by C. Lyn Walter

Created on: January 19, 2009   Last Updated: November 17, 2009

How to Stop Smoking

People who have never smoked usually have little tolerance for those who do. Even reformed smokers have little if any patience for those who have not been able to do the same. Smoking is not a socially acceptable behavior anymore. Perhaps the perception that smokers deliberately place themselves and others at risk for major, catastrophic diseases, is at the heart of the negative impression. Smoking was not always considered a negative behavior, it was once romanticized, even glorified. Smoking was once accepted as manly, feminine, and an inalienable right.

Looking back most smokers began toying with cigarettes when they were most vulnerable to either peer pressure or their own distorted perceptions of that which was considered cool.

There are also those who grew up in homes where one or both parents were smokers. Parents and grandparents smoked in their homes, unaware of the potential harm they might be causing their children and themselves. Even teachers, presidents and priests smoked; for many, trying cigarettes began as a right of passage, one that seemed almost an expected, youthful experimentation.

Over the years smoking became a habit, one the smoker began to associate everything with, pleasant or not. A cigarette went with coffee, with driving, with taking a break and after each meal. A cigarette became a substitute, an ally, and even a friend.

Years later, the world became more informed about the dangers associated with smoking and it was no longer the cool thing to do. Smoking became very uncool and if you persisted in indulging your habit, you were accused of contributing to catastrophic illnesses; yours and everyone else's.

Many smokers are remorseful and become filled with guilt about their unacceptable habit. They ask for help, read articles and try to stop smoking again, all the while thinking of nothing else. Finally they report on the futility of it all and give up, never realizing they have set themselves up for failure. Instead they surrender to the addicted word.

Using the addicted word to describe ourselves often dilutes taking responsibility for the continuance of a destructive behavior. The reality is it is difficult to change any behavior, good or bad; but it can be done. The true addiction is to the word addiction, which sounds ultimately impossible to beat. Using the term habit in place of addiction is a start. Habits can be changed.

Behavior modification is the realistic approach to ending an unwanted

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