The Quit Smoking Report Ezine

The Quit Smoking Report 10/19/99
Published on the first and third Tuesday of each month

Brought to you by The Quit Smoking Company
http://www.quitsmoking.com

In this issue:

<> Letter from the Editor
<> Top 10 List
<> Featured Product: Stop Smoking with Biofeedback
<> Article: "I'm Not Ready to Quit!" - What are you waiting
for?
<> A Word From Our Sponsor
<> Smokers' Stories

You can read previous issues of The Quit Smoking Report on our
web site. Just visit: http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezine/

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hello again everyone!

Let's jump right in and get to this week's issue!

+++

Remember, you can read previous issues of The Quit Smoking
Report on our web site. Just visit:
http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezine/

Fred Kelley
fredk@quitsmoking.com
The Quit Smoking Company

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SMOKING TOP 10 LIST

Top 10 uses for my ashtrays, now that I've quit smoking

10. To hold my dentures (which I need since I lost my teeth
eating all that candy after I quit)

9. At my ex's house they would say...."Oh, now we can go back to
using them as they were originally intended...as plates!"

8. Throwing them at my wife to get her attention.

7. Pitch them at cars that run the stop sign on my corner.

6. You really don't want to know.

5. Doggie, fetch, fetch ..........

4. A small hot tub.

3. Use it to prop up my left lung.

2. Paper weight for previous smoking related doctor bills.

and the #1 use for my ashtrays, now that I've quit smoking...

1. Ok, ok, now the alimony shall include the ashtrays.

The Top 10 Authors:
PJA - 1, 5, 10
Craig Sollman - 2
Mark Stelton - 3
Betty Kutrik - 4
Sam Goody - 6
Kat Brennan - 7
Bill Furness - 8
Cheryl White - 9
Melissa Conklin - 10
Debra Williams - 10

Want to participate? Anyone can send in their entry to the next
Top 10 list. You may send as many entries as you want. THEY
SHOULD BE FUNNY! For complete rules and details, visit the web
site at http://www.quitsmoking.com/top10/index.htm

Here's the next Top 10 List topic:
Top 10 reasons Philip Morris finally admitted that cigarette
smoking is addictive.

Send your entries to: [address removed - contest over]

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FEATURED PRODUCT: Stop Smoking with Biofeedback
http://www.quitsmoking.com/biofeedback/index.htm

What's biofeedback?

Biofeedback is the widely-used and medically-accepted technique
for teaching you to control stress, achieve relaxation, and
channel talents and energies toward realizing your full
potential.

Stop Smoking with Biofeedback is a system that includes two
audio tapes and the "heart" of the system, the GSR 2 biofeedback
device. This simple, yet powerful device makes you aware of your
unconscious "involuntary" physical reactions to stress -
"feeding back" subtle changes in stress levels.

Simply place two fingers on the GSR 2. It detects minute
changes in your skin that indicate your level of stress. You'll
be able to hear changes in your stress level through
earphones provided with the system.

When you relax, the GSR 2 transmits a low tone to your
earphones. When you tense up, the tone rises. You'll know
instantly when you relax and when you tense up. Through practice
you'll be able to keep the tone humming at a pleasant low tone.
You'll learn how to take control of your stress and voluntarily
relax your mind and body, with or without help from the GSR 2
biofeedback device.

Overcoming stress is an important step to quitting smoking. Many
smokers respond to stress by lighting up. And for many smokers,
dealing with stress (or not dealing with it) becomes a major
hurdle to quitting.

First, the included audio tapes and booklets will help you learn
to relax using the GSR 2, then prepare you to quit smoking.
Next, you'll take the step of actually quitting. Finally, you'll
learn how to maintain your new life as a non-smoker.

Stop Smoking with Biofeedback may be just what you need to take
control of the stressful situations that keep you puffing.
Overcome your stress and you dramatically improve your chances
of quitting smoking!

Get yours today! Visit
http://www.quitsmoking.com/biofeedback/index.htm
for all the details.

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ARTICLE: "I'm Not Ready to Quit" - What are you waiting for?

by Fred H. Kelley

Procrastination. I know it well. From taxes to yard work to
filing papers--you name it, I'm the expert procrastinator. I can
put off doing anything, with style and ease. I file tax return
extensions at 11:59 PM on April 15 without breaking a sweat.

Am I proud of this? Well, admittedly, sometimes yes. I pat
myself on the back and say "I have the amazing ability to get
things done at the last minute."

Do I usually end up regretting my procrastination? Almost
always. So I've had to learn ways to get things done now, on
time. I'm still learning and always will be. Procrastination is
a persistent thief!

Procrastination is an expensive way to spend your life. Waiting
until the last minute can even cost you your life. And when you
"spend" your life mired in procrastination, you don't truly
live. You are perpetually putting off living.

Focusing on quitting smoking, how many times have you said "I'm
not ready to quit," or "I'll quit tomorrow," or "I'll quit when
I'm not under so much stress"? What are you waiting for?

THE COSTS OF PROCRASTINATION

If you fail to file your taxes on time, you'll pay penalties and
interest. If you fail to quit smoking, you'll eventually pay
with your life.

Putting off almost anything will cost you more tomorrow than it
will today. I firmly believe that one of the main costs of
procrastination is the mental anguish you experience when you
know you have something you really should be doing. But most
procrastination also comes with a direct cost, whether it be
financial or health-related or otherwise.

You should take careful note of the cost of waiting "until
later" to quit smoking. Calculate how much cigarettes cost you
every day, month and year. Calculate how much of your life goes
up in smoke with each cigarette. Estimates range from three to
15 minutes of your life are lost for every single cigarette you
smoke. That's one to five hours per pack! Is the temporary
satisfaction (fix) worth that much to you? Plus smoking causes
countless fires, wastes billions of dollars in "smoking break"
time and costs billions of dollars for medical care. You pay for
this too!

CAUSES OF PROCRASTINATION

So, what causes procrastination? You do, simply put. But why?
Why do you procrastinate? Why do you put off doing something
that is beneficial to you?

Life and motivation and psychology are complex and sometimes not
rational.

What causes me to put off doing my taxes? I hate dealing with
forms and complicated tax laws and hundreds of difficult
decisions and paperwork and financial information. In my mind
these are all good reasons to "do it later." (But I bet you
never saw a Nike ad that said, "Just do it later.")

There are numerous causes and explanations for procrastination,
including, but not limited to:

1. Fear of failure
2. Fear of success
3. Fear of the unknown
4. Lack of interest or motivation
5. Lack of information
6. Too much information
7. Indecision
8. Not knowing where to start
9. Too busy
10. Laziness

Whatever the supposed cause may be, most times they are simply
excuses for waiting until later to do something that needs doing
now. What's your excuse for not quitting today?

CURES FOR PROCRASTINATION

Jump in and get started! That's what I've found to be the best
cure for procrastination. Overcoming the inertia and getting
moving helps me to "keep on truckin'" through my taxes or
whatever else I need to do." If I sit and dread doing the data
entry for all my bank accounts, nothing happens. If it just sit
down, take the plunge and start inputting my financial
information in my computer, before I know it I'm nearly done. I
work through it until I get it right. Getting my various bank
accounts reconciled takes time and some trial and error, but by
jumping in feet first I get the process started, and my taxes
done.

Similarly, to quit smoking, just get started. Today! Don't worry
if you don't have all the information or if the time isn't
perfect or if you don't think you can quit. Just give it your
best shot! There never will be the perfect conditions for you to
quit. Face it! Time waits for no one, as they say, so quit today
or face the consequences tomorrow.

Keep these thoughts in mind as you begin to quit:

DO IT TODAY! NOW! Not tomorrow or sometime soon. Seize the
moment and make it happen now. Now is the only time anyone has.

INCH BY INCH, IT'S A CINCH. If someone told you to smoke 7,300
cigarettes today, you'd call them crazy. But if they told you to
smoke a pack a day for one year, then you'd say "no problem."
Likewise, if you worry about not being able to smoke tomorrow
because you quit today, you may find yourself panicked and
unable to quit. Deal with today, and let tomorrow take care of
itself.

BEGIN WITH AN ENDING. Before you start a trip you'd better know
where you're going. In Stephen Covey's book "The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People", one of the seven habits is "begin with
the end in mind." In other words, get a clear vision in your
mind (and on paper) of what you want, and where you want to be.
This may seem contradictory to what I said about not worrying
about tomorrow, but these two principles work hand-in-hand. By
knowing clearly what you want to achieve, you can relax in the
day-to-day details of accomplishing your goal.

THERE'S NEVER A "PERFECT" TIME OR SITUATION TO DO ANYTHING.
Don't wait for "perfect" because it will never come. Do the best
you can with what you know today. Great achievers don't
magically know all the answers when they begin some new
undertaking. The process, the action, the investigation that
they experience brings the answers and the achievement. You need
to begin the process of quitting today whether or not you know
how. You'll learn by doing. You may not quit permanently the
first time you try to quit. That's okay! You will learn what YOU
need to know to quit permanently next time. Great achievers take
massive action. Take action!

Quitting smoking now, today, is difficult, but the rewards are
immense. Throw out your excuses and get started. Excuses are the
currency of failure and the destitute.

Tomorrow never comes. Quit smoking today!

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A Word From Our Sponsor:

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Get full details at our web site.
http://www.QuitSmokingIn7Days.com

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SMOKERS' STORIES

If you can help these folks with your suggestions please send
them email.

KIMWELL718@aol.com writes:
Subject: My little story!

I just want to let you know that I have been a smoker for 14
years and I am only 27 years old. I never really wanted to quit
smoking - don't get me wrong, I knew all the bad side effects
and felt most of them on a day to day basis. However, this never
stopped me. Just on a whim (and to get my mother-in-law off my
back!) I told her and my boyfriend (at the time) that after the
wedding I would quit smoking. My reasoning behind this was
because at one point in my life I would like to start a family
and I have heard that it is awful for the baby if the mother
quits when pregnant. I mentioned this many many months before my
wedding. As the wedding got closer, the closer the realization
of my nonsmoking days. I started having second thoughts. I had
told my in laws that I would be going to the doctor to get
Wellbutrin to aid in my mood swings after the wedding and
honeymoon. Well the wedding came and went and I made my appmt.
with the doctor. I began taking the medication. This medication
was the most awful thing I have ever experienced. It made me
more moody, restless and I felt like a zombie. I took it for
about 1 1/2 weeks before I quit and then I stopped taking it
because it made me feel so badly. Okay I quit smoking on August
30th and I am still 100 percent smoke free! I have never tried
to quit before and I don't plan on trying again!!!! I am on day
45 and I couldn't be prouder! I have to admit that it was not
easy!!!! But with the support of my loving husband and all the
support of my family and friends I have come so far. If I can do
it, anyone can!!!!

+++

Rebecca L Vance <rebeccavance@juno.com> writes:

I just wanted to say that I have successfully quit smoking 15
weeks ago today. I had to go cold turkey, and have not picked up
a single one since the day I put them down. I smoked 2 packs a
day for 16 yrs. I appreciate you having a support lists
available for those of us who try, weather we succeed or not, as
that I know it's not an easy task to accomplish unless you have
very strong will-power. I wish everyone else success and good
luck.

>From an "Ex-Smoker"Rebecca

+++

Lorna V. <lorna@pta-ltd.com> writes:
Subject: my quit smoking story

Hi Fred and everyone,

I'm a 48 year old female from England, and I have now been a non
smoker since March 8th this year. I decided to really "do it"
after seeing a scary ad. on the TV, which was luckily on while
my daughter was out of the room. I know it would have scared
her. Also, here in the UK we have a charity TV-a-thon called
"comic relief". they showed some of the women in Rwanda who had
been helped by this charity. One woman described how she and her
family had been lined up in front of the window in their living
room, and the soldiers went outside and shot them. Her daughter
fell into a suitcase, and she (the mother) took all the bullets
in her arm. Only she and this daughter survived. Together they
made their way through the jungle, the mother's arm was
agonizing. It was so agonizing that in the end she pulled it off
and threw it away. she then continued through the jungle
eventually coming to safety. She received a 50 Uk pounds (about
80 dollars I guess) loan to start a business, which was
successful, and she has now paid back the loan. I thought to
myself " she has such courage, and I can't even stop smoking.
One what I spend a month on tobacco she has fought to start a
business. How can I be so selfish." and from that moment, my
quit was REALLY born.

Subscribing to sites like this one and quitnet have really
helped me to keep up the quit. I have never managed over three
months before, this time I know I have kicked the habit for
good. I do occasionally "fancy a smoke" but I know that just one
and I would probably be back on the habit. As Allen Carr says,
you have to kill the nicotine monster that lives inside you, who
needs to be starved to death by no smoking. Just one drag of a
cig and it will be "feeding the monster". You have to let it die
- or it will kill you. Also, you have to realise that all of the
things that you think smoking helps you with - boosting your
confidence, relaxing you, helping you to concentrate, etc. etc.
ALL of these things you could (and did) do BEFORE you ever
smoked. This means that it's only since you started smoking that
you need a cig to do them. Think about it - that means that it
is smoking that is making you feel like that, so get rid of it.
You don't need it.

Eventually the cravings will pass and so will the withdrawal
symptoms. For me it was bad temper and crying. I was horrible to
live with, horrible at work. The boss would come and sit with me
and threaten the sack if I didn't get better, and I would cry
and cry. Eventually that went. For the first time I didn't give
in and think a cigarette would make it all go away and be
better. And I certainly don't ever want to go through that pain
again.

I have a ten year old daughter. She is so proud of her mummy for
giving up smoking, she saw how hard it was for me to stop, and
will maybe think of that and not start smoking herself. Also my
husband has more or less stopped smoking too, since I did. He is
still smoking the odd herbal one, but not around the house, and
no nicotine. And since I did, so has my boss's wife, figuring
that if I can stop, anyone can!! Again, a friend who calls at my
husband's workshop has said he will quit too, as we have done
it. It's a positive vibe that spreads outwards - and so makes it
harder to go back to smoking and "let everyone down".

My thanks to all here, some of the stories have really touched
me. And to everyone "online" in this global community on the
web. Without it (and Allen Carr's book where the ideas quoted
above come from) I would never have made it. I look forward to a
longer and happier life.
Good luck and love to all of you out there.

IF I CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN!!!

Lorna V.

[Editors note: The highly acclaimed book "Allen Carr's Easy Way
to Stop Smoking" is difficult to find in the U.S., but is
available through Barnes & Noble online. Follow this link:
http://www.quitsmoking.com/refs/carr/index.htm ]

Want to read more stories from successful quitters? Order a copy
of "The Last Puff - Ex-Smokers Share the Secrets of Their
Success". Read the fascinating success stories and interviews of
30 ex-smokers. For more information and to order visit:
http://www.quitsmoking.com/books/lastpuff/index.htm

====================

Where's your story? I'd sure like to share it with the other
subscribers to this email list. Submit Your Smoker's Story

I hope to hear from you!

Next Issue: 11/2/99

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You can find additional helpful quit smoking tips and
information at http://www.quitsmoking.com/quitinfo.htm

While you're there, take a look at our products page at
http://www.quitsmoking.com/products.htm for some helpful
quit smoking tools.

Read and post messages: http://www.quitsmoking.com/bbs.htm
Quit Smoking Cartoons: http://www.quitsmoking.com/cartoons/
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i-quit-smoking.com email: http://www.i-quit-smoking.com

The Quit Smoking Company web site is a part of the growing
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http://www.ProsperousInternet.com for information on starting
your own Internet business.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until next time, DON'T PUT OFF QUITTING ANY LONGER, QUIT TODAY

Fred Kelley

The Quit Smoking Company
Phone: 770-346-9222
Fax: 770-475-5007
Web: http://www.quitsmoking.com
Email: mailto:fredk@quitsmoking.com

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© Copyright 1999 Fred H. Kelley
This email may be freely distributed and forwarded
as long as the entire email remains intact.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or professional therapist.
The information included in this email is my opinion and the
opinions of the people sending in their comments.
Fred Kelley and The Quit Smoking Company make no warranties,
either expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of the
contents of The Quit Smoking Report.

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