New Years Resolution

Yup its that time again !!!.....so whats it going to be this year then? Exercise more? Spend more time with the family? Lose weight?......or maybe you are going to try to quit smoking......Again !!

Soon comes round doesn't it?, the end of another year, and with it the New Years Resolution. That  promise you tend to make in the final moments of the year, rather stupidly in haste, rather than a well thought out plan. Some 95% of resolutions will be scuppered, and many within the first week or so, mainly down to bad planning, not having the right "things" in place to help you achieve what you have set out to do.  Millions of people across the world will, in about 8 days or so, pledge to give up smoking, and millions, minus a few, will fail for the following reasons:

• Someone else has said they plan to quit on new years eve, so you think to yourself, "that's a good idea, I'll do it with him/her".
.............Sounds familiar???, yeah i bet it does !! The amount of times i have done this in the past 20 or so years. Sounds a good idea at the time (normally about 11pm on the 31st of December in "The Kings Head" public house )Destined to failure as no planning in place.
• No research into what to expect when you wake up on January 1st.
.............You wake up, go to stick a smoke in your mouth, suddenly last nights pledge comes flooding back to the forefront of your mind. Panic will set in, if it doesn't at this point, rest assured it will within the hour. Your body will now be feeling the effects of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and you will not now how to fight them because you have done no research.
• Haven't informed friends, family, neighbours etc of your plans.
........People NEED to know that you have given up smoking. If you have other people in the house who smoke, you don't want to walk down the stairs on the 1st of Jan to see your wife/husband/son/ daughter smoking at the kitchen table, or similarly to step into the garden only for the neighbour to stick his head over the fence for a chat puffing on a cigarette. Inform people of your plans, PRIOR to giving up.
• Have no back up plan in action.
..........You need a back up plan for when you start to go off the rails, and you will, go off the rails that is, and probably more than once. Silly little things need to be in place. One of the things i did at the start (and still do) is have chewing gum or a packet of hard boiled sweets, placed in places that i would normally have a smoke. These are the places where you will start to crack, the places where it is normal for you to smoke. You get in my car and you will always find a bag of sweets in the glove box or door card (I always smoked whilst driving), my dining table has a drawer in it, in there is gum and sweets, i finish my meal, crave for a cigarette, open drawer pop a sweet and the craving passes.. Just one of the back up plans i have....sweets at hand when you want a smoke .

Probably the biggest reason why so many, "I'm going to quit smoking" resolutions fail on the 31st of December is because the resolution is pledged whilst under the influence of alcohol. I bet a good percentage of "our new non smokers", wake up and light a cigarette, put the kettle on, reach for the paracetamol, light another cigarette then suddenly realises that he has given up !!......."Oh well I've broken my resolution now, may as well carry on now as normal"......yeah sounds familiar also??



Don't get me wrong, i aren't saying don't make your resolution to be a "non smoker", what i am saying is PLAN,PLAN,PLAN and PLAN some more, it isn't a decision that can be made an hour before midnight, on new years eve, whilst three parts to the wind on beer and wine. Let your friends and family know your plans, do a bit of research, find out what to expect when you deprive your body of nicotine, get yourself down the medical centre and have a chat with your Doctor. PLAN PLAN PLAN !!

Would love to hear of anybody who is planning to give up this year as a new years resolution, would be great to be able to follow the progress on here.

Regards

Vattie