CRANIAL PARALOGISM: The Final Stage of Quitting Smoking

Cranial Paralogism is a crafted reasoning by 
my “shadow mind” to dismantle whatever resolve I’ve 

established since I quit...this time. It’s the worst. 

My mind builds a case for giving up quitting by reversing 

the negative viewpoint into the positive to justify 

abandoning the effort. Logic does a 180. North is South. 

Good is bad and bad is good. It’s all the lies I tell myself 

about smoking. The convincing ones. It’s creepy how 

expansive it can get, and how fast it can work.

Cranial Paralogism is entirely mental. It showed up after 

I’d quit for some months. I’ve conquered this condition 

only once. The most insidious of withdrawal disorders, 

it requires concentrated vigilance of spirit and resolve 

to sweep this condition away as soon as it appears. 

It’s my brain at its worst trying to talk me into doing the 

stupidest thing.

ORDER IT TO GO AWAY.

                                               

I am an un-smoker because I get fierce whenever 

Cranial Paralogism tries to speak. I give myself my lecture.

Shut this part of your brain up. Then tell it to shut up 

again. And again. Make beating cigarettes your game, 

your goal, your passion. Tell your shadow mind to go 

back where it came from. When you see a cigarette on 

the ground, stomp on it. That always makes me feel better.

Be a warrior for fresh air.

Once I handled this final condition of withdrawal (which 

will continue to rear its ugly head forever), I was done 

with cigarettes for good. Breathe a sigh of relief.