I have always been extremely independent. When I decided to quit smoking, I never even considered quit smoking support groups. Smoking cessation seemed like something that I could do on my own. After all, it was just a matter of will power, and I knew that I had plenty of that. As it turns out, however, I was mistaken.
Joining the quit smoking support group felt like an admission of guilt. Before I looked into quit smoking support groups, I thought of cigarettes as just a hobby. I knew that it was something that was bad for me, but at worst it was a vice. When I joined quit smoking support groups, it meant something new - that smoking had become an addiction to me. No one likes to think of themselves as an addict. If you are someone like me whose self image rests on a belief in inner strength, quit smoking support groups can be quite painful. To be honest, I was almost ready to give up the whole thing before the very first meeting.
I am glad that I tested out and went to the quit smoking support group. When I got in there, everyone was very nice. They welcomed me with open arms. Many of them have had the same experiences as I have had when joining quit smoking support groups. I felt alone, but in fact I was not alone. I made new friends quickly, and we worked together to quit smoking.
Quit smoking support groups are pretty funny places. I have never been to any other self-help group or recovery group, but I suspect that it is the same in all of them. Because you are there to overcome a personal obstacle, people open up very quickly. I made more friends in the quit smoking support group that I have made in any place since college. I don’t know if all the quit smoking support groups are such friendly places, but I have heard that they are. I guess it is because people are trying to overcome something so difficult. They know that they need friends to help them with it, and without the strong personal bonds, they will never be able to overcome nicotine addiction.
