The 3 Biggest Reasons Why You Can"t Seem to Quit Smoking
OK, I realize there are a thousand reasons why people smoke.
I know that some people even say they enjoy it which, as a former smoker myself, I know isn't true, however that's a topic I will get in to at another time...
What I believe is at the core of why people still smoke is what we will discuss right now.
Let's get started shall we? 1)Hollywood.
At first glance I know you're going to think that this is ridiculous.
However I assure you it's not.
How often do you see people enjoying a cigarette after a fight, after sex, after a meal, with drinks, while...
? Fill in the blank.
Most of the time the expression on the faces of these people is relaxation.
Smokers on screen are either edgy, cool and mysterious, or they are outwardly enjoying a smoke after completing some difficult task.
Stick with me here.
If you don't think advertisers spend inordinate amounts of money branding themselves on film, you need to rethink things a bit.
Marketing is everywhere you go, it's in everything you watch, and in everything you listen to.
Why does it surround us? Because it works.
If you're constantly being slammed with the same message over and over, it sticks.
It's more powerful on film however, because it sneaks in undetected.
Watching TV or listening to the radio, you know they're commercials and you're expecting it, they still work, believe me, but it's blatant and right in front of you.
You can try to consciously filter out some of it.
In film though, it goes right into your unconscious mind undeterred.
So every time you see someone "calming down" with a cigarette, that image and idea that smoking calms me down gets hammered into your mind even harder.
2)Pharmaceutical companies.
This one is big, and it actually aggravates me to no end.
Like I said in the last point, marketing works.
These big pharmaceutical companies know that and they exploit fear more than any other emotion in their advertising efforts.
Did you notice how many weight loss products were on TV right after the holidays? A ton of them.
Why? Everyone knows that the majority of people overeat in November and December and gain on average, 20 lbs.
Coincidence? Not hardly.
But people are afraid of gaining weight, so maybe this pill will help...
The quit smoking aid Chantix brought in a hefty $883 Million in sales for Pfizer in 2007.
Their marketing budget as a company? Around $130 Billion.
Billion with a B...
Now, I'm not knocking the marketing efforts of these companies, don't get me wrong.
I'm actually a student of marketing myself; it's a topic that interests me very much.
What I am saying however, is this stuff works and these companies know it.
They tell you how difficult it is to quit.
They've been telling us that for decades now.
You can't do it alone.
You will fail without help.
Sound familiar? $883M in sales for just 1 of the MANY quit smoking aides available.
I think it's safe to say they have a vested interest in you failing to quit smoking for good the first few times around...
3)Non Smokers.
Ever get the feeling that people are looking down their noses at you because you smoke? Ever have someone who has never smoked a day in their lives ask you in a condescending tone why you smoke? Obviously the answer is a resounding yes to these questions.
The point is this; we are constantly being chastised for smoking.
We get attacked from all sides for smoking and the unfortunate thing is, they aren't attacking the nicotine, they are attacking YOU as a person.
Anytime you feel like you are under attack for any reason, the natural response is to defend yourself.
Whether you defend your actions to the person you're talking to or justifying your reasons to yourself, it makes you feel like more of a smoker.
The more you feel like a smoker, the more it defines you as a person.
Look, smokers aren't stupid.
We know the health risks.
But with people attacking us for being smokers; with advertisements coming at us from all directions, half of them saying we should smoke, the other half saying we should quit smoking but it is extremely hard to do and we probably won't do it the first few times without help, (suggesting we are incapable of controlling our little "problem") it's no wonder most of us fail over and over.
Our environment has been giving us mixed signals for so long, it's next to impossible to know the truth about how to quit smoking for good.
Try just being aware of all these things.
You can't change how you respond to a situation if you aren't aware of it right? I will give you ways to get around these issues in future articles but for now, just take a look around you.
Be aware of the advertisements you see and hear.
Remember that someone is paying BIG money for you to hear that message and take a specific action.
And when you take the suggested action, chances are they will make more money than they spent for the advertisement.
Its how business works.
Good for them, maybe not so good for you...
I know that some people even say they enjoy it which, as a former smoker myself, I know isn't true, however that's a topic I will get in to at another time...
What I believe is at the core of why people still smoke is what we will discuss right now.
Let's get started shall we? 1)Hollywood.
At first glance I know you're going to think that this is ridiculous.
However I assure you it's not.
How often do you see people enjoying a cigarette after a fight, after sex, after a meal, with drinks, while...
? Fill in the blank.
Most of the time the expression on the faces of these people is relaxation.
Smokers on screen are either edgy, cool and mysterious, or they are outwardly enjoying a smoke after completing some difficult task.
Stick with me here.
If you don't think advertisers spend inordinate amounts of money branding themselves on film, you need to rethink things a bit.
Marketing is everywhere you go, it's in everything you watch, and in everything you listen to.
Why does it surround us? Because it works.
If you're constantly being slammed with the same message over and over, it sticks.
It's more powerful on film however, because it sneaks in undetected.
Watching TV or listening to the radio, you know they're commercials and you're expecting it, they still work, believe me, but it's blatant and right in front of you.
You can try to consciously filter out some of it.
In film though, it goes right into your unconscious mind undeterred.
So every time you see someone "calming down" with a cigarette, that image and idea that smoking calms me down gets hammered into your mind even harder.
2)Pharmaceutical companies.
This one is big, and it actually aggravates me to no end.
Like I said in the last point, marketing works.
These big pharmaceutical companies know that and they exploit fear more than any other emotion in their advertising efforts.
Did you notice how many weight loss products were on TV right after the holidays? A ton of them.
Why? Everyone knows that the majority of people overeat in November and December and gain on average, 20 lbs.
Coincidence? Not hardly.
But people are afraid of gaining weight, so maybe this pill will help...
The quit smoking aid Chantix brought in a hefty $883 Million in sales for Pfizer in 2007.
Their marketing budget as a company? Around $130 Billion.
Billion with a B...
Now, I'm not knocking the marketing efforts of these companies, don't get me wrong.
I'm actually a student of marketing myself; it's a topic that interests me very much.
What I am saying however, is this stuff works and these companies know it.
They tell you how difficult it is to quit.
They've been telling us that for decades now.
You can't do it alone.
You will fail without help.
Sound familiar? $883M in sales for just 1 of the MANY quit smoking aides available.
I think it's safe to say they have a vested interest in you failing to quit smoking for good the first few times around...
3)Non Smokers.
Ever get the feeling that people are looking down their noses at you because you smoke? Ever have someone who has never smoked a day in their lives ask you in a condescending tone why you smoke? Obviously the answer is a resounding yes to these questions.
The point is this; we are constantly being chastised for smoking.
We get attacked from all sides for smoking and the unfortunate thing is, they aren't attacking the nicotine, they are attacking YOU as a person.
Anytime you feel like you are under attack for any reason, the natural response is to defend yourself.
Whether you defend your actions to the person you're talking to or justifying your reasons to yourself, it makes you feel like more of a smoker.
The more you feel like a smoker, the more it defines you as a person.
Look, smokers aren't stupid.
We know the health risks.
But with people attacking us for being smokers; with advertisements coming at us from all directions, half of them saying we should smoke, the other half saying we should quit smoking but it is extremely hard to do and we probably won't do it the first few times without help, (suggesting we are incapable of controlling our little "problem") it's no wonder most of us fail over and over.
Our environment has been giving us mixed signals for so long, it's next to impossible to know the truth about how to quit smoking for good.
Try just being aware of all these things.
You can't change how you respond to a situation if you aren't aware of it right? I will give you ways to get around these issues in future articles but for now, just take a look around you.
Be aware of the advertisements you see and hear.
Remember that someone is paying BIG money for you to hear that message and take a specific action.
And when you take the suggested action, chances are they will make more money than they spent for the advertisement.
Its how business works.
Good for them, maybe not so good for you...
Source...