Smokers make many excuses for not quitting. One of them is the 'concentration con'. How many times have you heard a smoker say, 'I'd like to quit, but it helps me concentrate'. Maybe you've said it yourself ?
In reality, smoking doesn't help concentration from a medical viewpoint. So the idea that smoking helps concentration is just a perception, or an imagined positive reason for not quitting.
It's true that withdrawal symptoms, starting not long after your last cigarette, cause feelings of irritability and restlessness. These feelings started because of cigarettes, and it's strange that another cigarette should be the way to relieve them.
In fact, smoking makes concentration much harder, not easier. Although another cigarette temporarily relieves the symptoms caused by the cigarette in the first place, the cigarette is not the aid to concentration which many smokers wrongly choose to believe.
Truth is, smoking another cigarette will make concentration progressively harder. With any drug, you eventually need more and more of it to produce the same effect. A smoker will never be able to concentrate as well as a non-smoker. The more he smokes, the less relief he'll get from each cigarette.
Let's look at the medical side of the 'concentration con'. Clogged arteries, caused by smoking, starve the brain of oxygen and reduce our ability to concentrate. Carbon monoxide, produced by cigarettes, is well-known as a poison not an aid to concentration.
The 'concentration con' is an example of the psychological addiction that makes a cigarette slave of so many people.
Among the many reasons Smokers use to justify their habit, the 'concentration con' stands up to the least scrutiny. But it must be exposed as a con. Once it's exposed, then it's no longer a threat. Once the smoker is shown proof of the 'concentration con', and once he believes that proof, then this self-fulfilling belief disappears for ever.
This article has shown that lack of concentration is actually caused by smoking in the first place, and can be only temporarily relieved by another cigarette. One of the greatest benefits of quitting smoking is a return to a clear head, and the ability to properly concentrate again. Once you see the 'concentration con' for what it really is, you're much closer to finally quitting smoking.
DigiLectual Inc. 2004
http://www.QuitSmokingWithNLP.com/concen
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About The Author
Neil Stelling B.Sc, MBA
DigiLectual Inc. 2004
http://www.QuitSmokingWithNLP.com/
neil@quitsmokingwithnlp.com
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You are advised to consult a medical professional before attempting any kind of therapy based on the information on this site. For further details, please read our disclaimer.
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