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Stopping and Staying Stopped Smoking

May 31st, 2021 · 12 Comments · Real-life Adventure Tales

Stay Stopped Smoking

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For all my friends who struggle . . .

These are the handwritten notes I’d read any time I was feeling an urge: 

Whatever’s bothering you will NOT be made better by drawing smoke into your tender  living lungs.

Drawing smoke into your lungs doesn’t make anything better.

Don’t die for something you don’t even want to do.

I LOVE gaining the money I save each day.  Don’t blow that.

I don’t want my house and car and clothes stinking of cigarette smoke like some completely lacking in discipline loser.

I don’t want to be a slave to something I don’t want to do.

Do not voluntarily draw the smoke from burning leafs and chemicals into your tender lungs and body.

You are not a smoker.

Don’t put your mouth on the end of an exhaust pipe.

Picture Alex Grey’s paintings of our blessed tender life-giving organs. Do NOT voluntarily destroy those beautiful organs with vicious chemical smoke.

I don’t want to wake up wheezing and hacking horkers into a sink.

Smoking is literally killing me.

I want more time in my days.  And I get so much more somehow when I’m not smoking.

I want to go visit people as a non-smoker.

I don’t want to be a weak-willed LOSER.

Save $30 a day (including on beer) to spend on needed items.

Give yourself something to be proud of.

Everyone else finds them disgusting.  Don’t be a loser doing something disgusting that you hate.

I could have bought a new furnace for free with what I spent on something that’s killing me.

I want to see how more of this movie (life) turns out — all the stories playing out in the world.  Live to see what happens, man.

Don’t jones to go out at night cuz you ran out of cigarettes.

Don’t give The Addition Rat inside you water and sustenance.

You think you want a cigarette, but you really don’t.

Shortness of breath . . . trouble breathing . . . chest pains . . . heart palpitations.

You’d rather not smoke than smoke; you’d rather be a non-smoker than a smoker.

You won’t feel better buying a pack of cigarettes — you’ll feel worse.

Smoking does NOT make me feel BETTER.

NOT smoking DOES make me feel better.

I definitely get more work done per day when NOT smoking.

I’d rather get one new book or DVD of my choice every single day than buy packs of dead leafs to burn and draw into my body.

I like myself more — and how I fill my days — when I’m not smoking.

Don’t blow your quit streak for one moment of misguided desire.

I like myself better when I’m not smoking.

I like the way my brain works better when I’m not smoking.

Having a cigarette does not solve ANYthing.

Those things are disgusting.  No wonder that’s what so many nonsmokers say.  Phucking repulsive.

I don’t want to be a smoker.

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Another trick:

Write a list of both friends and famous people you admire who don’t smoke.  😉

And write a list of people you know who died of lung cancer.

You can add George Harrison, Johnny Carson, Yul Brynner, Lucille Ball, Walt Disney, Nat King Cole, Joe DiMaggio, Michael Landon, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Betty Grable, Babe Ruth, Suzanne Pleshette, Peter Jennings, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, David Bowie . . .

Here’s a full list of 227 famous people:

http://tobacco.cleartheair.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Tobacco-kills-2-out-of-every-three-users.pdf

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And speaking of lists — here’s the most complete list on the internet of Famous People Who Never Had Kids.

Or here’s a cool one of Famous Americans Who Were Not Born in America.

Or here’s another power of the mindset piece — The Spilled Coffee Test.

Or here’s a nice general inspiration piece — Be The Invincible Spirit You Are.

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by Brian Hassett

karmacoupon@gmail.com   —  BrianHassett.com

Or here’s my Facebook account if you wanna join in there —

https://www.facebook.com/Brian.Hassett.Canada

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12 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Mary Prankster // May 31, 2021 at 5:31 PM

    Thank you Brian. I’ve been stuck at home for so long because of the pandemic and my falling and breaking bones. All I’ve done is smoke smoke smoke.

  • 2 Brian // May 31, 2021 at 6:31 PM

    Hey Mary! Well, maybe these words from one Prankster to another will help. ❤
    We all wanna be here to play in the play as much as we can.
    Here’s to only smokin the good stuff.

  • 3 Spring Styer // May 31, 2021 at 8:08 PM

    Thank you…Seems that I’m still tryin’ to quit…

  • 4 Bob Jones // May 31, 2021 at 10:04 PM

    Thanks Brian… Haven’ trouble with that last smoke….down to one cig a day…busted out of the paper and little pinches in a pipe …. tough one for me … I can stop cold all other imbibes but that one….

  • 5 Joseph Bassin // May 31, 2021 at 11:21 PM

    Wow!
    I just passed my 10 years of no cigarettes.
    – and I started young.

  • 6 Marci Sherell Zabell // Jun 1, 2021 at 10:15 AM

    I quit in ’83 and stayed quit! But it has not been easy…

  • 7 Helen North // Jun 1, 2021 at 11:16 AM

    Thank you Brian for that …. am struggling big time right now…this reminder of why we should not smoke is always timely…..

  • 8 Nancy Jones Cook // Jun 1, 2021 at 2:18 PM

    I quit once for three years and started back. Hope I have the courage to quit again

  • 9 David McCracken // Jun 1, 2021 at 5:51 PM

    I was a 2 pack a day smoker when I quit. The money I saved buying cigarettes every day stayed in the bank account and paid for 4 years of tuition and books at Western University for our daughter.

  • 10 Brian // Jun 1, 2021 at 7:20 PM

    Wow! What a great story of conversion and conviction!

    Well played all around.

  • 11 William Hodgson // Aug 2, 2021 at 2:02 PM

    That was great! They should hang that on the wall at Smokers Anonymous meetings. “You just THINK you want a cigarette.” You said that to me years ago and it actually helped me to quit. Thanks, bro.

  • 12 Alan // Dec 13, 2021 at 3:25 PM

    Hi Brian ,
    Your motivational list is so inspirational and practical . Thank you ! The typo error re “The Addition Rat” made me smile too . Visions now of this poor little rodent stressing out over their daily budget . Best wishes from Bonnie Scotland ( and to only smokin the good stuff ! ) Love your site .

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