“Quitting smoking is easy… I’ve done it a thousand times!”

Often attributed to Mark Twain (1), this witty remark resonates with anyone who has ever attempted to quit smoking.  In my particular case, I must have tried six or seven times before successfully giving up the habit on the 1^st of January, 2012.

I would like to make two things very clear:  First, quitting smoking is not easy.  In fact, it ranks as one of the most challenging experiences of my life, yet also one with which I am the proudest.  And second, I don’t have the perfect method for quitting; rather, I would like to share my personal smoking story with anyone who has or is currently considering dropping this nasty vice.

How did it begin?

I grew up in a smoking family but I never picked up the habit at home.  Quite the contrary actually, I was an adamant anti-smoking advocate who wanted everyone to quit.  I normally used health, money and odor as my main arguments, but always unsuccessfully.

It wasn’t until I went to college that I began to smoke.  In retrospect it was one of the worst decisions of my life, but at the time I was curious about the attraction of cigarettes and felt fearless in experimenting with them.

The first few cigarettes were pretty miserable, cough-inducing experiences which only confirmed my suspicions on how terrible they were.  Nonetheless, one eventually led to another, then another, until I reached the point where I almost enjoyed them. Over the years, and undoubtedly with the help of alcohol, I turned myself into an almost-a-pack-a-day smoker and I stayed that way for about 6-7 years.

I liked to smoke…

For the first few years I admit that I enjoyed smoking.  It was “relaxing” and a way to get some “fresh air” or just take a 5-minute break from whatever it was that I was doing.

I didn’t even consider quitting despite the anti-smoking media bombardment and new anti-smoking legislation being passed.  Genuinely well-meant comments from friends about how smoking was unhealthy, expensive and nasty didn’t deter me; I mean I wasn’t an idiot… I already knew the negative effects of smoking, as did pretty much anyone who smoked in my generation, and for me the enjoyment outweighed the price.

Trying to quit…

All good things, as they do, come to an end, and I eventually came to the realization that I should probably quit smoking; however, as I was already well addicted I found the process of quitting much more frustrating than I might have liked.  A few of my more futile efforts include:

• Giving them up cold turkey without being mentally prepared to do so… the second I went to a party and had a drink I would find a cigarette and end up back on the wagon.
• Chewing flavored toothpicks, but that turned out to be pretty useless.
• Chewing nicotine gum, but that never worked.  I would always end up smoking again.  In retrospect, I find the concept of using a product with nicotine in an effort to stop using a different product with nicotine to be pretty silly.

There were a few things I tried which produced more promising results:

• A little more desperate, I went to the doctor for advice on how to quit smoking and he prescribed me a product called CHANTIX.  Supposedly this pill dulls cravings and aids in the quitting process, and I admit that it worked very well!  I followed the directions completely and quitting was easier than ever; however, once I stopped taking the pills I ended up right back on the cigarettes.
• A friend in South Korea who had quit smoking recommended that I read Allen Carr’s book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking and I must admit that I found it a very interesting read.  This inspired me to try quitting a few times without success, but it was inspirational in changing my perception of smoking and did help me when I finally did quit.  Click here to check it out on amazon.

So what finally convinced me? 

Towards the end of my smoking tenure I remember being utterly disgusted by them.  I felt guilty with each inhalation, yet I puffed away.  Such was the nature and power of my addiction.  I didn’t want to smoke, but I continued to do so despite the fact.  I “needed” cigarettes and felt anxious without them.  I was their slave, and I knew it, too.

Oddly enough, it was this realization which provided my salvation.  I realized that health, money and odor had nothing to do with breaking free from cigarettes; rather, not wanting to be controlled anymore by my cylindrical tormentor which only caused me guilt and anxiety finally allowed me to be mentally and emotionally ready to quit forever.

How did I do it?

I’m afraid that at this point my quitting process is somewhat anti-climactic.  I pretty much just picked a quit date (New Year’s works pretty well) and quit cold turkey.  No tricks, no gimmicks, no gum, no toothpicks, no books, no hypnotism… I just decided to become a non-smoker and never looked back.

I remember having a few cravings at first, but after a minute or two they would go away and I would be fine.  Eventually those cravings became less and less and smoking became a thing of the past for me. In fact, I don’t really recall having any serious withdrawal symptoms or close-calls with regards to relapsing.

I honestly believe that I had already laid the mental framework for quitting well before I stomped out my last cigarette.  I was ready to be free and I decided to be so… the rest was just a matter of going through the motions.

It’s funny… when I smoked I remember being utterly puzzled by how people could go through an entire day without wanting a cigarette; now I wonder why I ever began in the first place.

It just takes one…

A word of caution… relapsing is as simple as a puff in a moment of weakness.  Every time I picked up smoking again it was the result of having just one cigarette at a party, or with a beer, or on my birthday, etc… so be careful.

Bibliography:

1. “Quote Investigator.” Quote Investigator. N.p., 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Jan. 2014. http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/09/19/easy-quit-smoking/