Break Your Smoking Habit and Save a Fortune

Breaking your smoking habit will put a whole lot of cash back in your pocket.

If you don’t have a clue how much you are spending with your addiction, keep reading as the numbers can motivate you to decide to quit smoking today!

Why break your smoking habit now?

According to the Queensland Government, the average pack of 20 cigarettes costs around $25 AUD, and it is estimated to increase to $40 by 2020. [Source]

Below you can see the constant rise in the last decade; an average of 10% increase every single year. Now imagine what will happen in the next 5, 10 years. How much a pack of cigarettes will cost you?

If financial stability is what you value most, this information can serve you as a great motivator. Going smoke-free will put a whole lot of cash back in your pocket.

Reasons to quit smoking

Have you ever wondered why graphic warning labels on cigarette packs don’t motivate you to quit smoking? This is because you might value other things more than your own health.

The reason to quit smoking varies from person to person. Some people decide to stop smoking to:

• Save money
• Feel better and healthier
• Protect your loved ones
• Look better

If financial security is your top value, and you believe smoking helps you to keep up with the stress of work, you won’t think twice before you “grab a ciggy” anytime you feel stressed.

Thus, the labels won’t motivate you to break your smoking habit, but knowing what it is costing you and how much wealthier you could be might help you to take the decision to stop smoking.

What is it costing you?

Going smoke-free is the best thing you will ever do for your health and your wallet.

For example, if you decide to quit smoking today this is how much you can save in your pocket. Let’s imagine you smoke 20 cigarettes per day:

• Weekly you save $115 – That’s tickets to a music festival this summer.
• Monthly you save $700 – That’s a weekend away including. accommodation & airfares.
• 1 Year you save $8,400 – That’s round the world tickets for 2 people.
• 5 Years you save $42,000 – That’s a new brand car.

Taking into account that the Australian minimum wage in 2019 is $719 per week, you easily find that for each month you work, 1 week of your hard work goes directly to pay your smoking habit that ONLY gives you instant gratification.

Thinking of rolling your own?

Yes, it is cheaper, but 1-year smoking 25gm daily is the equivalent to a week away including accommodation & airfares.

The decision is always yours, however wouldn’t be more fulfilling to take a nice holiday after a full year of hard work?

Impressed? If the answer is YES, lets dive in and find out how habits are formed and how to change them.

TIP 1 – Calculate your spending (adapt to your reality)
Calculate how much you have spent so far and how much you can save if you reduce or quit forever.
Let’s say for example you live in Portugal. In a pack you have 20 cigarettes, 1 pack costs on average 5€, you smoke on average 10 cigarettes a day and you have been smoking for 3 years. You’ve spent 2,738€ in the last 3 years.

How to break your smoking habit?

Understand how to form a habit

You can only fix what you understand.

Understanding is power. When you understand how your smoking habit was formed in the first place, you identify your triggers and you’re in a better position to take action and stop smoking. Plus, you can use this same process to change other less empowering habits you might have.

Many of my clients have the habit to smoke after lunch. Let’s see what is happening in their brains.

Comparing to others habits, the habit of smoking has a peculiarity that makes the process to quit smoking more challenging – it’s called nicotine. 

The role of nicotine

Nicotine increases the level of dopamine (feel good neurotransmitter that is released during pleasurable situations), which activates the reward pathway created in your brain. And when the reward pathway is activated it reinforces your desire to use it again and again because it feels good.

The brain seeks REWARDS and avoids PAIN or discomfort.

The role of nicotine is to give you instant gratification. As a result, you keep repeating the same habit. And if you stop, well … irritability, anxiety among other symptoms kick in. You can manage these feelings.

You see, your body got used to that instant gratification and it wants to keep it even though your health is deteriorating day after day. But you have the power to break your smoking habit! You’re much more powerful than your addition to nicotine.

Now, after months, years of mental programming, you automatically slip into these patterns of thinking and acting. The brain then creates a reward pathway that becomes automated, which means you are not even aware how the process unfolds. You proceed through all four stages in the fraction of a second every time a trigger is actioned.

Breaking your smoking habit

James Clear suggests to break the thought loop at stage 1 – Cue and/or stage 3 – Act as these are the easier stages to induce change, to create a better habit.

And to support change you have five forces that can help you in the process, they are your: mindset, biology, social culture, physical environment and technology. If you use 2 forces its good if you use 5 its excellent.

Now going back to the example. Imagine you use 2 forces: you change your environment and your biology.

• Stage 1 – You move your physical body (biology) – when you finish eating you go for a walk in the park or around your building for example. Notice the scenario, the nature around you. You come back relaxed and energised.
• Stage 3 – Restrict the ability to take the action – don’t leave cigarettes close, keep them distant from your reach. Make its access difficult.

By repeating this new behaviour consistently, you start to create a new reward pathway. As a result, your brain starts to associate going for a walk with feeling relaxed and energised.

Because your brain seeks rewards, it will make this new behaviour to stick to make sure it gets the reward every time you have lunch (lunch -> walk -> feel relaxed, energised).

These are actions you consciously take, and by repetition will become your new neurological default pathway, your new good habit.

However, some people may find it more difficult to commit to the new routine than others. I remember my father being a smoker for many years and one day he decided to stop and never went back.

Others on the other hand, need more time, put more effort, and it is OK. As long your are committed you can break your smoking habit for good! Watch here a short video for inspiration.

Change your mindset first

RTT has proven to be very powerful and transformational, and can make a huge impact because it changes your mindset from inside-out. Together with other forces can make changes that LAST.

If you want to learn more, click below to book a no obligation “Pre-Chat” where you can ask questions and see what you need help with.

TIP 2 – Strategy for relaxation
Stop for one minute or two and take 3-6 deep breaths. Slowly breath IN through the nose and OUT through the mouth. It helps you to feel more awake, focused and energised. Repeat as many time you need. Every 20-30 minutes is excellent.
Likewise, essential oils are also an excellent option to promote peace and tranquillity in the most natural way. Your body will thank-you! 🙂

Do you know anyone who would find this useful? Please share.

Your friend,

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