Smoking is a choice         

*** Warning: Harsh reality ahead

[NOV. 10, 2005]  CUMMING, Ga. -- This issue I give another lesson in "tough love." You know this stuff somewhere in the back of your mind, but you probably don't think about it very much. I want to get you thinking about this and help shape the WAY you think about this. It just might help you quit. So here we go:

Many of you may have heard of Zig Ziglar. He's a tremendous human being, salesman, trainer and motivational speaker. One of his countless talks covered exercise and weight gain. His talks are witty, funny and clever, and he helps his listeners think about things in different ways.

During his discussion on weight gain, he relates how he got fat "on purpose." That sounds funny, of course, but he goes on to explain that he never ate anything by accident. He never slipped and fell, only to accidentally eat a piece of cake.

His point is this: He always made his own choice about what to eat and whether to eat. If he gained weight, it was because HE chose to put food in his mouth. If he lost weight, well, that was his choice too.

The same applies to smoking. You choose to smoke or not to smoke. Cigarettes don't accidentally land, lit and ready for puffing, in your mouth. You choose each time you smoke, to smoke!

Take a look at the typical smoking scenario:

1. You sense a desire for a cigarette.
2. Locate money to purchase a new pack.
3. Locate your car keys.
4. Walk to your car.
5. Unlock your car.
6. Open your car door.
7. Sit in your car.
8. Close your car door.
9. Fasten your seatbelt.
10. Start your car.
11. Put your car in gear.
12. Drive to the nearest store.
13. Put your car in park.
14. Stop your car.
15. Unbuckle your seat belt.
16. Open your car door.
17. Get out of your car.
18. Close the car door.
19. Lock your car.
20. Walk to the door of the store.
21. Open the door.
22. Walk inside the store.
23. Stand in line.
24. Request your brand of cigarettes.
25. Remove your money from your wallet or purse.
26. Place your money on the counter.
27. Wait for your change.
28. Take your cigarettes, change and receipt from the store clerk.
29. Walk to the exit of the store.
30. Open the door.
31. Walk to your car.
32. Unlock your car door.
33. Open your car door.
34. Sit in your car.
35. Close your car door.
36. Fasten your seatbelt.
37. Start your car.
38. Put your car in gear.
39. Drive to your home.
40. Put your car in park.
41. Stop your car.
42. Unbuckle your seat belt.
43. Open your car door.
44. Get out of your car.
45. Close the car door.
46. Lock your car.
47. Walk to the door of your home.
48. Unlock the door.
49. Open the door.
50. Walk inside.
51. Open the pack of cigarettes.
52. Remove a cigarette from the pack.
53. Locate a lighter or match.
54. Light the lighter or match.
55. Light your cigarette.
56. Take your first puff.
57. Rest after all that work!

Phewww! Are you as tired as I am after typing all that? OK. First, I know most of you would probably have skipped to step 51 right after step 30. That's the reality. But take a look at all the steps that came before step 30.

Each step along the way was a place where you made a choice. You made the choice to continue your pursuit of your cigarettes. At each step in the process, you could make a different choice, hopefully to not continue.

Our lives are a result of the choices we have made up to this point. Fully 99 percent of those choices are within your complete control. You choose daily what to wear, eat, drink, what to say to friends, co-workers and loved ones. You choose what action (or inaction) to take while on your job. These million-and-one choices we make daily make us rich or poor, happy or unhappy, fulfilled or empty, healthy or sick, effective or ineffective. And they make you a smoker or a nonsmoker.

Making better choices about smoking requires that you give yourself well-defined reasons for not smoking (better health, save money, feel better, smell better, etc.). You should also prepare alternate choices for yourself, well in advance of your cravings. Give yourself other activities to replace your smoking. Here are some choices you could make: Take a walk, call a supportive friend, drink a glass of water, solve a puzzle, chew some gum. Create your own set of choices.

Smoking is no accident. You have chosen to smoke every cigarette that you ever smoked. Even if you had peer pressure to smoke, you still had the choice to simply walk away.

Make your decision, right now, to kick the habit forever. Then, start making those minute-by-minute choices that make your overall quitting goal become reality.

[** Article copyright Fred Kelley of QuitSmoking.com. Visit the website at http://www.quitsmoking.com for great information and products designed to help you quit smoking.]