Stop Smoking

Yes, it's a bad habit that I have. I want to quit, using willpower only. So I keep trying to remind myself of all the reasons I want to quit. When I'm craving a cigarette though, it's hard to remember. So here's what I decided to do. Using my little box I made in this post, I keep my pack in the bottom, with reminder cards on top. These cards are about the size of a business card and have my reminders printed on each one.

Here are what my cards say:
It ruins your sense of taste and smell
Ashes all over the tables and computer
You could be saving money for a computer (or other item)
It causes bad breath
It hurts your throat and lungs
It makes your voice scratchy
1 pack=$3.50 7 packs a week=$24.50 $98/month $1274/year (adjust to your own cig prices and how many a week you smoke)
It makes a bad impression on others
It harms those around me, especially my children
It stains your teeth, fingernails, walls, mirrors, everywhere
It is a useless habit that has NO benefits
The smell clings to your clothes and skin
It can make you dizzy and give you a headache
It gives you less air to exercise or play with your kids
Having to go outside to smoke in the heat, snow, rain, etc
It makes books and crafts unsellable

Feel free to change these up to reminders that work well for you.

Now, the trick is to force yourself to read EACH card as you make your way down to the pack of cigarettes in the box. Chances are, after reading several of these reminders, you are going to remember why you don't really need that cigarette after all. So far this has been working for me. Just remember, you have GOOD reasons to not smoke, so remind yourself before EVERY cigarette why you don't want to light it up.