They say that smoking is the cure-all for tension. It seems to work every time, does it not? Your boss does something unreasonable; you grab a smoke to chill out. Your kid gets a D in playtime, what do you do? Grab a smoke. Your credit card bill is twice what you expected You get the drift. Smoking can be a life-preserver, so much so that it is the sole reason why many people do it. They do not like the taste, they hate the smoke. They know they stink. But, boy is it a great stress buster.

The question you need to ask is this: Is smoking actually doing what you want it to do? Can you honestly say to yourself that you are that much calmer after smoking a cigarette than you were in the moments before you lit up? The honest answer to that question would be no. Smoking does not relieve tension; it does not make you relax. In fact it does the opposite, it helps increase stress levels. It is quite possible that you are stressed because of your cigarette addiction and that without cigarettes your work demands might roll off your back, that pressure at home might seem more manageable. The proven antidotes for stress management are widely known. Cigarettes are not included on that list.

Knowing how to break the connection between stress and cigarettes is not easy. In fact it might qualify as the most challenging part of quitting. But once you find a way to relax without that smoke, two crucial things will become clear. One, you can effectively do this, you do not need the crutch; there is a non-chemical solution to your problem. Two, once you are off the tobacco for a while, you will see how the cigarettes played a role in helping maintain high stress levels.

One last point is important to make. If you know someone who has effectively quit, ask them if they are as stressed. We hope the answer is no. Tobacco is not just addictive; it helps contribute to a state of ill health which no one, no one, can sustain. You may think that you are doing ok but there will come a day when your doctors check up will not go so great, when he would not tell you that you are fine and to come back in six months. What will you do then, how will you explain this one to your family? Just think about it for a moment, is the cigarette stress beating method really worth it, is it?

The next time you snap, at your boss, your children, or your employees, notice whether or not cigarettes have played a role. If you see that they do, then cutting them out of your life is a clever thing to do. It shows you have some respect for your body, your colleagues, and your loved ones.

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