Stop Smoking Bubblegum-Man Plan

Author gives his account of a 90-day plan to how to stop smoking once and for all.
I’m a formal smoker of a twenty-two year habit. It’s been almost twenty years now since I kicked the smoking addition to nicotine. I won’t bore you with a bunch of statistics. What inspired me to write this article was, one day I was looking through the newspaper I read about a dozen different methods to stop smoking. I didn’t see my method. Actually, I failed for five years. Numerous unsuccessful attempts to stop before I developed my on method. I marked my calendar the day that would be the stop smoking day.

I know you can’t wait for me to tell you about what is the bubblegum-man plan! Well that comes at the end of my story. My whole method took about three months. I won’t even get into the tens of thousands of dollars that you can save by not spending it on indirect cost of medical, time off from work, etc etc. My whole method takes 90-days.

To begin with I started by buying the less and less nicotine content packs. You gradually do this over the whole 90-days. Every method I tried, I failed. The patches didn’t work, acupuncture didn’t work. Shots didn’t work. The nicotine gum didn’t work. Now I spent five years off and on trying to quit. At times I would go a week or a month. However, I would always go back. I would start back up, by rewarding myself telling myself, see I can quit any time I want too! Yes! Right! Sure I can.

I had to replace something to do with my hands. So I started carry toothpicks in my billfold. I carried them in my shirt pocket. I left toothpicks in my car, on my desk, by the bed, literally just everywhere. I simply never let myself to ever be out of toothpicks. Then I started buying packs of cigarrest’s that I didn’t like the brand. I did this for over the whole 90-days. Now this is important. I’ll mention it again. Every time you buy a pack, buy a different brand that you don’t like!

Now we are at the final third month of how to quit with the three month bubblegum-man plan! This is when I started weaning myself to limiting my cigarettes to ten-a-day. That was my allotment for each day. Ten-a-day! I would smoke one after meals. I would not smoke in the house, or in the car. So you see where I’m going? Also after about 45-days we repainted the inside of the house. Cleaned everything. Curtains and furniture, woodwork you name it. We clean it!

You keep yourself busy doing something so your not thinking so much about smoking. Stop smoking nicotine. You may have stop smoking withdrawal.

I always carried my little bag of goodies. I had my toothpicks, butterscotch candy, and my favorite bubblegum! The guys at work gave me that name and it just kind of stuck with me. The bubblegum-man plan! By the last week of the month your down to five cigarettes’s a day. You got your goodie bag. Each month it will get easier and easier. Just don’t ever pick up one. Because if you ever pick up, you’ve blown it! You’ll loose! I promise! Just don’t ever pick up that one!

If this true story inspires just one person then I’ve done my job. You have to substitute your time with doing other things. I started a running program somewhere in the middle of these 90-days. I’ve run almost every day of my life since. I would never have been able to run marathons as a smoker.

See my desire to run and run races that became my passion just as you will find your passion! I’ve ran about a hundred races. This mindset gives you the strength to help others to stop smoking and to start a daily exercise program. You can do this! If one man can do something, so can another. And you will too just like the bubblegum-man plan did!
Stop Smoking Bubblegum Man
stop smoking 90-day plan

By Gary Cooper
Published: 12/27/2008
 
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