Negative thinking can ower your confidence and get in your way, say Drs.Brian Danaher and Ed Lichtenstein. You should be on guard against five common kinds of negative thinking.

Memories. Don't get stuck longing for the good old days of smoking. Don't let yourself feel as if you're losing a dear friend. Instead, think about all you're gaining.

Faulty thinking about managing a crisis. Smoking won't help you deal with a crisis, or feel better. Cigarettes are not a solution to problems. Besides, you'd feel worse, not better, if you smoked. Also, be on guard against thinking, "After all I've been through, I deserve a cigarette." You deserve a better reward! So choose one.

Self-doubt. You're most likely to think that you "just can't do it" or "just don't have what it takes" when you're tired, under stress or reacting to a setback or difficulty. When this happens, change the dial on your thinking: "Wait a minute. Thinking this way will only make things worse. I've been smoking for a long time. I should expect some rough times. Let me focus instead on all that's going right. I've made it two weeks without a cigarette. And it's getting easier every day. I knw I can make it!"

Smoking "just one cigarette" as a way of testing yourself. Don't trick yourself into thinking, "If I'm really off cigarettes, I should be able to smoke just one." If you're really off cigarettes (and you are), you have nothing to prove.

Thinking of smoking as a cure fo withdrawal reacionts or weight gain. Watch out for thoughts like these: "If I'm so moody (or spacey, or irritable or tense) without cigarettes, maybe I'm better off smoking." Not so! Remember, having to get unhooked from nicotine caused these reactions to begin with! And they are temporary. Soon, you'll be saying that stopping smoking was one of the best things you ever did for yourself. And you sure don't have to go back to smoking to prevent unwanted weight gain! The eating and exercise tips in this guide give you far better ways to control your appetite and weight.