Tobacco Seminar! Surprisingly Positive!

Our local clinic is having a Tobacco Seminar held by two of the psychologists that work there. I decided to sign up and check it out because... why not! What is the worse they can do? Tell me not to smoke? Take my rolled cigarette away? Say "naughty naughty"? Tell me something I didn't know?

Instead, they were really positive and informative. I have a binder for all the information and I have homework too! They aren't telling us "You HAVE to quit smoking! It's bad for you!" They are saying, "We all know it's bad. Let's explore what triggers you to smoke." 

One of the most interesting things we did was go down a list of reason we LIKE to smoke and then went down a list of reasons we don't like to smoke. That actually surprised me. 

So this weekend I'll continue reading through the pages I have and documenting when I smoke, how I felt when I went to smoke, and what I was doing when I went to smoke.

So far, I see a few patterns. I smoke

• When I am around friends.
• When I am out of my house.
• When I get something done (a pat on the back of sorts)
• When I feel really stressed.

Why I smoke:

• When I started smoking, it was cool.
• I like the taste.
• It makes me feel better.

Reasons to Quit:

• The expense of smoking.
• The health risks.
• The smell.
• The added health care costs.
• I want to set a good example for my kids.
• Shortness of breath.
• My food will taste better.

While I can't post anything about the others in the class (confidential), I can post my experience and from my point of view. We meet every Tuesday, so I will update my personal experiences and personal point of view on Wednesday. 
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