Reasons to quit are simple. The number one reason to quit smoking should be that smoking is a health hazard. We know that’s true, but many of us smokers say, “Yeah, yeah” to logic and light up again. (We do this because we are fighting a battle. We want our health, but we like to smoke. And, it’s hard to quit.) We adopt a cavalier attitude. Sometimes a reason with an emotional punch can motivate us to quit. —How about something like your children or grandkids avoid you because they don’t like the smell? Or this one—cigarettes are expensive and there really is a plan to make them eat up more and more of your money? Even with a great reason, quitting is hard and many smokers think they can’t. The reality is, they haven’t quit—yet. I was a die-hard smoker. I have finally quit. Since you are reading this, you’re interested in quitting to. Keep reading, I’ll tell you how I did it.
I was thirteen when I took my first smoke. I smoked until after my fifty-fifth birthday. That’s 42 years. Over those years I tried to quit a number of times. I tried all the programs—the gum, the lozenges, hypnosis. Nothing worked. I had good reasons to quit—the pull on the heartstrings, the increasing cost etc., but none of that was enough motivation. I even had the health issue under control; I got good reports when I saw the doctor. Then came the hit. I received a letter from a military physician. (I’m in the USAR with 4½ years till retirement.) The letter said that though I seem to be in good health now, if I continue smoking, it is highly likely I will develop heart disease before I reach retirement. It is even more likely that before disease sets in I will begin to fail required PT tests due to decreased lung capacity and shortness of breath. If I fail enough of those PT tests, I’m out. I don’t think so! Most my military time has been active duty. I’ve worked for my retirement and I owe it to myself. I want it. I’m not going to give up my retirement over a pack of cigarettes—I got my motivation to quit smoking.
As I said above, I already tried a number of plans. (Many of these are good programs that do aid some smokers in breaking the habit. It’s an individual’s motivation that’s the key.) Since the formal plans had not helped me, I decided to analyze what caused my failure. After considering the way I smoked and how I felt when I tried quitting, I decided it was the cravings that really hurt me. As a smoker, I generally had a cigarette whenever I “felt like it.” When I tried to quit, I’d do really well until I experienced periods of intense anxiety. After resisting a few of these attacks I would give in, light up, smoke, and feel much better. —And be smoking regularly again.
After that realization, I did a little research on cravings. I found the cravings are for nicotine—it’s addictive. I found documentation that a craving attack lasts 4 minutes at most; then it dissipates for awhile. Also, over time both the frequency and the strength of cravings are supposed to diminish. (You can believe me when I tell you that I now know, firsthand, that both claims are true.) Armed with my findings, the only thing I could think to do was to wean myself off nicotine. I put together a plan that worked for me.
First, I listed my reasons to quit smoking on a 3x5 card. Here are my reasons:
1) I want my retirement (the money and the time).
2) I need to feel good enough to exercise more.
3) Cigarettes smell bad to my granddaughters.
4) Cigarettes cost a lot of money.
5) Cigarettes are a health hazard for me.
6) Quitting would make my wife happy.
I carried (and still carry) that 3x3 card with me everywhere.
I assembled a care package for myself. I got a supply of cinnamon hard candy, celery and carrot sticks, and gum—things to ease me through a craving and give me something to so with my hands. (That is a point I picked up from the past: Smoking is an occupation. I need something to do that replaces the act of smoking. —Eating works.)
Then, I started keeping track of when I smoked and how much. My notes went like this:
Got up 6:30 am
Smoked first cigarette 7:10 am
Smoked before leaving for work 7:45 am
Got to work 8:55 am—smoked before going in
First break 10:00 am—smoked
I did this all day, every day; keeping the record in a small notebook carried in my back pocket, until I was satisfied that I was done with smoking.
At work I couldn’t smoke but about every 1½ to 2 hours because of the way the breaks and lunch are scheduled. At home I smoked whenever I felt like it, sometimes one cigarette right after another. On the average, I figured I was smoking one cigarette an hour.
–OK. One cigarette an hour: Smoking one cigarette an hour was where I was and that’s where I was going to start my campaign to quit.
You already know I had a history of trying to quit. I knew I was going to need all the support I could get and I knew I’d have to find most of it inside me. (When you’re a smoker, don’t most of your friends smoke too? Many of them aren’t very sympathetic about an effort to quit. Some of mine were just plain saboteurs.) So, I decided to psych myself up with a ritual. Before lighting a cigarette I’d get out my list of reasons for quitting and read it. As often as possible, I read it out loud—to engage more of my mind. You see, even though I knew my reasons, I needed to make them real. I needed to believe them and repetition is a way to achieve belief.
Since I figured I was smoking one cigarette an hour, I decided that would be my smoking schedule for awhile. I began to impose structure and discipline on the habit. One cigarette an hour meant no more than one cigarette in any sixty-minute period. I would set my watch to go off an hour after putting out a cigarette. After the alarm sounded, I could go for another smoke. So, if the alarm went off at 9 am, I’d get to the smoking area at 9:05. I read my list of reasons to quit and light up. The cigarette would be crushed out at say 9:20. I then set my alarm for 10:20 and would not smoke again before that time. I was determined not to light up again in less than one hour from the time I finished my smoke.
I’m sure you already see the challenge.
The first day I implemented my plan, I realized there would be times when I could not get a smoke break exactly when I wanted it. (As a smoker you’re already familiar with postponing smoke breaks. Sometimes you can schedule your life around them, but more often you have to slip them in between obligated blocks of time.) My work schedule interfered. I decided to make this a positive circumstance. If I was required to put off smoking for a few minutes, I could decide I wanted to put it off for a few minutes. After all, I was practicing imposing my will over myself. The objective was to smoke no more than one cigarette in any sixty-minute period—it was not a requirement to have a cigarette every hour.
Sometime breaks occurred before a scheduled smoke. If it was not time to smoke, I quickly discovered I should not go to the smoking area. My smoker friends have their own agenda. They are addicted. Since I too am addicted, the sights, the smells, and the company of addicts made it hard to resist tweaking the schedule. No one cared—except me. Hey! This was hard enough to do. I didn’t need to undermine myself. Except when you are having a cigarette, do everything you can to avoid smoke and smokers. (This is even more true if you are stressed—anxious, angry, or extremely happy.)
After four days on the one-an-hour schedule, I felt it was time to extend the time period between smokes to an hour and fifteen minutes. That went well and the reason is a no-brainer when you consider my break schedule at work. Cravings were easy to control for that amount of time, because I often had to control them that long. And as always, I carried candy or something else from my care package for a distraction.
Increasing the amount of time between cigarettes every four days worked well for me. If someone asks me for a time-frame recommendation, an extension every fourth day is what I suggest. But you—the smoker—have your own life and your own set of challenges. The real rule of thumb should be this: when you get comfortable with your smoking schedule, lengthen the time between smokes.
My way to quit smoking is adaptable, but for best results stick to your decision about the minimum time allowed between cigarettes. Because there is a chemical dependency and because we’ve used smoking as a crutch in social, emotional, and many critical situations, quitting is hard. But if you want to quit, any reason you have for quitting is a good one. Look at your list of reasons for quitting. Think about life after you’ve achieved the goal. One of my great joys is that my little granddaughters smile with their mouths open and no longer scrunch up their little noses as they come to give me a hug and kiss. You deserve the reward quitting will give you.
The two major differences between my way of quitting and other ways are:
1) There is no medication involved. Be careful to adhere to your time periods, but if you blow it, you can immediately continue from where you were. You don’t have to wait until morning or go all the way back and start over as in the case of some gums and lozenges.
2) You are in control. Changes to your smoking schedule, it is entirely up to you.
That said, let me caution you about trying to go too fast. It takes time to overcome any habit and one that is as addiction takes more. I won’t say I didn’t have set backs, but this way of quitting let me accommodate me. Just so you will know, it took me two full months to quit completely (and I still carry my list of reasons and a few little things in case I need a distracter). When I got down to smoking two cigarettes a day, I laid them down—hopefully forever. I no longer need to quit smoking. I don’t smoke. I know I cannot be the only person who has this method to quit—to me the important thing is that I did quit and I’m glad. The important thing to you is that you can quit. You’ll be glad you did.
I was thirteen when I took my first smoke. I smoked until after my fifty-fifth birthday. That’s 42 years. Over those years I tried to quit a number of times. I tried all the programs—the gum, the lozenges, hypnosis. Nothing worked. I had good reasons to quit—the pull on the heartstrings, the increasing cost etc., but none of that was enough motivation. I even had the health issue under control; I got good reports when I saw the doctor. Then came the hit. I received a letter from a military physician. (I’m in the USAR with 4½ years till retirement.) The letter said that though I seem to be in good health now, if I continue smoking, it is highly likely I will develop heart disease before I reach retirement. It is even more likely that before disease sets in I will begin to fail required PT tests due to decreased lung capacity and shortness of breath. If I fail enough of those PT tests, I’m out. I don’t think so! Most my military time has been active duty. I’ve worked for my retirement and I owe it to myself. I want it. I’m not going to give up my retirement over a pack of cigarettes—I got my motivation to quit smoking.
As I said above, I already tried a number of plans. (Many of these are good programs that do aid some smokers in breaking the habit. It’s an individual’s motivation that’s the key.) Since the formal plans had not helped me, I decided to analyze what caused my failure. After considering the way I smoked and how I felt when I tried quitting, I decided it was the cravings that really hurt me. As a smoker, I generally had a cigarette whenever I “felt like it.” When I tried to quit, I’d do really well until I experienced periods of intense anxiety. After resisting a few of these attacks I would give in, light up, smoke, and feel much better. —And be smoking regularly again.
After that realization, I did a little research on cravings. I found the cravings are for nicotine—it’s addictive. I found documentation that a craving attack lasts 4 minutes at most; then it dissipates for awhile. Also, over time both the frequency and the strength of cravings are supposed to diminish. (You can believe me when I tell you that I now know, firsthand, that both claims are true.) Armed with my findings, the only thing I could think to do was to wean myself off nicotine. I put together a plan that worked for me.
First, I listed my reasons to quit smoking on a 3x5 card. Here are my reasons:
1) I want my retirement (the money and the time).
2) I need to feel good enough to exercise more.
3) Cigarettes smell bad to my granddaughters.
4) Cigarettes cost a lot of money.
5) Cigarettes are a health hazard for me.
6) Quitting would make my wife happy.
I carried (and still carry) that 3x3 card with me everywhere.
I assembled a care package for myself. I got a supply of cinnamon hard candy, celery and carrot sticks, and gum—things to ease me through a craving and give me something to so with my hands. (That is a point I picked up from the past: Smoking is an occupation. I need something to do that replaces the act of smoking. —Eating works.)
Then, I started keeping track of when I smoked and how much. My notes went like this:
Got up 6:30 am
Smoked first cigarette 7:10 am
Smoked before leaving for work 7:45 am
Got to work 8:55 am—smoked before going in
First break 10:00 am—smoked
I did this all day, every day; keeping the record in a small notebook carried in my back pocket, until I was satisfied that I was done with smoking.
At work I couldn’t smoke but about every 1½ to 2 hours because of the way the breaks and lunch are scheduled. At home I smoked whenever I felt like it, sometimes one cigarette right after another. On the average, I figured I was smoking one cigarette an hour.
–OK. One cigarette an hour: Smoking one cigarette an hour was where I was and that’s where I was going to start my campaign to quit.
You already know I had a history of trying to quit. I knew I was going to need all the support I could get and I knew I’d have to find most of it inside me. (When you’re a smoker, don’t most of your friends smoke too? Many of them aren’t very sympathetic about an effort to quit. Some of mine were just plain saboteurs.) So, I decided to psych myself up with a ritual. Before lighting a cigarette I’d get out my list of reasons for quitting and read it. As often as possible, I read it out loud—to engage more of my mind. You see, even though I knew my reasons, I needed to make them real. I needed to believe them and repetition is a way to achieve belief.
Since I figured I was smoking one cigarette an hour, I decided that would be my smoking schedule for awhile. I began to impose structure and discipline on the habit. One cigarette an hour meant no more than one cigarette in any sixty-minute period. I would set my watch to go off an hour after putting out a cigarette. After the alarm sounded, I could go for another smoke. So, if the alarm went off at 9 am, I’d get to the smoking area at 9:05. I read my list of reasons to quit and light up. The cigarette would be crushed out at say 9:20. I then set my alarm for 10:20 and would not smoke again before that time. I was determined not to light up again in less than one hour from the time I finished my smoke.
I’m sure you already see the challenge.
The first day I implemented my plan, I realized there would be times when I could not get a smoke break exactly when I wanted it. (As a smoker you’re already familiar with postponing smoke breaks. Sometimes you can schedule your life around them, but more often you have to slip them in between obligated blocks of time.) My work schedule interfered. I decided to make this a positive circumstance. If I was required to put off smoking for a few minutes, I could decide I wanted to put it off for a few minutes. After all, I was practicing imposing my will over myself. The objective was to smoke no more than one cigarette in any sixty-minute period—it was not a requirement to have a cigarette every hour.
Sometime breaks occurred before a scheduled smoke. If it was not time to smoke, I quickly discovered I should not go to the smoking area. My smoker friends have their own agenda. They are addicted. Since I too am addicted, the sights, the smells, and the company of addicts made it hard to resist tweaking the schedule. No one cared—except me. Hey! This was hard enough to do. I didn’t need to undermine myself. Except when you are having a cigarette, do everything you can to avoid smoke and smokers. (This is even more true if you are stressed—anxious, angry, or extremely happy.)
After four days on the one-an-hour schedule, I felt it was time to extend the time period between smokes to an hour and fifteen minutes. That went well and the reason is a no-brainer when you consider my break schedule at work. Cravings were easy to control for that amount of time, because I often had to control them that long. And as always, I carried candy or something else from my care package for a distraction.
Increasing the amount of time between cigarettes every four days worked well for me. If someone asks me for a time-frame recommendation, an extension every fourth day is what I suggest. But you—the smoker—have your own life and your own set of challenges. The real rule of thumb should be this: when you get comfortable with your smoking schedule, lengthen the time between smokes.
My way to quit smoking is adaptable, but for best results stick to your decision about the minimum time allowed between cigarettes. Because there is a chemical dependency and because we’ve used smoking as a crutch in social, emotional, and many critical situations, quitting is hard. But if you want to quit, any reason you have for quitting is a good one. Look at your list of reasons for quitting. Think about life after you’ve achieved the goal. One of my great joys is that my little granddaughters smile with their mouths open and no longer scrunch up their little noses as they come to give me a hug and kiss. You deserve the reward quitting will give you.
The two major differences between my way of quitting and other ways are:
1) There is no medication involved. Be careful to adhere to your time periods, but if you blow it, you can immediately continue from where you were. You don’t have to wait until morning or go all the way back and start over as in the case of some gums and lozenges.
2) You are in control. Changes to your smoking schedule, it is entirely up to you.
That said, let me caution you about trying to go too fast. It takes time to overcome any habit and one that is as addiction takes more. I won’t say I didn’t have set backs, but this way of quitting let me accommodate me. Just so you will know, it took me two full months to quit completely (and I still carry my list of reasons and a few little things in case I need a distracter). When I got down to smoking two cigarettes a day, I laid them down—hopefully forever. I no longer need to quit smoking. I don’t smoke. I know I cannot be the only person who has this method to quit—to me the important thing is that I did quit and I’m glad. The important thing to you is that you can quit. You’ll be glad you did.
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