Have you ever ever discovered your self lighting that very same cigarette once more, even while you swore you wouldn’t?
Our give up smoking program member Tim Heronemus from Kansas, did, for 50 years. What began as a teenage curiosity turned an habit that clawed its means into Tim’s thoughts and routine. Each time he tried to give up, he’d find yourself again smoking.
Tim wished to be free and cease the development of his COPD. However one thing was sabotaging him within the background.
FEAR
Concern that’s current in each smoker’s thoughts:
- We don’t take pleasure in smoking, we’re afraid of not having fun with life with out it.
- We don’t love smoking, we’re afraid of failing, after which loving ourselves rather less.
- We don’t miss the behavior, we’re afraid of the unknown.
Tim ended up breaking his 50-year habit and he’s a really inspiring member in our neighborhood. He mentioned, “I turned my love for smoking into a number of the lacking love for myself, my well being and my household. I now see that overcoming the psychological habit was the important thing to quitting and staying give up. I’m free.”
However Tim wouldn’t have been capable of comply with the CBQ course of had he not first addressed his fears.
Our fears of quitting smoking come from our previous experiences of failure and ache. They’re like heavy baggage we’re dragging round continuous. They might be invisible to the bare eye, however their weight is sufficient to deliver us to our knees and make us really feel paralyzed.
Fears not solely sabotage us; they turn out to be our limits.
In an outdated scientific experiment, German zoologist Karl Möbius positioned a predatory fish, a pike, in a tank, separated from its prey by clear glass. At first, the pike attacked, slamming its snout into the glass many times. Ultimately, the pike merely stopped attempting. It was afraid to get damage.
However right here’s the twist: Even when the glass was later eliminated, the pike by no means attacked the smaller fish swimming proper in entrance of it. Its worry conditioned it to remain put behind an invisible wall.
This phenomenon is named “The Pike Syndrome,” and it holds true for people, too. Over time, our fears restrict our actuality and lure us behind an invisible wall.
Concern is a hard-wired survival response, however in relation to quitting smoking, it acts as a false alarm. It goes off when there’s no precise danger- simply the perceived hazard of ache or failure.
That’s why our neighborhood all the time says: FEAR stands for False Proof Showing Actual.


It’s true. However nonetheless, the worry of quitting smoking feels very actual. And it takes many varieties.
For instance:
- Saying “later” and ready for best situations (“I’ll give up when I’ve much less stress”).
- Self-doubt (“I’ll fail as a result of I failed earlier than” or “I’m weak”).
- And, usually, avoiding desirous about quitting altogether.
Concern isn’t only a feeling, and it doesn’t go away by itself. It’s a rooted response that we’ve to grasp earlier than we are able to flip its quantity down.
That’s the reason I created a 6-part e mail collection to information you thru the fears of quitting smoking, and the best way to overcome them.
The complete collection is free (as a thanks in your belief in being on this journey with me). It was made with a number of care utilizing my background in psychology, and a decade of expertise serving to people who smoke like Tim obtain freedom.
To obtain this collection,
Whether or not you need to cease feeling paralyzed or simply need to really feel slightly extra assured in your self, welcome to this 6-part journey. It was made for you!

