How I Quit Using Tobacco

"In The Elbank, Hamburg" by Fritz Thaulow (1886)

By Lannie Brockstein

December 29th 2018

Something that helped me when I quit smoking tobacco many years ago, was making sure not to breathe in any second-hand smoke whilst walking on the sidewalk or near the entrances of shops/restaurants, or anywhere else.

If I was walking on the sidewalk and did see a person smoking, I would literally cross the street in order not to breathe in any second-hand smoke, because it requires around three days for tobacco to be flushed from a person's body, and thus for them not to have anymore cravings/addiction. But to breathe in second-hand smoke is to re-set that addiction for another three days, because there is once again tobacco in the body, and thus around three more days of possibly having to deal with cravings/addiction.

If I was unable to cross the street, I did literally hold my breath and walk as fast as I could (sometimes I did run) past a person who was smoking tobacco on the sidewalk. In doing that, I probably looked as hilariously stupid as Will Ferrell typically does during his comedy routines, but that was always much more preferable than having to deal with another three days of cravings/addiction.

When people talk about having a psychological addiction to tobacco, despite their not having smoked any cigarettes for many days, what they typically do not realize is that they probably had breathed in second-hand smoke within their past three days—and that the second-hand smoke they had inhaled was what did actually trigger their body to crave a cigarette.

When I did completely stop smoking cigarettes, it sometimes happened that I did experience a powerful craving to have a cigarette; however, each time that happened, I realized that probably meant I had actually breathed in some second-hand smoke somewhere during the past three days. Then I did mentally retrace my steps to remember when I might actually have done so. Thus, I was always able to determine when I had breathed in some second-hand smoke.

That made it much easier for me to calculate how many more days it would probably require for my body to flush out the tobacco from that second-hand smoke, which I had inadvertently breathed in. Knowing that I "only" had to wait one day, or two days, or around three days maximum, made it much easier for me not to have another cigarette; thus, I was able to have ensured that all of the tobacco could be flushed from my system (the more water I drank during that time, the better), so that there were no more tobacco molecules in my system that could trigger anymore cravings for tobacco.

I went from smoking Canadian cigarettes for many years, to smoking German organic rose cigarettes, to smoking Belgian organic vanilla cigarettes (as foreign cigarettes did not have the mega-tax increases, and they also had different flavours) for a few years. Then I switched to using a non-electronic Nicorette inhaler for a month or so. I did not read its instructions, and made each capsule last for as long as I could; then I made them last for even longer. After a month or so, I just stopped using them altogether, and without using any other kind of tobacco product, along with my being vigilant not to breathe in any second-hand smoke.

What I learned much later, is that the non-organic Canadian cigarettes are much more addictive than organic tobacco (which is what the German and Belgian cigarettes were), due to their having higher levels of nicotine as well as artificial/chemical additives (bronchodilators) that open the lungs for more nicotine to be absorbed, and other artificial/chemical additives that make for nicotine to be faster absorbed. So, not only had I reduced the number of cigarettes I was smoking each day; before doing that, I had unknowingly switched to less addictive brands of cigarettes, also.

After a few months of no longer using any kind of tobacco product (including no longer breathing in any second-hand smoke), I became totally bored with life, and wondered if I should start using tobacco again. But I didn't relapse.

Instead, I learned about the different kinds of "adaptogenic herbs" in capsule form which each basically do the same things that tobacco does, but without any of them being addictive, and with each of them being very health-promoting.

I mention this not as licenced medical advice; that I do not suppose it wise for anybody to use adaptogenic herbs until after they have fully quit using tobacco, because tobacco artificially increases the body's dopamine and serotinin to non-normal levels, whereas adaptogenic herbs naturally normalizes a person's dopamine and serotinin levels to whatever is right for them. Also, I do not suppose it wise for an ex-smoker to begin using adaptogenic herbs until or if they feel really fucking bored from no longer using tobacco, and only after a few months of their no longer using tobacco, just so they can know what life is like for them without using anything that affects their dopamine and serotonin levels.

Much information is available online about the different kinds of adaptogenic herbs. Many of them are the sacred herbs from the different cultures around the world, and had been prohibited from being used except by the emperors, kings, and priests of those cultures.

The "standardized" kind of adaptogenic herbs are the best kind. They are not that expensive and are nowadays available at health food stores for everybody to use. For those of you interested, there are dozens to hundreds of reviews for most of the different products at iHerb; those whom use my coupon code EWI375 at https://www.iherb.com/search?kw=adaptogenic%20herbs can receive a 5% discount there, and in return and at no cost to you, I receive that same 5% amount as credited to my orders there.

Tobacco addiction is not necessarily an easy thing to overcome, but it is possible. There are many websites, articles, and videos online about the different ways to do so. If you are being tempted to relapse, then I hope you will instead drink lots and lots of water in order to help flush any remaining craving-causing tobacco molecules out of your system, as well as to look at the different "how to quit smoking" articles and videos for any additional tips that you might find to be very helpful.

May the blessing of good health be yours,
from Lannie.