the way to relieve them.

In fact, smoking makes concentration much harder, not
easier. Although another cigarette temporarily relieves
the symptoms caused by the cigarette in the first place,
the cigarette is not the aid to concentration which many
smokers wrongly choose to believe.

Truth is, smoking another cigarette will make concentration
progressively harder. With any drug, you eventually need
more and more of it to produce the same effect. A smoker
will never be able to concentrate as well as a non-smoker.
The more he smokes, the less relief he'll get from each
cigarette.

Let's look at the medical side of the 'concentration con'.
Clogged arteries, caused by smoking, starve the brain of
oxygen and reduce our ability to concentrate. Carbon
monoxide, produced by cigarettes, is well-known as a
poison… not an aid to concentration.

The 'concentration con' is an example of the psychological
addiction that makes a cigarette slave of so many people.

Among the many reasons Smokers use to justify their habit,
the 'concentration con' stands up to the least scrutiny.
But it must be exposed as a con. Once it's exposed, then
it's no longer a threat. Once the smoker is shown proof of
the 'concentration con', and once he believes that proof,
then this self-fulfilling belief disappears for ever.

This article has shown that lack of concentration is
actually caused by smoking in the first place, and can be
only temporarily relieved by another cigarette. One of the
greatest benefits of quitting smoking is a return to a
clear head, and the ability to properly concentrate again.
Once you see the 'concentration con' for what it really is,
you're much closer to finally quitting smoking.

==========================================================
Why can some people quit smoking permanently, while others
just keep starting again ? Discover the NLP approach to
quit smoking once and for all. Click
==> http://www.QuitSmokingWithNLP.com/concen



** Attn Ezine editors / Site Owners **
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your
ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in
place, do not modify the content and include my resource
box as listed above.

If you do use the article please send me a note to
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Article 2

word count: 401
character width: 60
resource box: 3 lines + web link to quitsmokingWithNLP.com

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"The truth about Smokers 'Relaxation Ruse' "

- by Neil Stelling B.Sc, MBA

© DigiLectual Inc. 2004
http://www.quitsmokingwithNLP.com/
==========================================================

Smokers love excuses. They can't quit because .. (fill in the blank). I covered one of the favorite excuses in another article, the 'concentration con'.

Now here's another of the main - can't quit - excuses. Smoking helps relaxation. Most smokers claim it helps them relax. But would you ever describe a smoker as relaxed ?

Their addiction (or habit) makes them nervous and jumpy. All things equal, a smoker will never relax as they once did before their drug.

Think about last time you ate in a restaurant. Isn't that a relaxing environment when you're eating your meal, in good company ? But that's not enough for the smoker. They're still not relaxed. They need a cigarette fix, even between courses, because they think that's what they need to relax.

Then they associate a temporary relaxation with the cigarette, rather than the environment and company. They don't even consider their non-smoker friends enjoyment might get ruined by smoking.

Let's look at the realities of the relaxation ruse. Nicotine is a stimulant, not a relaxant/depressant. A stimulant speeds up metabolism, not slows it down.

The 'smoking is relaxing' claim counts as yet another irrational excuse used by smokers who can't face up to quitting. The smoker genuinely feels a cigarette will relax him.

In reality it's the habit, expectation and association with relaxing situations that are the main reasons he feels relaxed. Sometimes it's even the deep breathing effect that helps relaxation.

Any sportsperson knows that deep breathing helps relax before an event. Difference is he's breathing fresh air, rather than poison ! Smokers actually credit their cigarette for a temporary benefit they get from deep breathing.

Most people agree stress and relaxation make two opposite conditions ? Many smokers think giving up will create more stress. They think their cigarettes are actually relieving stress.

Amazingly, cigarettes actually 'cause' the stress smokers think they're relieving ! Continual craving for another cigarette; guilt, helplessness at their inability to quit; low self-esteem… Any of this sound familiar ? At best, another cigarette temporarily reduces the stress caused by earlier cigarettes.

So we really should call the relaxation effect, the 'relaxation ruse'… an illusion favored by uninformed smokers who wrongly credit their cigarette with relaxation.

Quitting smoking means a return to relaxation. Quitting smoking means a return to a clear head… among many other benefits. Once you see through the relaxation ruse', you're much closer to finally quitting smoking once and for all.

===========================================================
Why can some people quit smoking permanently, while others
just keep starting again ? Discover the NLP approach to
quit smoking once and for all. Click
==> http://www.quitsmokingWithNLP.com/

Article 3

word count: 602
character width: 60
resource box: 4 lines

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"The truth about Smokers 'Pleasure Paradox' "

- by Neil Stelling B.Sc, MBA

© DigiLectual Inc. 2004
http://www.QuitSmokingWithNLP.com/
==========================================================

Smokers love excuses. Nothing makes them happier than, 'I
can't quit because…'. They really believe their own
excuses.

But all these excuses are cop-outs. There's no reason to
smoke. Smoking doesn't have any redeeming benefits. It's
100% harmful, poison.

But many smokers don't want to hear that. In fact, they
already know it's poison. They just haven't yet discovered
how to quit. Reading the truth, in a non-aggressive, non-
threatening way, helps to get started on the quit smoking
path.

So the excuse, 'I enjoy them', 'they give me pleasure',
needs to be looked at carefully. Do they really enjoy
them, or are they making a 'Can't quit' excuse.

In reality, the pleasure comes from the experiences
associated with smoking. It doesn't come from smoking
itself.

In fact, smoking becomes the 'avoidance of displeasure',
rather than the 'gaining of pleasure'. Smoking brings
temporary relief to the withdrawal symptoms that smoking
caused in the first place.

Have you always smoked ? Or do you remember back to a time
you felt peace and confidence, before this addiction took
hold of you ? Any pleasure comes from temporary relief of
withdrawal symptoms. That's the sad truth.

Where's the pleasure in loss of taste ? A build up of tar
and other chemicals causes a gradual loss of taste.
Smokers sometimes don't notice since it happens over years.

Then they can't taste expensive restaurant meals, and think
multiple cigarettes before, during and after the meal
provides the answer. Sound familiar ?

In fact, good company and conversation provide the
pleasure, which a smoker mistakenly associates with his
cigarette.

What else causes us to associate pleasure with cigarettes ?

Unfortunately, over many years, cigarettes have featured
prominently in movies. Famous, beautiful people seem to
love their cigarettes.

Have you noticed how most romantic movie moments used to
involve two people lighting up cigarettes together ?
Luckily that's less common in modern times, but who can
forget Bogie and others in the classic old films.

Cigarettes still get advertised around the world,
associated with something pleasurable. Once again,
romance, freedom, open countryside, tranquillity.

This psychological conditioning prevents thousands of
people quitting. The myth of 'pleasure' is stronger than
the reality of physical nicotine dependency.

Ever heard a smoker say they can't wait for their children
or grandchildren to get started smoking ? Of course not !
They know it's harmful, and usually openly admit they'd
like to quit. They even agree with policies that restrict
smoking in public places !

They admit they found the taste awful at first. But
persevered so they could seek the pleasure they hoped to
emulate. Nature makes poisons foul-tasting for good reason
- a warning not to use that substance.

Smoking actually removes pleasures previously taken for
granted.

We've already covered taste. How about fitness ? How
about the ability to run more than a few yards without
gasping for breath ? How about your non-smoking friends
and family, who must breathe passive smoke, and find their
clothes foul smelling in the morning ?

So the biggest pleasure in quitting smoking actually comes
from regaining past pleasures ! Unless you're a lifelong
smoker, you've forgotten the simple pleasures lost.

But here's some good news. Those pleasures can come back.
When you quit, your senses eventually return to normal.

Once again, you can taste and enjoy food. Taste starts to
return after only a few days. Over time, your fitness will
improve. Your habits will change as your non-smoking
personality starts to emerge e.g. no cigarette between
meal courses.

The pleasure of non-smoking far outweighs any imaginary
pleasure from smoking. Regaining life's simple pleasures
is a worthwhile goal, and good reason to quit smoking right
now.

===========================================================
Why can some people quit smoking permanently, while others
just keep starting again ? Discover the NLP approach to
quit smoking once and for all. Click
==> http://www.QuitSmokingWithNLP.com/