Since we all want to see an end to smoking, have some compassion this
week for those who are taking a shot at stopping smoking during the
American Cancer Society-sponsored Great American Smokeout.  The attached
article may provoke you to be more tolerant this week with recent
ex-smokers.  It points out something we all share to some degree with
people who smoke.
A version of the same article directed specifically to smokers is
available at http://www.sra1.com/cgi-bin/sd/sra/thoughtofmonth.cgi

....and in other formats upon request.
Both are non-copyrighted and for free distribution.



Smoking Out Self-Deception

by Charles Tedesco

  The Great American Smokeout on November 20th isn’t just something for 
smokers.  Yes, the annual event sponsored by the American Cancer Society 
is designed to help smokers give it up.  But there’s some wisdom in it 
for everyone, whether they smoke or not.
  It’s about a national malady that goes far beyond those who smoke.  
Whether you’re hooked on cigarettes or not, chances are high that you 
have been a victim of this sickness.    If you don’t smoke, filter the 
following article with an awareness of anything you do repeatedly that 
you do not want to do.  Most of us are addicted to something.
  The first and most important step in recovery from any addiction is 
simply knowing that you are addicted.  Rather than acknowledge it, most 
people prefer to engage in something called self-deception.  And that is 
the sickness that keeps so many from reaching their potential.

Now that the American tobacco companies have admitted to their long-term 
deception about the dangers of tobacco smoking , here’s a question to 
ask yourself: if you smoke: Which has influenced your smoking the 
most--that deception or your own self-deception?"
  As a smoking cessation coach and as a researcher of cessation methods 
and products over the past 16 years, I’ve experienced not only the lies 
of those who sell tobacco but also the lies we tell ourselves when 
postponing the decision to make a change in our lives.  My purpose in 
this article is to explore these self-deceptions and to show you how you 
can start to rise above them in the process of claiming an 
addiction-free lifestyle.  

  One of the deceptions that impacts smokers the most is that there are 
pills, tapes, books or gurus available that will allow one to stop 
smoking quickly, easily, and painlessly.  This is a myth, one that is 
swallowed hook, line and sinker by many smokers.  The makers of nicotine 
patches and gums imply that with just a little will power and their 
product, its a cakewalk to become smoke-free.
   The fact is that, for the vast majority of smokers, stopping and 
staying free requires commitment,  some work and a willingness to take 
responsibility for themselves.  Most smokers who say that they want to 
quit are not willing to pay that price.
  In the spiritual ways of the Native American people, the medicine or 
lesson of the coyote has to do with deception and self-deception.  In 
trying to fool others and in refusing to look inside for answers, coyote 
often paves the way for his own undoing.
  Take a look at the cartoon character, Wile E. Coyote who likes to 
think he’s pretty smart.  In his quest to conquer Roadrunner (beep! 
beep!), his carelessness and refusal to see reality always leads to a 
swift, crashing trip to the bottom of the canyon---a trip he had 
envisioned for Roadrunner.  Like many smokers, coyote can convince 
himself that a skunk smells like a rose.
  He continually perfects the art of self-sabotage.  This is how he 
thinks: "Let me get out on the edge of that ledge again.  It's the same 
place I've fallen from every time I've gone there.  But this time will 
be different." 
  Do you keep falling into the same traps over and over again?
  If you’re a "closet smoker" , do you really think that people don’t 
pick up on your aroma after you’ve ducked outside for a secretive 
cigarette?  Here’s big news—and I’ll say it gently:You don’t smell very 
good.
  While the tobacco company executives are finally acknowledging the 
addictive nature of their products, very few smokers do.  Its easier to 
look at it as a habit, or just something to do out of boredom.  The 
truth: it is an addiction just as much as the use of heroin or cocaine. 
 Its been said that you can’t escape a prison until you understand that 
you’re in one.  Anytime that you feel you must do something that you do 
not want to do, you’re imprisoned.
  The Russian mystic-philosopher Gurdjieff suggested that most people go 
through their lives "asleep".  Unconscious of their true selves, to the 
meaning of their lives, people generally do not want to awaken to life’s 
realities.  Its much more comfortable to avoid confronting ourselves.  
An example: "If I say its just a habit, its just a habit. I'm no 
addict."
  We can perpetuate our "sleep" with television, alcohol, tobacco, or 
recreational drugs.  Its easy.  It is the trick we play on ourselves.  
And yet it is also an abandoning of  our true selves.  That is the price 
of our self-deception.
  Another little trick: "Cancer just happens to other people."  Who are 
you fooling?  
  Most smokers are also unaware of the additives in cigarettes.  When 
you smoke, you get carcinogens, mutagens and radioactivity inhaled into 
your body.  Popular-brand cigarette papers contain selenious acid, 
something that Webster’s Dictionary calls a "colorless, poisonous 
powder".
  Most smokers don’t want to hear it.  A sample reply: "My grandpa 
smoked till he was 96."
  Another self-deception is the attitude that smoking is the only weight 
management tool that works.  Have you told yourself that if you stop 
smoking you will gain weight and then be unattractive?  Your heart has 
had to work harder to deal with the smoke.  A couch potato smoker does 
burn more calories than a non-smoking couch potato. Its true that your 
metabolism will slow down briefly after you stop smoking, making it 
easier to gain weight--especially if if you have no dietary or exercise 
routines.  As you probably guessed, some dietary and exercise changes 
are highly suggested when you stop smoking. (See your doctor first, of 
course.)  Be patient with yourself.
  "But it is so much more convenient to just keep smoking."  
  Maybe there have been times you've said this to yourself: "I am going 
to quit smoking when my spouse isn't so moody (or the boss treats me 
better).
If you wait for your life to be carefree before you stop smoking, you'll 
be six feet under and still waiting.
  Here's a simple, key fact that most smokers ignore: What you eat 
affects how you think, what you crave and how good you feel.  And there 
are lots of people who think the best way to indulge yourself when 
you’ve got the blues is to down a pint of ice cream.  Does that make any 
sense?
  Many smokers use their cigarettes (and ice cream) as mood managers.  
The big lie is that cigarettes can help end a bad mood or create a good 
one.  Reality says that while you may get a short-term boost in energy 
or mood, cigarettes are a depressant which also injure the body and 
deplete you of energy and thinking ability.  Less than 20 minutes after 
you butt out a cigarette,  your tension level starts going up as your 
body starts to beg for another nicotine fix.
  Many smokers who make the commitment to quit tell themselves that it 
must be done right away.  For most, the odds of long-term success are 
greatly enhanced by careful planning, support and the commitment to 
specific actions and boundaries.  
  The self-deception that goes with any addiction is something you can 
choose to release.  Your biggest step in letting go is to simply decide 
to be honest with yourself.  Each time you choose to do that, you take 
another important step in empowering yourself. And that's no lie.
                                      ###########################
Charles Tedesco is a Smoking Cessation Coach with Smoking Release 
Associates in Carlsbad, California.  His company’s web site address is 
http://www.SRA1.com


-- 
Charles Tedesco, Smoking Cessation Coach    http://www.SRA1.com
The Stop Smoking Program Designed for You   Smoking Release Associates
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"Without deviation, progress is not possible."--Frank Zappa