I'm actually an expert at this - I've quit smoking many times. And I'm
planning to quit again.
It seems odd that it should be so hard to quit - I mean, why not just quit? When
I've quit and failed before there always seemed to be a struggle within myself.
But who were the participants in the struggle? Isn't it rational and sensible to
simply quit? And how is it that nicotine "addiction" can prevent me from
quitting? At some point I make a decision to light up a cigarette. I go to a
store, I ask for a pack of cigarettes, I pay for them, I go outside, I open the
package, I extract a cigarette, I light the cigarette (with a match! I don't
have a lighter at this point), and I smoke it. This is not a spontaneous, spur
of the moment act. So how is it that I've decided not to smoke, and yet I smoke?
- Don't bet somebody that you'll quit. In the end you'll think "it's just money". You'll give up. You'll see that the paltry amount of the bet is nothing compared to how great it would be to fire up a smoke. You'll wind up smoking again, only with less money. And you'll feel foolish.
- Don't ease into quitting by cutting back a little every day. After about 3 days of this you'll simply be smoking as much as you were before, or maybe a little more. Even if you manage to cut back a little every day you're simply prolonging the agony, stretching it out, giving yourself more time to find excuses why right now is not a good time to quit.
- Don't use the patch or nicotine gum. What's the point of quitting if you still have nicotine in your system 12 weeks later?
- Quit with a friend. No bets, no competition. Just quit at the same time. Make sure it's a good friend, someone who will at least have the decency not to tell you he's relapsed if you're still in there trying.
- Enjoy the withdrawls. There's actually a kind of nice feeling when you are craving nicotine. Relax. Breathe slowly. Close your eyes. Enjoy. I'm not kidding.
- Exercise vigorously. Run, row, climb, whatever. Exercise until you puke. It worked for me (the time I quit for 18 months). Who knows - it might work for you.
- If you don't have a clear conception of why you're quitting, you'll soon talk yourself into not quitting.
- If your only reason for quitting is the social stigma (people might think badly of you if you keep smoking) then go out and buy a pack. Grow up. Stop worrying about the nosy bastards who want to run your life.
- If you enjoy going to saloons for a drink, then don't bother trying to quit smoking. You won't succeed, so don't put yourself through the misery and subsequent guilt.
- If you slip-up and smoke a cigarette (or a few), don't worry about it. Don't do it again, but don't worry about it. You made a small mistake. Get over it.
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DaleBrayden - 26 Nov 2002
I quit 2 weeks ago. In that time I had one minor slip-up - I had 3 cigarettes after quitting for 1 week. In my own defense I will say that I discovered a pack of cigarettes in my bag. Had I known about that pack before I quit I would have simply smoked it and delayed quitting for a day. Anyway, in the past 2 weeks I would otherwise have smoked 280 cigarettes. I would have spent about $40 on cigarettes; instead, I've spent $60 on Nicorette gum (which I haven't used, but wanted as a 'backup').
Now the cravings are manageable. But I miss smoking. I have smoked since I was young, with just a few periods of not smoking. I feel resentful that one of the motivators for quitting is the extortionate taxation on cigarettes and the huge extortion 'settlement' reached with the states a few years ago. I feel resentful that one of the motivators for quitting is to satisfy the desires of people who can't distinguish between their business and my business. On the other hand, I didn't like being addicted to nicotine and having to regulate my activities based on hourly nicotine enhancement sessions.
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DaleBrayden - 10 Dec 2002
I hope you don't mind me adding some comments here, but this is a subject close to my heart. I've quit now for 5 weeks, and I want a smoke, RIGHT NOW!!
I've started cycling, and it definitely helped a lot. I feel much more healthy, I sleep better, and generally it feels good not to smoke. Thats what my body says. My mind says, ah hell, light up!!
Ah well. Good luck for the next time you quit, maybe I have started again by that time.
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JohannSnyman - 22 Aug 2003
No, I don't mind comments. I did actually start smoking again, six weeks after I quit. That seems to be fairly normal for me. I've quit for about (or at least) 6 weeks 4 times. As you've found, exercise works well. The one time I was able to quit for an extended period I was hiking about 10 to 20 miles every weekend and cycling and using a rowing machine throughout the week. But slothful habits returned, and soon so did the smoking habit.
Good luck to you.
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DaleBrayden - 23 Aug 2003
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