(This article follows “Help To Stop Smoking – Caught Between Hating To Smoke And Quitting“)

How to face your fears ?

  • Fear of failure. Many people fear that if they tell anyone, such as co-workers, a failure will weaken their image at the office. What has to be measured though is just what image the others have of a smoking co-worker. If everyone else there smokes, then would they really judge someone negatively who tried ? Probably not. If on the other hand, no one smokes, and failure to quit would really further affect their attitude towards you, then why include them in your stopping plan ?The only way to conquer fear in addiction recovery is to not get too caught up in what others think about your smoking habit.
  • Fear of becoming unbearable. Although some people will not experience a change in behavior, many who light up a cigarette automatically as a shield against stress will find their anxiety level heightened. There are lots of things that can be done in this regard. A physician can prescribe a mild anti-anxiety medication to help you through the process. Many people are successful by taking Zyban in combination with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) “the patch”, for instance. Search the Web, read up on it and find out for yourself which method has the greatest chance for long-term success. Quitting smoking does not occur the moment of your last cigarette, in my book. Because smoking is a recognized addiction, recovery from it is a long process, during which your body detoxifies and gets rid of poisons. It’s a process during which you readjust your sense of balance and coping, and learn new behaviors. Quitting smoking begins when you enter the reality of finding out what smoking is doing to you and resenting your slavery to it. From that moment on, you are entering the battle to stop smoking once and for all. So you need to learn things, among which are coping skills. Remember that.
  • Fear of withdrawal. If you’re one of the people who think this, then join the many millions of people ahead of you and next to you. I think this is a normal thought to have. The answer to this is to find support, good solid support. If you fear physical things like headaches or cankers, then read up on it, discuss it with people who have been there, and talk with your health advisor. Some people do get headaches. If you’re prone to them, it’s advisable to see your doctor. If not, don’t worry unnecessarily about them.
  • Fear of the cravings. Well don’t let anyone kid you and say you won’t have cravings. You most certainly will. Cravings come in waves, unexpectedly and strongly. They don’t last long, but in the five minutes they do last, you’ll want to run out and buy a carton. If this is one of your fears, then write it down. Make that fear list and add to it. You’ll have to learn about coping skills and which ones to put in your plan.
  • Fear of the loss of a friend, the cigarette. Darn right. It’s the loss of a friend to some people. However it’s the kind of friend who’s destroying your health and feeding several thousand toxins into your system, like arsenic and formaldehyde. It’s an abusive friend. Someone once told me that it was like walking crookedly all the time because of a large growth on the hip. Once the growth is removed, I’d have to start learning to walk straight again, and I would miss that growth for a while only because I was used to it.

Now that you’re exploring your fears, believe it or not, you’ve begun your quitting plan. By learning about the mind’s “sticky points” and listing them, your awareness is increasing and you can open your mind to learn what quitting smoking methods will work for you. Save that list. It’s page one of your quitting journey.

(About Zyban : you need to consult your doctor before using it. It is known to increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors.)

We recommend you visit the stop smoking products page to see effective and safe natural stop smoking aids.