Quit Smoking Support
Groups
I have always been extremely independent. When I decided to
quit smoking, I never even considered quit smoking support
groups. Smoking cessation seemed like something that I could do
on my own. After all, it was just a matter of will power, and I
knew that I had plenty of that.
As it turns out, however, I was mistaken. In spite of all of
my knowledge of smoking side effects, in spite of my desire to
quit smoking now, I was unable to quit tobacco on my own.
It was with a heavy heart that I joined a stop smoking
support group. Joining the quit smoking support group felt like
an admission of guilt. Before I looked into quit smoking
support groups, I thought of cigarettes as just a hobby. I knew
that it was something that was bad for me, but at worst it was
a vice.
When I joined quit smoking support groups, it meant
something new – that smoking had become an addiction to me. No
one likes to think of themselves as an addict. If you are
someone like me whose self image rests on a belief in inner
strength, quit smoking support groups can be quite painful. To
be honest, I was almost ready to give up the whole thing before
the very first meeting.
I am glad that I tested out and went to the quit smoking
support group. When I got in there, everyone was very nice.
They welcomed me with open arms. Many of them have had the same
experiences as I have had when joining quit smoking support
groups. I felt alone, but in fact I was not alone. I made new
friends quickly, and we worked together to quit smoking.
Quit smoking support groups are pretty funny places. I have
never been to any other self-help group or recovery group, but
I suspect that it is the same in all of them. Because you are
there to overcome a personal obstacle, people open up very
quickly. I made more friends in the quit smoking support group
that I have made in any place since college.
I don't know if all the quit smoking support groups are such
friendly places, but I have heard that they are. I guess it is
because people are trying to overcome something so difficult.
They know that they need friends to help them with it, and
without the strong personal bonds, they will never be able to
overcome nicotine addiction.
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