Strength
Strength is a very vague term in regards to quitting smoking. I mean, it�s not physical strength we�re talking about, but mental strength. And how can somebody be strong mentally? It almost seems to go against the meaning of the word. We almost exclusively speak of strength in terms of physical ability. But mental strength can be very different, but also has many of the same characteristics as physical strength.
In regards to physical strength, you are only as strong as your opponent is weak. You may be able to lift 500 pounds, but if your opponent can lift 600 pounds, then you are physically weaker in that aspect in regards to your opponent. But with mental strength, and specifically quitting smoking, your opponent is yourself, or your inner junkie, if you will. With physical strength, you may not be able to ever be the strongest person on earth� genetics, body type, etc� may not allow you to do that. But because mental strength is based on how strong you are in relation to yourself, every single person has the capability to achieve maximum mental strength, because, every single person has the ability to be mentally stronger than the junkie inside.
There are three aspects to quitting smoking. There are, of course, the physical withdrawals that take place in the first week of quitting. After that, the majority of quitting smoking is a battle of the mind. Quitting smoking involves changing the way you think and act. These are the mental aspects of quitting. However, there�s a third category and that is the battle with one�s life. There are certain people who have lives that lend themselves better to quitting smoking than others. Those who start the quit with the right frame of mind will probably have a much easier time quitting. Likewise, those who live with spouses, roommates, parents or even children who smoke will inevitably have a more difficult time dealing with the life aspect of quitting. And those who suffer from depression or other physical conditions may also have a more difficult time. Life also tends to throw in curve balls that we don�t expect that can also make quitting harder for us. So those who have lives that may make it harder to quit smoking must develop more mental strength to combat these situations.
