The Smokefree System:

Taking Back Control

The Ultimate Guide to
Quit Smoking and Not Relapsing

Sue Freeman
RCompN, BA in Social Science

35 years smokefree and counting!

Copyright © 2023 by Sue Freeman
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-7386013-1-8
Challenge Breakers NZ
16 Oleander Lane
Mount Maunganui, Tauranga
Bay of Plenty 3116
New Zealand
 Dedication

This book is dedicated to you, dear friend, to smokers who died

before their time and to their loved ones who miss them.

Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the

serenity to accept the
things I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can,
And wisdom to know
the difference.

Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971)

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the smokers who shared their hearts and stories.
Thank you, too, for the researchers’ contribution, dedication and
sacrifice to this vital life-changing area of human suffering, hope
and transformation.
 FOREWORD

The journey to becoming free of the need to smoke is not known

as an easy one, nor is it a predictable one. Each smoker is different,
and the nature of each person’s dependency is unique. And even
each attempt to stop smoking can vary.

The Smokefree System takes this into account. Commonsense is

melded with an innovative and informative approach, covering
a wide range of issues. Each smoker seeking to deal with their
smoking will find something to relate to.

Even now, widespread recognition of nicotine addiction as a

medical condition is only occurring. While most of us are well
aware of the psychological aspects of smoking, we continue to
learn from leaders in the field as they discover in more depth
the complexity of the physiology of nicotine addiction. For
many of us, the difficulties in understanding and working with
smoking have seen it often relegated to the too-hard basket.
This insidious drug, nicotine, is difficult to deal with in that it
gives the user’ a sense of improved performance and concen-
tration while at the same time enhancing mood and a sense of
wellbeing - all of which result in the perception of smoking as an
enjoyable and rewarding experience.

This handbook, in a non-judgmental and realistic way, will help

smokers regardless of readiness to quit. It is an interactive tool
that helps us understand our smoking. And where we are, guid-
ing us as to practical options from that point. It will give health

iv
professionals and non-smokers a lens through which to under-
stand someone depending on us for help.

Whatever your relationship with smoking, I wish you well in

your understanding of and ability to deal with this scourge of
our age.

Denise Barlow
SMOKING CESSATION SPECIALIST
NEW ZEALAND

v
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������viii

BIG TOBACCO – THE REAL ENEMY����������������������������������������������������������� 1

ARE YOU READY TO STOP SMOKING?������������������������������������������������������ 8

Rate your readiness to quit ������������������������������������������������������������������������10

Health Quiz ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11

What’s in it for me when I quit?�����������������������������������������������������������������16

Here are the benefits reported by ex-smokers: ���������������������������������22

Stop Smoking Goals�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������26

SUCCESSFUL QUITTERS�������������������������������������������������������������������������������33

Trait 1. Strong motivation����������������������������������������������������������������������������33

Trait 2. Willingness to change behaviors ����������������������������������������������40

Trait 3. Positive Attitude�������������������������������������������������������������������������������42

Value your health ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������45

Dream and create a better life �������������������������������������������������������������������49

SELF-TALK – AFFECTS THE WAY WE ACT��������������������������������������������53

The Gardener – understanding self-talk������������������������������������������������55

Put The Gardener out of work��������������������������������������������������������������������63

Understanding drug culture������������������������������������������������������������������������66

FOCUSED SMOKING – FOR EVERY CIGARETTE���������������������������������69

Triggers – overcoming your automatic responses����������������������������69

How to smoke until you quit: Focused Smoking��������������������������������71

vi
ADDICTION OR HABIT?��������������������������������������������������������������������������������80

Are you physically dependent on nicotine?������������������������������������������82

Are you emotionally dependent on cigarettes?����������������������������������83

RECOVERY – SPEED IT UP ��������������������������������������������������������������������������90

Cravings – expect the unexpected������������������������������������������������������������92

Withdrawal – you already cope�������������������������������������������������������������� 110

Smoking stuns your liver��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 117

Smoking affects your insulin levels������������������������������������������������������� 120

Substitutes – should you use them?������������������������������������������������������ 126

MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 134

Addiction-Busting Foods – healthy eating����������������������������������������� 142

STRESS MANAGEMENT������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 176

Handling stress as an ex-smoker������������������������������������������������������������ 189

SUPPORT PEOPLE – YOU NEED THEM������������������������������������������������ 204

Build a Support System������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 205

MAINTENANCE – MANAGING HIGH-RISK TIMES�������������������������� 209

Afterword��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 223

Notes������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 225

References�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 230

Helpful Definitions��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 238

Glossary of Bible Versus����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 244

v ii
Introduction
Welcome to The Smokefree System: Taking Back Control.

Congratulations on your life-changing decision to quit smok-

ing. Your Mission – should you choose to accept it – is within 12
weeks or less to undo the changes
to your brain and body caused by
nicotine so you can choose ‘not to
smoke.’ Imagine living your best life
as an ex-smoker, and not be at risk
of relapse. That’s the goal, right? The
Smokefree System: Taking Back Con-
trol is a step-by-step pathway to sup-
port and educate you throughout your
journey.

Hello, my name is Sue, and I will talk you through the pro-
gram. I have been a smoking cessation counselor since 2000. I
am a daughter (Mum’s 89 years young), a mother, and a grand-
mother. To know me is to know I look at life and people through
a Christian worldview. I see God’s design in the beauty and va-
riety of the 8.7 million species of animals and 60,065 species of
trees (my favourite things) on Earth. Incredible! I love animals
that look hand-painted, like the mojo poison dart tree frog.
There are so many examples that the earth was designed. Look
at our bodies, especially the eye. I have had two transplants
hence my interest. Fascinating! I find the brain extraordinary
because of its adaptive, integrative and healing ability – I
should know; I am recovering from brain damage. God has been
with me through thick and thin in my life and called me to help

v iii
you. So how can I ask you to be true to yourself if I don’t reveal
myself to you?

Smoking got its hooks into me when I was nineteen

years old. I was a Community Nurse student at Middlemore
­Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. Despite being an asthmat-
ic, I wanted to join the girls who seemed like fun people. In-
deed, they were going outside during breaks, and I could hear
them laughing and becoming friends. Yes, before you ask, my
parents (both smoked) forbade me to smoke. My doctor ad-
vised me never to smoke as I am asthmatic. I took the risk; we
had these new inhalers, and I wanted friends. My parents had
moved with the family to Singapore (Dad was Army) and living
in the Nurses’ Home was lonely. How was I to know I wouldn’t
be able to stop?

In my mid-twenties, something was seriously wrong with my

lungs. I went from one infection to the next and was on antibiot-
ics for ten months of the year. I switched to menthol cigarettes to
ease the coughing and carried on. I loved menthols so much that
I increased from smoking twenty to twenty-five a day. My health
was deteriorating, but I didn’t relate it to smoking; my new doctor
never asked.

I was thirty-six years old the day I was woken by violent

spasmodic coughing, which broke when I coughed up a large,
vile, foul-smelling plug of sputum colored by blood. Panic and
shock flooded my mind as I looked at that sputum in the tissue.
It was hard to believe it came from my lungs; it looked like pus
from a rotten wound. I was scared. My daughter was ten years
old when my Respiratory Specialist told me to stop smoking

ix
i­ mmediately. He said I wouldn’t see her reach twenty-five. I tried
to stop and failed, and now, three years later – was it too late?
I quit Cold Turkey that day but craved cigarettes for six years
until this Smokefree System: Taking Back Control program ac-
tion steps broke the addiction. Little did I know that this was just
the beginning of my struggle with smoking. The full extent of its
impact on my life and health only became clear years later. But
that’s a story for later in this book.

You want to stop smoking, and that, dear friend, is the best
news! But it’s only half the story; you want to stop and not start
again – you don’t want that pull back to smoking over your life.
You want to:

Stop smoking, and not relapse!

The overall aims of the program

Give you an overview of Big Tobacco’s impact on

your life

Reveal how to detoxify, withdraw, and recover from an

addiction more potent than heroin

You are not your thoughts and feelings; you are precious
and unique, a living soul created in God’s image

You create your future by living in the present

Learn how to remove the addiction in your brain by un-

doing the structures and physical nicotine dependence

Learn how to reboot your liver to normal function in

four to ten days

x
 You have integrated smoking into every aspect of your life.
Now you have decided it is time to disentangle yourself, to change
and make being a smokefree person part of your lifestyle. Well
done, you won’t regret it, but it will take time and effort to take
back control.

You have made your decision. Enough is enough! Now be ex-

cited! It is time to get to work to stop smoking once and for all. I
will help and support you through the changes on your stop-smok-
ing journey. If you are using any stop-smoking aids with this pro-
gram, please ensure they do not contain nicotine or by-products
of nicotine. Use every tool in your toolbox and every support ser-
vice which promotes wellness. Congratulations, and thank you
for choosing to be smokefree with The Smokefree System: Taking
Back Control.

Please don’t skip any steps in the program, or you may un-
dermine this opportunity to stop smoking or vaping permanently.
There is work to do which will engage your brain in new learning
and experiences. Your brain generates new cells (neurons) and
creates new pathways in response to your actions. No matter your
age, you can set goals and create the lifestyle you envisage. Your
brain will respond to your self-love, confidence, planning, activi-
ties, and achievements.

When I was nursing (1970s), a wee four-year-old girl had

a stroke. The stroke destroyed her speech-language center (left
side brain). Her doctors and parents decided not to tell her she
would never speak again. On discharge from the hospital, she
suddenly said a few words to her nurse. Tests revealed her brain
was forming a new speech center on the right side of her brain.

xi
Her story inspires my recovery. I now have a name for hers and
my healing – neuroplasticity.

Your brain needs nicotine, and its need for it has taken on
a life of its own. For instance, have you noticed you haven’t been
able to use a stop-smoking method successfully more than once?
Research shows you are not alone if you have made multiple at-
tempts to quit. Around 1985, the average number of attempts
was six; by 2014, it was about 14 attempts before success. To-
day, smokers may make 30 to 40 attempts to quit before being
successful. Each attempt brings you nearer to your goal of being
an ex-smoker. However, I know more about the brain now, and I
can shortcut if you are willing to do some work and go straight to
smokefree.

The excellent news about neuroplasticity is that your brain,

regardless of age, heritage, gender, or physical condition, can
grow new neurons. Psychiatrist John Ratey explains: “Experienc-
es, thoughts, actions, and emotions change the structure of our
brains. By viewing the brain as a muscle that can be weakened or
strengthened, we can exercise our ability to determine who we
become. Indeed, once we understand how the brain develops, we
can train our brains for health, vibrancy, and longevity.”1 When
you stop smoking or vaping, the nicotinic receptors will start to
be dismantled from your brain. Amazing, isn’t it? Your brain will
begin to heal and recover twenty minutes after you stop smoking!

xii
Big Tobacco – the real enemy
Nicotine, the addictive chemical in cigarettes, does not pro-
duce a tremendous ‘high,’ does it? Instead, it has a reinforcing ef-
fect so that you will have another puff, another, and so on...

Compared to twenty years ago, nicotine hijacks more areas

of your brain. Sadly, it also affects the front lobe of your brain,
where decision-making is carried out. Deciding to stay smoking
when you have a family to feed, or your health is failing is not a
choice. It is addiction. Big Tobacco is well aware that choice, that
ability to choose not to smoke, has been corrupted in the thinking
part of your brain. Brain scans (MRIs) show the desire to
smoke is still present two years after we stop smoking. Is it
any wonder the relapse rate is 95–98%?

1
 This new brain scan knowledge is great news because it
teaches us we must learn to accept the ‘desire to smoke’. It’s not a
hard-out craving. It’s more a memory that you can acknowledge.
Remember, do not resist having these desires to smoke. They are
normal and don’t last long. Do not fight it! You are not depriving
yourself of anything. You are free the moment you put out your
last cigarette. Your body is healing, and you are considering how
to live as an ex-smoker.

2
 The golden rule is
‘NOT ONE PUFF!’

To stay an ex-smoker, you must be consistent and persevere

until the job is done, and I will help you. You will achieve the out-
come of being an ex-smoker, living a smokefree lifestyle in a rela-
tively short time.

Remember, you have a goal that supersedes becoming an

ex-smoker: not to relapse.

Nicotinic receptors are throughout our brain and body,

including the spine. When you smoke, they increase in num-
ber. If you continue to smoke, you damage other neurological
systems in your good gut bacteria, which keep you healthy.
Quitting reverses that process. Your brain’s and body’s density
of nicotinic receptors (nAChR) will return to your pre-smok-
ing levels and become less sensitive to nicotine in three to
twelve weeks of not smoking. And that is true even if you are
a forty-year smoker! What an awesome ability to repair and
heal is built into our bodies if we live in harmony with God’s
design for us.

3
 Globally, nicotine products lead to eight million deaths every
year! One and a half million deaths (mainly children) are record-
ed from second-hand and third-hand (surface) smoke. Babies are
washed out of their mother’s wombs, and men and women be-
come infertile through the generations because of smoking.

The Tobacco Industry spends billions marketing scientifi-

cally-engineered-nicotine to men, women, and children. Often,
the marketing is subtle. For example, vaping is advertised as ‘to
help’ but is now a huge problem in schools. Don’t underestimate
your enemy; they targeted you and now sell directly to you, their
customer.

The COVID pandemic, as you know, hit the world economies

hard, and smokers who became very ill were extremely difficult to
treat. The World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines outline
how governments can protect public health policies from com-
mercial interests like the Tobacco Industry. The Tobacco Industry
wanted to help by supplying PPE equipment and ventilators, but
not surprisingly, that came with conditions:

Delay tobacco control policies

Introduce less risky tobacco products

Allow marketing of nicotine products

Providing tobacco products was ‘essential’ during

lockdowns

The Tobacco Industry says they are marketing e-cigarettes

to replace cigarettes, but that is a lie. The company that developed
the e-cigarette has given the Tobacco Industry a new line of prod-
ucts and now co-owns that industry. Tobacco Companies have no

4
intention of selling fewer cigarettes and project sales to top one
trillion US dollars by 2028. Cigarette sales are rising in some coun-
tries as people self-medicate their stressed lives.

Many Governments accepted e-cigarette propaganda! As a

result, the marketing of nicotine, which was once banned in those
countries, is back. Children as young as seven are addicted to nic-
otine. Children hide in bathrooms to share a vape until forced to
return to class. Their young, immature brains are damaged in mem-
ory, concentration, and learning. These children develop behavioral
problems, low self-esteem, and mental health issues such as de-mo-
tivation, anxiety, and depression, impacting their adulthood. Parents
with access to resources may mediate some of these problems, but
it will depend on what other factors are now in play. Low-income
parents with less access to resources, the result for their children
is often a poor education outcome. God forbid they end up smoking
for the next twenty-five years plus living a life they didn’t deserve.

It takes a great mentor and courage to help these angry and

marginalized kids. The aim is to get them to believe their brains
can generate new pathways and they can build a future that of-
fers them hope when they stop smoking and using drugs. Parents,
Teachers, and Health Professionals don’t fully comprehend the
lobbying of the Tobacco Industry to manipulate governments. Gov-
ernments need to understand that children are paying the price
of their decisions as tobacco significantly contributes to poverty,
domestic violence, and poor mental health in children and adults.

The Tobacco Industry produces lethal products that kill half

its customers when used as intended. The industry does not have
to spray 7000 toxic chemicals across tobacco in the production
process. Nicotine does not have to be genetically modified to

5
the extent it is more potent within the human brain. The 70 can-
cer-causing chemicals and heavy metals do not have to be present
in that number.

Mankind has always found something to smoke, but the

commercialization of cigarettes, which has made the cigarette a
drug delivery device for addiction, disease, and death, is over the
top. Why is there not a massive
outcry from the public over the
extraordinary global death rate? Ignorance is the
The loss of productivity and eco-
worst disease.
nomic costs caused d ­ irectly and
indirectly by the Tobacco Indus-
try are in the trillions worldwide
while they make billions of dollars! How clever the Tobacco In-
dustry is to make stopping smoking the smoker’s problem. Your
problem! They have made this the smoker’s problem – blame the
victim. The industry is simply meeting demand, and it’s up to the
smoker to say ‘no.’

Our precious children (you may have been one) will grow
up struggling to reach their full potential. They are exposed to a
life-changing, life-threatening product before they are old enough
to know what they are doing. Their lives will be controlled by the
Tobacco Industry until they die prematurely of a smoking-relat-
ed disease. It makes me very angry. What about you? How does
knowing this make you feel? Can you use this emotion to fuel your
motivation to stay away from smoking? Fear and anger are strong
motivators for action.

6
 What you learn with this system will make stopping much
easier. However, experts agree nicotine addiction is more po-
tent than heroin addiction. Statistics (2020) across western
countries are similar, so add or subtract the zeros for your pop-
ulation size.

Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of pre-

ventable disease, disability, and death in the United
States (US)

In the US, cigarette smoking accounts for more than

480,000 deaths every year, or about 1 in 5 deaths

30.8 million adults in the US currently smoke cigarettes

More than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-re-

lated disease2

Stopping smoking will challenge you, but the new concepts

and information will help take back the power you gave away the
day you picked up your first cigarette. Use your power as you be-
come smokefree to build your healthy lifestyle, and you will feel
the taste of freedom again. Are you ready to take back control?

Keep an open mind as I reveal the illusions that bind you to

the emotions, habits, and rituals of smoking. When you know how
a card trick is done, it no longer holds any magic.

7
Are you ready to stop smoking?
Forty-six million people have successfully stopped smoking
since the alarms sounded about nicotine and tobacco. Reaching
the people who have yet to quit and helping them is a priority for
all health professionals training in this life-extending area. You
should be asked about smoking at every health appointment you
attend. Please, don’t be offended by the questions, which often re-
sult in care and treatment. Be proud to tell them how many days
you have been Quit!

We pass through stages when we are thinking about quitting,

going back and forth on the actual decision to quit or leave it till
a better time. Excuses to keep smoking cross our minds because
the nicotine you are addicted has control of your thinking. Coming
up with reasons to quit will come from family and friends, your
doctor, and social pressure. BUT YOUR REASON(S) TO STOP HAS
TO COME FROM WITHIN YOU, FROM YOUR HEART AND HEAD.
Life is busy and messy. You may lose your job, people get sick and
die, relationships break up, puppies get run over, and children get
bullied. When you decide to stop smoking, you know life will hap-
pen, and you will choose to stay an ex-smoker throughout your
entire life.

Have you passed through the stage of just thinking about

quitting to where you plan to stop based on a solid, no-turning-
back decision to stop smoking?

Rate yourself on the following scale to see if you are ready to

quit now, where 0 is low, through to 5, which is the highest level
you could imagine.3 4

8
Importance:

How important is it for you to stop smoking now?

0 1 2 3 4 5

Confidence:

How confident are you that you can stop smoking now?

0 1 2 3 4 5

Motivation:

How motivated are you to stop smoking now?

0 1 2 3 4 5

Add scores. Total Success Rating Score: .

9
Rate your readiness to quit

Use your total score to assess whether you are in the right stage
to quit now.

12–15 You are preparing to quit. You are ready to change. You
are ready to learn about strategies to stop smoking and
avoid relapsing. This system will provide you with strat-
egies and knowledge to achieve your goal.

9–11 You are considering stopping smoking, which means

you have been weighing up the pros and cons of quit-
ting. This program will help you by improving your
knowledge about tobacco and its consequences on you
and society. It would help if you worked on maintaining
or improving your level of readiness.

6–8 You are in the early stages of thinking about stopping

smoking. Learning more about the lethal effects of to-
bacco and its additives will increase your motivation to
stop smoking. Rate yourself again every week as nec-
essary to ensure you are using this program well and
growing into your new lifestyle.5 6 7

0–5 You are not ready to stop smoking/vaping. You were

probably given The Smokefree System as a gift. Some-
body is concerned about your health and well-being,
but it’s not you. Please return it, or if you decide to
use it, be aware your brain will not be outwitted twice
(learn more in the program). This program is excellent;
you may want to save it until you are ready to quit.

10
Health Quiz

Many smokers feel that the

health risks of cigarette smoking
are overstated: the opposite is true.
If you scored between 6–8 in rating
your readiness to quit, please do
research and find out more about
the health risks of smoking. Test
your knowledge using the following
quick quiz.8 9 10 11 12

1) How many cups of tar does a 20-per-day smoker inhale

yearly?

a. ½ cup b. ¾ cup c. 1 cup

2) Smoking low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes have been

proven to reduce the risk of heart disease.

a. True b. False

3) Once a person has emphysema, the damage can be re-

versed by stopping smoking.

a. True b. False

4) 9 out of 10 people with Peripheral Vascular Disease (the

disease that can lead to amputation of toes, fingers, legs,
and arms) are smokers.

a. True b. False

11
5) Passive smoking is what you do when you relax while
you have a cigarette.

a. True b. False

6) How many of the approximately 7000 chemicals in ciga-

rettes are known to cause cancer?

a. 10 b. 40 c. 70 d. 100

7) How many years will a person who smokes 20 cigarettes

for 40 years lose from their life?

a. 5 b. 8 c. 12 d. 17 e. 21

8) By what percentage would lung cancer be cut if smoking

stopped?

a. 50% b. 75% c. 80% d. 90%

9) Cigarette smoke contains arsenic.

a. True b. False

10) Smoking is harder to quit if you are of Asian or African

descent than if someone is of European descent.

a. Yes b. No

11) Babies die of smoking-related diseases even when their

parents have a smokefree house.

a. True b. False

12
12) Globally, smoking is declining as Tobacco Companies
become socially responsible and governments enact To-
bacco Control Policies.

a. True b. False

Check your answers:

1) c. 1 cup of tar every year.

2) b. False. There is no safe cigarette or e-cigarette. Filters don’t

work. The disease risk starts when you suck in poisons, the
depth of your drag (menthol increases depth), and the num-
ber of daily smokes.

3) b. False. Emphysema, aka smokers’ lungs, cannot be re-

versed. If you don’t know what this disease feels like, try
breathing through a straw for an hour. As soon as you
stop smoking, no further damage occurs, and lung func-
tion may improve. It is criminal to tell someone who can’t
breathe to keep smoking, “You might as well enjoy it.” I
have seen a patient refused oxygen in the home because
she and her caregiver smoked. Her doctor told her it would
be too stressful to stop. WRONG! UNETHICAL! You will be
relieved to know we were able to clean her home, change
her caregiver and get her oxygen. She was so grateful she
cried with relief when she introduced me to her family.

4) a. True. Unbelievably, even amputations are not an induce-

ment to stop smoking. Fixing a cigarette to a device on a

13
 wheelchair doesn’t sound like a nursing task, yet it was in the
Care Plan. Mr. A was an amputee without arms or legs. His
whole day revolved around nurses being available to light up
his ‘rollies.’ He seemed so bright and cheerful until we got
busy, and then his mood darkened. I didn’t know how addict-
ed he was or how we failed in his care. God rest his soul. To-
day, nurses are not allowed to expose themselves to tobacco
while working.

5) b. False. A passive smoker is a non-smoker or never smok-

er, exposed to the toxic effects of the smoke, usually children
and people without a ‘voice.’ The smoker is unwilling to hear
the family members’ concerns because they rate their need
to smoke over the comfort of others.

6) c. 70

7) e. 21. One in two smokers dies of smoking-related diseases.

Out of 500 people with smoking-related illnesses, 250 will
lose 8 to 10 years, and the other 250 will lose 21 years.

8) d. In lung cancer cases, 90% of men and 79% of women have

a history of tobacco use.

9) b. True. Arsenic and other poisons are highly toxic.

10) a. True. People who originate from countries where dark-

skinned people are the majority have a harder physiological
battle to stop smoking. The Tobacco Industry has honed in
on low-income, young, uneducated people from countries
with this physiological factor.

14
11) a. True. Poisons from second-hand smoke land on the par-
ents’/caregivers’ hands, hair, face, clothing, and surfaces
around the home and car. It takes extreme vigilance 24/7
to ensure the babies are not exposed to (including visitors
and grandparents) second-hand and third-hand smoke. Ba-
bies’ airways can become inflamed when they absorb toxins
through their skin. Most pediatric high-dependency units
will have babies diagnosed with bronchiolitis whose parents
smoke.

12) b. False. In 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobac-

co, 36.7% of all men, and 7.8% of the world’s women. The
Tobacco Industry has projections for 2028 to increase sales,
particularly to women. The economic crisis hitting many
families will see many smokers turn to ‘loose’ tobacco. A
safety risk worldwide is the growing number of cases of syn-
thetic drugs used to lace tobacco, leading to hospitalizations
and fatalities. I spoke to one patient who experienced this
first-hand. He was admitted to the Emergency Department
(ED) in a psychotic state. After he was discharged home, I
phoned to ask him about his care around smoking tobacco as
it was not recorded in his Medical Notes. He was so ashamed
of his behaviors (he assaulted nurses and a doctor) in the
Emergency Department that he could barely speak. I put his
mind at rest by explaining why it had happened. He asked
me to pass on his apologies which I did. In brief, he went to a
friend’s party and borrowed loose tobacco to roll (not mari-
juana); it was laced with ‘P’ or ‘Ice’ (crystal meth). This poor
man had a psychotic break, in which he was extremely vio-
lent and frightened and nearly died.

15
What’s in it for me when I quit?

Did you score well on the quiz, or were you surprised by

some answers? Here is the good news about what will happen to
your body from the moment you stop smoking:

20 Minutes Your blood pressure and pulse go down, improv-

ing your blood circulation and reducing any heart
strain. The temperature in your hands, feet, and
skin increases to normal.

2 Hours The nicotine is out of your system. Further lung

damage stops.

6 Hours Heartbeat slows to normal. Blood pressure lowers

to normal (for you).

8 Hours Carbon monoxide levels are falling and will be

out of your system soon. Your red blood cells will
be able to carry four molecules of oxygen twelve
hours after your last smoke. Take five deep cleans-
ing breaths every hour to aid this process.

3 Days Your kidneys clear the by-products of nicotine and

other chemicals. Drinking water throughout the
day helps flush your kidneys of toxins.

1 Month Toxins trapped in your gums are released which

may temporarily cause bad breath and bleeding
gums (especially in older smokers). Sip on clean
water or gargle with soda water to keep your

16
 mouth fresh and visit the dentist with the money
saved from not smoking.

2 Months The blood flow to your hands and feet improves.

3 Months Your lungs are already 30% more efficient as the

cilia regrow (tiny hair-like structures), cleaning up
debris, moving mucus, and preventing infections.
The undamaged cells begin to repair the damaged
cells. Even smokers with a forty-year history will
have intact cells, which will start to repair cells
around them. This healing ability has been termed
‘magic’ by some Researchers. God, of course, de-
signed us to heal. This level of healing I would term
a ‘gift’ or ‘miracle.’ Between three to nine months,
coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness
of breath should improve as airways and blood
vessels open and move oxygen and nutrients in
and waste products out.

Note:
 if you start coughing at three months, your
lungs were not cleaning the debris until they
healed to this level. If you hear yourself saying, “I
felt better as a smoker,” STOP! THINK! The Tobac-
co Industry adds chemicals to tobacco to anesthe-
tize your nose, mouth, and lungs, so you are not
aware of the burning or pain caused by smoking.
Many smokers are still smoking when they get
their cancer diagnosis thinking they have plenty
of time to quit safely.

17
 When
 you smoke, you inhale carbon monoxide (car
exhaust fume). Other deadly toxins also pass from
your lungs and skin into your blood. From there,
they travel to every cell in your body. Causing trou-
ble. Constricting tiny blood vessels so waste prod-
ucts are trapped, mutating genes, damaging cells,
and increasing the risk of cancer and disease. Re-
search has proven that smoking causes disease and
cancer in every body system, including less well-
known parts like kidneys, eyes and mouth.

There
 is good news when you stop smoking if you
love food and the smell of a newborn baby. Once
destroyed, nerve endings can regrow; these in-
clude your olfactory nerves and taste buds. Walk-
ing becomes easier as the blood pumping into
your legs is full of oxygen. Start slowly increasing
the amount of exercise you do.

1 Year You have reduced your risk of heart disease by 50%.

5 Years Your
 blood vessels have returned to normal width,
reducing your risk of clots and strokes. Improve-
ment continues for the next ten years with healthy
living.

10 Years Your risk of lung cancer is about half that of a

non-smoker, and your risk for other cancers is
falling too.

There
 will be many health benefits when you stop
smoking; some you will be aware of, some you will

18
 not. Remember that with normal aging, your lung
function does decline; therefore, quitting smoking
now is imperative to maximize your health.

15 Years Your
 risk of heart disease is that of a non-smok-
er. Fifteen years may seem a long time at the be-
ginning of this journey, but time flies, and you will
soon find yourself looking back and wondering
where the time went.

20 Years If
 you have a chest X-ray and it is clear of small
cell carcinoma, your smoking history is no longer
hanging over you.

 ow is an excellent time to quit; think of the things you could

N
do and places you could go; if you have that money, you’ll
save from not smoking. You’ll never be healthier than right
now! Smoking is slowly robbing you of your greatest re-
source – time:

Quit by age 30: gain ten years of life expectancy

Quit by age 40: gain nine years of life expectancy

Quit by age 50: gain six years of life expectancy

Quit by age 60: gain three years of life expectancy

Quit after a heart attack and reduce the chance of another

by 50%. As you go through the quitting process, you can rightly
be proud of what you are doing, and you should shout it from the
rooftops! If you can stop smoking, you can do anything! Learn to
fly a plane. Build a tiny home out of a caravan or write a book.
You, dear friend, will have beaten the top scientists who worked

19
to make you addicted to nicotine. You will have outsmarted the
marketing agents who lured you to smoke. You are amazing!
Your self-value and self-worth will grow as you work through
the program.

As an ex-smoker, you will start to notice some changes:

Return of sex drive

Anxiety and depression decrease

Increase interest in relationships

Energy levels rise

Fertility problems decrease or resolve

Personal hygiene improves

Becoming smokefree will help you solve your life’s problems

as you will have more knowledge and skills to draw on. Ultimately,
everything can be broken down into manageable chunks. Please
ensure that you are treated with
dignity and respect by the people
you give the privilege of letting into
your life.

Smoking changes who we

are and affects our relationships.
You may not understand the depth
your smoking interfered with your
relationships. For example, when
you left to smoke outside, you said
“yes” to having a smoke and “no” to spending time with your loved
one. When you said, “Yes, I’ll buy this packet of ­cigarettes,” you

20
said, “No, I won’t put good quality food on the table for my wife
and children.” It is best to work on your attitudes, beliefs and be-
haviors until you have taken back control of your ability to choose
not to smoke. If you ask or receive feedback from a partner, please
listen, and acknowledge what they say but do not reply. Thank
them and journal your thoughts and feelings, which you can burn
later or give as a gift if appropriate. Take time to look at the dif-
ferent aspects of your life to see on what you need to work. Build-
ing a smokefree lifestyle requires learning what you need to get
what you want. Rid yourself of old behaviors that didn’t serve you
well and bring in new ones. If you want a loving relationship in
the bedroom, it begins outside the bedroom. Don’t settle. Ques-
tions reveal the answers. If you don’t like the answers, you need
to do something different. Being treated disrespectfully or with
contempt will lead to a relapse. Don’t light a smoke because you
think you deserve to be treated like that. Remember, hurt people,
hurt people. They need your prayers but not access to you to keep
hurting you. You are entitled to be honored and loved for your
unique personality. You are God’s precious child. Know that there
is someone who will treat you well. That person is You. Once you
are right with yourself, you can bring in someone else.

Likewise, fertility problems may improve for some women

with weight loss alone. However, going smokefree will improve
the chances of pregnancy. It will also stop the baby’s genes
from mutating and affecting the next generation’s genes which
could lead to infertility. Fathers with fertility problems can
have damaged sperm and genes from first, second, and third-
hand smoke. Stopping smoking while preparing for or having
the baby is great. Still, it’s a poor substitute for bringing a baby
into a smokefree world.

21
Here are the benefits reported by ex-smokers:

“My breath doesn’t stink. I don’t have to hold my breath when I

am close to people.” (Rachel, 19 years)

“I have so much more time now. I must have wasted hours

smoking.” (Christine, 49 years)

“I was embarrassed when my boss told me to go and have a

cigarette. I didn’t realize my stress level was being related to
my smoking. Now, when I am stressed, I can ask for help with
the job.” (Cathy, 45 years)

22
What are the benefits you will gain from stopping smoking?

23
What is smoking costing you?

You have now identified many benefits of stopping smoking,

and saving money is probably on your list due to the high price of
a packet of cigarettes. The Government regularly raises the tax on
cigarettes to try and help you stop smoking or reduce the number
of cigarettes you smoke. This Tobacco Control approach has had a
lot of success. Since the 1970s, millions of smokers have quit. Still,
smoking prevalence rates are climbing again in some countries.
This clearly shows some people are trapped by nicotine addiction.
Is your income going up in smoke? Is it going to the tobacco com-
panies and the Government in taxes?

When you quit and keep your ‘cigarette money’ aside, you
will have a substantial amount of money saved. Click here to see
how much money you will save and how many smokes you won’t
inhale. Then use the chart below to record the savings. Imagine
what you could do with that money for yourself or people and
charities about whom you care.

Number of cigarettes
Not smoked

After one day of not smoking $

After one week of not smoking $

After two weeks of not smoking $

After four weeks of not smoking $

After two months of not smoking $

24
After six months of not smoking $

After one year of not smoking $

After five years of not smoking $

After ten years of not smoking $

You can see that your savings from quitting will quickly
add to a considerable sum. Even quicker when you consider that
these figures exclude interest or how much you would have if
you invested this money. We advise you not to let all this money
get swallowed up in your everyday household budget. Instead,
use it as a motivator to keep yourself smokefree and improve
your quality of life. Speak to a bank manager because this is one
glorious payday!

25
Stop Smoking Goals

The most incredible thing you will realize when you stop
smoking is that you are powerful and capable of achieving your
goals. I want to help you extinguish the fire burning at the end
of your cigarette and ignite a
fire of passion for yourself as an
ex-smoker! Will it be easy? Abso-
lutely. Every time you extinguish In between
your cigarette, you become an goals is a thing
ex-smoker. Is it hard to stay an called life that
ex-smoker? No! All you have to do has to be lived
is never have another puff – ever!
and enjoyed.
It’s about changing your mindset
and falling in love with life. It’s a Sid Caesar
process – a growth process. Do
you remember the elements of
growth from your school days?
MRS GREN.

M – Movement – move forward in your life

R – Respiration – breathe fresh air

S – Sunshine – slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat

G – Grow – develop healthy relationships

R – Reproduce – do what gets you the results you need – repeat

E – Exercise – strength, flexibility, and endurance

N – Nutrition – eat in moderation healthy foods and water

26
 Smoking is a trap, and nic-
otine is the bait. Life will go on
when your primary goal of stop-
ping smoking has been achieved.
You will still be exposed to envi-
ronmental tobacco smoke and
other smokers who will test
your commitment. To remain an
ex-smoker, you will need a secondary goal based on not falling
into the trap again. The trap will still be there, but you will have
released yourself from it, and by completing this program, you
will always recognize the trap!13 Ex-smokers who report strug-
gling with cravings and missing smoking did not break the addic-
tion cycle. Unfortunately for them, the cycle can remain unbro-
ken for years. Breaking the addiction cycle is essential to prevent
relapsing.

The first step to achieving your goal of stopping smoking

is to select a quit date. Research shows that if you stop smoking
within two weeks of deciding to quit, your chances of stopping
are greatly improved. Choose a day in a quiet week when you
have less stress. Weekdays are better than weekends as you
are less likely to be socializing. If selecting a quit date puts too
much pressure on you, and you want to do the program with-
out one, that is perfectly fine. You will still quit the program
because that is how it is designed as long as you don’t miss
sections. You believe: I am committed to stopping smoking
during this program.

My quit date is: / /

Write the date on your calendar where you can see it.

27
 Ideally, you will work with your family doctor before start-
ing this program to decide if taking medication is necessary. Sev-
eral medications need to be activated in your body before your
quit date. Generally, only older people with multiple quit attempts
need medication support. People with family members who died
of smoking-related diseases while continuing to smoke should
consider medication. This program is about healing your brain
and preventing relapse in your lifetime. Most drug manufactur-
ers make millions of dollars on these medications while promis-
ing improved chances of quitting for four weeks, six months, or
one year. Is it worth it? Adding medication is counterproductive
unless you have an inherited genetic problem that needs medical
management.

Set some goals to achieve before your quit date to help rein-
force your primary goal of stopping smoking. Use the SMART ac-
ronym to reach your goal by making them ‘specific,’ ‘measurable,’
‘achievable,’ ‘relevant,’ and ‘time-bound.’ Put strategies in place
which will help you reach your goals. If the goal is large, break
it into smaller steps and put in rewards along the way to keep
yourself motivated. Build a list of suitable rewards to choose
from with different values. Pamper yourself and enlist others to
make the rewards and treats more enjoyable. Rewards reinforce
your success and keep you moving forward. Sometimes we get
there by taking baby steps, so have a list of small and big rewards
ready to go!

28
 Motivation Rewards

1. movie 8.

2. Foot massage 9.

3. Go on a holiday/outing 10.

4. 11.

5. 12.

6. 13.

7. 14.

Here are goal suggestions to help you get started:

1. Dental appointment by: / / 

2. Clean my home, inside / out by: / / 

3. Tell people my home is smokefree by: / / 

4. Smokefree signage on my home by: / / 

5. Remove ashtrays, cigs, and lighters by: / / 

6. Choose other goals: by: / / 

29
 Perseverance is essential to achieving your goals. Take your
time now and consider this question carefully. “Will you persevere
and achieve your goals?” Here are some strategies that will help
you persevere and reach your goals. Use the SMART acronym as
discussed earlier and:

Break your goals down into achievable steps/goals

Keep an Action Plan with the steps to reach the goal

Each step should be SMART

Plot into your Action Plan the points where you will re-
ward yourself

Review your Action Plan daily

Start a journal and talk to yourself and God

Keep a list of your goals displayed in a prominent place

Set new goals as you achieve others

30
 Did you know that the manager of the Grand Ole Opry told a
young singer named Elvis that he had no talent and should stick
with driving a truck? Or that Babe Ruth struck out 1530 times and
yet became one of the greatest baseball players of all time? The
fact that Elvis and Babe Ruth persevered and achieved their goals
is a matter of record. You can do it too!

To strengthen your decision to quit, agree with yourself by

filling in the following commitment contract:

I ,

will achieve my number one goal of becoming

smokefree! I am committed to working through
the stages. I can’t wait to have that final smoke
and get the tobacco monkey off my back. I am
doing this work, so I won’t have to do it again. I
am going to reset my brain and my lifestyle. I
was born a non-smoker and I am
proud to be an ex-smoker again!

31
Remember

 Start the journey ~ select your quit date

 You are likely to succeed at stopping smoking if you make

quitting about YOU

 Use the Success Rating Scale to guide you to areas that need
strengthening

 Smokers ready to quit accept the high cost of smoking, includ-

ing disease and premature death

 Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your body starts to

clean up! If you don’t light up again, your body will heal and
recover. The heavy metals will be a problem (10 to 12 years),
but time, good nutrition, hydration, fresh air, and exercise will
support your body’s natural processes

 The benefits of quitting include more energy, money, and time

to enjoy life

 Use the SMART acronym to reach your goal by making them

‘specific,’ ‘measurable,’ ‘achievable,’ ‘relevant,’ and ‘time-bound.’
Put strategies in place that will help you reach your goals

 Perseverance and commitment are essential to achieving

your goals

32
Successful Quitters
Successful quitters share three traits: being strongly motivat-
ed to quit, being willing to change their behaviors around smok-
ing, and maintaining a positive attitude towards quitting.14 15

Trait 1. Strong motivation

Successful quitters can generally tell you what strongly mo-

tivated them to stop smoking. Every day, 70% of smokers want to
quit; some cite health reasons; for others, it is for family, includ-
ing pregnancy and finances. Many smokers now cite social disap-
proval and the inconvenience of smoking outdoors, motivating
them to quit. Smokers who are not ready to quit believe they will
stop at a future date. They tell our researchers that health-wise,
smoking isn’t making them sick. They love the social aspect of
smoking and knocking off for a cigarette whenever they can. No
one can feel the subtle changes in their bodies that lead to dis-
ease or gene mutation (affecting future generations), which is
why smoking is so dangerous. The Tobacco Industry has gone

33
to great lengths to hide the toxins to stop you from having head-
aches, coughing, nausea, or vomiting every time you light up. In
some ways, it’s a shame, but your body compensates for your
actions to keep you on your feet (a survival mechanism).

You will need to be strongly motivated to stop smoking.

Look at your commitment contract and determine wheth-
er the reasons you cited for quitting smoking are solid moti-
vators for you. Now do the following motivational exercise. It
may leave you exhausted, but it will help you think through
the ­consequences of not quitting. Then you can experience the
peace of being smokefree.

 You will need a small mirror

 Ensure you will not be interrupted

 As you work through the exercise, try to remain relaxed

 Get yourself comfortable

 Inhale deeply and exhale slowly every so often to remain

relaxed

 You must be willing to feel the pain attached to not giving up

smoking

Are you ready? Let’s start.

Deep breathe in and exhale slowly

Deep breathe in and exhale slowly

Think about your smoking

34
How much has smoking cost you so far?

How much have you lost by being a smoker? Be honest with your-
self. Stop and think about it. Feel the weight on your body from being
a smoker. Think of your relationships with others; what has it cost
you? Think of the situations you have been in where you wished
you did not have to smoke. Feel the feeling and hurt when people
are rude to you about your smoking. Feel the lack of confidence you
experience when you find yourself in situations where you are the
only smoker. Picture yourself at a wedding, watching the proceed-
ings, wishing they would hurry up so you could have a cigarette.

What is smoking costing you emotionally?

Picture yourself at a dinner you have just arrived to find it is a

non-smoking table. Picture yourself making an excuse to go out-
side for a cigarette. Feel how it feels to isolate yourself from your
non-smoking family and friends so you can smoke.

How do you feel about being a smoker?

Does it make you feel confident, or does it cover your lack of

confidence? Does it make you self-conscious, powerful or weak,
in control or out of control, free or trapped? Is smoking costing
you physically? Would a stranger know you are a smoker by the
coughing interrupting your conversation, or the lines above your
lip or your yellow and missing teeth? Do you look older than
your years? Do your take measures to hide the smell of tobacco
on your clothes?

Is smoking costing you financially? How do you feel about spend-

ing all that money on cigarettes? Is your money going up in smoke?

35
Look into the mirror.

How do you look?

Can you see the lines and wrinkles

around your mouth that show you
are a smoker? How do you feel?
What kind of role model are you
for your children? What kind of
role model are you for anybody?

Is smoking affecting you spiritu-

ally? Are you a follower of ­Jesus
Christ? Do you want to please Image by Brian Tran on Flikr
your God? Your life is God’s gift to
you. How you live is your gift to
God. God wants to be in a relationship with you. From the begin-
ning, He has declared that He owns everything, including you. He
says your body is a Holy Temple, for His Holy Spirit to come into
and help you. This promise is real and available to the whole world.
God is holy and pure. There is no place for tobacco’s nasty toxins,
which destroy God’s precious children. God will have His vengeance
on those who have deliberately hurt and killed His children. Think
about these things now. Wouldn’t you love to walk in nature know-
ing God is with you? You would please Him by not smoking and
looking after your body, mind (emotional), and spiritual needs.

Now step forward five years into the future.

As you look into the mirror, imagine you are looking five years into
the future.

36
You said you would quit but didn’t – five more years of doing and
feeling as you do now.

How do you feel? Is being a smoker what you want? What about
your family? How has it affected them? Have any of your friends
become smokefree?

Take a good look in the mirror.

What is your price for believing it is too hard to stop?

What is the price you have paid for remaining a smoker?

How do you feel? More energized or more tired? Is smoking affect-

ing your self-esteem?

What is the price of not stopping costing you physically?

What is the cost to you mentally?

Have you gained weight because you did not have the energy to
exercise? Do you feel better about yourself now or worse?

Do you regret that you didn’t quit years ago?

Now step forward, ten years into the future.

Ten more years of smoking! How time flies! How old are you now?

The Tobacco Industry has been in your wallet for ten more years.

What could you have saved in that time if you had put the money
aside? Who could you have helped with that money?

What are people’s attitudes towards you just because you smoke?

37
Do people think you are weak-willed or lacking character because
you’re still smoking at your age? How does that feel?

How is your chest? Are you coughing? Do you start coughing when
you have a good laugh? Do you have good health or bad health?

Do you regret not stopping years ago when you had the support of
family and friends?

Are you shocked that you have allowed yourself to get to this
place?

Stop here!

Relax. Come back to the present. None of that future has happened.

You can take back control! Deep breath in, exhale slowly. Repeat
until you feel relaxed.

Now continue.

See yourself on your quit date.

Deep breathe in and exhale slowly.

You believe in yourself and in your ability to choose to become and

remain an ex-smoker. How does that make you feel?

Breathe in, and as you do, think of how contented and pleased you
are with your decision to stop smoking.

Breathe out.

You are happy to tell others you are an ex-smoker.

38
Let us review your situation.

The past is gone. You cannot change the past, but you can
change the future. Every day you wake up is a gift from God – a
present. You have enough knowledge from your past quitting expe-
riences to stop permanently, and you are learning more with The
Smokefree System. I can show you how to undo physical addiction.
Can you do your part and stop denying the effect smoking has on
you by facing the realities of tobacco? Take time to write down the
reasons that strongly moti-
vate YOU to stop smoking.
Jot the top three down on a
card and carry it in your wal-
let. Come back to these rea-
sons whenever you need to
reinforce your commitment
to reaching your goal of be-
coming an ex-smoker.

39
Trait 2. Willingness to change behaviors

Stop and think about how willing you are to change your
behaviors around smoking. The higher your importance on stop-
ping, the more likely you will put in the effort needed to change
your behaviors around smoking and other smokers.

Once you have decided you are willing to change your behav-
iors, you will have to work out which behaviors are for the chop.
You can achieve this by identifying the problem behavior, deciding
how you would rather behave, and then working out what steps to
bring about the change. For example:

1) Identify a problem behavior: I expose others to my cigarette

smoke.

2) Reason to change: I do not want to make other people sick or

angry with me for smoking around them.

3) Goal: Never smoke around others.

Steps:

Tell friends, work colleagues, and family I will never

smoke around them again. Ask them to remind me of my
goal if I do

Only smoke outside the car or buildings

Always smoke alone

Date to be achieved: __/__/__

40
 Using the SMART (acronym), write down one problem be-
havior you would like to change today, making it specific, measur-
able, achievable, relevant, and time-framed. You may want to add
another ‘a’ (SMAART) and discuss your goals with a support per-
son to whom you will be ‘accountable.’ To reinforce your behav-
ior change, give the reason for wanting to change it and then the
behavior to replace it if appropriate. Now write out the steps you
need to take to achieve the goal.

41
Trait 3. Positive Attitude

It is essential to adopt a positive

attitude toward stopping smoking.
This will reinforce your sense of im-
portance and confidence to quit. You
base your goal to become smokefree
on your decision to quit and your belief that you will succeed. If
your decision is strong and you believe you will succeed, you will
have a positive and winning attitude, which will see you through
any rough spots. Answer these questions to give you insight into
your attitude. Are you determined to stop smoking? Forever?

not strong strong very strong

How strong is your decision to stop smoking?

Not strong You probably rated a low score on the confidence

scale. Don’t fake it till you make it; instead, learn
what you need to know to shift your attitude and
beliefs. You believe what you tell yourself. Then,
tell yourself that you are confident in your ability
to stop smoking and that your decision to quit is
strong.

Strong Each day, reinforce your decision by telling yourself

you are glad you decided to stop smoking. You see
evidence around you that your decision will pay off.

You know the importance of stopping smoking.

Very strong 
You have accepted that you are stopping forever.

42
 You have the confidence to stop because you are
strongly motivated by your decision to quit and
have already taken some actions to change your
behaviors.

Scoring low in confidence on the readiness to quit scale is

more likely if you usually lack confidence or have failed to stop
smoking after several attempts. You would be the exception if you
stopped smoking on your first quit attempt. Smokers make many
attempts to quit before they finally stop, and each one brings them
closer to finally stopping. However, do you want the years to slip
by between attempts? One research paper found the average num-
ber of attempts was around thirty!16

The Tobacco Industry deliberately addicts you to access your

money. We know that you feel pressure from society to quit, espe-
cially since smoking in public places was banned. Here’s a statis-
tical look at that pressure showing people who would disapprove
or strongly disapprove of you continuing to smoke:17

partners 74.1%

families 76.6%

close friends 60.2%

community 68.4% (men, women, and children)

If you have friends who smoke, you will probably contin-

ue smoking. Why not invite them to quit with you? Misery loves
company; you could do the hard yards of withdrawal together and
schedule pamper sessions and milestone celebrations to keep on
course and turn those frowns upside down. Wouldn’t it be won-
derful to have your whole office team or company go smokefree

43
together? Click here for more information. You could work with
management to devise milestone incentives and an extra week’s
per annum holiday to stay smokefree. The savings in productivity
alone are worth it!

If you weren’t serious about quitting, you would not be using

The Smokefree System. Adjust your attitude if necessary; it is, af-
ter all, your attitude.

Throughout the program, take an active role in thinking

about and changing your beliefs about smoking. Feel your confi-
dence grow as you change your beliefs and handle any subsequent
situations. The knowledge about yourself, nicotine, tobacco, and
smoking can guide you to make healthy, educated decisions that
reinforce your decision to quit smoking and stay smokefree. Keep
a mental picture of yourself as a non-smoker, happy, relaxed, and
enjoying life to the fullest. You will be amazed when you look back
and see your changes.

Knowledge is powerful
when put into action

44
Value your health

I have revealed the characteristics of successful quitters so

that you can acknowledge and, if necessary, strengthen those
traits within yourself. However, underlying those traits is the val-
ue you place on your health. Take time now and think about your
values. What is important in your life? How is smoking affecting
the areas of your life you hold most dear?

It is impossible to value your health and remain a smok-

er. Why did you not value your health more highly? Is it because
you have never consciously thought about your values? As we
grow from infancy to adulthood, we acquire values from our
parents, teachers, and friends. Today, many people value what’s
trending online. Some people are so busy getting on with their
lives that they never deliberately choose their values. Are you be-
ing strongly influenced by what others see as important? What are
your standards?

Put this list of values in order of importance to you. Include values

that are meaningful to you that I have missed:

Love, freedom, power, security, control, adventure, health, suc-

cess, spirituality, honesty, boldness, altruism, compassion, and
dependability.

45
 Where did you place health? Can you move health close to
the top of your values list? Take some time and think about it.
Your health value will reinforce your smokefree decision, and you
won’t relapse even years later. Smoking relapse essentially means
restarting smoking after a period of abstinence. Research shows
that relapse rates in the first-year average 60–90%.18 Globally, the
relapse rate is greater than 90% over time.

That number is not surprising when you learn that peo-

ple who haven’t yet quit are considered to be ‘hard-core’
smokers. It’s a lie. Most people (4%) don’t know help is avail-
able in the form of counseling services. Many smokers try to
quit with Nicotine Replacement Therapy which contains nico-
tine. Many free services offer limited sessions, which may not
be enough to get the client through this complex process. For
the client struggling to establish a new smokefree lifestyle, all
sorts of factors combine to make them at high risk for relapse,
for ­example:

your race, genetics, and how the environment, your be-

haviors, and your diet affects the way your genes work
(termed epigenetics)

environment, friends that smoke, saboteurs

46
 years of smoking, how you smoke, number and type
per day

poverty, education, income

stress, anxiety, depression, mental health issues

years of smoking, the number of smokes, and how you

smoke

These things can be seen as obstacles to discuss with your coun-

sellor. The second you add nicotine, you are in trouble. Please don’t per-
mit yourself to smoke or vape.

NOT ONE PUFF!

The Tobacco Industry has misled smokers. E-cigarettes have not

been verified by research to use as a stop-smoking aid. Science
is not establishing the safety of e-cigarettes. Meanwhile, some
governments have approved
e-cigarettes to be used. The re-
sult is growing addiction in teen- Be alert and of
agers. New research shows that sober mind. Your
“switching to e-cigarettes is not
enemy the devil
associated with relapse preven-
prowls around
tion for cigarette smoking in US
adults.”18 The study also showed like a roaring
when people had no nicotine lion looking
products in their system, they did for someone to
better at not relapsing. devour.
Are you vaping? You will 1 Peter 5:8
need to stop vaping and ­smoking

47
and complete the reset of your brain, liver, and lifestyle. Your
chance of relapse will be 0%. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? You
can be smokefree and beat the odds when you align your beliefs
and attitudes to your values and put your trust in God. Jesus said
many things to strengthen you and give you hope. Take your con-
cerns and worries to him, and He will give you rest and peace. I
have included a glossary of His words to support your journey;
you will be blessed by reading them. Every morning when you
wake up, thank God for the ‘present.’ It is full of blessings.

48
Dream and create a better life

Awareness of the things important to you can change the di-

rection of your life for the better. You have started to change the
way you look at smoking, so there will be a shift in the fabric of
your life. Your limiting beliefs are losing their power over you. You
will stop smoking even if your friends aren’t ready yet. You are an
incredible individual. You always were. You are worth all the time
and effort it takes to live a good and healthy life. If anyone is telling
you differently, they are a liar. You deserve to treat yourself well.
You cannot be at your best for your family, friends, and commu-
nity unless you take care of yourself first. When Helen Keller was
asked, “Is anything worse than being blind?” She said, “Yes, to have
sight, but no vision.”

Life should not just happen to you. Take the initiative. Be

proactive and creative as you organize and respond to life’s chal-
lenges. Do you still have your dreams? Do you remember your
childhood dreams? What
dreams are you still wait-
ing to fulfil? Use the extra
money you have from not
smoking to make your
dreams happen!

Writing down your

dreams and goals is an ef-
fective way to get things
started. Find the time to
Image by brgfx on freepik.com
enjoy your life. Choose to

49
be spontaneous; choose to enjoy the process of your life. If it is not
what you want it to be, change it! Your life is worth creating!

You are taking back control.

Try the following questions to get you thinking:

What is the most outrageous thing you want to do in your life?

Is there anywhere in the world you would like to visit?

Who would you want to take with you?

Who has dropped out of your life that you would like to see again?

What would you say to them?

50
What would it be if you could learn something new before you die?

If you were on your deathbed, what would be your biggest

regret?

Who needs to know you love them?

What dreams do you have, and how will you make them happen?

51
Remember

 Successful quitters have three traits in common:

Strong motivation

Willingness to change smoking behaviors

A positive attitude

 Know what strongly motivates you

 Do the exercises if you need to strengthen your motivation

 Writing down goals and the steps necessary to achieve them

will automatically change your behaviors around smoking
and other smokers

 Change your behaviors by proactively planning your

strategies

 Work on maintaining a positive attitude

 It is impossible to value your health and remain a smoker

 Placing health high on your values list will lead to better deci-
sion-making

 Be creative as you respond to life’s challenges

52
Self-talk – affects the way we act
The way we talk to ourselves has a direct effect on the way
we feel and act. For example, as you inhale deeply on a cigarette,
telling yourself that you enjoy smoking reinforces your desire
to keep smoking. Or, you may be running on autopilot, which
means you are unaware of the positive things you are saying
about smoking.

Cigarettes trick your body into reinforcing the belief that you
enjoy smoking. First, the chemicals carbon monoxide and nico-
tine contained in your cigarette cause you to be more relaxed and,
strangely enough, at the same time, also give you a heightened
sense of alertness, concentration, and energy. Second, while your
body is being poisoned, you feel great because when you smoke,
you relieve the persistent craving caused by falling nicotine levels.
Ultimately, these two events and your self-talk undermine your
decision not to quit.

Telling yourself that this is not a good time to stop is an ex-

ample of negative self-talk based on the belief that smoking helps
you cope with life’s stresses. This kind of self-talk reinforces your
desire to smoke and sabotages your attempts to quit. The simple
truth is life is full of stress, some good and some bad.19 20 If be-
ing stressed is why you want to keep smoking, you will always be
a smoker. If you stop successfully, will you start again when you
experience a significant life trauma such as the death of a loved
family member or friend? Unfortunately, even minor stresses will
trigger you to smoke because your brain has become sensitized to
stress. We can’t avoid stresses such as illness, chronic pain, anxi-
ety, hunger, and lust. Added to this list is addiction itself.21 You will

53
be temporarily disadvantaged when you quit until you resolve the
nicotine addiction. I will help you get through it. It will pass!

Addictions become worse

over time, not better.

Telling yourself that you won’t be able to enjoy social occa-

sions without smoking is also poor self-talk. The truth is smoking
does not add to a social situation; the opposite is true. How can
you enjoy social events properly when you have to leave to go out-
side and smoke? As an ex-smoker, you can prepare yourself before
a social event by rehearsing relaxing, smiling, laughing, and enjoy-
ing being with people without the need to smoke.

Don’t allow programs that promote smoking to run in your

head unchallenged. Now is the right time to stop smoking. It
wouldn’t be your life if you couldn’t handle it. The cravings for
cigarettes are going to stop. The artificial benefits of smoking are
greatly outweighed by the benefits you will receive from becom-
ing an ex-smoker. Non-smokers who eat a balanced diet enjoy all
those benefits, especially energy, time, and health.

I will teach you a way to smoke called Focused Smoking,

which allows your brain to receive the correct messages about
what is happening to your body. It will be your job to use Focused
Smoking every time you smoke until your quit date.

As you begin to get control of your self-talk, you will also need
to become aware of what triggers your desire to smoke. Triggers

54
can be anything that causes you to want a cigarette. An obvious
trigger is seeing someone on television light up a cigarette. They
light up, and soon you find yourself with a cigarette. It may, how-
ever, be a more subtle trigger like feeling satisfied with completing
a job, thinking, “Right, that’s done, I’ll knock off and have a coffee
and a fag.” In this example, the feeling of a job well done may be
the trigger to smoke or the sight, smell, or taste of the coffee. Your
job is to identify and eliminate all your triggers by changing how
you do things or using powerful, positive self-talk.

As an ex-smoker, you will contend with life and all its stresses
without the aid of cigarettes. I will assist you in identifying which
stressors are acting as triggers to keep you smoking. I will also
teach you new coping mechanisms, and you can reactivate old
ones, which will help you cope with life. There are always better,
healthier ways to handle stress without resorting to cigarettes. I
will talk more about triggers in chapter four, but in the meantime,
I want to introduce you to The Gardener.

The Gardener – understanding self-talk

The Gardener concept gives you a way to think about your

self-talk. It helps you identify and challenge the thoughts running
through your mind that encourage you to remain a smoker. This
concept also applies to the sabotaging words of the people who
want you to keep smoking.

Nicotine, whether vaped, inhaled, or chewed, is seriously ad-

dictive. It only takes a few days to get addicted. It is no longer a
gradual process due to the scientific engineering of the product’s

55
effects on the brain. After you started smoking your first cigarette,
you unwittingly planted the seed of addiction within your body.22
When you planted the seed, you also became The Gardener of
that seed. Over time, you have nurtured the seed. Every time you
inhaled, you were feeding the seed, the source of your addiction.
With every cigarette you smoked, it grew. As it grew, it demanded
more food, so you smoked more cigarettes over time. It grew and
grew and sprouted shoots, which ran rampant through your body
and your life. Soon you had no choice about smoking. You had to
nurture the seed. It demanded it! You respond to the seed of addic-
tion in your body, calling for nourishment every time you light up.

When you try to quit or reduce the number of cigarettes you

smoke, you cut off the supply of nutrients to the seed. The seed re-
sponds immediately by demanding to be fed. Because you are The
Gardener who looks after it, you enter into an internal battle with
yourself, a battle of willpower. The battle quickly becomes a war
when you don’t respond to the seed. When you use willpower to
fight the seed, you set yourself up for failure. You spend the whole
time torturing yourself, trying not to think about smoking, which
is impossible. If I tell you not to think of a blue elephant, what is
your first thought? The battle is characterized by negative self-talk
or the worst kind of positive self-talk. You may recognize the fol-
lowing examples of self-talk reported by ex-smokers:

“You know you’ll put on weight if you stop smoking; you’re al-
ready too fat! You’re better off smoking.” (Sue, 38 yrs)

“Go on, have one; one won’t hurt. “ (James, 41 yrs)

“Gosh, you feel like a cigarette, go on, you’ve done well, you
deserve one! One won’t hurt.” (Jackie, 37 yrs)

56
 “You’ve failed before; what makes you think this is any differ-
ent? Go on, you may as well have one.” (Joan, 67 yrs)

“I am not ready to quit yet, but one day I will.” (David, 40 yrs)

If you allow self-defeating talk to determine your path, you

can guarantee that path is not the one you would walk if you had
your time over again. Do not think of being in a battle to stop
smoking; instead, use The Smokefree System to arm yourself with
knowledge about addiction and recovery.

Stop being The Gardener.

You have a new job. Nip the sabotaging and negative self-talk
in the bud by taking on the job description of:

The Weed Control Officer

 Your first job is to say STOP. The seed will not be fed

 Recognize and neutralize poor self-talk

 Identify all triggers and self-talk which support smoking

 Eliminate triggers, including getting rid of smoking equipment

 Use strong, positive self-talk on yourself and all saboteurs

How will you know when the seed is calling for nourishment?
You will experience a feeling of ‘needing’ something. It will be an
empty, lonely feeling you may experience as hunger. Or, you may

57
experience it as a direct demand for a cigarette. When you recog-
nize the seed calling to you, neutralize the negative self-talk and
replace them. Here are some new non-smoking thoughts:

 I am free to be me

 I love life

 I am healthy

 No, thanks. I love not smoking!

 It’s my choice; I choose life

 Freedom

 I can do anything I decide to do

 I take care of my body; it’s my only one

 The truth has set me free

In life's weeds, find the daisies!

58
Write down one or two that you will use every time you recognize
the seed calling for nourishment.

Your subconscious is happy to accept any thoughts you give

it. Even if you’re not convinced initially, use strong statements to
feel good about stopping smoking. You are not ‘giving up’ any-
thing. You are not depriving yourself. You are liberating yourself,
setting yourself free. You are taking back control.

TIP: Feeling deprived can bring up resentment. If you begin

acting out against yourself or others – STOP! Check physical
first. Have you eaten healthy food in the past two hours and had
a big glass of water? If not, you may be suffering from low blood
sugar and dehydration. Please sort something delicious to eat.
Drink water. Please take responsibility for your decision to stop
smoking, this is on you, and you are doing great. Don’t be an-
gry or resentful of others. You are quitting for you. If you quit
for any other reason, you may relapse. Plan to treat yourself to
something you like doing – a walk by the beach, coffee with a
friend, and so on. When you feel better, you will realize the seed
of addiction is strong in you, but you are stronger!

By the way, many gardeners have assistants. Remember that

other smokers have a vested interest in you continuing to smoke.

59
They need you in the same boat as them. Please be wary of their
comments. Take time and think about situations that could arise
before their pro-smoking talk confronts you. The Gardener within
them is speaking to you, encouraging you, baiting you. One drag,
and you will be hooked again. You know the truth. If you are of-
fered a cigarette, say:

“No thanks, I love

not smoking!”

Try answering the following questions to test your understanding

of The Gardener concept.

1. Who is The Gardener?

2. Where is the seed of addiction planted?

3. How does The Gardener nurture the seed?

60
4. List some Gardener-type comments about smoking.

5. When have you hidden your smoking from others?

6. What lies have you been told by the cigarette companies and
other smokers that keep you smoking?

61
Now check your answers

1) You are ‘The Gardener’ when you nurture the seed of ad-
diction.

2) The seed is planted in your body. You will experience it as a

feeling of ‘emptiness’ or loneliness or even a direct demand
for a cigarette.

3) By allowing yourself to smoke.

4) Your answer will be pro-smoking:

“I enjoy smoking.”

“You can’t prove smoking kills people.”

5) Here are some sample answers from ex-smokers:

“Before going to the doctor, I would remove all signs that I was
still smoking.”

“My dentist would always comment on my stained teeth, so I

changed dentist.”

6) For many years Tobacco Companies insisted smoking was

not addictive. Their excuse for not releasing the complete list
of chemicals is that people would copy their product.

62
Put The Gardener out of work

You must rid yourself of all your illusions about smoking and
see it for what it is. Let the truth sink in; accept it. Talk to yourself
about the truth about tobacco. Retrain your brain. Please don’t al-
low your self-talk to go unchecked because it controls your behav-
ior. For example, when you hear The Gardener’s voice saying:

I enjoy smoking; it relaxes me

It’s too late for me to stop smoking

I always fail at everything I do

I want to smoke, but I know it’s making me sick

Capture those nasty thoughts and dismantle them one by one.

They are not your truth. They are lies told to you by God’s ene-
my Satan, Big Tobacco, the media, parents, teachers, strangers,
friends, and YOU. You could probably think of times when your
words hurt someone. Since Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, it has
become part of human nature to put others down to make our-
selves feel better. Weirdly, even beating themselves up can give
some people pleasure and excuses them from living their real
lives. Can you identify any self-destructive thoughts stopping you
from living your best life?

63
 Sadly, many words spoken carelessly or in anger become
self-fulfilling prophecies. For example, a parent repeatedly tells
a child they are stupid; they may struggle at school and think
they can’t learn when the lessons get more challenging. Instead
of trying to keep up, they give up. They believe the words spoken
to them are true. So, they find ways to hide ‘their failure’ or act
out, disrupting the class. If you were one of these dear children,
I understand.

The failure belongs to the historical, traditional, and cultur-

al systems that we live in. You, dear friend, must shake loose of
what keeps you smoking now and step up for yourself. It’s time
for you to become your best friend. Speak words of comfort and
support to yourself as memories arise. Sit quietly with the sad-
ness, remember the child you were, and let the emotion wash over
you. Breathe peacefully. When you are ready, think about this new
life you want for yourself and your family, free of self-destructive
behaviors. If you don’t have a family, it’s in your power to unite
with your community. Lonely, disabled, refugee families, business-
es, and so forth need you. You are no longer a child. It is your voice
now that has the power. You are God’s hands; on earth, you can see
why Satan wants to destroy you.

64
 When you start thinking and acting like a Weed Control Of-
ficer, your ability to recognize and replace stinking thinking will
grow faster and more precise. Your brain is fantastic at repairing
itself. Kill the seed and put The Gardener out of work. Here are
some thoughts your brain would thrive on:

I enjoy working on my goals

I reach the goals I set

My body is healing and feels great

I love trying out new hobbies

I feel the energy flowing through me when I walk in

nature

It would help if you came up with thoughts you relate to and grow
your potential. Write them in your journal daily and develop ideas
about your future from them.

Understanding drug culture

Smokers are the kind

of people who lend a ciga-
rette to a stranger or are
ready with their light-
er when someone can’t
find one. Indeed, one can
envy smokers for their
ability to start friendly

65
c­ onversations with strangers they meet when they go outside
for a cigarette. Smokers portray the sense that they belong to
a group because they do! The reason this happens is because
of a phenomenon called drug culture. Unfortunately, the group
is based on a drug culture that supports smoking.23 Look at the
following list of drug culture behaviors and see if you recognize
your behaviors. Tick the ones that apply to you.24

 Denies health effects smoking causes

 States smoking isn’t a problem

 Welcomes new smokers into the group

 Join other smokers for breaks from work

 Justifies their own need to smoke

 Plays down smoking as just a bad habit

 Uses smoking as a coping mechanism when under stress

 Stereotypes non-smokers as boring or unfriendly

Initially, you may have started smoking to belong to a group

of people who you found stimulating and fun but who smoked.
Maybe your peers encouraged you to ‘try’ a cigarette, or perhaps
your parents smoked, and you thought it was normal. Did smoking
make you feel grown-up? Whatever the reason you started smok-
ing, it is no longer the reason you keep smoking.

66
 Now, you have the benefit of hindsight and have chosen your
reasons for stopping smoking. It is time to break free of the drug
culture that supports, encourages, and keeps you smoking year
after year. You are aware of the consequences of smoking. If you
continue to smoke, you have a one in two chance of dying from a
smoking-related disease. You know smoking is dangerous; please
don’t play it down!

We are social creatures, and so there will be times when

you will feel lonely or isolated. The groups we want to belong to
share common traits and interests with us, like religion, cultur-
al beliefs, sports, hobbies, and so on – not those based on drug
culture.

People sharing an addiction

should only meet to
support recovery.

67
Remember

 Kill the seed of addiction and put The Gardener out of work

 The Gardener concept gives you a way to think about how you
nurture the seed of addiction

 Become the Weed Control Officer and nip poor self-talk in

the bud

 The way we talk to ourselves has a direct effect on the way we

feel and behave

 Recognize and neutralize negative stinking thinking (negative

self-talk)

 Identify and eliminate both obvious and subtle triggers

 The chemicals nicotine and carbon monoxide reinforce our

poor self-talk

 Relieving the craving for nicotine may temporarily make you

feel better, but the stress is still there

 When you quit, you may temporarily feel stressed. It will pass

 Counter the automatic programs (autopilot) that run in your

head with strong positive statements

 Gardeners have assistants, be ready to challenge the sabotag-

ing words of the people who want you to smoke

68
Focused Smoking – for every cigarette
There is a powerful tool at your disposal to use every time
you smoke until the day you quit. It is a method called Focused
Smoking. Once you learn it, use it every time you smoke until you
stop smoking completely.25 Please don’t give yourself permission
not to use it because you want to enjoy a social cigarette. Any ex-
cuses you make to stop using this method is The Gardener nour-
ishing the seed of addiction. You can have the cigarette but smoke
it the Focused Smoking way and work on your self-talk to avoid
sliding away from your decision to quit. While preparing to use
the method, look for the trigger that prompted you to want the
smoke. Remember, your ability to
stop smoking is affected significant-
ly by how important it is to quit and
how confident you are in your ability
to stop. Add to this your current mo-
tivation level, and it is not difficult to
assess your chances of success.

Triggers – overcoming your automatic responses

Triggers, you will remember, can be anything that causes you

to want a cigarette. Triggers can be a place, a person, a smell, or
even an emotion. Identifying your triggers on the smoking log is im-
portant because you can find workable solutions to overcome them.
When you identify a trigger, record it and its solution. If the solu-
tion does not work, try another one. If you can’t think of a solution,
ask someone for help. It is essential to have an alternative behavior
in place that will help you overcome automatically responding to

69
your triggers with a cigarette. For example, you usually have a cig-
arette when you make phone calls. The phone rings (trigger), and
you think to yourself, “Where are my smokes (poor self-talk)?” You
grab your smokes and answer the phone (pro-smoking behavior).
Having identified the phone as a trigger and acknowledged your
self-defeating thinking, you plan an alternative behavior by placing
a pen and paper by the phone and practicing alternative thoughts.
You are now ready. The phone rings. You go to answer it thinking,
“Great, I feel like a chat. I hope it’s for me.” You pick up the phone
and start talking (doodle if necessary). Make a list as you identify
triggers and find solutions to combat them.

Trigger Solution

70
How to smoke until you quit: Focused Smoking

Every time you have a cigarette, use Focused Smoking and

then record the following details on the Focus Smoking Log:

 Date and time of the cigarette

 Name the trigger that caused you to want that cigarette

 Rate how important it is for you to stop smoking

 Rate how confident you are that you will stop smoking

 Rate how motivated you are to stop smoking

 Record the total of these ratings

The total of your ratings is called your Success Rating (see

page 4). Use your Success Rating to monitor and adjust your at-
titude or actions whenever you have a cigarette. If your Success
Rating falls below ten, you are in a high-risk period. You should
not put yourself into situations where you will have difficulty cop-
ing. For example, if your scores total seven, do not attend a party
where people will be smoking and drinking. Instead, recognize
you are at risk and will need to be careful. If your Success Rating
is under five, seek help from a support person or a stop-smoking
counselor.

Don’t just record the information but use it to help you

think about and develop strategies to deal with your self-talk,
beliefs, and behaviors around smoking and other smokers. Make
it your business to identify and eliminate triggers every time you
smoke.

71
 Using the Focused Smoking method is unpleasant but guaran-
tees you will reduce your desire to smoke. Look for the times when
you are most vulnerable and plan your strategies. Use the log to
monitor your progress toward becoming a successful quitter. You
may wish to photocopy this log before using it for the first time.

The commitment has to come from you to use Focused Smok-

ing every single time you smoke. No exceptions! You must focus on
every cigarette so that your body can give you the correct informa-
tion about what is happening to you. Please stop talking to others
while you have a cigarette. Stop being social while smoking. Don’t
have coffee or tea when you have a cigarette. When you smoke,
you must only smoke. Nothing else; smoke the cigarette and focus
on everything happening to your body.

It is time for your first cigarette using Focused Smoking:

 STOP. Get ready to focus on the whole smoking ritual.

Go outside where you will not be disturbed

 Think about why smoking is banned indoors. Consider that

globally, 1.2 million people (mainly children) die from sec-
ond and third-hand smoke exposure every year. When you’re
ready to focus on yourself:

 Get out your packet of cigarettes and open it.

Remove a cigarette, look at it, and feel it

72
 Light the cigarette.
Tell yourself that the cigarette is not your friend. It is a ciga-
rette, a drug delivery device. Acknowledge that the nicotine
in the cigarette is addictive, a drug that has changed the anat-
omy of your brain. Try not to personalize your words when
talking about cigarettes.

 Shut out of your mind the sights and sounds around you.
Concentrate only on the cigarette.

 Start smoking and listen to your body. FOCUS.

Give your mind permission to feed you the correct infor-
mation about what is happening to you. Feel your body’s
response to the poisonous fumes. Feel the heat in the
fumes. Tell yourself that the heat is causing a chemical re-
action (combustion) that makes cigarette smoke even more
­dangerous.

 Focus on each drag you take.

What is your brain telling you about the cigarette’s taste,
smell, and chemicals? Tell yourself you can taste the
chemicals and don’t like the taste. Tell yourself you don’t
want the smell on your breath, hair, and clothes.

 What is the truth about what is happening to your body?

Continue to tell your mind to give you the correct infor-
mation about what is happening to your body. Use ‘I feel’
words.

73
 Keep focusing on every drag until your cigarette is finished.
Listen and focus on what you are thinking and feeling. The To-
bacco Industry has hidden the truth behind sweeteners, flavor-
ings, and numbing agents. Still, your body is awake now you feel
the lies.

 Now, don’t just put it out. Stub it out!

 Using a positive and enthusiastic voice,

tell yourself:

“I am becoming an ex -smoker. I will be free forever!”

Follow these instructions each time you have a cigarette

between now and your quit date, and fill in the Focused Smok-
ing Log after each cigarette (see below). My research shows that
people who use Focused Smoking every time they have the urge
to smoke want to stop smoking before their quit dates. Focused
Smoking was demanding work for some of my clients who pri-
oritized being social (drug culture) over becoming an ex-smoker.
The solution was not to be able to see each other as they ‘focused
smoked.’

74
Focused Smoking Log
Success
Date/Time Trigger Importance Confidence Motivation
Rating

75
Success Rating Scale

Not Important 1 Slightly Important 2 Important 3

Quite Important 4 Very Important 5

Importance + Confidence + Motivation = Success Rating

15 = Excellent 10–14 = Great 3–9 = Danger, you are at risk

At the end of each day, plot the number of cigarettes you

smoked on the following graph. You will be able to get this number
from your Focused Smoking Logs. This tool will help you monitor
your progress. Please do not use it to reduce the number of ciga-
rettes you smoke deliberately; instead, allow a natural fall-off in
the number you smoke. Studies show that people who cut down
by 60% of their usual intake experience the same craving as those
who stop entirely. The Smokefree System is designed to address
cravings in conjunction with Focused Smoking, thus ensuring
your brain receives the correct information and begins to repair
and recover. As a result, you will see a significant decline in the
number of cigarettes used and an increase in your desire to be an
ex-smoker.

76
Focused Smoking Graph

30

25

20

15

10

M T W T F S S M T W T F S S

This graph should be sufficient if you have followed my advice and

set your quit date to within two weeks of starting The Smokefree
System: Taking Back Control.

77
Remember

 Focused Smoking takes you off autopilot when you smoke

and alerts your body to the effects of the smoke

 Listen to your body

 Triggers will prompt you to smoke

 Name each trigger and then find workable solutions

 The Focused Smoking Log helps you:

Identify and eliminate your triggers

Monitor and adjust trigger solutions

It shows when and where you are vulnerable

Success Rating – use it to monitor and change your

attitude, self-talk, strategies, and so forth

 Use the graph to track your progress

78
 Focused Smoking Method
Light the cigarette.
Shut out of your mind the sights
and sounds around you.
As you smoke, listen to your body.
FOCUS.
Focus on every drag you
take on the cigarette.
Listen to your body.
What is happening? FOCUS.
Keep focusing until you have
finished the cigarette.
Now, don’t just put it out. Stub it out.

Use a positive and enthusiastic

voice to tell yourself, “I will be free.”

79
Addiction or habit?
Facing the idea that you are addicted to nicotine may be diffi-
cult. Being addicted doesn’t mean you are weak. However, it does
mean your body has changed and now wants nicotine.26 Nicotine
is a fast-acting, addictive chemical that stimulates nerves in the
brain’s reward center to give you pleasure. The reward center is
where your basic drives originate for survival, food, water, and
sex. The normal functioning of the reward center is crucial for hu-
man survival.

When you inhale nicotine, it reaches your brain in seven sec-

onds. Then dopamine, a chemical messenger, is released, reliev-
ing your craving and giving you a sense of pleasure. However,
brain imaging of smokers shows nicotine destroying the enzyme
that regulates the chemical dopamine. Nicotine takes the place
of a chemical messenger (acetylcholine), which controls smooth
muscle contraction, and blood vessel dilation and slows the
heart rate.

80
Nicotine is the perfect chemical shape to fit into slots in your
brain’s reward center. But because you repeat the behavior of tak-
ing puffs, the reward center becomes corrupted – hijacked! You
probably prefer smoking to survival needs, such as healthy food,
water, and sex. Damaging this natural system can lead to prob-
lems with feeling pleasure from daily activities until you light your
smoke. It also causes you to smoke more and may lead to depres-
sion and a situation where you cannot feel pleasure as you once
did. Some people add activities that quickly become a problem to
get satisfaction. Alcohol and other drug use, gambling, over-eat-
ing, and sexual and retail addictions are common among smokers.
The loss of natural pleasures can cause people to look for some-
thing that will make them feel better. Unfortunately, each time
they ‘self-medicate,’ they receive a reward, a ‘hit’ of dopamine, and
do it again. There is hope! Your brain can heal, thanks to our God,
who knew we would need a way out of the rabbit hole.

Yes, your body has a fantastic ability to heal itself. Be strong.

Facing the fact that you are addicted means you can start the chal-
lenge of getting free and healing.

Hello, my name is , and I am a nicotine

addict.

Can you say you are addicted to nicotine? Nicotine addicts are cre-
ated by Big Tobacco’s strategies. If you own your actions, you are
on the way to recovering your freedom.

The equation for addiction

Physical Dependency + Emotional Dependency

81
Are you physically dependent on nicotine?
Tick if yes.

 You smoke even when you are sick

 You are not concerned about the effect of smoking on your

health

 You have tried to quit in the past

 You will smoke outside even if it’s raining or freezing cold

 The best smoke is the one after a large meal

 You experience withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop

 You start the day with a cigarette

Your level of physical dependence may range from low to high, de-
pending on how many boxes you ticked. If your level is low.

1–2 Low 3–4 Moderate 5–7 High

 Set and stick to a quit date ______________. If a quit date freaks

you out, stop smoking as you go through this program

 Identify and eliminate triggers

 Replace old behaviors with new, non-smoking behaviors

 Stop smoking and never start again

 Create a smokefree lifestyle

82
If you are moderately to high level physically dependent on nico-
tine, quitting will require you to do everything as above and:

 Set and stick to a quit date ______________

 Tolerate withdrawal symptoms for one to eight weeks

 Treat withdrawal: avoid sugar and processed foods

 Drink eight glasses of water per day to flush your kidneys

 Finish the eight-week course if you are using Nicotine Re-

placement Therapy (NRT) before using this program

 Close your eyes and think about living as an ex-smoker

handling all life challenges easily. You are strong and confi-
dent. You already know the answers which work best for you

 As negative thoughts arise, challenge them; most will be lies

Are you emotionally dependent on cigarettes?

Tick if yes.

 You smoke outside with strangers, not rushing back to the

friends waiting for you to return inside

 There are places you love to smoke

 You become irritable or ashamed when people ask you not

to smoke

 You use smoking to relax or to make yourself more alert

83
 There are specific activities where you smoke more, e.g., starting
the car, having a coffee, and talking with a friend who smokes

 You smoke more when you are worried

 You smoke to give yourself a feeling of well-being

Your level of emotional dependence may range from low to

high, depending on how many boxes you ticked.

1–2 Low 3–4 Moderate 5–7 High

You have repeated your smoking behaviors thousands of times. You

have come to the stage where you will want to light up without con-
sciously realizing it is the event, the place, or the person you are
with acting as a trigger to make you want to smoke. In other words,
you are conditioned to smoke. Smoking has become a habit. Your
level of dependency is a guide to how much planning you may re-
quire to undo the conditioning. Quitting will require you to:

 Decide to quit

 Use Focused Smoking every time you smoke

 Fill in your Focused Smoking Log

 Identify all triggers and find workable solutions

 Eliminate triggers

 Plan hobbies and activities instead of smoking

 Use your support system

 Stop smoking

84
 Why me? You repeatedly inhaled the two very addictive
chemicals, nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine reaches
your brain within seven seconds.27 28 It stimulates your central
nervous system, making you feel alert and energetic. It also
acted at the same time to make you feel relaxed. Added to this
feel-good effect is carbon monoxide’s calming effect on you. To-
bacco has many chemical actions within your body. It affects
normal functions and, in some cases, cell structure. You will
consider some of those effects desirable, but others will be un-
wanted and even harmful. Finding a safe dose is impossible as
people consume different amounts. Tobacco affects individuals
physically in different ways.29 30 The American Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has classified a cigarette as a drug deliv-
ery device.

There are 600 ingredients in tobacco, and when burned, the

chemical reactions create more than 7000 (https://www.lung.
org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/whats-in-a-cigarette). Seven-
ty of those chemicals cause cancer. Chemicals are added to sta-
bilize and preserve the nicotine, which would otherwise decom-
pose. Some substances slow down the burn rate of the cigarette.
Others are anesthetics for the throat and lungs to stop the burn
and cough, and flavor, to increase your enjoyment. For children,
there is chocolate and other flavors and sweeteners. Menthol
cigarettes are even more dangerous because they allow the user
to draw tar deeper into the lungs. Sadly, asthmatics prefer this
option as they feel the menthol opening their airways. I know
this from first-hand experience. Some countries are moving to
ban menthol because it is so dangerous. Menthol has been re-
peatedly and aggressively lobbied to be exempted as a flavor in
tobacco legislation.

85
TIP: Change brands if you smoke menthols. Stop using menthol
immediately as they cause deeper lung damage which may cause
lung cancer twenty years after quitting. They are easier to smoke
and harder to quit. Quit from another brand.

If nicotine were removed from the cigarette, you would not

bother to smoke unless it was part of a cultural ritual.31 Since time
began, man has used plants to en-
hance his experience of the nat-
ural world and bring him closer Nicotine is a
to the spiritual world. But, never potent poison;
before has the manufacture of to-
one drop can
bacco become so lethal in the his-
kill you
tory of man.

The FDA has proven Brown

& Williamson is using genetical-
ly modified tobacco that gives twice the normal strength of nic-
otine. Usually, the potency of nicotine is manipulated by increas-
ing the amount of ammonia. Consequently, even as smokers try
to cut down or quit, they struggle with a more significant addic-
tion than Tobacco Companies previously exposed to earlier gen-
erations. They may get away with it because, just like the faceless
dead from the COVID pandemic, the millions of smokers are face-
less and perceived to be dead through their fault. WRONG! The
blame is squarely on the Tobacco Industry, which kills with im-
punity, and our governments that permit them to operate within
our communities.

86
 The chemicals Big Tobacco use in the production of cigarettes
and loose tobacco are found in other products, such as those pic-
tured here.

Tick the chemicals you think should be on the cigarette packet’s

label.32 33 34 35 Remember, it’s not possible to list all 7000.

 Nicotine Pesticide

 Carbon monoxide Car exhaust fume

 Tar Has 76 different metals in it

 Ammonia Toilet cleaner

 Acetone Paint stripper

 Arsenic Rat poison

 Methanol Rocket fuel

 Lead Used in batteries

 Naphthalene Mothballs

 Vinyl chloride Makes PVC

87
 Sclareol Lowers the convulsion threshold

 Hydrogen cyanide Gas chamber

 Urethane Varnish

 Phenol Detergent

 DDT Insecticide

 Cadmium Car batteries

 Acetone Nail polish

 Collidine Kills laboratory animals

 Butane Lighter fuel

 Toluene Industrial solvent used to make paint

Tobacco leaves contain a small amount of natural sugar, but the

Tobacco Companies are adding sugar that:

Hide the harsh smoke effect

Make the smoke easier to inhale

Make cigarettes appeal to women and children

Make tobacco more addictive

Increases the number of toxins in the smoke

Big Tobacco adds sugar and cocoa to shorten the time to addic-
tion, thereby catching first-time smokers. The Tobacco Industry is
particularly interested in women and children. The World Health
Organization 2020 report, 22.3% of the global population uses to-
bacco, 36.7% of all men, and 7.8 % of the world’s women.

88
Remember

 Physical Dependency + Emotional Dependency = Addiction

 Replace the behaviors that keep you smoking with behaviors

that will keep you smokefree

 Accepting that you are addicted to nicotine alerts you to the

effort and commitment needed to stop smoking

 You became hooked when you inhaled the two addictive

chemicals, nicotine and carbon monoxide

 There are 7000 chemicals in tobacco, 70 of which cause can-

cer; you don’t want to smoke anymore

 Big Tobacco adds sugar and flavorings to tobacco to make the

smoke easier to inhale, but it also makes it more toxic

89
Recovery – Speed it up
To manage your symptoms of recovery, consider what is hap-
pening to your body and the strategies you can use to help you
cope. Contact your doctor for treatment and support if you are
unfortunate enough to suffer severe symptoms. The usual course
of events is for symptoms to be mild to moderate and to start de-
creasing in severity within three days. If your symptoms persist
for more than ten days:

Ensure no nicotine exposure, including second and

third-hand smoke

Remove sugar and processed foods from your diet

Eat addiction-busting foods

Drink eight glasses of water per day to flush your

kidneys

Reduce caffeine serving by half. In the absence of nico-

tine, caffeine will be more potent, making you feel jittery
and irritable and contributing to sleep irregularities.
It can also cause cravings for cigarettes; therefore, use
good judgment

Avoid alcohol if possible, as it dissolves common sense.

It is also twice as potent in the absence of nicotine.
If you drink, cut your intake by one-half and stay in
a smokefree environment with people you trust not
to smoke and who support your decision to remain
smokefree

90
 Remember that nicotine and its metabolites (made from
your body breaking down nicotine) will leave your body in
three days. Detoxification from the other chemicals takes two
to four weeks, depending on your genetics, age, gender, health,
level of fitness, mental well-being, and environment. What a
mouthful!

Does that sound complex to you? It is difficult and dynamic

because your inner and outer worlds collide every second of the
day. Your body is wondrously made to stay in harmony, so take
time to heal and recover from smoking, and try to…

Exercise in the fresh air

Rest or take a late morning nap

Sleep may be disturbed, but stay in bed

Keep busy with work and leisure activities

Healing includes withdrawal and detoxification and will

switch into recovery, which will continue for many years. It is said
that for every year you smoke, it takes two for your body to heal.
Your ability to enjoy life’s simple pleasures will re-emerge as you
heal, so please give yourself the gift of time. Try the following re-
covery strategies:

Pamper yourself

Take long, relaxing baths

Have a weekly massage

Watch funny films

91
Cravings – expect the unexpected

Craving cigarettes is inevitable when you quit smoking because the

lack of nicotine will cause a biological response. In other words, your
body will want the nicotine even if you don’t. Cravings can cause you
a deep desire to smoke. Don’t be surprised when they hit; accept
them and deal with them. Don’t let the changes in your brain that
cause the cravings get the better of you. Be ready to do the work of
recovery. As soon as you recognize a desire to smoke coming on:

Take a deep breath, take another and relax

Distract yourself for at least 60 seconds (for some peo-

ple, it may be as long as three to ten minutes, but that is
not the norm)

Identify and neutralize the trigger

Put your beautiful brain to work on other matters

Intense cigarette cravings that persist for years despite being

smokefree may indicate a genetic predisposition to nicotine ad-
diction. Unfortunately, this means you are dealing with a disease
process whereby your cravings will compel you to seek nicotine
despite your resolute decision to quit and your best efforts. The
Smokefree System program addresses addiction which stops the
craving process. If intense cravings persist, speak to your doctor
about treating the addiction with long-term drug therapy. Aim to
be an ex-smoker under treatment.

Is it possible you may have the gene for nicotine addiction?

How important have your cigarettes been to you? How much
pleasure do you usually get from smoking on a scale of 0 to 10,
where 0 is no pleasure, and 10 is the most pleasure you can

92
imagine? High scores after ten days on The Smokefree System
indicate a genetic predisposition to nicotine addiction.

 Do past and present members of your family smoke?

 How hard was it for them to stop smoking?

 Have any family died from smoking-related diseases

while still smoking?

Your doctor may recommend medications to help you start the

smokefree journey. Suppose you have a genetic problem and feel
compelled to smoke after doing everything in this program. In that
case, you will need a nicotine product free of all the other harmful
chemicals. Go to the chapter on Stop Smoking Medicines for more
information.
39F

Researchers have NOT identified a ‘nicotine dependence

gene.’ They have found 276 genes associated with nicotine addic-
tion, showing smoking is a heritable disease. Some people quit
more easily than others due to their genes. The same goes for the

93
‘social smoker’ who only smokes occasionally when out drinking
with friends – genes! Here is what the researchers are finding:

genetic factors play a substantial role in nicotine

­dependence

research is consistent across cultures

heritability of the number of cigarettes per day

heritability of smoking initiation was 39% for men

heritability of smoking initiation was 55% for women

heritability of smoking persistence was 59% for men

heritability of smoking persistence was 46% for women

environmental factors contribute early in life

genetic effects tend to be stronger as age increases

genes can reduce enzyme activity

New Research is showing some smokers might not get lung

cancer because their genes help limit changes (mutations) to their
DNA in healthy cells.

Nicotine addiction is a complex neural system disease. That

means nicotine changes your brain structurally (anatomically)
and emotionally (psychologically). The result is you lose control
over how you want to behave. The reward center that sends you
pleasure signals now sends cravings and urges that interfere with
essential aspects of your life. You continue to smoke:

 even when your partner quits

 or becomes pregnant

94
  to concentrate while you study

 even when it costs you important relationships because

you value smoking over people

You pick up with a different crowd because they smoke, and your
friends think it’s disgusting. Giving up important social, occupa-
tional, or recreational activities because you smoke is a good indi-
cator that nicotine has its hooks into you. Indeed, 50% of people
go on to smoke for more than twenty-five years.

The question I would like you to consider at this point is:

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Research clearly shows people who smoke use smoking to cope

with anxiety, depression and stress.

OR

Does smoking and vaping in children and adolescents with devel-

oping brains cause depression, anxiety, and mental health diseases?

95
Multiple studies show links between smoking and vaping and an
increase in the following:

Truancy

Anti-social behavior

Poor well-being

Bullying and being bullied

Drinking alcohol

Using other drugs due to friend association

The best thing we can do to improve our mental health is to stop

smoking. You, dear friend, are at ground zero. If a child starts
smoking, their chances as an adult will be adversely affected. As
parents, we don’t raise children; we raise adults. We don’t own
the children, nor can we do what we like with them! Priming them
to become smokers by exposing them to second-hand smoke and
role-modeling smoking behaviors will result in one in four chil-
dren becoming addicted to nicotine. It may also result in you be-
ing sued by your adult child if they develop a chronic disease, or
it impedes their employment opportunities. Court cases against
employers, Big Tobacco, and parents have been increasing since
the successful judgment of Veronica Bland in 1993 against her
parents. The good news is that your decision to stop smoking will
affect your children. The facts are:

Mom, your smoking has been influencing both your sons

and daughters
Dad, if you live with your family, your smoking has had a
substantial effect on your sons

96
 Very young children (under twelve) exposed to parents
smoking are more likely to become smokers

Parents, you don’t even have to be nicotine dependent to

pass on intergenerational smoking behaviors

To protect your children, yourself, and visitors, it is important to

scrub the residue of poisons coating the painted surfaces and fab-
rics in your home and car. Before you quit, clean your home inside
and out of toxins, and wash your clothes and car. You will remove
the risk to the children. Involve them in your health journey (not
the clean-up it’s toxic), as they will benefit in the long run.

Is your child experimenting with smoking/vaping?

Nicotine hijacks the place of dopamine, the brain chemical

that supports learning, concentration, memory, and motivation. As
the child loses interest in school and withdraws from their usual
friendships and routines, they will be attracted to like-minded com-
panions to find a sense of belonging. They may lie, steal, and be-
come more difficult to parent
to access the resources they
need to feed their growing
habit. Many parents see the Question
child they knew disappear Is deliberately
before their eyes. Nicotine’s exposing children
effect on the developing
to second-hand
brain, depression and anx-
iety increase as serotonin smoke (a known
and other pathways are dis- human carcinogen)
rupted. Teenagers may lock child abuse?
themselves in a dark room to

97
avoid family responsibilities and getting a job. Sadly, the electronic
devices that stimulate the reward centre will keep firing pleasure
signals, and the behavior problems will escalate. Self-regulation
and maturity may be a struggle for children of smoking parents un-
til quite late in life. Indeed, the risk of suicide is high as risk-taking,
depression, low self-esteem, and no sense of future are inherent
dangers to these youth. Parents and teachers may struggle to cope
with the child. They must support each other and not be manipulat-
ed by the child, who will not understand the consequences of their
actions. Prevention is best, and intervention is the alternative. As a
smoker, you can talk to your children; after all, you have been there
and bought the T-shirt! You can help them link smoking and poor
mental health.

90% of adults started smoking as kids. How old were you?

Don’t come across as a hypocrite. Guide your child. Ask them
to support you on your journey to becoming smokefree. Ask
them to quit with you if they have started experimenting.

Are you or your child vaping? Vaping needs serious consider-

ation before using it as a smoking aid. Its use in the US has in-
creased by 900% from 2011 to 2015 and is now 1800% in 2023.
Shops marketing vapes are everywhere, especially in poorer
communities. Governments support vaping, believing it is a saf-
er alternative to combustible tobacco and may help smokers
quit. This is even though its long-term safety is unknown.

The World Health Organization reports the number of va-

pers has been increasing rapidly – from seven million in
2011 to 41 million in 2018. Another 1.3 million teenagers
were added to that number between 2018 and 2019! Vaping

98
is at epidemic numbers! Researchers are reporting smoking
combustible tobacco is being renormalized (Jones, 2020).
Sadly, a device manufactured to help and bought up by Big
Tobacco, corrupted and now marketed to teenagers along
the lines of cigarettes, has set a trap for a new generation of
nicotine addicts. Research is emerging about the health risks
of vaping. You are taking unknown risks if you and your chil-
dren use vaping as a quit-smoking aid. It’s awesome you are
stopping smoking and taking back control of your brain and
body. Imagine waking up tomorrow, springing out of bed,
feeling the air pull into your lungs, and knowing you have a
full day. Don’t waste a day standing around vaping, wasting
time and money. You only have today, don’t waste it!

Why risk delaying or drawing out withdrawal symptoms and

putting yourself at risk of relapse as you submerge yourself in
drug culture behaviors? Is that what you want to do?

Follow auto-pilot rituals that pleasure you

Hang out with other smokers so you are mutually com-

fortable practicing self-harm behaviors

Handle your stress in an unhealthy manner which does

not resolve the issue

Leave the family and friends to go where vapers vape.

Shutting down the knowledge that you are hurting peo-
ple that care about you

Wasting time and money and giving up on education, op-

portunities, and dreams as your life circumstances take
you down a different path, as you lose motivation

99
Talk about their genetic risk of smoking initiation, addiction,
and the problem of stopping. This is a conversation best given
before children start smoking or vaping

Talk about enjoying activities they love

Tell them how smoking corrupts the brain and what that may
mean for the long term

Talk about how the chemicals travel throughout the body, poi-
soning everywhere via the blood vessels

Talk about peer pressure and ways to respond

In Washington, DC, black neighborhoods had ten times more

smoking advertisements than white neighborhoods

Menthol cigarettes are smoked by 90% of black people. These

are the easiest to smoke, do the most damage, and the hardest
to quit

Juul (vaping company) has been targeting children as young

as eight years:

Funding summer camps

Visiting schools – Juul’s representative talk: focused on

wellness but stated vaping was ‘totally safe’

Paying community and church groups to distribute their

materials

E-cigarette use is becoming an epidemic and is used by

children who have never smoked before

100
 Researchers report that people struggling to quit smoking
and dealing with mental health issues were likely to be young
(under 45) with low education and income levels. The findings
­remind me of R J Reynolds Tobacco Company representative’s
reply to a reporter (1978) when asked why the executives don’t
smoke:

“We don’t smoke the shit; we just sell it.

We reserve the right to smoke for

the young, the poor, the black, and the stupid.”

I am convinced that smoking damages the adolescent brain leading

to mental health issues. You be the judge! The chicken or the egg?

First, consider people with mental health disorders:

1. They smoke more cigarettes than the general popula-

tion (7.1% consume 34.2% of all cigarettes in the US)

2. More smokers are diagnosed with disorders than

those who don’t smoke (28.2% vs. 15.8%)

3. Smokers are over-represented in people with severe

mental disorders

4. 70–85% of people with schizophrenia smoke, alerting

researchers to the need to explore how nicotine helps
this group. A safe drug is being developed that mimics
nicotine

5. 50–70% of people with bipolar disorder smoke

101
 6. 65–85% of people in substance abuse programs also
smoke

7. Smoking-related diseases take the lives of people with

mental health disorders

8. 53% of deaths among people with schizophrenia

9. 48% of those with bipolar disorder

10. 50% of those with depression36

The fantastic news is that quitting smoking saves lives.

Schools and parents must support each other to stop children

from accessing vapes and tobacco. I hope people like you will be-
come Smokefree Champions and speak out when you can protect
children.

Researchers working on the nicotine vaccine have success-

fully performed animal trials in Great Britain.37 The vaccination
will cause your body to make antibodies that will attach to the
nicotine and prevent it from passing out of your bloodstream into
your brain. The researchers have been unable to translate these
results to humans at this stage.38 Seriously though, do you want
another vaccine when the designer of your body has given you ev-
erything you need to heal?

Remember, it is harder to decide to quit and start the process

than go through it. When you stop smoking, give your brain the
time it needs to adjust to the lack of nicotine. Accept and tolerate
any signs and symptoms. They will all pass. Your body has a lot of
work to eliminate the toxic chemicals and heal itself. I have found no

102
documented cases of people quit-
ting smoking needing to be hos-
pitalized. You need to be serious
about quitting and apply what
you already know about yourself
from your past attempts to quit.
What worked for you, and what
did not work? The key to success
is to stop in both a positive and a
peaceful frame of mind.39

Knowledge is Power
when you act on it

103
The Sea of Addiction

The following story will help you understand the changes made to
your brain by repeatedly inhaling nicotine. A key to the analogy is
at the end.

Danny loved sailing his boat on the Sea of Addiction, alone or

with friends; he enjoyed being on the water. He loved it when the
water was calm, allowing him to kick back and relax. Danny loved
it when it was rough, making him feel confident and invigorated.
He was king.

Danny had been taking his boat out regularly for so long now
that he had forgotten what it felt like to stay on dry land. He didn’t
have the time or inclination to follow up on his goal to get fit and
hike to Mount Everest’s base camp with his school friend, Craig. He
couldn’t relate to the land lovers who wanted him to stay on shore.

One day while Danny was out sailing, his mobile rang. Danny
was shocked to hear the news – his father, a veteran sailor, was
lost at sea, presumed drowned in the mountainous waters off the
Coast of Tobacco. Danny was numb. He, too, had been sailing more
frequently in those waters. Danny wanted to help rescue his fa-
ther, but sadly it was too late. In his heart, Danny knew if he kept
going to sea, it would claim him too. He saw the look of hope in his
family’s eyes when he discussed plans to stay ashore. Suddenly
Danny was sick of being at sea and tired of being tossed about by
the wind and waves. He would give it up for good.

But as time passed, Danny would come down to stand on the

Shore of Freedom and look longingly out to sea. Instead of moving
inland to find a new lifestyle, he chose to stay near the sea.

104
 The day started like any other until Danny walked along the
water’s edge. His thoughts sifted through fond memories of sailing
with his Dad and friends until he found himself reasoning, “Wad-
ing isn’t sailing.” Danny knew the waters were dangerous, but he
deliberately put that to the back of his mind.

Six months after Danny had stepped ashore for the last time,
he came home from work tired and stressed. He decided to go
down to the beach. Chris, his best friend, was preparing to set
sail. As Danny approached the Shore of Freedom, he knew it was
crunch time.

Danny felt the water calling him to go sailing. Chris was

waving at him to come on board, but Danny stood rooted to
the spot. Danny was thinking about the deep waters killing
his Dad.

Suddenly, Danny waved goodbye to Chris and, turning away,

rang his friend Paul. Paul and Danny had sailed together years
ago, but Paul took up golfing when he met Salena. Danny hoped
Paul would introduce him to the game of golf; he was confident he
could handle the water hazards!

Key:

Sea of Addiction The ever-changing landscape of your

brain’s reward center. It is affected by
mood, emotions, hormones, stress, pain,
illness, anxiety, and hunger. This area is es-
sential for survival and is actively process-
ing input from all areas of your brain, even
when you sleep.

105
Boat Loss of freedom of choice.
When
 you are in the boat, you have taken
in nicotine repeatedly. Every inhalation
you take, you fire off dopamine the ‘got to
have it,’ ‘got to do it,’ ‘go get it,’ brain chem-
ical messenger.

Water The brain and body neurotransmitters

dopamine and serotonin are hijacked by
nicotine.

Calm water Nicotine’s relaxing effect.

Deep water Nicotine’s alertness effect.

Mountainous Seas Drive for more nicotine, despite dangers

leading to smoking-related disease and
death caused by tobacco.

Wading Thinking about smoking.

Smokers
 will be distracted by thoughts of
smoking even while working or supposed-
ly enjoying the company of non-smoking
friends and family.

Shore of Freedom Cravings – profound desire to smoke.

To
 be free of nicotine addiction, one must
move completely away from the lifestyle
that supports the habit.

Coast of Tobacco Chemical manipulation of nicotine and

tobacco makes it hard to stop smoking. It

106
 renders the smoker unaware of the dam-
age occurring to their body, i.e., numbing
the airways.

Chris Self-saboteur and promoter of smoking.

Smoking
 with others is more enjoyable but
not necessary. Chris wants Danny in his boat.

Dad Smoking role model. Primed Danny to be a

smoker when he was a child. He died of a
smoking-related disease, not living to see
Danny have his grandchildren.

Dryland Freedom of choice.

Freedom
 to choose not to smoke comes
after the addiction is destroyed. It’s an illu-
sion to think you can choose while you are
addicted. Usually, the choice to quit will
begin with “I will quit one day when…” or
“I am not ready to yet but…” or “I can stop
whenever….”
Sadly,
 some people think stopping was
easy and go back to smoking, thinking they

107
 will quit again later. That, dear friend, was
the addiction calling them back. The trap
closed again.

Inland Life without smoking.

Golf Any activity that distracts you.

Water hazard There will always be temptations to smoke.

Take advantage of your brain’s neuroplasticity:

After your Quit Date, help your brain remove nicotinic receptors.
I recommend you read the book ‘Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess.’
Caroline Leaf’s40 research blows the lid off the myth that habits
take twenty-one days to change. She states, “New thoughts are
formed over twenty-one days, and these new thoughts are formed
into habits after sixty-three days.” So, there you go, guys; please
keep up the good work until it’s second nature.

Exercise to calm cravings:

1. This is a relaxation and visualization exercise.

2. Turn off your devices.

3. Read through the exercise before starting.

4. Sit or lie down,

5. Settle into a relaxed deep breathing pattern of equal

lengths until you feel yourself completely ‘let go.’ For

108
 example, 4:4, Four breaths in and four breaths out. The
size of your breath will depend on your lung health.
This pattern is the kill switch for stress.

6. Once you get your rhythm, stop counting. It causes

your brain to relax. Unclench your jaw, teeth slightly
open, lips closed, tongue on the roof of your mouth,
shoulders down. Keep breathing regular deep
breaths.

7. Then when you are relaxed, imagine a vast sea. Can

you ‘see the sea.’ Now, as you watch, see the rough
waters; they represent a craving that is beginning to
settle down as you imagine the waves smoothing out.
Relax as you watch the waves getting smaller; you feel
relaxed and calm. Breathe normally again. You feel
comfortable knowing the water is smooth. You feel
at peace. Calming the water lessens your cravings.
You say cheerfully to
yourself as the exer-
cise ends, “I love not
smoking.”

Acknowledging you have

a craving will allow you to
deal with it. Practice makes
perfect. Get good at this ex-
ercise; it will serve you well
when the inevitable cravings
and other stressors in life
pop up.

109
Withdrawal – you already cope

To quit smoking, you must go through withdrawal and never

smoke again.

You had gone through withdrawal before, not just when you
tried to stop in the past, but every time you put out a cigarette
and waited at least twenty minutes until your next one. It is not
that hard! You coped with withdrawal every time you have been
in No Smoking situations, for example, on airplanes, in smokefree
restaurants, and during meetings.

Before going to bed, you may have had extra cigarettes as

you subconsciously topped up your nicotine levels to get you
through the night. Even as you sleep, you are withdrawing from
the nicotine.

Withdrawal will drive you to your next cigarette because nic-

otine has corrupted your survival center (in the brain). Just as you
managed those No Smoking times, you must choose to work your
way out of nicotine addiction.

Be prepared to handle withdrawal:

Take back control now you are at your QUIT DATE and do not
have any more smokes. You may experience withdrawal symp-
toms depending on how you smoked and the number and years
you smoked. Millions of people have died from smoking, but no
one has died from withdrawal, and the worst of it will be over
in three days, with a decline in the intensity over the next three
to four weeks. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make

110
withdrawal easier. Plan the steps you can take to handle with-
drawal symptoms before they occur. The following is a list of
nicotine’s stimulant effects which you may experience when you
stop smoking. They are temporary and last until your body de-
toxifies and corrects to normal functioning. All have remedies.
Below I have listed some suggestions.

Removal of nicotine’s stimulant effect:

Nicotine cravings Fatigue Brain fog Irritability

Slow heart rate Low mood Increased Twitches

anxiety
Lower blood Abdo pain Tremors
pressure

Increased pain Bloating Increased Cramps

depression
Weight gain Constipation

Recovery of normal function

Coughing may start after three months when the lungs’ cilia are
repaired.

Bleeding gums and tingling sensation in hands and feet indicate

total circulation has returned.

Removal of toxins through the body:

Headaches, sweating, nausea, and rarely vomiting, sore throat,

mouth ulcers

111
Withdrawal relief strategies:

For your head

Treat headaches with heat packs, warm baths, or

showers

Self-massage the forehead and head

Rest and sleep in a dark, quiet room

Do relaxation exercises

Low blood sugar can cause headaches – eat every two to

three hours until 7 pm

Dehydration causes headaches. Stay hydrated. Try herb-

al teas

Work in short blocks, taking regular breaks

Be kind to yourself

Don’t allow yourself to become bored. Keep busy

For your mouth

Gargle with warm salt water

Gargle with warm water and baking soda

Stay hydrated

Ask your pharmacist about a suitable product

See your Dentist if teeth become loose

Use carrots and sugar-free gum if you need something to

put in your mouth

112
For your muscles

Exercise. Get out into the fresh air

Go to the hot pools and enjoy soaking your muscles

Eat well and stay hydrated (a healthy diet supplies all

the magnesium you need)

Ensure you’re getting enough sleep, as insufficient sleep

can worsen muscle twitching

Avoid suddenly stretching your muscles as you may set off

a cramp. If you do, stretch the muscle to break the cramp

For your tummy

Drink eight to ten glasses of water

Eat three servings of fruits (3) and vegetables (5–9) dai-

ly. Include a serving of whole grains, legumes, pulses,
nuts, and seeds

Exercise to stimulate the bowel as movement aids

­digestion

Use deep belly breathing to relax your stomach

Laxatives cause lazy bowels, so use only when directed

by your doctor

Ready, set, go!

Withdrawal begins twenty minutes after your last inhalation

and lasts one to four weeks, depending on your level of addiction.

113
When you smoked, it felt good because you got that ‘feel good hit’
from the nicotine and carbon monoxide as you relieved the with-
drawal signs and symptoms. Signs are what others can see you
going through, and symptoms are what you can feel. They vary
from individual to individual.

A lot of what you will experience when you stop smoking will
result from falling nicotine levels and only last three days. The tox-
ins leaving your body will make you feel terrible if you don’t stay
well-hydrated and eat healthy foods. Smoking destroys vitamins
and minerals; therefore, please invest in yourself and buy those
fruits and vegetables to get well.

Cravings will occur randomly, so don’t forget to manage them

by actively using calming strategies. Don’t underestimate the in-
fluence of the Tobacco Industry’s marketing messages and peer
pressure combined with your cravings to ‘call you back to smoking.’
Always be alert to poor self-talk (stinking thinking). Be pro-active.
It’s time to check yourself. All thoughts are your own. Own them
and reframe them.

See yourself as The Weed Control Officer – tell yourself what

you want or don’t want. For example:

“I could have just one.”

Reframe: “If I have just one, I could become a smoker again. I

don’t want nicotine in my life! I love not smoking,” “This is worth
the work for a future of freedom from ….”

“I can’t imagine never smoking again.”

Reframe: “Nicotine in its various forms will always be there.”

114
 Big Tobacco and Big Pharma are waiting for You right now.
You can go and buy something right now. But are you really free?
Complete this program and regain control by undoing the addic-
tion in your brain and body. Then you will truly be free to smoke.
Would you decide to be a smoker if you had your time over again?

Don’t try to bury your cravings; over time, they will lessen to
a weak ‘desire to smoke’. Sadly, that will last for about two years.
It’s the price we have to pay to not relapse. You have to accept that
your brain is primed to smoke now. You can’t have even ‘one puff’.
So don’t go burying those cravings or struggling with them. Bury
them, and you will start feeling resentful for giving up smoking.
Instead, if they interfere with your busy day, do the visualization
exercise you practised. Keep your fluid intake up, and remember
turning to sugary and processed foods will keep you ‘addicted’
and leave you at risk of relapse. You don’t want to go through this
again – ever – am I right?

Eating is not a management strategy for cravings.

Remember, nicotine is a stimulant, so when you stop taking

it, feelings of tiredness, restlessness, and fatigue are common. It
will help if you rest while your body adjusts to its absence. Some
people feel depressed when they quit saying, “It’s like losing a
friend.” As you smoked, the nicotine flooded you with pleasure
and contentment, making you feel complete. You didn’t need any-
thing else, not even a friend. In addition, nicotine elevates your
mood; without it, you need to do the things that make you laugh
or feel good. You may need to sit with the feeling of grief and come
to terms with losing this aspect of your life. Please don’t ignore
or bury the feelings. Try this little exercise to help you deal with
feelings of grief.

115
 Visualize yourself sitting on the sea bottom as a giant wave
washes over you. At its height, you feel very sad and lonely for the
cigarettes you miss (sit with these feelings of grief). The wave is
going away now, and so are your feelings of sadness and loss. You
start to feel better. Deep down, know that nothing lasts forever.
You feel safe and relaxed. You are pleased you have stopped smok-
ing. You made the right decision for yourself. Your future will be
with real friends who love and respect you.

Another symptom you may experience is a dry mouth. Your

body no longer needs to dilute the chemicals in your cigarette. It
would help if you had time to adjust to normal saliva levels. Sip on
water or suck chips of ice.

Difficulty sleeping, nightmares, and dreams about smoking

are common and are caused by your subconscious desire to keep
smoking. It is important to get rest even if you can’t sleep because
your dopamine levels decrease during the day as they are used up
and are restored at night while you rest and sleep. The dreams will
soon stop, and your sleeping patterns will improve.

Don’t forget to use strong positive self-talk that supports

quitting. I prefer saying, “I love not smoking.” Try these strategies
to manage the signs and symptoms of withdrawal:

Take the first week quietly and let your brain rest

Break difficult jobs into smaller components

Drink plenty of water and sip vegetable juice

Walk in the fresh air if you feel anxious

Use relaxation methods to overcome feeling stressed

116
 If you cannot get eight hours of sleep, take regular rest
periods and nap before 2 p.m.

Learn about what is happening inside your body

Acknowledge how withdrawal may temporarily deflate

your emotions

Before your Quit Date, make plans. Then do it

Talk to a friend about withdrawal and how you can get

through it

Get involved in activities that stimulate your mind

and body

Smoking stuns your liver

When you stop smoking, you must deal with the changes in
your body as it flushes out the nicotine and begins the process of
detoxification and healing.

There is no doubt that you have your work cut out for you,
but you will find that the time you invest in yourself now will pay
dividends. So, keep up the excellent work. Make sure you are not
taking nicotine in any form, including inhaled directly or passive-
ly from a cigarette, ingested through chewing tobacco or on your
skin via a nicotine replacement patch, and so on.

All nicotine delivery routes connect to your bloodstream,

taking the toxic chemicals to every cell in the body. Smoking-re-
lated diseases can occur anywhere in the body except the cornea,
which has no blood supply. However, the eye itself can develop
disease.

117
 Your aim now is to restore your liver to normal. The liver is
a vital organ responsible for many functions, including processing
chemicals found in tobacco products. When you started smoking,
your liver was suddenly bombarded with thousands of chemicals
it had to break down, use or eliminate. Your liver responded to this
assault by becoming overactive, sending messages to warn you
that these chemicals were terrible. You may have received those
messages in the form of nausea and dizziness. Did you ever think
you would get hooked on those bad-tasting, foul-smelling ciga-
rettes? Do you remember the pain in your chest on those first few
drags or the cough as you mastered the draw-back? Your senses
gave you the right message that smoking was dangerous, but you
ignored your body. You thought you wouldn’t get caught.

But you did get caught – trapped! You did not listen to your
body’s warning symptoms, and your liver had to adapt; it com-
pensated by becoming underactive. Sluggish! Stated simply, you
stunned your liver! Those early messages are no longer being
sent, and those bad feelings are long forgotten. Maybe the sight
of other smokers enjoying their cigarettes reassured you. Do you
remember? And besides, you were not to know what was happen-
ing to your liver. Ever since those first few cigarettes, your liver
has remained sluggish. Nicotine now boosts your liver to normal
function.

Have you noticed how good a cigarette is after a heavy

meal? The liver’s extra digestion workload is slow until it gets
its ‘fix’ from the cigarette. Or what about when you are under
enormous stress? Having a cigarette makes you feel better. The
pressure is still there, but you are coping better. In this exam-
ple, your liver’s production and breakdown of chemicals used

118
in the stress response are underactive. You have the cigarette;
your liver gets its ‘fix’ and boosts production, which helps you
respond better. Your body is a miracle in motion. Smoking puts
your liver under enormous stress, impacting your stress re-
sponse, your weight and hormones, your immune system, and
your liver.41

Now you understand your liver has been stunned by

smoking, and you are in the best place to quit successfully.
Well done! Ex-smokers, without your knowledge, may ‘fix’ their
sluggish livers by reaching for something sweet after a meal
instead of a cigarette. Their liver is still stunned. Several prob-
lems can ­occur:

You will switch to white or yellow sugary foods and pro-

cessed foods to get your ‘fix’

Your liver will remain under-active, affecting many sys-

tems in your body

Your weight will be difficult to control

You will experience an ‘empty feeling’ and risk smoking

Back to normal in four to ten days – you can do it!

Stop taking all nicotine products

Increase your current level of exercise

Avoid sweets or highly processed foods

Eat smaller, lighter meals and snacks

Stay hydrated

119
 Avoid foods with artificial sweeteners

Tolerate any fatigue or restlessness

Get plenty of rest and sleep

Smoking affects your insulin levels

Long-term smoking may cause two significant changes in

your body that you need to manage in your recovery. These chang-
es are termed hyperinsulinemia and hypoglycemia.

Hyperinsulinaemia is a medical word that is easier to un-

derstand if you break it down. ‘Hyper’ means above normal, ‘in-
sulin’ is a hormone that carries sugar out of your blood and into
your cells, and ‘aemia’ means blood. Hyperinsulinaemia, there-
fore, means you have above-normal amounts of insulin in your
bloodstream.

For life to exist, all cells need sugar. Insulin has the job of car-
rying sugar from your blood into your cells. Smoking damages the
cell sites where the insulin is received, causing insulin resistance.
More and more insulin is released into your bloodstream to acti-
vate the insulin receptor sites to work on the damaged sites. The
following insulin analogy may clarify it for you.

Imagine carrying a shopping bag into your house but finding

the door jammed. You call your daughter, who helps you to push,
but the door will not open. Then you call your oldest daughter,
but the door remains jammed despite everyone’s best efforts. You
then call your son, who adds weight and pushes the door open.
You put your shopping bag inside the house, and then all four of
you return to the car to get the rest of the groceries.

120
Key: Insulin Analogy
You Insulin

Children Insulin

House Every cell in your body

Door Insulin receptor site

Shopping Bag Sugar

Insulin also acts as a chemical messenger that tells your fat stor-
age cells not to release fat. Too much insulin in your blood will
seriously slow your fat stores from being released for use. Even if
you increase the amount of exercise, you do. Unfortunately, put-
ting fat into storage will not be a problem, so if you eat more than
you burn off, you will continue to store it as fat. Your doctor can
run tests to ascertain whether you have developed insulin resis-
tance. In the meantime:

 Avoid processed foods and drinks that contain sugar

 Avoid using artificial sweeteners

 Take a chromium supplement

 Exercise regularly and, when appropriate, vigorously

Hypoglycemia is another medical word that you may already

know. Let us break the word down to understand it better. ‘Hypo’
means low, ‘gly’ means sugar, and ‘aemia,’ as you know, means
blood. Hypoglycemia, therefore, means low blood sugar. The word
is often shortened to ‘hypo.’

121
When you stop smoking, you may periodically experience the
signs and symptoms of a ‘hypo’ because:

 Hyperinsulinaemia caused by insulin resistance removes ex-

cessive amounts of sugar from your blood

 Until your stunned liver recovers, digestion will be sluggish,

and your energy levels will be low

Your body will tell you when your blood sugar levels are too
low. You may feel irrationally bad-tempered, weak, sick to the
stomach, dizzy, have a headache, and so on. The first symptom you
will experience is hunger as your body seeks to restore your blood
sugar levels to normal.

You must drink regularly to become well hydrated and

eat small healthy addiction-busting meals and

snacks every two to three hours, especially in the first

ten days after you quit

Avoid eating junk food which will delay your liver’s re-
turn to normal and result in problems with cravings for
cigarettes or food

Warning: Untreated hypoglycemia drives many people back

to smoking because they remember feeling better when they
smoked. Don’t get caught out! You can manage the symptoms, in-
cluding weight fluctuations, and stay smokefree.

122
 In the first four to ten days of quitting, separating out the
underlying cause of the various signs and symptoms you may
experience is impossible. You are encouraged to think of them
as recovery symptoms and as they pass, celebrate! You are doing
well, and it will soon be over!

Tony and Shelley’s quitting experience:

Tony, aged 47, develops a headache and feels a bit sick. When
his wife asks what is wrong, he snaps back, “Nothing!” Funnily
enough, even though he didn’t feel like eating, he felt much better
after a coffee and cracker with cheese.

In this true story example, Tony’s brain is affected by the

lack of sugar. He is experiencing a headache, nausea, and irri-
tability. After numerous bad temper incidences, Tony’s wife en-
courages him to start smoking again. Tony’s family and friends
supported his return to smoking because he became increasing-
ly bad-tempered. It is unclear from his history whether he exag-
gerated his anger to sabotage himself or was just experiencing
a recovery symptom that could have been managed. The result
was the same; he started smoking again. He was happy, and so
was his family. That was until he developed a chronic cough!
Since the first edition of this program, Tony’s wife has passed
from breast cancer. She was an amazing woman, full of life. Shel-
ley never smoked but was exposed to her husband’s family of
smokers, who never took precautions to protect her. Tony is now
five years smokefree.

123
Julie’s quitting experience:

Julie, aged 28, gave up smoking six weeks ago. She is deter-
mined not to smoke but has put on a few kilos. Julie frequently
does not eat breakfast because of her weight problem. She be-
lieves she is saving calories. After a healthy lunch, she notices that
she is still hungry. By mid-afternoon, she has begun snacking. By
dinnertime, she starts putting herself down as she dwells on her
lack of friends. Suddenly, she decides to forget her diet for today
and decides to try again tomorrow. Julie was angry and miserable
when we met and talked about her decision, especially as she still
wasn’t proactive about her weight.

By not eating regularly, Julie’s body will store the food she
does eat. Her body thinks she cannot access food because of a
famine.42 43 44 Stopping smoking has dropped her metabolic rate
by 10%. When Julie eats foods high in refined sugars, her liver
remains sluggish. She needs sugar to kick-start her liver before
she feels satisfied. Julie is on the worst kind of roundabout. She
is experiencing a craving for something sweet. She feels hungry
even though she has just eaten. She wants to ‘fill the void.’ Julie
interprets the empty feeling as loneliness. Julie is determined to
stay smokefree but admits she was using smokes instead of eating,
and now she is just eating.

Tony and Julie are experiencing low blood sugar episodes.

This is caused by years of nicotine damaging cells, so insulin can-
not enter properly. The body responds by producing more insu-
lin. Excess insulin removes too much sugar too quickly, resulting

124
in symptoms (see signs
and symptoms chart
below). The yo-yo effect Signs and Symptoms
of too high and then too
Belly Fat
low blood sugar levels
can result from eat- Feeling hungry
ing too many carbohy-
High Blood Pressure
drates. Smokers have a
30 to 40% chance of de- High Cholesterol
veloping type II diabetes Brain fog
due to this damage.
Headaches
Your job is to iden- Irritability
tify signs and symptoms.
Mood swings
You will know whether
to do anything about Tiredness
them by their severi- Skin tags
ty. To get free from the
More….
need to smoke you will
have to go through nic-
otine withdrawal. But it
will be over in just one
to four weeks. Knowing what is happening to your body gives you
the power to choose strategies to overcome any problems.

It is not too hard. It is worth it. Do not accept negative think-

ing from yourself or others. You can do it! I have faith in you, have
faith in yourself. You are one of a kind, too precious not to fight for
your freedom!

125
Substitutes – should you use them?

The problem with using substitutes when you stop is that

you will not undo the anatomical and physiological effects in your
brain and body caused by nicotine. Therefore, you will remain at
risk for relapse at some point.

Acupuncture’s average time to relapse is 39 days

E-cigarettes’ average time to relapse is 35 days

Nicotine patches’ average time to relapse is 14 days

Hypnotherapy had 29% still quit at one year

Counselling had 28% still stopped at one year

Black pepper and Angelica essential oils

Reduce cravings when sniffed on a tissue for two minutes. How-

ever, cravings generally last sixty seconds to three minutes. More
research is needed.

Hypnotherapy

The client is put into a ‘trance’ like state. As Christians, we do not

agree with the suggestion of ‘emptying of the mind’ as it allows the
evil one entry. Brain waves of hypnotized patients show no change
from someone in an awake state of consciousness. Hypnotherapy
is a ‘new age’ treatment and goes against our beliefs. We prefer
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

126
Herbs like St John’s Wort, Lobelia

I don’t recommend you add anything to your body unless a defi-

ciency has been proven on blood testing. Food is your medicine.
Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet will correct deficiencies
and reduce cravings.

The herb lobelia (Lobelia inflata) is used in some quitting prod-

ucts. It mimics nicotine and is poisonous and potentially fatal in
large doses.

Do not use if you have heart disease, are pregnant, or breastfeed-

ing. Keep out of reach of children. Keep the poison center number
handy.

Sugar-free sweets, chewing gum, and other ‘goodies.’

Prevent your liver from recovering. They also keep your insu-
lin levels high; you will be hungry again as your blood sugar
levels fall.

Herbal cigarettes

Produce carbon monoxide and other chemicals which enter your

body and reduce the free flow of oxygen around your system. Re-
member, too, that carbon monoxide is addictive. Smoking herbal
cigarettes long-term puts your health at risk, for example, from
mouth cancers.

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Cannabis cigarettes

The notion of quitting using marijuana is not new and is favored by

some smokers already using marijuana. Marijuana is often laced
with tobacco and/or other drugs, causing immediate relapse and
sometimes putting lives at risk. Nicotine is more potent than mar-
ijuana; however, marijuana causes emphysema or ‘smoker’s lung’
in chronic marijuana smokers.

Knitting and embroidery, as examples of replacing the cigarette

in your hand, usually don’t help long-term. However, they are suit-
able activities when you need a strategy to distract yourself. They
make great hobbies too.

Ultimately, what you believe about substitutes will determine

whether you use them.

TIP: Check the labels – no nicotine, please. Read the labels to

ensure they are nicotine and sugar-free, or you won’t break the
addiction – and that, dear friend, is your ultimate goal!

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Stop Smoking Medicines – no magic bullets

Zyban (Bupropion hydrochloride)45

Zyban is a nicotine-free drug that boosts dopamine levels in

your brain’s reward center. Remember, drugs like Zyban are not
miracle pills. The Smokefree System program gives you the knowl-
edge and skills to restore your brain structure and function. Taking a
drug like Zyban is unnecessary unless you struggle to quit. You have
demonstrated a genetic predisposition to addiction. Like all drugs,
it comes with risk but may give you the edge you need in the early
stages. Only you can do the work required to create a smokefree life.

Reduces the risk of relapse by decreasing withdrawal

symptoms and urges to smoke

Decreases the intensity of the cravings

Works best when combined with counselling

Start Zyban two weeks before your Quit Date

The chart below shows how to build Zyban blood levels up

Seven-week course but can be longer if required

It can be used with NRT

Multiple side effects are to be discussed with your doctor

High risk of seizures; therefore, many people are excluded

129
Cytisine

Cytisine is a herbal remedy that will eventually be licensed

throughout the world.

It is an effective stop-smoking aid

It works better with counselling

It has a proven fifty-year safety record

It is cheap to make compared to the other drugs

There is no nicotine in it; however, it acts like nicotine

Side effects are usually mild

The worst problem is the regime to use the pills is awkward.

For cytisine, the standard 25-day dosing regimen is followed: days

1–3: one tablet (1.5 mg) every 2 hours through the waking day
(six tablets/day); days 4–12: one tablet every 2.5 hours (five tab-
lets/day); days 13–16: one tablet every 3 hours (four tablets/day);
days 17–20: one tablet every 4–5 hours (three tablets/day); and
days 21–25: one tablet every 6 hours (two tablets/day). A mainte-
nance dose of cytisine is added from day 26 to week 12 (one tablet
every 6 hours: two tablets/day)

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)46

NRT has five products, three over-the-counter and two on pre-

scription. All have specific instructions for use and side effects.
NRT aims to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings, while

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you transition away from smoking. If you are struggling with
patches, add gum or a lozenge when you are more likely to
have cravings, for example, morning tea breaks and knocking
off work. Remember, nicotine is a poison, so follow the instruc-
tions and discuss what you do with your health professional. If
you have the odd smoke with NRT, that is considered accept-
able by some health professionals. I think you are playing with
fire! If cigarette and NRT products are weaned off by eight to
twelve weeks, it’s your risk to take. Please bear in mind nico-
tine is your enemy. You are smoking (nicotine) and taking NRT
products (nicotine) with your liking for smoking; are you mak-
ing a good choice?

Nicotine patches are slow-release nicotine strengths applied to

your skin. The right dose depends on how much you currently
smoke 7 mg, 14 mg, and 21 mg. Wear them 24 hours a day, even
in the shower.

Nicotine gum comes in 2 mg and 4 mg. Take the 4 mg if you smoke

within half an hour of waking.

Nicotine lozenges come in 1 mg and 2 mg strengths and different

flavors. Tuck inside the cheek.

Nicotine nasal sprays are used to ease withdrawal symptoms.

Use at least eight doses per day for the first six weeks. People typ-
ically start with one to two doses per hour, two drops per nostril.
Prescribed.

Nicotine inhalators 10mg ‘Cigarette-like’ tube. Six cartridges a

day for three to six weeks. Prescribed by a doctor.

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 NRT’s purpose is to:

 Help minimize withdrawal symptoms from the nicotine cur-

rently inhaled in cigarettes

 Help prevent inhalation of other dangerous chemicals found

in cigarettes

 Prevent the cravings for cigarettes

 Increase the likelihood of successfully quitting

When you stop smoking, the nicotine leaves your body within
three days. If you have been prescribed a course of NRT, you can
finish it but expect to go through withdrawal symptoms. I only like
to use NRT for clients with a family history of smoking so strong
they feel NRT would be a good option for them.

TIP: The risk of relapse is high for NRT users. Unless you de-
tox the nicotine from your system and take the necessary steps to
undo the changes made to your brain and body caused by addic-
tion, you will always be at risk of relapse.

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Remember

 There are strategies to manage all the signs and symptoms

that occur

 Cravings for cigarettes are inevitable, but you can manage them

 Withdrawal begins 20 minutes after your last inhalation and

lasts three days to four weeks, depending on your level of
addiction

 Without nicotine, your liver will use sugar for its fix. Don’t
switch!

 Long-term smoking damages the insulin receptor sites on all

your cells. Becoming an ex-smoker repairs the sites

 Your body will tell you when your blood sugar levels are too low

 Substitutes are not necessary when you undo the changes to

your body caused by nicotine

 Nicotine Replacement Therapy can be used with The Smoke-

free System. I do not recommend it unless there is a genet-
ic predisposition to smoking and only gum or lozenge for
emergencies

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Manage your weight
Plan your meals and snacks, or the pounds may sneak attack!

Remember to eat addiction-busting foods that are excellent for a

lifetime of healthy eating but, more importantly:

Break nicotine’s physical hold over you

Reduce withdrawal symptoms

Reduce cravings

Prevent relapse

A slimming secret more often used by women is to replace

food with cigarettes. Have you done this? I did this for years, but
because the weight crept on slowly, I became an overweight smok-
er who was too afraid to stop for fear of getting even bigger! Oc-
casionally I tried to stop, but the weight gain caused me to relapse
into smoking.

Some people stop smoking Cold Turkey by replacing ciga-

rettes with food, including sweets and chewing gum. Unfortunate-
ly, the usual result is weight gain. If they relapse months or even
years after quitting,
they have put on a lot of
weight.

Smoking to control
your weight is unneces-
sary if you suffer from
emphysema (smoker’s
lung) or cancer. Then

134
your weight will fall off. Apologies if that sounds too harsh. Living
and dying from preventable diseases requires a wake-up call. My
hope is you will take action before it’s too late. God has built into
your body a fantastic ability to self-heal, but the laws of nature will
prevail; if you touch fire, you get burnt. Miracles still happen. Be
someone’s miracle and help them get free of smoking too.

Tobacco ads portraying smokers as young, attractive, and ac-

tive were de-bunked when the actors started dying of smoking-re-
lated diseases like lung cancer. John Wayne was a much-loved ac-
tor, husband, father, and grandfather who died after a long battle
with what he termed ‘The big C’ (cancer of the stomach). John was
still smoking and chewing tobacco while he had cancer. Current-
ly, the Tobacco Industry is banned (in most countries) from using
direct marketing advertisements worldwide. Sadly, however, we
still see smoking in movies and other media. Vaping is permitted
as it is a product that helps smokers quit safely – yeah, right! Of
course, this is stinking thinking as it is direct marketing to a new
generation of customers needing help to stop nicotine addiction.

If you knew for sure that

the next cigarette would be the
one that would trigger cancer,
would you smoke it? Ciga-
rettes are toxic and dangerous.
A slight weight increase isn’t!
You would have to put on 60
kg to get the same risk to your
health. The Smokefree System
shows you how to minimize
and even prevent weight gain.

135
 Smoking increases your resting metabolic rate by 10%. When
you quit, a temporary drop of about 10% will occur. If you eat the
exact amount of food after you stop, your body will store the ex-
cess as fat. Over time, this leads to weight gain. The good news is it
only takes four to ten days to return the metabolic rate to normal
when you don’t use nicotine or sugar. Here is your job:

eat three small healthy meals per day

eat three small snacks per day

avoid sugar (white foods) and processed foods

drink water regularly throughout the day

increase the amount of exercise you usually do to ex-

pend more energy

avoid nicotine products

TIP: Plan ahead, use menus, and you will be less grumpy. Your
weight will be stable, you will crave less, and your risk of relapse
will decrease.

By following The Smokefree System program, many of you

will reduce your weight. The good news is that not everyone
gains weight! Some research suggests that up to 23% of people
lose weight! Some 60% of men
and 51% of women put on some
weight; however, the average
weight gain is only 4.5 kg, and
less than 3% of people put on 9
kg or more. I would suggest they
have turned to ‘sugar hits’ to
stimulate their livers. You must Image by Kipargeter on Freepik

136
understand this point and avoid sugary foods. Weight gain is one
of the biggest drivers of relapse.

Ten years ago, the expected weight increase was only 2.5 kg.
Life today is far more challenging:

Nicotine is more addictive, and tobacco is harder to give up

People are eating more than they can burn off

Stress levels in the general population are high

Disinformation and fake news have increased people’s

insecurity in government health institutions

People self-medicate with alcohol and drugs (legal and ille-

gal), retail therapy, and
high-risk behaviors
Do not be anxious
We have information on the about anything, but
death and disability of COVID, in everything by
wars, trauma, and abusive re- prayer and petition
lationships broadcast into our with thanksgiving
homes daily. We access news
let your requests be
notifications from around the
made known to God.
world hourly for those rich
And the peace of God,
enough to have cell phones. Our
which surpasses all
crises and worries play on top
of these messages; our trauma, understanding, will
grief, poverty, job insecurity, fi- guard your hearts
nancial situation, racism, and and your minds in
being stigmatized due to mental Christ Jesus
health, disability, and gender is- Philippians 4:6–7
sues. You have the perfect storm

137
for addictions to THRIVE. Smoking, drinking, and drug taking are
neuro-psycho-social disorders that cannot be treated without un-
derstanding the context of a person’s life. It should be no surprise
that you continued to smoke long after you started. It certainly
doesn’t surprise me that you like to see that sweet red glow flare
up when you light your cigarette and take a draw back into your
lungs. Everything is okay while the world goes to hell in a hand-
basket. Am I right?

Quitting is not about reading FACT SHEETs; it requires effort

and support when and where you need it.

Whether or not you believe in God, He believes in you. Have

faith in God first and yourself second. Wake up each day and take
the pre-planned action steps to reach your goals.

Remember, nicotine suppresses your appetite; removing it

will increase your appetite. When you smoke, the chemicals dam-
age nerve cells on the tongue (taste buds) and (in some people)
nose (olfactory nerve fibres), which work together. After you quit,
your taste buds regrow, and your sense of smell improves, allow-
ing you to enjoy your food again. Thank God for your food, ask Him
to bless it to your body, bless the
hands that prepared it, then eat
slowly, and enjoy the food and
the company! If you don’t have
someone to eat with, add that to
your goals, as socializing is es-
sential to good mental health.

Do you like to have some-

thing in your mouth? Retrain

138
yourself by going for longer periods without something in your
mouth (journal your progress). Even artificial sweeteners elevate
your insulin levels so use a toothpick or do something else while
you stabilize your blood sugar levels. Grazing is for cows and hors-
es! Keep busy. You will eat regularly on this program; therefore,
you will not need extra food.

Change is inevitable; you already accept and adapt to it be-

cause life is dynamic. Across our lifetimes, the average person
changes jobs twelve times, moves homes eleven times, and we have
multiple partners. We change our diets when we hear something is
good or bad for us. We started changing the day we were born.

You changed when you accepted smoking into your life without
giving the long-term consequences too much thought. Please write
down the reasons you started smoking and why the habit persists:

The reasons you started smoking are not usually the same
ones that keep you smoking. There is absolutely no reason you
can’t change and remove smoking from your life because it no lon-
ger serves you.

139
 You can make the above
changes to your life if you
God answered my
plan the action steps toward
prayer for you,
each of your goals. Many
dear reader: Christians believe God has an
“The past is gone. enemy who is behind the To-
bacco Industry. His name is
Live in the present
Satan. He is also called the Fa-
and there you will ther of Lies. If you are putting
create your future.” yourself down and doubting
yourself, you are listening to
the whispers of the Father of
Lies. Please do not listen to
any lies that put you down. If you are doing this program, you are
under God’s grace; call on His name and believe you are strong
and can do the work of quitting. Satan brought death and disease
into the world when he deceived Adam and Eve, and Jesus had to
die to pay the price for saving us.

Jesus is coming back, and Satan is running out of time; he is doing

his best to destroy our bodies, families, the church, and the earth.
You don’t have to look far to see his handiwork. Some of us see Satan
at work, and others blame God. But you, dear friend, know what it
is to feel one of Satan’s traps take away your free will. Don’t let him
also fill you with self-loathing, self-doubt, and a lack of confidence
to do what you need to do to go the distance. YOU are a unique
person, and like all of us, God created you in His image. God, in His
wisdom, integrated you, spirit to commune with him, soul (mind,
will, and emotions), and your physical body. Our systems (hospitals,
schools, etc.) are set up to deal with us as parts of a whole. To our

140
peril and at a greater cost, they sepa-
rate spirit, soul, and body when treat-
YOU
ing physical, mental, and psychologi-
cal illnesses. God knows best and left are not your
us a handbook – the Bible. As a nurse, thoughts and
I have had the privilege of seeing God feelings
work miracles. Who do you trust?
Man, who is swayed by the thinking of
other men? God is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. He knows the end from the beginning. Trust God.
Stop smoking, and shake off the chains of bondage. You are not a
slave to nicotine and tobacco when you stub out that last cigarette.
You are a child of our creator God.

You can do it! You are not alone! Remember you will be
changing or replacing well-established patterns of behavior, so be
proactive:

Plan healthy menus; have food ready to go in snack packs

Join a walking group or club

‘Hot up’ your food with chili, ginger, and peppers

Keep in mind your liver will temporarily be sluggish. Expect

to feel like you need something, don’t answer that empty feeling
with a cigarette; instead, take a drink of water, or eat a meal or
snack if it’s due.

TIP: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to know your stomach

is full. Eat mindfully, and slowly, enjoying the tastes as your
tastebuds come alive!

141
 Don’t forget that if you get that empty feeling after eating,
you probably have developed insulin resistance. When you have
insulin resistance, you will want to eat more because the excess
insulin produced after you eat then drops your blood sugars too
low. High insulin levels will also stop fat stores from releasing fat
for use. Double whammy! Have an orange or a cheese sandwich
if you experience low blood sugar symptoms such as weakness,
nausea, confusion, headache, or abdominal pain. In the absence of
tobacco products, your body will repair itself. It’s never too late
to stop smoking! Ask your doctor for a blood test, as you may also
want to check if you are pre-diabetic. The excellent news is that
quitting smoking reverses insulin resistance beginning around
two weeks! You can help by exercising and eating addiction-bust-
ing foods.

Addiction-Busting Foods – healthy eating

Addiction-busting foods are nature’s packages of tastiness,

nutrients, and fibre that will help repair your body and aid your
recovery. Move towards eating whole foods, not broken down by
chemical processes, but by your teeth, stomach, and the rest of
your digestive tract the way nature intended. Eat a plant-based
diet, free of refined and processed foods. There are communities
in the world identified as ‘Blue Zones.’ People live longer than av-
erage and are fit and healthy for over 100 years. They eat plant-
based diets full of whole grains, colorful fruits and vegetables, es-
pecially greens, and tuberous vegetables like sweet potatoes, nuts,
and lots of beans. It is said that beans eaten daily add years to your
life. The Seven Day Adventists are one such Blue Zone community
in the US. They follow Bible food principles based on the Garden of

142
Eden and avoid meats, dairy, shellfish, and eggs but have delicious
substitutes.

The Mediterranean diet is another blue-zone way of eating.

It includes small portions of meat, moderate dairy, eggs, and olive
oil. When you source your coldwater fish, such as tuna or salmon,
ensure it comes from unpolluted waters and not fish farms.

Every day eat a rainbow of colorful fruits, vegetables, whole

grains, nuts, and seeds. Join the 22% of the world’s vegetarians
that research shows age better, are healthy, and live 14 years lon-
ger than non-vegetarians. They also exercise and don’t smoke –
‘Go plant-based!’47

There are 1097 species of vegetables cultivated worldwide,

with thousands more varieties within those groups. God is good!
They are nutritious and delicious and can be cooked in various
ways or served in salads.

A plant-based diet is anti-inflammatory and has everything

you need to reduce weight, fight disease and restore health. Click
here to buy Dr. Michael Gregor’s excellent book How Not To Die.
Michael and his researchers have done all the work to find nutri-
tion facts around food, including de-bunking those doctors who
want to sell you supplements.48

Are you worried about not eating meat? Race horses are all
muscle and energy; they eat grasses and are hard-fed whole grains
like oats. Eating peas, beans, brown rice, whole wheat, oats, and
corn will give you proteins. Nuts and seeds also contain protein
but watch your intake as they are a rich source of calories from
healthy fats. These natural foods do not give your liver a ‘quick fix’

143
but require it to return to normal function to carry out the work of
digestion. Addiction-busting foods slow down the absorption rate
of nutrients from your intestines, keeping your blood sugar stable
and helping your insulin levels normalize. If you make this way of
eating a lifestyle change, it will stop the yo-yo effect of losing and
gaining weight. Eating addiction-busting foods requires you to re-
move from your diet all the foods that are not good for you and eat
more of the foods that are good for you.

144
Eat healthy – carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a necessary component of any balanced

diet. Researchers have found eight essential sugars are required
for good health. Many people today lack many of these essential
sugars. Perhaps it is because they restrict their food intake or their
food lacks variety and is over-processed or damaged by exposure
to chemicals.49

Carbohydrates or carbos are organic compounds made of

carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are classified according to
the number of carbon atoms they contain. Simple carbohydrates
contain three to seven carbon atoms and are ready for your body
to use. Complex carbohydrates have larger chains of molecules,
which can be completely broken down into simple carbohydrates
and used for fuel. They can be chemically changed for various pur-
poses, including the construction of cell walls, hormones, etc.

You eat carbohydrates such as starches, which are bread,

pastry, noodles, cereals, pasta, rice, corn, peas, potatoes, pumpkin,
etc. You also eat them as sugars in honey, malt, table sugar, apples,
bananas, pineapples, etc.

You must avoid simple carbohydrates for at least 10 days to

return your liver to normal function. This means choosing foods
that make your body do the ‘work’ of digestion. Choose brown
bread instead of white, brown rice instead of white, and so on.
Avoid foods that are loaded with sugar. Test foods you are unsure
about by holding them in your mouth for ten minutes. If it tastes
sweet, don’t eat it. Avoid eating junk food. If you are eating in a
Food Court, choose the healthiest options. Don’t eat food from a

145
bakery. Avoid all fast-food shops that don’t have healthy options.
Ask what they have on the menu for people with health issues.

Most restaurants and fast-food providers have healthy op-

tions. If you must buy processed foods, read the labels carefully to
ensure little or no sugar has been added. A low amount of sugar
(carbohydrate) is 5 g of total sugar per 100 g. I try to stay under
9 g, and I won’t buy a product with added sugar, such as meat.
Even products like pâté may contain sugar. Make your own take-
out recipes and delicacies. Buy a dehydrator and make delicious
snacks. Remember, when planning your meals or snacks, choose
to eat complex carbohydrates in the first 10 days and longer if you
want to reduce or maintain your weight. Eat fruits and vegetables,
nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, and your body will have the build-
ing blocks to living a long, healthy life.

Complex carbohydrates have the following benefits:

Fill you up, so you will not be hungry

Are excellent energy sources

Break down into sugar slowly for a longer-lasting effect

Provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals

Provide fibre to keep your bowel healthy and delay the

absorption of sugar from your digestive tract

Fibre, also known as roughage, is also a carbohydrate. Our

bodies cannot break down the molecules’ links to access the sugar.
Fibre is the indigestible threadlike part of plants that is left when
food has been digested.50

146
Fibre has the following benefits:

It absorbs water to make healthy bowel motions, which

should be soft and large

It swells in the stomach and intestine to help the passage

of food that does contain nutrients

It helps you feel full and satisfied

It slows down the release of sugar into your blood,

thereby helping your insulin levels stay balanced. Bal-
anced blood sugars mean you will feel less hungry

It removes chemicals and toxins from your bowel. If

these are left too long in your system, it may lead to
health problems

Eating foods high in fibre will cause you to eat less food

Fibre traps some fat causing it to be eliminated

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Eat healthily – eat proteins

Proteins comprise 20 amino acids, eight of which the body

cannot make but must be supplied in the diet.51 From that 20, the
body can make thousands of important proteins. Your body can
break proteins into amino acids and make them into different pro-
teins, carbohydrates, fats, and water.

Proteins are found in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy

products such as yogurt, cheese, and sour cream. Tofu, legumes,
peas, beans, seeds, nuts, and lentils are rich in protein and vi-
tal minerals such as iron and selenium.52 Proteins are large,
complex molecules that play critical roles in the body’s cells,
tissues, and organs. These roles include structure, function,
and regulation. It also makes dopamine, which gives you plea-
sure and helps you feel alert and confident. The other import-
ant chemical your body makes from protein is serotonin. This
is the chemical responsible for helping you feel safe, relaxed,
calm, and satisfied. Dopamine and serotonin work together
to balance your desire for self-satisfaction and are the chemi-
cals responsible for ensuring your survival. Ask your doctor if
you have a medical condition requiring limiting your protein
­intake.53

So, you may ask, “Can I eat big, fat juicy steaks every day?”
Sure, but don’t be greedy and cut off any visible fat. The animal
stored that fat because it couldn’t use it. You shouldn’t use it either.
Ideally, you will eat lean red meat three or four times a week, or
as part of your snacks. Use a cooking method that allows the fat
to drain off. Choose proteins from a variety of sources. Remember
the old saying, ‘variety is the spice of life.’

148
Eat healthy fats

Your body needs fat to construct cell membranes, insulate

nerves, and ensure that vitamins A, D, E, and K function proper-
ly. In the 1970s, we started getting health warnings about ‘bad’
fats. We now believe we can eat anything in moderation except
‘trans’ fats. But chronic disease statistics paint a different pic-
ture. Forty-six million people have stopped smoking and lived
longer. Still, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and
neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s are all on the rise in the
US and much of the developed world. They all have one thing in
common: DIET.

Food is our medicine. We can eat as many healthy fats as

we want when we are plant-based. These fats are found in nuts,
seeds, and avocados. A range of vegetables such as broccoli, len-
tils, peas, and beans also contain fat. Eggs, cheese, meat, and
dairy substitutes can all be made safely from the fruit, vegetable,
and nut world. Fats are necessary for good health, carrying fla-
vor, and a feeling of satisfaction at the end of a meal.54 The really
good news is that good fats do not contribute to insulin resis-
tance. Bad fats block insulin receptors on muscle cell walls which
stop the insulin from delivering blood glucose into the cell. You
can and should include good fats in your diet from an addiction
recovery perspective.

Our body stores fat from unused calories taken from fat, pro-
tein, or carbohydrates. If you are not moving, you don’t need to eat
thousands of calories for energy. Create delicious vegetarian dish-
es which will allow you to eat but not have a high-calorie intake.
If you decide to eat meat, use grass-fed beef and lamb, which have

149
healthy ratios of omega fatty acids and vitamin B12. Trim off most
of the visible fat; meat contains only 10% fat, which is healthy. Use
the palm of your hand as your portion size (height and width).
Please don’t blacken the meat causing HCAs (heterocyclic amines)
to form, which are known to cause cancer. Remember giving up
smoking is about restoring your health. You had an 80% chance
of dying prematurely of a smoking-related disease if you were a
heavy smoker. The risk of dying from using processed vegetable
oils is 62%.

Today, the population is smoking and drinking less and exer-

cising more. We eat more fruits, vegetables, and less meat, cutting
off visible fat. Butter has been demonized, and therefore we are
using margarine. Like good citizens, we accepted the Heart Foun-
dation’s Food Pyramid. Yet, since 1935, rates of heart disease,
depression, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and chronic inflammation have

150
gone up 700%. Researchers agree that partially hydrogenated veg-
etable oils are to blame. Labels stating they are trans-fat-free are
lies. Trans-fat-free products are allowed 0.5 gm of trans fat per
serving while saying 0 gm on the label. This is unacceptable and
will have health consequences.

Making good decisions about the foods and drinks you

consume will speed up the time it takes to restore your health.
Many toxins you inhaled are locked in your body’s tissues. You
don’t need expensive detoxification products. Your body has
an in-built cleaning system. If God wanted us to go through all
those cleansing treatments, He would have put our anus near
our belly button. It’s important to keep hydrated to flush the
toxins out. If you have joint issues from arthritis or old injuries,
you may feel more discomfort temporarily. All fats contain nine
calories per gram

Learn to read labels on the products you buy. It’s not just
sugar the Food Industry sneaks in. Partially hydrogenated
oils, aka trans fats, cause disease and are banned in many
countries. They are used in commercial baked goods, mi-
crowave popcorn, frozen pizza, cookie dough, etc.

Fully hydrogenated oils are safe. They contain mono and

polyunsaturated fats

Most foods contain a combination of different fats

Myth: Saturated fats (solid at room temperature) cause

heart disease

151
Processed meat increases the risk of heart disease and
Type II Diabetes

Omega-3 production in your body is impaired by high in-

takes of trans fat, caffeine, and alcohol, and deficiencies
in vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, and B-group vitamins

Choose products higher in monounsaturated than poly-

unsaturated fat

Find the products you want and stick to them to avoid

shopping hassles

I recommend you not use lite or low-fat products as they

frequently lack nutrients or have added sugar and oth-
er chemicals your body doesn’t need. Avoid all products
that use trans fats unless it says zero trans fat. Vegetable
oils are fine to use, but when the oil is processed to make
it solid, it is called hydrogenated.

it now has a different texture and taste

its shelf life is extended

its by-product is trans fat

shown in research to increase inflammation and affect

the heart’s health55

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 harms blood sugar control by increasing insulin
­resistance

they are in all sorts of foods, including margarine

Quick Guide to Oils

Name of Fat Use in the Body Source

Help reduce bad olive oil, nuts, avocado,

cholesterol levels in seeds, peanut butter
your blood Contribute canola & peanut oil
Vitamin E ­safflower oil and sesa-
Monounsaturated
me oil; also, part of the
fat is in chicken, pork,
and beef

Builds cell membranes, Sunflower, corn, soy-

provides nerves with bean, and cottonseed
their protective cov- oils, walnuts, pine
ering, blood clotting, nuts, flaxseed, sesame,
Polyunsaturated muscle movement sunflower, and pumpkin
seeds; found in fatty
fish, such as salmon,
herring & sardines

153
 Foods high in saturated Beef, lamb pork, butter,
fats provide vitamins poultry, especially with
A and D and essential skin, beef fat (tallow),
minerals, such as cal- lard and cream, cheese,
cium and phosphorus; ice cream, coconut,
low vitamin D levels palm oil palm kernel oil
Saturated
can be a major cause of some baked and fried
high blood pressure and foods
have also been linked
to an increased risk of
death from cardiovascu-
lar conditions
Omega 3, 6, and 9 The Omega 3, 6, and Fish, vegetable oils,
9 Fatty Acids help nuts, flax seeds, and
Omega-3 Fatty Acids health by lowering leafy vegetables, Ome-
must be eaten or taken blood clotting levels, ga-3 Fatty Acids, are not
as a supplement (Note: blood pressure, and created by the body but
A global test showed fatty plaques, reducing must be consumed as
that 25% of fish oil your risk of angina, part of a healthy diet
supplements were heart attack, or stroke;
rancid; this can cause they also support your
inflammation and organ immune system to
damage) prevent infection and
autoimmune diseases;
Three types of Omega-3: omega-3 is essential for
alpha-linolenic (ALA), brain development and
Found in various plant-
health
DHA and EPA, based foods

Omega-6 Fatty Acid Found in deep and cold

­level is normally water, algae and krill
Your body can make
achieved within your DHE and EPA from ALA
daily food intake with a healthy diet.

Omega-9 Fatty Acid is

made by your body

154
Eat healthily – spice up your life!

Herbs and spices come from plants that may be used for food,
healing, scent, flavor, and decorations. Use them to add both color
and flavor to your meals. Be aware that spicy foods can increase
cravings for cigarettes, so you may want to restrict them in the
first 10 days after you quit. If you are looking for a new hobby, try
growing your own, or better still, learn how to forage for herbs
and wild greens.

Quick Guide to Addiction-Busting Foods

Drinks Water, herbal teas, vegetable juice, and fresh fruit

smoothies.

Sweeteners Malt, carob, maple syrup, honey, fruit juice, and va-
nilla extract.

Fruit All fruit – raw is best.

Minimum of three to four servings per day.

Vegetables Eat plenty, especially greens. Raw is best.

Grains Brown is best.

If you can’t see the grains, they are over-processed.

Select a variety of bread, cereals, pasta, and rice.
Use small portions with other food groups.

Nuts/Seeds Almonds, cashews, pecans, peanuts, pumpkin,

sunflower, sesame, etc.

155
Fats/Oil Use high-quality, natural fats and oil.
Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils and shortening.

Proteins Eat lean meats.

Cut off visible fat.
Use a variety of protein sources.

Vitamin and mineral supplements

Smoking causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies even on a

well-balanced diet. For example, smoking decreases vitamin C lev-
els in your blood by up to 50%. Stopping smoking is the best way
to correct nutritional deficiencies caused by nicotine and tobacco
use. An adult should eat three fruit and five to nine servings of
vegetables (or two to three-and-a-half cups) daily. National sur-
veys indicate smokers are less likely than the general public to
consume fruits and vegetables. Especially citrus fruit (vitamin C)
and carotene (converts to vitamin A) containing vegetables, such
as carrots, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli,
cantaloupe, and winter squash). Your body needs vitamin C to re-
sist the poisonous effects of substances such as cadmium and car-
bon monoxide, which you inhale every time you smoke a cigarette.
Remember, there are 7000 chemicals your body must stop from
causing disease. You are also exposed to environmental pollutants
(pollution, dust, plastic, sunlight) that increase your risk of illness
because you produce too many free radicals.

What are free radicals, you ask? Free radicals are atoms or
molecules with a missing electron, making them unstable. Usually,
free radicals destroy germs that can cause infections but too many
start damaging healthy tissues.

156
 That’s where our friendly antioxidants come in. Antioxidants
donate an electron to a free radical, making it stable. You may con-
sider taking supplements to correct vitamin and mineral deficien-
cies when you stop smoking. Or add colorful fruits, vegetables,
and nuts to your diet containing the antioxidants A, C, and E and
minerals copper, zinc, and selenium, a delicious way to neutralize
free radicals.

Fruits and vegetables are colorful. The brighter, the more

full of antioxidants. For example, iceberg lettuce has fewer anti-
oxidants than spinach. People love big juicy sweet blueberries and
blackberries freshly picked because they are full of antioxidants.
Our bodies have a way of asking for what it needs, but many of
us have lost touch with these natural signals. The food industry
has taken advantage of our taste buds and brain’s reward system
and hooked many of us on junk foods. We can mindlessly consume
hundreds of calories in food, unknowingly harming our bodies as
we watch Netflix.

Your job is to think about what your body is saying when

you are hungry. What do you want to eat? What fuel does your
body need? The signal to eat is correct if you feel hungry and ate
breakfast three hours ago. However, the signal is thirst if you ate
breakfast one and a half hours earlier. Thirst and hunger are often
misunderstood. Taking care of your body is a goal now. Set up a
drinking water and eating plan which is refreshing and colorful
(full of antioxidants).

Everyone has free radicals travelling around in their bodies,

looking for an electron to grab onto to stabilize their energy. In
doing so, they damage tissue. For example, in a smoker’s face, the
electrons taken from collagen in the skin lead to wrinkling. If the

157
free radicals damage the blood vessel lining, you are more vulner-
able to a heart attack. Free radicals can even damage our genes,
causing mutations. Free radicals come from environmental toxins
and when food is broken down.

Smoking produces a large number of free radicals

(estimated at ∼1 X 1015 radicals per puff)

Smoking creates free radicals in tar form

Our body’s defense is to stabilize them with antioxidants.

Food will be your medicine. Your body will need time to heal and
recover from the damage caused by the chemicals in your ciga-
rettes. Supplements are an expense you don’t need unless you are
not eating correctly. There is no evidence that supplements work;
the evidence suggests that high doses cause harm. Now that you
no longer smoke, your body can use the vitamins and minerals in
your food.

Chromium is a mineral that is a crucial component of insulin

receptor sites. It is found in black pepper but is depleted by carbo-
hydrates, exercise, and smoking.

Selenium is a mineral that is involved in the immune system.

It is found in animal meat and seafood. Selenium and Vitamin E
are free radical scavengers that destroy damaged molecules in
your body. Remember, free radicals are produced when an atom
loses an electron and becomes unbalanced. It leads to damaged
tissues when there are too many of them.

However, free radicals do have a job to do. They destroy can-

cer cells, so we do need some free radicals.

158
 The Vitamin B complex is essential for your body’s cells to
function. Working alone and as a family, they convert our food into
muscle, blood cells, enzymes, and energy. They maintain healthy
skin cells. Taking folic acid is helpful because it aids Vitamin B ab-
sorption.

The mineral magnesium is involved in some 320 enzyme

reactions. It has multiple roles, including the breakdown of pro-
teins. Magnesium helps control blood sugar and blood pressure.
Muscles and nerves need magnesium to function properly. If you
are eating a plant-based diet, you may want to take a magnesium
supplement for sleep and regularity in the morning.

You may notice when you stop smoking, eat more healthy
foods and drink eight glasses of water a day that, you begin passing
more water than you would have expected. This is because your
insulin levels stop fluctuating and go back to normal. You will no
longer retain fluids held in your body by insulin’s effect on some
kidney cells. You will lose potassium in that water. Potassium is
a mineral that is crucial for nerve transmission and maintaining
normal blood pressure.

Check with your doctor if you are taking prescription med-

ications or have an existing medical condition. Seek a qualified
health professional to clarify your individual needs. If you are con-
cerned about your health, ask your doctor for a medical check-up.

Your liver needs time to recover, and you need to break the
yo-yo swings in your insulin levels. You can make small changes or
large ones depending on your circumstances. Every positive step
you take will reap the rewards. Remember, you reap what you sow.

159
Recovery – speed it up!

You can flush the toxins and nicotine metabolites from your
body that cause aching joints, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and
fatigue by drinking water. A small person requires six glasses, a
medium-sized person requires eight glasses, and a large per-
son needs ten glasses of water per day. If you don’t usually drink
enough water, increase your intake by carrying a sipper bottle.
Experiment to find out if you like it warm, cold, or hot, with a
squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange. Consult your doctor if you have
a medical issue.

Don’t sabotage your progress with diet drinks, alcohol,

and caffeine, which all increase your appetite and cause nic-
otine cravings. It will pay you to avoid them or at least lim-
it them. When you stop smoking or vaping nicotine, caffeine
will be more easily absorbed in your body. Therefore, on your
Quit Date, to avoid feeling restless, irritable, and having dif-
ficulty sleeping, cut back on caffeine products, or switch to
­decaffeinated.

To reboot your liver and improve your nutrition, eat three

small meals a day until you’re 75% full.

TIP: It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register you’re full,

please don’t overeat.

Take a walk outdoors to help digestion. Eat colorful plant-

based fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. No sug-
ar. No unnecessary processed foods. Instead, eat foods rich in
complex carbohydrates that make your body do the work of
­digestion.

160
 Until your Quit Date, your liver uses nicotine hits to kick it up
a notch to metabolize your food. Have you noticed how good that
cigarette is after dinner? It’s important to remember that in the
absence of nicotine, your liver may turn to sugar for a quick boost.
If you experience an intense feeling of ‘emptiness,’ don’t misinter-
pret it as hunger pangs unless it is more than three hours since
you last ate. Instead, recognize it as a biological craving for nico-
tine or sugar. Eat a protein sandwich (e.g. peanut butter, mashed
edamame, hummus, and salad, or meat), then think about what
the trigger might be and neutralize it. Please persevere if your
body requires time to adjust to a diet with more fresh fruit and
vegetables. Drinking water will help keep you regular as you eat
whole-grain bread, brown rice, and wholemeal pasta. The pro-
teins will help keep you full, as will the fibre, nuts and seeds. Look
around your community for free gardens and bargains to manage
the costs of eating plant-based.

Eat snacks three times a day between meals to enhance your

healing. Select from any foods found in your meals but a small
portion size. Snacks are not supposed to fill you up. Snacks are
intended to provide energy and nutrition without making you feel
overly full. Some examples of healthy snacks include a small piece
of fruit, a handful of nuts, or a small serving of yogurt.

The size of your fist should guide the selection of your fruit
and vegetable portions. Women should have at least three pieces
of fruit daily, and men should have four. Everyone should have a
minimum of nine servings of vegetables per day. Mushrooms, on-
ions, and tomatoes are excellent at breakfast time. Whole grains,
nuts, and seeds are naturally high in energy yield and can be
ground, soaked, sprouted, or fermented.

161
 Use the size of the palm of your hand to guide your portion
size for meats. Meat and vegetable proteins reduce your appetite;
therefore, eat them at every meal and as snacks.

You may experience some tiredness in the first week, so take

it easy on yourself. Be careful not to use food as a coping mecha-
nism. If you are grieving for ‘the cigarette’ from withdrawal, or feel
irritable from low blood sugar or withdrawal, take the time to ac-
knowledge what you are saying to yourself and feeling. Be mindful
of those thoughts (journal). Then take action. Do something like
soak in a hot bath, go for a walk or spend time with a friend at
lunch. You are taking back control of your life. Make conscious de-
cisions about what you want to eat. Before long, you will begin to
enjoy the pleasures of life. Natural highs can be found in enjoying
food, other people’s company, and living your best life.

Eat to live; don’t live to eat.

162
Detoxing your menu

1. Safe and healthy vegetable oils you can cook at high tem-
peratures include: Rice bran, canola oil, walnut oil, peanut oil
(check allergy status) and my favorites olive and avocado.
• Check expiration date and ensure no other oil has
been added

• Flaxseed oil can produce harmful compounds when

heated. Use in its raw form in salad dressings or
smoothies for its omega-3 fatty acid content

• Consult a registered dietitian if you have concerns

about dietary fat intake

2. Vegetable oils to avoid:

• Palm oil: high in saturated fat, bad for heart health and
climate

• Coconut oil: high in saturated fat, can raise cholesterol

levels

• Cottonseed oil: often genetically modified, extracted

using chemicals with residues

• Hydrogenated oils: chemically altered, creates trans

fats which increase heart disease risk

• Soybean oil: most crops genetically modified, often

highly processed and may contain residues of pesti-
cides and other chemicals

Table salt is processed and removes 82 of its 84 minerals ren-

dering it toxic. Use Himalayan or a natural sea salt that retains

163
minerals, including iodine. Iodine is found in many foods, in-
cluding seafood, dairy products, and iodized salt.

Gluten-Free. Don’t eat unless you have tested positive for ce-
liac disease. Gluten-free food labels must be read to see sug-
ar, fat, sodium, and nutrient content. People with gut issues
should not use processed foods, as gluten may have been
used as the binding agent or to add protein.

Energy Bars. Not recommended. After the high energy burst,

the crash of low blood sugar follows. The food industry is only
interested in your money. Always read the label. Make your
own energy bars. Keep a small bag of mixed nuts or sprouted
lentils with you. Fresh fruit. Water.

164
Breakfast – Eat like a king. Choose one of the following:

 Tomatoes and eggs on toast, apple, and a drink

 Baked beans on toast, grapefruit, and a drink

 Cereal with yogurt, berries, and a drink

 Mushrooms and salad, watermelon, and a drink

Lunch – Eat like a prince. Choose one of the following:

 Salad, orange, and a drink

 Beef and vegetable soup, toast, banana, and a drink

 Cold meat and salad, pear, and a drink

 Cheese, tomato, and capsicum on crackers, kiwifruit, and

a drink

Dinner – Eat like a pauper. Choose one of the following:

 Fish and vegetables, a banana pancake, and a drink

 Beef stir-fry, berries and yogurt, and a drink

 Roast meat, warm roasted vegetables, black plums, custard,

and a drink

 Chicken casserole and vegetables, stewed apples, ice cream,

and a drink

165
Snacks – Eat in moderation.

In addition to fruit. Choose one of the following three times

per day:

 Fruit. Women and children eat three pieces per day. Men eat
four. Try frozen cubed mango. Blueberry smoothie. Apple
slices with peanut butter on tips. Eat fruit in season. Wash to
remove dust and insecticide sprays. Try to eat the skins, as
this is where most of the vitamins and minerals are located

 Tomato juice with a celery stick

 Lettuce leaves roll-ups: add your favorite fillings, capsicum,

tomato, tuna, and mayo

 Trail mix once a day: Make a large airtight container of mixed

nuts and seeds you love. Scoop out what you feel will fit in
your closed fist. Add or take away more of the mix as needed.
Find a scoop that takes that amount for future use. Eat that
handful. Fill little bags for the next three days. Suggestions: al-
monds, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pumpkin seeds,
dark chocolate chips (small), and sesame seeds. Avoid using
dried fruit. Be inventive. Portion size one handful

 Vegetables and salsa or dips. Prepare veggies and keep them

in the fridge, ready to use for quick snacks. Change the water
daily. Or wrap in a damp paper towel or tin foil. Experiment.
Try baby carrots with hummus (make your own)

 Popcorn. Buy an air popper. Then use an olive oil spray and
add flavors like freshly grated parmesan cheese

166
 Edamame (young soybeans) contains protein, fibre, and iron

 Yogurt. Read the labels. Stay under 8 g sugar per 100 g serv-
ing. Try a banana popsicle. Slice several peeled bananas in half
and insert popsicle sticks. Coat each half with yogurt. Freeze

 Soups: tomato, vegetable, and pumpkin homemade or Cup-

a-Soup make a great snack. Always read the label. No added
sugar. Under 80 calories per cup. Low sodium. Homemade
is best

 Smoked salmon pinwheels (2): spread cream cheese onto a

slice of salmon and roll it up

 Chocolate Mousse: Whip ½ medium avocado, 2 tbsp. cocoa

powder, 2 tbsp. dairy/non-dairy milk and sweetener of choice
in a blender. Refrigerate before enjoying

 Crackers (wholemeal) and cheese. Topped with capsicum,

cucumber, and salsa. Try cottage cheese, hard cheese, sliced
apple, and cinnamon

 Kale chips: Toss washed kale leaves in olive oil and season
to your taste. Spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 200°C in
the oven for 30 minutes until crisp. Sprinkle with sea salt,
and enjoy

 Peanut butter cookies: 1 cup each of peanut butter and Splen-

da Sugar Blend for baking or similar. Mix in a bowl with one
egg. Preheat the oven to 180°C on bake. Prepare a baking tray
with spray. Roll your peanut balls and flatten them gently
with a fork. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool before serving

167
 Keep track of what you eat and drink to monitor and improve
the number of daily drinks, fruits, vegetables, or protein portions
you consume. You may wish to copy the table before you start.

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

168
Exercise – Use it or lose it!

Exercise should begin on or before your quit date. I am not

talking about running the mile in under four minutes or doing
anything you don’t like or won’t keep up. Ideally, you are already
getting some form of exercise and have found something you en-
joy regularly. But if not, now is an excellent time to start trying
different activities. If you need your doctor to approve your exer-
cise plan, please involve them. Otherwise, begin slowly, and each
day, add a few minutes more to your routine. It doesn’t matter
whether you are sick, well, or disabled; your body needs move-
ment for your mental and physical health. Research shows that
exercising reduces the intensity and duration of chronic pain
and enhances people’s coping abilities. It would help if you were
looking to do an exercise that improves your physical strength,
tone, flexibility, and endurance. You do not want to hurt yourself
or make yourself ill. Exercising to music can be fun. If you are
unsure what you want to do, experiment with various sports and
activities. Get the experts to help by joining a gym or YMCA. It is
always much more fun to take someone with you. Don’t forget to
always warm up with stretches and warm down at the end of the
exercise to prevent injury.

image by Drazen Zigic on Freepic

169
 The key to wanting to do regular exercise is to find something
you enjoy. My sister Anne had never been keen on exercising, and
her stints at the gym have never lasted long. Looking back, she
never would have believed it was possible, but now she plays golf,
dances, and walks for enjoyment. You, too, can enjoy exercising.
Don’t let exercising become a burden. Choose an exercise or vari-
ous activities that will fit into your lifestyle. If you are concerned
about your ability to exercise, seek advice from your doctor or
nurse.56 57 58 59

The benefits of exercise are well documented and worth re-

peating. Exercising:

Reduces the cravings for cigarettes for up to an hour

Elevates your mood

Reduces your stress levels

Refreshes your spirit

Oxygenates the brain, increasing your alertness and im-

proving your thought processing and concentration

Improves your ability to relax and find calmness

Improves your quality of sleep

Improves appearance, so you look and feel better

Opportunity to meet people and develop friendships

Improved fitness will make you happier, and the flow-on

will positively affect the people around you. In the first ten days,

170
aim to do more exercise
than you usually do dai-
ly. The additional exer-
cise will stimulate your
sluggish liver to return
to normal. Purchase a
pedometer that counts
your steps and go for
walks after meals. Aim
to get to 10 000 steps per day doing what you enjoy. In the long
term, exercising for twenty minutes three times a week will im-
prove your health and general well-being. And yes, breaking the
twenty minutes into two ten-minute sessions is okay. However,
you will achieve the most benefits if you exercise regularly, con-
sistently, and when you are up to it vigorously.60 If you already
exercise, increase your activity level by ten minutes. Ensure you
get plenty of rest to allow your body to go through withdrawal
without too much stress.

If you want to do swimming, running, and fast walking,

ask your doctor for a medical check-up and discuss a safe ex-
ercise plan.

Smartphones and watches can monitor your fitness, but

the old way works. Take your pulse before, during, and after ex-
ercising. Your pulse should return to normal within four minutes
of stopping your exercise. As you get fit, your recovery time will
improve. Your pulse should not exceed 70% of 220 minus your

171
age. For example, Mike is 45 years old. On a calculator, enter the
following:

220 – 45 = x 70 % = 122.5

Mike should aim to get his pulse rate up to 123 beats per
minute during exercise. During a power walk, Mike stops and
checks his pulse. It is 115 beats per minute. It is less than
123 beats per minute, so Mike knows he is not overdoing it.
He is exercising safely and continues his walk. At the end of
the walk, he warms down for four minutes and then rechecks
his pulse. It is now 90 beats per minute. Mike is pleased be-
cause just one week earlier, his pulse took seven minutes to
get down to 90, and he was not back to his regular pulse of 78
for a full 10 minutes.

When you establish your exercise routine, fat will be released

from your fat storage cells and is put into your muscles, ready to
use. You will also begin to sweat more as you get fit. See your abil-
ity to sweat freely as a sign you are making progress. Avoid do-
ing spurts of strenuous exercise before meals. Exercise no sooner
than one-and-a-half hours after a heavy meal.

It is essential not to cut down on your total food intake and,

in particular, don’t cut down on eating protein. There is sufficient
anecdotal evidence to propose dieting makes you fat.61 Reducing
calories works only in the short term. The less you eat, the less
you will be able to eat without getting fat. Eat plenty of healthy,
nutritious food.

172
 Think about the exercise you currently do and ways you can
increase it. Use the following chart to record your daily activities.
You may wish to photocopy it before you begin.

Time Duration Activity

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

173
Remember

 The damage to your health stops where recovery begins

 The fear of weight gain is the number one reason many peo-
ple keep smoking or relapse

 Weight should remain within 3 kg. 23% of people lose weight

 Factors that may cause you to gain weight include:

Your taste, sense of smell, and appetite improve

Your metabolic rate temporarily drops by 10%

Your sluggish liver leads to feelings of craving or hunger

High insulin levels cause low blood sugar, leading to

overeating

 You can use strategies to prevent weight gain, which may even
result in weight loss

 Addiction-busting foods are nature’s packages of nutrients

and tastiness

 Plan and eat a minimum of three small meals and three

snacks daily

 Drink eight glasses of water daily to flush toxins and reduce

headaches and fatigue

 Eat complex carbohydrates such as whole-grain bread, cere-

als, pasta, and brown rice

174
 Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. If you are over 65, you lose
muscle mass at a rate six times greater than when you were
younger. So, it’s important to eat vegetables and exercise, or
you will lose it even faster. Vegetables are alkaline and there-
fore neutralize the chronic low-grade acidosis we get with ad-
vancing age

 Eat proteins. Plant-based proteins include soy-based tofu and

tempeh. Lentils, most beans, green peas, oats, and oatmeal.
Animal products are all acid-forming proteins, including fish,
pork, poultry, eggs, and cheese

 Exercise will speed up your recovery, elevate your mood,

reduce stress, strengthen your body, and refresh your
spirit

 Use unsaturated oils such as olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil,
soybean oil, flaxseed oil, and avocado oil. Read the labels. Do
not use trans fats or refined oils added

175
Stress Management
Keep calm and carry on

Before you stop smoking, you

will need to consider how you will
handle the stress in your life. You
need to plan to deal with the with-
drawal symptoms you may experi-
ence in the first four to ten days after you stop smoking while your
liver is recovering. Withdrawal is an added stress on your physical
body (adrenal glands, for example) and your emotions. Your liver
processes all the nasty chemicals your body will now bring out of
storage and get rid of because you’re not smoking. It’s body clean-
up time! But you may not think so at the time. Your gums may start
to bleed, old joints and injuries may ache, headaches are common,
and a foul mouth and symptoms of a cold are common.

As a result of the liver work, your skin, gums, teeth, and hair
will reward you by looking healthy. As the process continues, you
will feel more energic. This is because your blood is less sticky and
can carry four oxygen molecules in each red blood cell. Feelings of
anxiety and depression will begin lifting as the physical assault on
your body caused by smoking is removed. Smoking develops ill-
ness within your body, causing inflammation, constriction of blood
vessels, mutations, and disease. One in two smokers will lose ten
to 20 years off their lifespans. But before that happens, they will
suffer from chronic health issues, debilitating illness, and loss of
enjoyment of life, including employment and relationships.

Sometimes, there is sudden death from a heart attack or massive

stroke. Your body has always communicated with you ­automatically

176
below your level of awareness. For example, I’m hungry – you eat; I’m
thirsty – you drink. On a deeper level, you breathe in and out without
your conscious control until you take over. Smoking, and nicotine, in
particular, has corrupted your brain. Your autonomic and other sys-
tems have been unable to communicate with you. Suppose you start-
ed smoking as a teenager and now suffer anxiety and depression; you
will notice a big improvement in your mental health when you stop
­smoking. Give yourself the gift of time to heal.

There is sufficient evi-

dence to suggest smoking in
a developing brain leads to
anxiety and depression and
impacts adulthood. But that’s
over now. This is reboot time!

That means you put

plans in place to deal with
the stress caused by quitting,
withdrawal, cravings, and
the normal pressures you
would usually have coped with by smoking. Let the people you
live with know that you may be a little extra tired this week. Break
daily activities up into small blocks and rest.

How your brain is healing and what you can do to help

Reduce the number of nicotinic receptors in your brain

by avoiding nicotine in all its forms

Boost your brainpower and keep your mind sharp by

getting plenty of sleep

177
 Improve your brain’s ability to make new cells and re-
pair itself with a healthy diet, exercise, and managing
stress

Regulate mood and emotional well-being by getting

enough sleep (six to eight hours at night). Chronic sleep
deprivation can lead to increased feelings of anxiety, de-
pression, and irritability

Help your brain produce important proteins and neu-

rotransmitters by getting enough sleep

As you sleep harmful beta-amyloid proteins are washed

out of your brain, these can contribute to memory loss
and dementia

Sleep regulates your internal clock (circadian rhythm,

which synchronizes hormones, metabolism, and immu-
nity which will help your healing and recovery

Practicing self-control is essential to your well-being:

If you feel irritable or angry, use self-control to excuse

yourself politely and walk away

Decreases your stress hormones

Allows you to maintain or lose weight

Prevents you from developing diseases

Allows you to get to sleep

Improves your mental health and overall well-being

People like being around you

178
The biological effect of addiction is chronic stress which causes
you to be sensitized to stress. Stress is a fact of life. However, if
we are clever, we can use stress to motivate us to take opportuni-
ties in life. On the other hand, excessive stress is not good when it
overwhelms us, and we deal with it in unhealthy ways like alcohol,
gambling, retail therapy, overeating, and drugs.

Finding healthy alternatives is essential if you want to re-

main an ex-smoker. We live in a fallen world that appears to be
deteriorating. Christians turn to Psalm 23 for comfort in times
of great sadness, reminding them that God is always present and
provides and guides them until he takes them to His heavenly
home. I have listed some Bible verses to help you through tough
times. Remember that being a Christian doesn’t exempt you from
suffering; Jesus was rejected, brutally beaten, stripped naked, and
crucified. But the good news is Jesus triumphed over death and
rose again, we can find hope and strength in knowing that we can
overcome our struggles with the help of our faith and the power
of God’s love.

You know something terrible or sad will happen sooner

or later because that’s life. No one escapes unscathed, not even
Christians. Take time now and write how you would prevent
yourself from smoking if (God forbid) someone you loved suf-
fered a tragedy.

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 It’s crucial to consider how you will handle extreme times of
stress before they happen. You don’t want to shut down and suck
on a cigarette to feel better. If grief knocks you down, it’s because
you loved the person, so sit in distress with those who loved them.
Be with people who care about you when stressed; please don’t
use nicotine and carbon monoxide chemicals to feel good. If you
smoke, it could be years before you attempt to stop again. Please,
dear friend, do not use death or tragedy to start smoking again;
you will regret it.

My dear friend Mary began smoking after being quit for three
years when her 63-year-old mother died. Mary stayed smokefree
for three weeks. Then, one day, she walked into a dairy (corner
shop) to buy milk and bought cigarettes too when a friend of her
mother’s asked after her. Despite her best efforts to stop, Mary
was hooked. Around the same age, Mary’s Mom became ill, she
was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Thanks to the drugs
the Australian government provides, she is still alive. If Mary still
lived in New Zealand, she would have died.

You may love to smoke, but the smoke doesn’t love you. It’s
a device of destruction and death, which is subtle until you are
pleading with fear in your eyes for help to breathe. I know because
I have nursed people dying of smoking-related lung diseases in
the last days of their lives. It’s frightening for the patient until we
drug down their anxiety. Still, we can’t take the fear out of the fam-
ily other than to reassure them that it will be over soon. Many fam-
ily members can’t bear to watch their loved ones go through the
end stages of smoking-related diseases. The worst part is – that it
was preventable!

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 A survival mechanism called the fight-flight response will
kick in under severe stress.62 Turning off this response is critical
to addiction recovery, especially if you have post-traumatic stress
syndrome. When we feel pressured, our body’s senses are height-
ened to make rapid decisions to fight, freeze or run away. Your
body will return to its normal state when the danger is over. This
response is a biological protection that only works for short peri-
ods when we are under attack (or a perceived attack). Suppose the
stressor remains, or our body doesn’t turn off after the danger has
passed, as in PTSD. Then we can become mentally and physically
ill and turn to pacifiers to make us feel better. In my case, I turned
to cigarettes, and as I became increasingly ill, I switched to men-
thols, which made it easier to breathe again but it was an illusion
I was killing myself.

Overcoming stress as an ex-smoker can be an uphill battle,

especially when faced with extreme stress. When my respirato-
ry specialist warned me that if I didn’t quit smoking, I wouldn’t
live to see my ten-year-old daughter reach twenty-five, it added
to the pressure and shame I already felt. Despite quitting smok-
ing Cold Turkey, I still found myself struggling with intense
cravings six years later. It was a nightmare (for me and my fam-
ily) compounded by daily persistent headaches with migraine
features caused by a head injury, as well as PTSD that made
it difficult to read without vomiting. But through research and
experimentation, I discovered that my blood sugar was too low,
and lack of water and sleep was exacerbating my headaches
and irritability. By addressing each problem one by one and
using addiction-busting foods to reboot my liver the cravings
slowly faded, I regained control over my life. I refused to give

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up. The important thing is, with the right tools and mindset, it
is possible to overcome even the most challenging obstacles on
the road to better health.

Would you be surprised to know I am not alone in continu-

ing to smoke after being diagnosed with a serious illness? 64%
of people diagnosed with cancer and 40% with a heart attack
continue to smoke despite the risk of another heart attack or
stroke. It is embarrassing to be a smoker when dealing with spe-
cialist doctors. I felt stupid, guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed. I
would spend an hour before my appointments trying to get rid
of every sign I smoked! The question he asked was, “Are you still
smoking?”

SMOKING IS NOT YOUR FAULT

BUT

ONLY YOU CAN STOP SMOKING

Lay the blame for being a smoker where it belongs – the To-
bacco Industry. Big Tobacco makes addictive tobacco products
and markets them to children and adults, some of who can’t break
free even in the face of life-threatening diseases.

Rose, aged 40, came to our cessation class. She was a can-
cer survivor and had been discharged three days earlier after
a heart attack. Rose started smoking when she was 12 years
old and was diagnosed with cancer at 33. Her doctor had re-
ferred Rose to the group, but she didn’t want to be there. She
said she wanted to understand how to smoke less by using

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nicotine replacement therapy she had started in the hospital
and getting Quit Cards. Quit Cards are a prescription for nico-
tine products like patches, lozenges, and gum. Rose laughed a
lot and said she did not want to quit smoking in the foreseeable
future. My position was, Rose was welcome in the group. Rose
would learn information that would move her towards wanting
to quit. I told her there was no safe cigarette, and every puff
harmed her heart and blood vessels, making them sticky. I took
a hard line with Rose when she played devil’s advocate in the
group trying to promote smoking. I wanted to ‘wake her up.’
When she acted silly and disrupted the group, I called her out,
saying quitting was a serious business and smoking a deadly
activity. Sadly, despite several telephone calls (and messages),
Rose never returned to the group.

Like Rose, your inner reaction and how you perceive a situ-
ation can create problems. I know that quitting smoking can be
challenging, but it’s in taking ownership of our actions and staying
committed to our decision to quit we win the day. With the right
support, healthy coping mechanisms, and strong determination,
you too will overcome nicotine addiction and its autopilot habits.
Relapse is not an inevitable part of your future. You have the inner
power to create the life you dare to dream. Believe!

You may even meet insensitive health professionals trying

to help and who say the wrong thing. Some people know noth-
ing about what you are going through and don’t know diddly
squat about nicotine addiction. Worse still, others sit in judg-
ment when they have problems worse than yours; for start-
ers, they are judgemental! Do you use cigarettes as a coping­

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mechanism to help you deal with stress? Here’s how tobacco
keeps you ­smoking:

You get to walk away – time out

Opening the packet of cigarettes and lighting it up is rit-

ualistic and soothing – especially with a new pack

Sense of belonging with the smoker group

You may talk about this with like-minded people

The smoking ritual is a distraction from the reality of life

The nicotine hits your reward center in your brain in

seven seconds – and relief floods the body

Drawing long, slow drags calms you down (diaphragm

or deep breathing is a known stress reliever)

The nicotine sites in your brain and body are activated,

releasing your feel-good chemicals and hormones:

 dopamine

 serotonin

 gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

 oxytocin

 endorphins norepinephrine

You still have time to fit in another cigarette, so you light

up again

You can see I understand what you go through and what you
must break yourself away from to take back control. Everyone
who stops smoking faces your dilemma. A mere 20 minutes after
your last cigarette, your need for nicotine will grow again. Then

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the stress you are under will seem much worse. Think back to
when you were dealing with an incident that caused stress. Write
how you handled the situation. What came first, dealing with the
problem or having a cigarette? Did you remove yourself, get help,
or somehow work through the problem?

As an ex-smoker, what plans will you fall back on when the

going gets tough? What healthy coping mechanisms do you al-
ready use, and what new ones would you like to try?

The following list offers some coping mechanisms suggestion:

 Count to ten, take a deep, slow breath and then react maturely

 Excuse yourself, walk away, and use calming self-talk to relax,

weigh up the situation, plan your reaction, go back, and react

 Be honest and tell the person how the situation or event

makes you feel, only if you feel safe doing so

 Sit with your feelings of anger and identify what lies behind it;
for example, is it powerlessness, sadness, grief, or frustration?

185
 Keep a gratitude journal to explore your feelings, what you
have learned, and how you have grown

 Acknowledge that forgiving someone doesn’t mean forget-

ting, but it does mean you can leave it in the past

 Acknowledge responsibility for your reactions

You can choose the way you react under stress. The great
thing about quitting is that within a very short time, you will be
able to relax better than you have in a very long time! Your body
will not be craving nicotine. Your brain will recover and no lon-
ger be sensitized to stress. When you sit down to relax and deep
breathe, your body will receive more oxygen than it has in a long
time. As a smoker, paradoxically, you would think more clearly
and feel alert or relaxed during your cigarette, depending on what
you required. The catch-22 is when you need to be at your best
and most productive for example, at work, you are not allowed
to smoke. Students can’t smoke in the classroom or during ex-
aminations. Mothers and caregivers can’t smoke while caring for
demanding children. The two-hourly withdrawal cycle of nicotine
puts the smoker on a collision course with stress. The good news
is that as an ex-smoker, you can think more clearly all the time
because your body and brain will get more oxygen and be free of
toxins as time passes. You will be able to:

think faster

achieve more

extra time for planned actions/activities

sit down and relax

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 time to work out a present stressor. Is there an oppor-
tunity in it to grow? Do you need to eliminate or min-
imize contact with a person? Try different strategies.
Ask for help

TIP: As a new ex-smoker, take regular breaks to refresh your

body and spirit. Deep breathe, drink water. Go for a walk. Nib-
ble on some almond mix.

Every day be someone’s miracle, and your life will be less stressful
as the focus comes off you.

Take time now to think about a problem that worries you. Is

this something that you can change? Can you break it down into
parts? Can some of it be eliminated? Can you delegate some of it?
Can you do the significant parts of it, in priority order, and sched-
ule the rest for later (or much later)? Change is a process. If you do
need to change, it may be helpful to know that you go through the
following cyclic phases:

Denial I don’t need to change

Resistance I couldn’t possibly change
Exploration Maybe I could change
Commitment I will change!
Change!

All problems have solutions. Think about the problem in

these terms:

What would make this situation more to your liking?

Is there anything you can do to change things?

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 Acknowledge that you are re-
A case for creation:
sponsible for your emotions Giraffes feeding on the
acacia tree cause the
Choose your reaction
leaves to send a chemical
Accept it or change it by taking message into the air to
action trees 50 meters away.
The next stand of trees
Review your self-talk around changes the tannin levels
the problem. Is it helpful or de- in their leaves, making
them bitter, and causing
structive? Be aware of what you are
the giraffes to move on.
telling yourself. Choose to deal with Only God could know
all that life has to throw at you as an these hungry giraffes
ex-smoker. Smoking is off the table would eat out all the
trees.
now as an option to help you cope
with living your life. The average
smoker started smoking at the age
of 14 years and not because they
wanted to use it to cope with stress.
Smokers using nicotine twenty and
even forty years later do it because
of stress caused by their body’s
physical and emotional response to
the chemicals and rituals of smok-
ing. Many of these smokers want
to quit but don’t believe they have
what it takes to stay smokefree.
That’s a lie they tell themselves. I
have successfully helped forty-year
smokers stop.

You have it in you to manage

your life with wisdom, self-control,

188
and maturity. You are not
(as evolutionists believe) an
If you change your
animal, or a human being
mind, you change
descended from an ape. You
are a human being created your life
in the image of your heav- William James
enly Father. People in ev-
ery culture have a spiritual
sense of God’s presence be-
cause we are hard-wired to know Him. If you accept your creator
God, you may have heard of His Ten Commandments. Thou Shalt
Not Kill is the fourth commandment. I think you will agree tobacco
does not fit into God’s plan for you.

Handling stress as an ex-smoker.63 64

Concentrate on the good things in your life. Find activities

every day to build joy in life. Write what you did each day in your
journal and three things that went well (gratitudes). Your life
is worth living, so it is worth recording. Capture your thoughts,
ideas, and emotions. A journal can help you sort out how you feel
about a situation by writing down the pros and cons. It is a great
place to write down your plans and goals. Writing (drawing or re-
cording) can assist you in unwinding at the end of the day. A spi-
ral-bound journal book allows you to tear out pages and burn bad
memories, letting them go. Start each entry by writing three or
more things (blessings) for which you are grateful. Work on your
mindset, grow it, and change it to a more positive and optimis-
tic one. A positive, outward-looking person is not self-destructive
in the face of all the health messages and family requests to stop
smoking unless something is wrong.

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 Re-creating yourself as an ex-smoker (you were born a
non-smoker) is work only you can do. No one else can do it for
you. Do you know the Law of the Harvest? You plant in one season
and reap in another. You reap what you sow. The following exam-
ple highlights underlying factors that can sabotage your efforts to
change. Many smokers report abuse and trauma that was sown
into their lives at an early age. They reacted by sowing self-doubt,
self-loathing, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and poor self-
care behaviors. Many of us go on to have medical issues and be
accident-prone as adults. We are the cash cows in our doctors’
medical practices or the high users. Big Pharma provides drugs,
Big Tobacco treat the symptoms, and the cause goes untreated.
But that all ends when you ‘take back control.’

Yes, I am speaking from experience. I, like many children,

was sexually abused. I had two concussions in my preteens, then
a fractured skull at age twelve from falling from a bolting horse.
These brain injuries caused poor decision-making, and my boy-
friend became my husband after he assaulted me. I was humil-
iated and ashamed and wanted to normalize what happened as
the witnesses were family friends. I was young and inexperienced;
nobody talked openly about abuse in those days.

Smoking helped me cope with high-stress levels but never

solved any issues. In fact, it created more as my health failed due
to smoking. When you get off to a bad start as a child, and the
sh** keeps coming, the soft red glow at the end of a cigarette
gives you a sense that everything is all right. Well, at least while
you have that smoke. I remember the swirls of smoke going out
the front door, backlit by my porch light. The kids were in bed
asleep. I felt at peace, and all was right with the world. It was a

190
lie! The kids were breathing in smoke that had wafted into their
rooms. The house was contaminated with second and third-hand
smoke, and I was sitting for a lung disease diagnosis that would
change my life.

OR

Think about what’s going on with you, dear friend. What will
you do when you feel stressed, and smoking is no longer your cop-
ing method? While you think about this, remember that you now
value yourself highly. No matter what you have been through, you
are precious and valuable.

If you saw a $50 banknote lying in a muddy puddle, would

you pick it up? Yes! Of course, you would then clean and dry it be-
cause you know it’s valuable. The government and the bank that
issued it have promised to accept it. You are a child of God and
have enormous value to Him. Like the $50 banknote, it doesn’t
change His love for you that you have messed up or put yourself
down. There is nothing you can do that He won’t forgive. Jesus has
paid the price for all your past, present, and future sins. Smoking
isn’t about puffing away cigarette after cigarette, dollar after dol-
lar. It’s about destroying your mind, body, and spirit. The enemy

191
shouldn’t have an ally in you. Take a stand and fight for yourself
this time. You are never alone.

FOCUS on what God can do. “What is impossible with man

is possible with God” Bible Luke 18:27. Negativity, like a magnet,
attracts negativity as sure as day follows night. Positive thinking
works well in situations you have control over. When things are
out of your control, you need faith. God’s enemy has targeted you
through the Tobacco Industry because of God’s great love for you
and your family. When the scales fall off your eyes, you will see you
are God’s child, created in His image. Call on His name and ask for
His help. God specializes in the impossible. Please accept His help
to take back control as you learn about nicotine.

Don’t repress or try to push down the object of your stress. It

needs to be addressed. Ignoring your issues may lead to relapse.
Unaddressed issues will make dealing with your other addictions,
weight gain, ill health, family violence, and kicking the dog more
difficult.

Here’s a proven strategy for you to use to reduce your stress

levels. It’s simply called Deep Breathing – the kill switch to stress.

Techniques vary but if you want a quick fix, try this one rec-
ommended by Dr. Judson Brewer, author of the Craving Mind.
Start with your pinky finger and trace all your fingers. Breathe in
slowly as you go up the finger and out as you go down the other
side. Stay in the same rhythm for the best results. Keep doing this
until you feel relaxed.

When you smoked, you regularly drew back long, slow

breaths. Do it regularly as an ex-smoker (don’t pretend you are

192
smoking because your brain won’t know the difference). Breath-
ing exercises are an essential part of stress management. Slow, de-
liberate breathing can help reduce your stress levels. If you have
not reached your quit date, use breathing exercises as first aid
when you desire to smoke but cannot use Focused Smoking be-
cause it isn’t appropriate. There is a relationship between breath-
ing and the way we feel. If we are frightened, we tend to take rapid,
shallow breaths. When we are relaxed, we take deeper and more
regular breaths. You will feel comfortable focusing on your breath-
ing and practicing deep breathing. Find a method you like and use
it or follow this relaxation exercise. This first one takes about 20
minutes (set a timer if necessary):

1) Find a quiet environment with no distractions

2) Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes

3) Breathe normally, focusing on the rhythm of your breaths

without trying to influence them

4) Be aware of air entering and leaving your lungs

5) If your thoughts distract you or you feel unfocused, do not

resist
Allow your attention to come back naturally
Slow your breathing down and let your whole body go slack

6) After 15 minutes, give yourself a couple of minutes to return

to the present

7) Slowly open your eyes and let your senses absorb the sights
and sounds around you

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Diaphragm Breathing:

Place one hand on your chest and the other on your

stomach

Allow your shoulders to drop

Breathe in through your nose to the count of four while

feeling the hand on your stomach rise

Hold your breath for a count of four

Breathe out slowly to the count of eight

Repeat for several minutes

Manage your time effectively. It will reduce your stress by

giving you more time to do the things that are important to you.
Being smokefree will free up more time. During the day, you
will have the time you would have otherwise spent getting to a
smoker’s area and the smoking time itself. You can get to bed
earlier because you will not be delayed by ‘one last cigarette.’
As your recovery symptoms lessen, you will feel refreshed and
ready to face daily challenges. Plan your week. If you are go-
ing into situations where you would previously have smoked,
work out your strategy to remain smokefree. Sunday night is
an excellent time to make a weekly schedule and each night
after that, make a To-Do List based on that schedule. Review
your day’s progress based on the goals and tasks you want to
achieve. Use old lists to help write new ones. Write out your list
and see what can be ELIMINATED, then what can be DELEGAT-
ED, and next, what can be scheduled to another date. Now you

194
have your list of TO DOs. Prioritize your To-Do list with an ABC
system:

A – Priority One

B – Priority Two

C – Priority Three

Schedule your work into your calendar. Don’t forget

breaks and family time. Set your own pace. Your aim is to use
this time to heal and recover from smoking, which has affect-
ed your brain and body systems, even if you can’t see it yet.
It changed many of you to the degree you preferred smoking
to your survival needs of water, food, sex, and family. Smoking
changed your brain’s anatomy and liver’s physiology so you
could smoke without feeling dreadfully ill every time you lit
up. Now that you are undoing those changes, please be kind to
yourself. Don’t smoke because you feel like death warmed up.
Of course, you feel bad! What will make you feel better? A walk
in the park where you can do some relaxation breathing and
commune with God. Or would you prefer to jump into bed with
a good book? Use the Stress Management Action Plan to help
you choose (see below).

You are a spiritual being on a human journey, so put the time

into your day for yourself, those you love, and those you work with
and enjoy life. It’s the only one you’ve got. If you are worried about
things in the future, bring yourself back into the present. It’s a gift
from God.

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 Nicotine does not cause cancer directly; it slows normal cell
replacement. This can allow cancer to take hold. Researchers have
counted 10,000 genetic changes in cells. Dr. Kate Gowers says it
“can be thought of as mini time bombs, waiting for the next hit that
causes them to progress to cancer.”65

No nicotine product is safe.

A roller coaster you cannot get off loses its fun factor
pretty quickly, especially if you know the track runs out. Most
ex-smokers can make a case for smoking, but it would be built
on lies and illusions. What we enjoy are social times with peo-
ple when we feel liked and accepted. That will happen again
when your body and brain are clear of nicotine cravings and
you build a healthy attitude to life. Please STOP paying the To-
bacco Industry to KILL you.

Over the next few weeks, record the removal of the Tobacco
Industry’s hooks from the various aspects of your life. I would dis-
honor God if I didn’t tell you Jesus set you free from the bondage of
addiction when He died on the cross at Calvary. If God says you are
free, who is man to say you are not? Going smokefree will result in
your employer rewarding you with promotions and pay increases.
Insurance will be cheaper after twelve months. The best changes
will come in your renewed relationships, which will be blessed by
your increased self-confidence, sense of integrity, and strength of
character.

The journey to becoming smokefree varies from individual

to individual. We are unique. Some people decide to quit, and
that’s it – they stop smoking! Some people secretly don’t want to
quit and do it for show. The pressure from the family forces them

196
to make a quit attempt. Attempt sounds like ‘try,’ doesn’t it? As
Yoda from Star Wars says:

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

Stress Management Action Plan

Below is a flowchart you can use to help you choose how to handle
your stress.

Friends who laugh together, stay together

Remember that laughter is the best medicine. It releases natural

endorphins into your body, making you feel good and relieving
stress. Actively seek out new friends if you need to replace those

197
that still smoke or vape. Maintain your existing friendships.
Friends are vital for good health. Surround yourself with people
who love and support you, and leave behind people who bring
you down.

Loneliness unmasked: uniting hearts, saving lives

If you live alone and are lonely, I strongly urge you to contact a
local church for support and company. Age Concern and other or-
ganizations help older people by providing activities and visitors.
Remaining a smoker is not the answer to loneliness. Loneliness
is taking over from smoking as the number one killer of people.
Social Distancing and Stay-At-Home policies designed to keep us
safe during the pandemic have yielded unexpected results. People
are using smoking as a coping mechanism for loneliness. Research
into loneliness by Dr. Philip and colleagues found that smoking
makes you more likely to be isolated and lonely than a non-smok-
er. He found the situation worsens as you age.66 The belief that the
smoke is your friend is an illusion. It’s time to seek help and solve
your loneliness issue if you have one. If you are fortunate to have
friends and family, do you have room for one more person in your
group? Be someone’s miracle. You will be rewarded, if not in this
life, in the next.

Can you imagine the world we could create if smokers put

over a trillion USD into the worldwide economy by 2028 instead
of giving it to the Tobacco Industry? Smoking and vaping have di-
rect costs (health care) or indirect costs (lost economic productiv-
ity due to illness and premature death).

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Reaping the rewards of quitting: normal insurance pre-
miums are within reach

If you take insurance, because of the well-documented risks of

smoking:

Your premium will be loaded by 50%

Your doctor notes tobacco use on your medical records

Not telling them you smoke is a fraud:

 jail time or community service

 insurance may be cancelled.

Keep insurance but pay back the money owed

Vaping is seen as smoking due to unknown long-term risks

When you quit for twelve months, you should apply for
non-smoker rates

Wouldn’t you love to stop paying the insurance company high-

er premiums? Over the years, the money you save when you are
smokefree will add up. If you add that money to the savings from
not smoking, you can make wise financial choices if you do your
homework.

Since 1998, Big Tobacco has been contributing directly to

health care costs in the US. Globally, the tax on cigarettes and,
in some cases, vaping products have been climbing towards
75% based on the belief it will stop people from smoking. The
money is redirected to health initiatives but not specifically
used for cessation solutions. According to BAT (NZ), the New

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Zealand government paid $1.8 billion in total taxes in 2020.
Five thousand people died of smoking-related diseases, yet
our little country only has a total population of 5.12 million,
with 387,000 still smoking daily. We pay 70% tax and GST on
cigarettes to drive people off smoking. This strategy no longer
works for people who can’t relate to the health messages or
have a serious addiction for multiple reasons, including their
physiology and lifestyles.

There is no doubt that tobacco costs are high in Western

countries. The price results from government tobacco control
policies to pressure you to stop smoking. Prices will continue to
increase, putting low and medium-income families into hardship
and poverty as quitting smoking and vaping is predicted by Big
Tobacco to grow. Gangs are taking advantage of this dilemma. An
estimated 24% of the UK cigarette market is black. Crime around
cigarettes is a problem, and smokers are vulnerable to committing
crimes for gangs and using tobacco laced with other drugs.

Quitting is not about the cost of the smokes but the addiction.
For example, in Chile, the smoking prevalence rate is 33.3% of the
population, and they pay 81.6% of the cigarette price in tax. Theo-
retically, they should have the lowest smoking prevalence.

Unmasked Big Tobacco is killing the planet too!

Here is a good reason to quit smoking for those ignited into taking
action about climate change. The environmental damage caused
by Big Tobacco is of grave concern. In 2022, the WHO published a

200
report accusing the Tobacco Industry of causing substantial envi-
ronmental damage:

600 million trees were cut down

200,000 hectares of land was cleared of trees

22 billion tonnes of water were used for tobacco

­production

84 million tonnes of CO2 are released into the Earth’s

atmosphere

I took the following quote from the British American Tobacco

website on 5 July 2022:

“Given that the largest slice of tobacco profits goes direct-

ly to the government in taxation, the New Zealand Government
is among the largest stakeholders in the Tobacco Industry. As a
multi-category consumer goods business with the purpose to
build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of its
business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable, less risky*
products for adult consumers, we are keen to work side by side
with governments and their agencies.”

The Tobacco Industry says it is doing everything in its power

to mitigate the damage by cleaning up its carbon emissions and
protecting its workers, production practices, and customers. Look
below the surface. They are marketing e-cigarettes and cigarettes
to children. The nicotine in the solution for e-cigarettes is more
potent than in cigarettes. Has anything really changed? No, it’s just
another strategy.

201
Remember

 Before your quit date, work out how you will handle the stress
of quitting

 You can choose the way you react

 Addiction causes you to be stressed and sensitizes your brain

to stress

 Your body is physiologically disadvantaged for the first ten

days after stopping smoking

 Support your body’s systems to return to normal through

sleep, rest, good nutrition, and exercise

 Life is messy; plan your strategies

 Not all stress is bad; use it to energize and motivate change

for the better

 Loneliness is a killer. Join in and make a friend

 Breathe out your stress. Use mindfulness exercises

 Accept the things you cannot change

 Smoking can lead to isolation, loneliness, poverty, disease,

and death. Along that path is more stress than anyone should
bear. Quit now

202
 The Tobacco Industry is to blame
for your addiction to nicotine. Still,
you are responsible for using your
resources and taking back control
to free yourself of the addiction and
not just stop smoking risking re-
lapse down the road

 As an ex-smoker, you will be less

stressed

 Laughter releases natural endor-

phins

 God is ever-present; trust Him to help you with the details of

your life

 Your life is full of beauty and joy. Put out your cigarette and
join in

203
Support People – you need them
Deciding to tell someone you are in the process of stopping
smoking shows you trust them with the knowledge that you are vul-
nerable. It puts you in the position of people knowing whether or not
you are successful in this attempt to quit. If you decide not to tell any-
one, you deny yourself the help that could make quitting easier.

Achieving goals should not be a solitary experience. When

Sir Edmund Hillary stood on the top of Mt Everest, he was not
alone. His support team was behind him 100%, working hard to
help him succeed. You, too, will achieve success more quickly if
you have supportive people helping you.

You need people who will participate in helping you reach

your primary goal of becoming an ex-smoker. When everything
is going well, your support team will encourage you, praise and
celebrate your successes. They will also keep you on track with
gentle reminders that reflect how well you are doing. You can turn
to them for practical help and encouragement when the going gets
tough. Most importantly, you will be able to talk freely about quit-
ting. Your support team could include family, friends, workmates,
church members, doctors, nurses, smokefree bloggers, and coun-
sellors on national Quitlines.

204
Build a Support System

Start building your support team by listing the people you

know will support you. Then add the names of people you think
would help if asked.

Now approach each person, explain to them that you are

building a support team, and tell them you intend to be smoke-
free by your quit date. Ask them for their help and support. Your
supporters will want to know how they can help you. Choose the
strategies you want them to use:

 Help me identify and find solutions to my triggers

 Help me plan strategies to cope with stressful events

 Help me maintain a positive attitude

 Listen to me

 Be there for me

 Celebrate successes with me as they occur

 Motivate and encourage me hour by hour if necessary

 Offer tips to help me stop smoking

205
 Help me analyze what is working for me and what is not

 Come for walks or do activities with me

 Be interested in my journey to becoming an ex-smoker

 Help me to develop healthy coping mechanisms

 Praise me, cheer me on, and egg me on

 Review my Focused Smoking Logs to check my success ratings

 Check I have identified and eliminated smoking parapherna-

lia in and around my home

 Check that my house and car are smokefree inside and out

Team maintenance is your job. It includes keeping regular

contact, telling your supporters how you are doing, seeking their
help, and celebrating successes with them. You are the captain of
your destiny, but do you need a first mate? From your supporters,
choose one particular person who will be your buddy. You might
find it helpful to enter into the following contract together:

206
We can be buddies:

Be on this journey to becoming smokefree together

Listen to each other without judgment

Be honest

Keep your secrets

Strategize a new future

Tell you how I am doing, be it good or bad

Discuss ways to be of practical help

Increase support during high-risk times

Ask for your help when I need it and accept it when you
give it

Celebrate successes together

Signed:

Buddy: Date:

207
Remember

 Achieving goals should not be a solitary experience

 Build a support team to participate in your recovery and ask

for help when needed

 Realize that stress can be both good and bad, and use strate-
gies from past experiences to combat it

 Use the Stress Management Action Plan to choose proactive

strategies, such as calming self-talk, relaxation music, and
deep breathing exercises

 Change what’s within your control and accept what you can-
not change

 Enjoy the beauty in your life and remember you are the cap-
tain of your destiny

208
Maintenance – managing high-risk times

K nowing there is a maintenance stage will allow you to plan for

and protect yourself during high-risk times. For most people,
the maintenance period lasts about six months.

You may start to relax your guard and revel in your success.
In fact, as the months pass, you will begin to feel that it is rela-
tively easy to stop smoking. Some smokers feel this way after the
first week. After one month of quitting, many smokers give them-
selves permission to start smoking again, believing they can stop
and start whenever they want. The truth is they are wrong! Smok-
ers frequently smoke for another three or more years before ‘at-
tempting’ to quit again. In a survey of 350 participants on World
Smokefree Day, I asked, “How much would the price of cigarettes
go up to before you would stop smoking? The results were shock-
ing. Over 50% would pay $35 a packet, and 5% would pay $100
per packet. The reality is smoking tobacco has removed their abil-
ity to choose to quit. They will pull out one of a dozen excuses to
explain their decision to continue smoking. It is not uncommon to
hear social smokers excuse their smoking based on the number
of times they smoke, so they can’t become addicted and can stop
at any time. They say they smoke (vape) to be social. That, dear
friend, is stinking thinking! Scientists who engineer these prod-
ucts are determined to hook ev-
ery customer quickly. For some,
it’s with the first cigarette; for
others, it may take a year. Why
would a thinking person want
to put themselves at risk of be-
coming a daily user and, worse,

209
role model smoking to their children? Teenagers of parents and
caregivers who smoke are four times as likely to take up smok-
ing, according to data. When you feel particularly vulnerable to
the temptation of smoking, it’s best to steer clear of friends who
smoke or vape. Instead, ask for their support in helping you quit
by refraining from promoting or smoking around you. Remember,
this decision is life-changing for you and your family, and not ev-
eryone will understand the stand you are taking on smoking. De-
spite the evidence and the destruction of generations of families,
this pandemic has not shocked the world.

It is not easy to rid yourself of an addiction to nicotine, es-

pecially when your friends aren’t ready to quit with you. You can
anticipate and prepare for high-risk times to keep your commit-
ment strong and prevent yourself from relapsing. Forewarned is
forearmed.

If you are exposed to social pressures and become over-

stressed or ill, your vulnerability to relapsing will increase for ap-
proximately 21 days until your six-month anniversary.

210
 If you get into difficulty, use the following action plan:

STOP

Be still. Get grounded

Give yourself quiet time to think

Thoughts are just words

Choose the words which give you self-mastery

THINK

I am an ex-smoker

I am staying an ex-smoker

I have changed

My work is not over until I am free of the desire to smoke

TAKE ACTION

Eat if you haven’t eaten in the last 2 hours

Have a drink of water

Use your stress management flowchart

Contact your buddy or one of your supporters

GO

Commit again to being an ex-smoker and get busy

Figure 9: Emergency Action Plan

211
 Remind yourself why you decided to quit and go through the
list you made. Avoid all nicotine products, including other peo-
ple’s smoke. Avoid sugary or junk foods for another ten days. Be
watchful for triggers and check or add to your solutions list. Check
that your activities, behaviors, and self-talk are consistent with
being an ex-smoker.

Remember, you are not your thoughts and feelings. Thoughts

that move you towards smoking are BAD stinky ones. Capture
those lies. Empower yourself by acknowledging the lie no longer
serves you. Then with energy and power repeat a positive state-
ment like, “I love not smoking.” Add music and dance to reinforce
your self-belief. Choose life-affirming words that move you toward
your goals and dreams. Have fun learning a new hobby, or pick up
an old one you did as a kid. Play uplifting music as you clean your
junk drawer. One puff is all it takes. Don’t do it, dear friend. Call
on God, your ever-present strength, and contact your buddy or a
support person if you need to talk.

Not a single puff

after your quit date.

212
Remember

 Smoking doesn’t solve prob-

lems; it creates them

 You will improve your chances

of success if you stop smoking
within two weeks of deciding
to quit

 The Gardener is a concept to stop stinking thinking

 Understanding your body allows you to master your life

choices

 The benefits of quitting are life-changing and can change

your life

 Use Focused Smoking every time you smoke until you come
off autopilot

 Eat addiction-busting foods

 Build friendships and fun in your exercise

 Identify and eliminate triggers to smoke

 Pre-plan strategies to cope with life’s challenges

 Tell your support people how they can help

 Use self-control to stay smokefree

 Tobacco products in every form are traps set to take away

your freedom of choice

213
Relapse – “I don’t think so, Charlie Brown.”

How long will it be before you relapse? Four weeks? Six months?
Did you shout back – N E V E R! Well done! You have broken the
chains that bound you to nicotine. You are free! Use that freedom
to make good choices. Life will get more challenging as the world
enters a new phase. Draw close to God, and
He will draw near to you. Look for oppor-
tunities to bless others; you will be doubly
blessed in return.

Stopping and starting make quitting

harder, not easier. Your brain will outwit
you as it learns your strategies, so please,
dear friend, make this time count. The ‘tak-
ing back control,’ subtitle of our this book, refers to control of your
‘free will.’ People whose brains are changed by nicotine no longer
choose to smoke but are forced to seek nicotine.

If you have followed The Smokefree System, you will have bro-
ken the power of addiction in your body and are once again free!

214
­ongratulations, well done! It
C
means you are an ex-smoker!
God willing, you will take this ex-
perience and help others break
nicotine’s hold over their lives.
You are, after all, a Smokefree
Champion! Click here to become
a Champion.

Throughout the program, you learned a lot about Big Tobacco,

Pharmaceuticals, Governments, and information to help you
stop smoking successfully. You will have grown in self-aware-
ness and confidence if you put in the time and effort to com-
plete this program. By now, you will be putting your new
smokefree lifestyle into place and loving life. If that is correct,
carry on to the next set of questions. However, you have more
work to do if you are considering smoking or have already had
a slip.

215
Relapse Warning Signs (tick if they apply)

 No one to talk to about your quitting journey – Join a stop

smoking support group. Ask for support from someone you
already know who didn’t pressure you to quit. People want to
help. Achieving the goal of joining a group will increase your
dopamine levels (the reward chemical) improving your mood.

 Isolated and lonely – We all want to connect, so look at your in-

terests and join a group. Smile, be friendly, and show an interest
in the other person. Socializing increases your oxytocin levels
(the love hormone).

 You don’t feel like joining in group discussions – If your mood

is low, join in while there. At home, join a laughter group and
exercise out in the sunshine and be mindful in nature. Give your
brain time to recover. Laughter produces endorphins, which act
as natural pain killers. Similarly, listening to music and prac-
ticing mindfulness also stimulate the release of endorphins. Ex-
ercise not only produces endorphins but also boosts serotonin,
known as the mood stabilizer, especially when combined with
sunlight and a walk amidst nature

 Helping others before you help yourself; neglecting your

needs (poor self-care) – You deserve to be loved and treat-
ed with respect. First, you must love yourself, which means
taking care of your needs. It’s from a place of wellness and
balance that you can help others. By practicing daily deposits
into your emotional self-worth bank account, you can thrive
as your levels of oxytocin, often referred to as the ‘love hor-
mone,’ increase. Loving oneself can be challenging for many

216
 i­ ndividuals, often requiring assistance in dispelling the self-de-
ceptive stories we create. Owning a pet that you can affection-
ately stroke can aid in the release of oxytocin. Ultimately, em-
bracing the notion that only you and a higher power can fulfill
your needs for love, trust, loyalty, and dependence empowers
you. Giving this responsibility to another human gives away
your power.

Deposits that fill up your emotional self-worth bank

account

Set boundaries and stick to them

Know that your value is not based on what you do for others

Put your own needs first, then you can look after others

Receive as much as you give

Separate your self-worth from people’s opinions

Do things that make you happy and provide you with joy

Withdrawals that drain your emotional self-worth bank

account

Tying your value to what you do for others

Saying “yes” when you want to say “no”

Letting people take advantage of you

Sacrificing yourself so people will love/like you

Putting people’s wants before your needs

217
 Doesn’t get enough sleep, feels tired, and lacks energy – Develop
a good bedtime routine. It will take several weeks to settle into it

 Doesn’t eat well or stay hydrated and feels fatigued – Eat the
addiction-busting food way and drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a
day. Drink less tea and coffee as it is dehydrating

 Maybe you are busy but not having fun and not joyful – unless
you have a brain injury being joyful is a choice. Join a laughing
class and watch the Keystone Cop Movies. Try skipping and any-
thing to shake the ‘child within’ back to life. I pray God restores
your joyfulness to the full

Thoughts of smoking after you quit are expected, and you

shouldn’t be embarrassed when you have them. I had one out
of the blue some twenty years after I quit. I had just finished
cleaning the shower when the thought came to me to have
a coffee and a fag. I was taken aback. It was an old tape run-
ning in my head, which I shook off with a laugh and a firm, “I
don’t think so, ­Charlie Brown.” So, expect to have cravings that
will lessen over time and not dwell on them. Move on to oth-
er things; go to your list of activities and do something worth-
while for yourself or someone else. Use
your chosen coping skills to deal with
cravings when they occur. Do what you
have to do to not smoke; the life you
save is your own! Cravings are fleeting
(60 seconds to three minutes). If you
take a puff at this point, it will lead to
a cigarette which will lead to a pack
Prioritize long-term lung
which will lead to you smoking again. safety; let temporary
The reality is you will be smoking for cravings fade.

218
another three years or more before you make another attempt
to quit. How much will that cost you? Financially $ ,
socially, the loss of freedom, and real risk to your health. Re-
member, it is the seed of addiction trying to get a hold of you
again. You are the Weed Control Officer who will destroy it be-
fore it takes hold.

During a craving, don’t permit yourself to smoke

Distract yourself

Drink water

Do an activity

Dial a buddy

Drive or walk to the park/beach/coffee shop

Dream of your ideal life, then do something to make it

happen

Review all the time and effort you have put into planning your
journey and the steps you have taken to become smokefree. Who
have you met along the way? What new activities do you en-
gage in? How much money have you saved since your Quit Date
$ ? Flip through this book if you wrote in it and see
your progress or read your journal. You removed your smoking
paraphernalia and cleaned your home, car, and work area to re-
move the toxins. You thought about who you are, your values, atti-
tudes, and beliefs toward smoking. You took action to address the
anatomical changes to your brain and body caused by nicotine and
tobacco.

You accepted responsibility for smoking and got to work

to find the triggers and solutions which stopped you from au-

219
tomatically reaching for a smoke. You identified different ways
to cope and built a new smokefree lifestyle by deliberately
­doing activities that opened up new opportunities for you. The
Tobacco Industry you see now as an enemy of the peoples of
the world. You see governments falling victim to Big Tobacco’s
lobbyists. You are now aware Big Pharma has a vested interest
in promoting NRT and other drugs despite many people going
back to smoking after using these treatments. When you did
the ‘focus smoking,’ your body spoke, and you listened. You
came off autopilot and felt and smelled the poisons entering
your body, and you didn’t like it. You wanted to smoke while
you relaxed or with someone else. Now you understand that
smoking poisons you and those around you and leaves toxins
in the environment. You choose not to start sliding toward
a relapse. You decided not to hide from the truth – You know –
you can feel your body talking to you. Have you been letting Big
Tobacco’s seed of addiction grow ever so slowly in you? Does it
STOP here? If so,

 Are you firm on your decision to be smokefree?

 Will you avoid sugary goods and processed foods for the
next 4 to 10 days again?

 Will you avoid other smokers, and saboteurs until you

are strong in your commitment again?

 Will you believe in yourself and say, “I don’t think so,

Charlie Brown, I love not smoking!” or something sim-
ilar when you crave or get offered a smoke?

220
NEVER DOUBT YOUR DECISION TO STOP

Your life revolved around smoking until you wanted to quit.

Everything changed from the day you smoked your last cigarette.
Without smoking, life will open up to you in different ways. The
work you have done to get your brain back to normal and to learn
new ways to cope has changed you. Your experiences and activ-
ities, coupled with the way you stop yourself from going down
stinking thinking rabbit holes, have changed you. Nicotine chang-
es the brain structurally and physiologically, and you, dear friend,
changed it back! You are free at last! Congratulations, I am proud
of you for joining us ex-smokers. Welcome!

221
 Embrace your Success

S tart the day with thanks and praise

U n
 derstand your obstacles, push
through until it gets easy

C r eate a mental picture of your new

smokefree life

C l ear your mind of self-doubt

E m brace the challenge, make it fun

S t ay on your journey. A journey

of 10,000 steps starts with a
single step

S h
 ow yourself what you can do
when you believe in yourself
the way God does

222
Afterword
Well done! You’re awesome! You have completed your mission and
become an ex-smoker using The Smokefree System: Taking Back
Control program. There are no illusions binding you to smoking.
You have used the keys to unlock the inner child within you that
never smoked. Your brain and body are no longer addicted to nico-
tine. You are free to choose whether to smoke or not. You have de-
clared, ‘I love not smoking!’ By utilizing knowledge and power, you
have escaped a life-sentence of smoking. The truth has set you free.
You now belong to a new community that embraces you and your
dreams of living a long and fulfilling life. Breathe in the feeling of
freedom and good health that you value. Your healing and recovery
are an ongoing process. Progress takes time, and you have, God will-
ing, the gift of time. You have taken back control. The life you create
will be the one you choose to create. You did it! Celebrate with us on
Facebook and share your story. Congratulations and thank you for
choosing The Smokefree System: Taking Back Control.

Thank you for reading

my book and joining me on
Give yourself the gift of time
this journey towards becom-
ing smokefree. If you found
value in The Smokefree Sys-
tem: Taking Back Control, I
would greatly appreciate it
if you could help me spread
the word. Referrals are in-
credibly valuable in reaching
more individuals who can
benefit from the program.

223
 If you know someone who is struggling to quit smoking,
please recommend my book to them. Your personal endorsement
can make a significant difference in their lives.

Additionally, if you have any questions, feedback, or would

like to explore further opportunities to work together, please
don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me through the follow-
ing channels:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://challengebreaker.com

I sincerely appreciate your support and assistance in helping

others find their path to smokefree living. Together, we can make
a positive impact on the lives of many. Thank you!

224
Notes

225
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228
229
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Helpful Definitions
Addiction: A complex, chronic brain disorder character-
ized by compulsive engagement in reward-
ing stimuli, despite harmful consequences
to one’s physical, mental, spiritual or social
well-being.

The process of addiction involves changes in

the brain’s reward, motivation, and memory
systems. This leads to an altered response
to the addictive substance or behaviour. Af-
fected individuals may experience intense
cravings, develop tolerance, and suffer from
withdrawal when they try to quit. Individuals
often underestimate drug addiction think-
ing motivation and willpower are enough to
overcome it.

The three parts of addiction

Habitual Behaviors: Smoking often becomes

deeply ingrained into one’s daily routine and
is associated with specific situations, emo-
tions, or social activities. This lifestyle integra-
tion of smoking makes it difficult to break the
cycle with sheer willpower alone. A smoker
may have lit a cigarette without consciously
thinking about it. When a smoker is on auto-
pilot, they may engage in smoking without
even realizing it because their brain has cre-
ated strong neural connections that trigger

238
 the ­action automatically in response to spe-
cific cues or situations. Over time smoking be-
comes an ingrained habit that makes quitting
more challenging as the smoker seeks to ac-
tively disrupt these unconscious patterns and
replace them with healthier alternatives.

Physical Addiction: Nicotine is a highly addic-

tive substance that alters the brain’s reward
system. When nicotine levels drop, withdrawal
symptoms settle in, making it difficult to resist
the urge to smoke.

Psychological Dependency: Many smokers

develop a strong emotional attachment to
smoking, using it as a coping mechanism for
stress, boredom, or social anxiety. Overcom-
ing this psychological aspect requires learn-
ing new skills and behaviors.

Avoidance behaviors: In the context of quitting smoking, avoidance

behaviors may involve steering clear of triggers,
situations, activities and people associated with
smoking to reduce cravings and prevent a re-
lapse. Relying on avoiding triggers will add un-
due stress; instead, identify and find solutions
that work for you so you can be around your
triggers. Avoidance would lead to restricting
your lifestyle when you want to rebuild your
lifestyle. Do not dump the old one. There will
be times when ‘you know’ you have to avoid a
­trigger for your peace of mind, and that’s great,

239
 but ­ultimately, it’s crucial to ­develop healthy cop-
ing mechanisms and a supportive environment.

Cravings: Within thirty minutes of putting out your

last cigarette, cravings start and are typical-
ly worse in the first few days to a week after
quitting. However, for some people, intense
urges to smoke are triggered by various fac-
tors such as stress, specific situations, or even
specific times of the day. It may take two to
four weeks for the frequency and intensity of
the cravings to fade. Accepting the ‘desire to
smoke’ may remain for upwards of two years,
as demonstrated by brain scans and is better
than smoking is a large part of preventing re-
lapse. It is important to have strategies and
new coping mechanisms—for example, deep
regular breathing. Cravings typically last 60
seconds to ten minutes, averaging three to
five minutes.

Electronic Cigarettes (E-cigarettes): Battery-operated devices that

heat a liquid mixture containing nicotine and
other chemicals; creating a vapor inhaled as a
substitute for traditional cigarettes.

Fear: Plays a role in smoking behaviors in various

ways. Here a few examples:

Fear of failing to quit: Some individuals

may be afraid that they will not succeed in
quitting, so they continue to smoke to avoid

240
 confronting that fear. The fear of failure can
be a debilitating and act as a barrier to even
attempting to quit.

Fear of weight gain: Many smokers are

concerned that they will gain weight after
quitting smoking, as nicotine is known to
suppress appetite and increase metabo-
lism. This fear can contribute to contin-
ued smoking as people may prioritize
controlling their weight over their overall
health.

Fear of social isolation: For some people,

smoking is deeply ingrained in their so-
cial lives, and they may worry that quitting
smoking will lead to social isolation or awk-
wardness when hanging out with friends or
co-workers who still smoke.

Fear of withdrawal symptoms: Nicotine is

a highly addictive substance, and quitting
smoking can lead to withdrawal symptoms
like anxiety, irritability, depression, and crav-
ings. The fear of experiencing these unpleas-
ant symptoms can contribute to continued
smoking and reluctance to quit.

Nicotine: A highly addictive chemical compound found

in tobacco that stimulates the central ner-
vous system and creates a temporary feeling
of pleasure or relaxation.

241
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT): A method of providing
the nicotine that smokers crave without the
harmful substances in tobacco, using prod-
ucts such as patches, gum, inhalers, or loz-
enges to ease withdrawal symptoms during
the quit process.

Relapse: The act of returning to smoking after a period

of abstinence, often due to triggering events
or failure to cope with withdrawal symptoms.

Second-hand Smoke: Smoke from burning tobacco products, as

well as the smoke exhaled by smokers, caus-
es harm to others, especially children, preg-
nant women, and individuals with respirato-
ry conditions.

Stress: When people experience stress, their body

releases stress hormones, such as cortisol
and adrenaline, which can provoke a crav-
ing for nicotine as a form of relief or relax-
ation. When quitting, the combination of
nicotine withdrawal and external stressors
creates additional pressure. Developing al-
ternative stress management techniques is
crucial.

Third-hand smoke: Residual nicotine and other harmful chemi-

cals that remain on surfaces and in dust after
tobacco has been smoked. These particles can
cling to furniture, walls, clothing, carpets and
other materials, creating a toxic environment

242
 even after the smoke dissipates. Third-hand
smoke poses a great risk to children.

Willpower: Also known as self-discipline, self-control, or

determination. It is the ability to control or
resists one’s impulses, emotions, desires, or
urges to achieve personal goals or adhere to
societal norms and expectations. Willpow-
er is a finite resource and can be depleted
over time. If an individual consistently uses
their willpower in other areas of life, it may
be more challenging to maintain enough
self-control to resist smoking urges.

Withdrawal: A set of physical and psychological symptoms

the smoker experiences when nicotine levels
decrease after quitting smoking.

243
Glossary of Bible Versus
(Source NIV Bible)

Dear Friend, I have included these scriptures so that you might

believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and that believing you
might have life through His name. John 20:30-31. If you want to
invite Jesus into your heart, start talking to Him. He wants to have
a relationship with you.

God knows YOU

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were
born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5

God the Father sacrificed his Son to save YOU

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life. John 3:16

God is with YOU

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Proverbs 3: 5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make
your paths straight.

244
Life is not fair
There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous
men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are
wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I
say that this too is futile. Ecclesiastes 8:14

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with
what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; nev-
er will I forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

Use God’s protection

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on
the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against
the Devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full ar-
mor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able
to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to
stand. Ephesians 6:10-13

God will give you strength

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:1

Temptation is a test
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t
fall! 13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is
common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you
be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are

245
tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can en-
dure it. 1 Corinthians 10:12-14

Jesus was tempted

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with
our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every
way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15

Jesus said pray this “Our Father…’

… and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Matthew 6:13

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first com-
mandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. Matthew 22: 37-39

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28-30

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and
they with me. Revelations 3:20

Roaring Lion
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like
a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Peter 5:8-9

246
The Devil will flee
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee
from you. James 4:7

Self-Control
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us
power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

Purpose
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

God, the creator, is your friend

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for
us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

247