For many years I battled with supposed addiction and finally walked away from both drinking and smoking once and for all. I use the word 'supposed' in reference to addiction, because of what I learned through the process of quitting both practices. I learned that it wasn't about addiction, but rather the habits that I had of drinking and smoking everyday. Both practices had become so normal to me (or so much of a habit) that I had a hard time even imagining my life without either one of them. So I simply changed the freakin' habit, and now don't engage in either practice.
Before you begin to think that I'm crazy or that I must not have really been a smoker or drinker, consider this. For the better part of 15 years my average daily consumption of both products was a pack of cigarettes and a twelve pack of beer! Without bragging, I would have to say that those numbers were strong, to moderately strong. I smoked every day for that entire span and drank most of those days. I tell you this simply to qualify myself as someone who actually did the things that I'm now writing about.
I stopped both practices by simply changing my habits and this started with what I thought about those habits. For the entire time I engaged in these habits I listened to everything everyone told me about the practices. Things like: Drinking is fun. You're addicted to nicotine. Smoking relaxes you. Having a beer after work is how I unwind. And on and on the list goes. I changed the way I thought about all of that and started asking myself if these questions were true. I found out that they were all lies I was telling myself to justify doing what I was doing.
So I started being honest with myself and saying things like: Smoking makes me smell terrible. I hate being so winded from simple activities. I hate waking up hung over. How much money do I spend on beer? I also began being honest about the fact that I really never liked either practice. Soon the day came, when I said to myself, "I think I'm done."
And I walked away. I didn't go to meetings or take drugs of any kind. I got no help from gum, patches, or pills of any kind. I simply walked away and haven't looked back. I heard a great quote once that said "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change." I simply changed the way I looked at smoking and drinking, and before long the act of both smoking and drinking changed. If you want to quit any destructive behavior, just change the freakin' habit!
Before you begin to think that I'm crazy or that I must not have really been a smoker or drinker, consider this. For the better part of 15 years my average daily consumption of both products was a pack of cigarettes and a twelve pack of beer! Without bragging, I would have to say that those numbers were strong, to moderately strong. I smoked every day for that entire span and drank most of those days. I tell you this simply to qualify myself as someone who actually did the things that I'm now writing about.
I stopped both practices by simply changing my habits and this started with what I thought about those habits. For the entire time I engaged in these habits I listened to everything everyone told me about the practices. Things like: Drinking is fun. You're addicted to nicotine. Smoking relaxes you. Having a beer after work is how I unwind. And on and on the list goes. I changed the way I thought about all of that and started asking myself if these questions were true. I found out that they were all lies I was telling myself to justify doing what I was doing.
So I started being honest with myself and saying things like: Smoking makes me smell terrible. I hate being so winded from simple activities. I hate waking up hung over. How much money do I spend on beer? I also began being honest about the fact that I really never liked either practice. Soon the day came, when I said to myself, "I think I'm done."
And I walked away. I didn't go to meetings or take drugs of any kind. I got no help from gum, patches, or pills of any kind. I simply walked away and haven't looked back. I heard a great quote once that said "Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change." I simply changed the way I looked at smoking and drinking, and before long the act of both smoking and drinking changed. If you want to quit any destructive behavior, just change the freakin' habit!
Trevor Kugler is Co-founder of JRWfishing.com Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, and raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country....Montana.
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