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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;From guest author, Zzyzx:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In order to fight against something, you have to understand it. You just cannot help yourself overcome a thing like &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/nicotine-addiction-101-2825018&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;nicotine addiction&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; without finding out all that you can. Without knowledge, your efforts can go astray\u00A0and attack symptoms,\u00A0not the cause.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;I get a lot of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/foster-a-mindset-that-will-help-you-quit-smoking-2824896&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;information about smoking cessation&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; from various web sites and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://forums.delphiforums.com/quit_smoking&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;support groups&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Every day of this quit, I have read something new about the subject of smoking and strategies for quitting. The saying may be old, but it is true - knowledge is power.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;As is true in most everything in life, the process to learn more about nicotine addiction and how to eliminate it has unexpected consequences. Aside from the information that I consume and process, I have developed a real habit of critical thinking.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For the last five and a half months, I have been looking at my behavior and attitudes very closely, with the purpose of weeding out the counterproductive. I look at both what I do, and why I do it, with the intent of finding out the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/four-steps-that-defeat-the-urge-to-smoke-2824748&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;real nature of what and why&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;As for smoking, I know a lot more now of what it really is. My way of thinking about it used to be that it is a pleasant activity, one that I enjoy, and it is just a matter of choice. After my numerous quits, failures, long delays at re-quitting, and now this last quit, &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-truth-about-smoking-pleasure-2824757&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;I really understand what smoking is&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. It is bondage. I lived to serve the addiction.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;There are many reasons why I would smoke. I have smoked because I needed the nicotine. Also, because it was just time to smoke, even if I didn&amp;amp;#39;t really need one. I smoked to socialize, and to get a break from working. And I used smoking to mask my negative feelings.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;I think that&amp;amp;#39;s one reason smoking is so hard to quit. It is a multipurpose, self-administered medication that provides an artificial sense of well-being. Now, you might think that this is pretty much a no-brainer, and you would be right. But seeing it put into words focuses attention on what it really means.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;My attitude now is, smoking is the end result of a whole system of lies. Some are external, like the old advertising campaigns and the product placement strategies of the tobacco pushers. Other lies come from the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/rationalizations-for-smoking-2824412&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;junkie within&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, who needs to feed the addiction, and will say anything to get what he wants.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;It is within our power to see the truth, if we really look. I will continue to learn all I can about the irrational and self-destructive addiction to smoking. The more I learn, the more power I have. More power to quit.&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;More from Zzyzx:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/real-power-how-quitting-smoking-builds-backbone-2824895&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Real Power&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/taking-a-close-look-at-why-i-smoked-2824890&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;It&amp;amp;#39;s All About Attitude&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-balance-between-nicotine-withdrawal-and-healing-2824753&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;The Balance Between Withdrawal and Healing&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/taking-a-close-look-at-why-i-smoked-2824890>