After a 35-year smoking habit I successfully quit 11 years ago. Wanted to share my story with others who have chosen to quit or are thinking about it.
Background:
- Tried four times to quit about once-a-year. Three were cold-turkey attempts; the longest lasted 10 days. The fourth was a gradual reduction plan over a week, which was pure torture.
- Made the decision to quit before really researching how.
- Three factors fueled the decision: 1) Came down with the flu, 2) a clogged A/C filter was polluting the house, and 3) ate food that had been contaminated with microwaved plastic. So, that night had absolutely no interest in smoking. Decided then and there I was done.
Things that helped along the way:
- Went online and studied everything I could get my hands on related to smoking-cessation.
- Wrote down a) the reasons I wanted to quit, b) a list of daily mantras, and c) began keeping a journal of my thoughts describing what I went through and how I confronted each challenge.
- No alcohol the first week.
Key takeaways:
- Most smokers attempt to quit multiple times before being successful.
- It really gets easier after the nicotine is out of your body. No urges; just thoughts that typically last 20 seconds or so (sometimes longer, sometimes much longer) but are usually fairly easy to deal with.
- As one would expect, there will be times when you have to have a long talk with yourself. I would do it out loud, and begin with "OK, let's not rush into this. You tell me why you think it's worth starting smoking again . . . after all we've been through so far." And, I would go from there having an argument with myself. LOL
- Found it helpful to research how to deal with "thought cues" that sneak up on you months after the quit. It's important to be prepared.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
