Using "You" to Re-fuel Determination

Clearly, your most dependable source of support is "you"! What are your most valuable motivational assets?

1. Memories of life as an actively feeding nicotine addict;
2. Your reasons for wanting to be free;
3. Memories of early recovery; and,
4. The wisdom to preserve 1 though 3.

Again, while the early part of this journey can be emotional, it's wise to expect and prepare now for significant negative memory suppression. Also expect to suppress old use memories, including the hourly and daily grind of life as an actively feeding addict.

Find quality ways to preserve those memories. It's wise to have them available as a crave coping tool, to serve as a recovery progress report, and later as an aid in fending off complacency. Doing so will be like owning a high-quality battery charger.

Whether your nicotine use was heavy or light, long or short, out in full view for the world to see or the world's best-kept secret, your intelligence and conscious thinking mind is your #1 motivational tool.

Closet users

Pretend for a second that you're a closet smoker. If a secret user, your family and friends either never knew you were hooked or were told that you successfully broke free long, long ago.

Aside from all the lies we told ourselves to rationalize that next mandatory feeding, the closet user lives and breathes the need to constantly deceive the world too.

If a recovering closet-user, in addition to celebrating self-honesty, there's tremendous relief in at last being honest with those we love.

Having lived in almost constant fear of being exposed, whether or not we come totally clean and share our secret, the emotional rewards of no longer living a lie can themselves be extremely supportive.

If a closet ex-user, where can you turn for support when your world doesn't know you use?

Plan to gift & reward yourself along the way

Have you ever had a piggy bank or slush fund? What will happen to the money you used to use to purchase your daily or weekly supply of nicotine, money quickly burned, vaporized, or chewed-up?

Imagine daily or weekly spending it to bring extra moments of joy to your life. Imagine saving it up and purchasing something you've long wanted but didn't feel you could afford.

What if saving it was transformed into a recovery incentive program with an eye toward the purchase of a new wardrobe, a long overdue vacation, neglected dental work, or a brand new car?

Imagine money once used to enslave, deprive, and harm you being used to foster healthy living, fond memories, smiles, and fun.

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