Motivation Versus Being Spurred to Action

I can think of many reasons why I want to quit smoking. They really haven’t changed since my first quit:

You Guessed It: Health
I don’t want to die from lung cancer or any other smoking-related condition. If I continue, however, there’s a strong likelihood that this will happen.
I’ll share the facts again:

• One in two lifetime smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.
• Cancer, heart disease, stroke and emphysema are the most common diseases that force smokers to kick the bucket. but smoking also impacts health in other ways.
• Smoking can cause impotence, increase your chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gum disease and age-related macular degeneration.
• Smoking doubles the risk of sudden infant death syndrome if the mother smoked during pregnancy.
• Smoking speeds up mental decline if you get Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Smoking causes WRINKLES.

Second-Hand Smoke
It is just plain wrong to expose other people to the toxins in our smoke.

Social Stigma
I’m embarrassed that I smoke. When I smoke in the back yard, I do so on the lower deck where I can hide behind the Nanking Cherry bushes we planted a few years ago. When the cherries ripen, I’ll have to dodge those darned greedy Grackles while I smoke.

Setting a Good Example
Children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to smoke. This has proven true in my family for generations. Mother and all her brothers smoked (some quit). Meg and I smoked–not John, though. A couple of my kids smoke. When I first quit, I urged them to join me.

A Critical Reason for Me to Quit
Three years ago, my 37-year-old brother died of esophageal cancer. John was a nonsmoker, competitive athlete and vegetarian. And he was a tremendous person. Last spring, our uncle also died of esophageal cancer. Several other family members, including me, have had a precancerous condition that can lead to esophageal cancer.

Stuck in Neutral
So, I have plenty of motivation to quit. But I can’t get in gear enough to set a new quit date. I certainly don’t want to wait until New Year’s Day or the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout in November.

Last year I chose the day after my birthday. It was a Monday and I’d be in a nonsmoking environment all day. The birthday of someone you love or an anniversary are other options.

From reading, I’ve learned that you should avoid setting the date for a time when you’re super-stressed (i.e. losing a sister, ending a marriage, changing jobs). It’s also advised that you set your quit date after the wedding/wedding reception or any significant event you plan to attend where alcohol will be served.

Maybe I should wait at least a couple weeks before setting a date?

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 17th, 2007 at 4:36pm and is filed under Quit Smoking diary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.