- WARNING * - This post is lengthy but worth the time
If you have searched for this article, then it is safe to assume that you are a nicotine addict and you had enough of it.
Quitting cigarettes is hard, trust me it is not easy. But since you came here I know for sure that you are willing to do anything to quit smoking.
And before we start with how I actually quit smoking, You should know how I got into this nasty habit and it is all the same as yours. I had started smoking in my early college days and the worst part is it’s not the academic pressure that drove me towards the sticks, I was just trying to be cool. Earlier days it was just 1-2 sticks a day with buddies to share, and I was under the impression that I can call it off whenever I want and I am totally in control of my actions. As days goes by I casually started smoking and it provide relief whenever I was stressed out, I would go to the tea vendor and asks for my favourite (I am trying to avoid naming the brand) 5cm long stick alongside cutting chai (small cup of tea). And before I know it became a habit that I enjoyed very much and you cannot imagine my joy whenever it was a rainy day and its drizzling around you are in a tea stall under the shed with tea and firm and tightly rolled out tobacco stick in between my fingers. ‘Dude!!, that feeling’ . And then came the downfall, my academics took a dive and by the end of my college days I was doing 7-8 sticks a day. It was to handle the pressure. College was over and I got a Job, the situation has changed and I was smoking even more, sometime even upto 15. And it became a rigorous routine, if I miss my smoke due to meeting or a call I would start getting uncomfortable and as soon I get off the call I would go to the designated smoking zone and light up that stick and that first drag would feel so great. There was never a single party where I was holding a drink without the cigarettes. And god forbid if I ran out of smoke in middle of shift at night or party. But in my thoughts were “I am in control of the situation, It’s nothing. I can quit whenever I want”.
And one day I tried to quit. Not because of some ugly anti-smoking campaign or because my girlfriend asked me to or because I was worried about my health or wealth. By the way by this time I was paying almost one sixth of my salary to the tea-stall vendor. I tried because I wanted to. And guys you all know very well how that went. Now for the first time in decade long sick habit of smoking which was masqueraded as just for fun or stress buster by me, I realise that I was in crisis. “OK. Nothing is wrong, I just has to control the quantity I have been smoking too much now a days”, were my exact thoughts. So I tried bringing down the count from 15 to 10. You all know “The Calculation” right. 10 cigarettes over a span of 16 waking hours which mean I can go and enjoy the sticks after every 1hr 36 mins. Failed again. What am I doing wrong. The calculations are correct then how come I end up having 12 or 13 on the 16 hrs. Now something is definitely wrong; Every time I watch a movie scene where the character is smoking the stick, I want one for myself as if would not be able to understand the next dialogue or expression. What the **** is going on, Why would I crave a cigarette if someone else is smoking? And that’s when I realise that “I no longer has control over the situation”.
From that day onwards the stop smoking project has started. I read quit smoking in 10 easy steps; quit smoking in 15 days; chew this; swallow that and other knowledge that the almighty internet has to offer. Finally after working on this I read somewhere the Band-Aid technique which suggests that you stop the smoking immediately. Something about it is easy to rip off the Band-Aid in one go and get over the pain than torturing yourself in slow motion. (Ladies you may think of the waxing if it helps).
This is how it went. Day 1 – Cranky behaviour; Day 2 – Gloomy; Day 3 – Coughing; Day 4 – More Coughing (I thought I was going to die); Day 5 – Called in sick and was on bed coughing; Day 6 – became Sam Elliot (Nobody could understand me without subtitles); Day 7 – Back to normal.
I am a non-smoker for 4 months now. That was just an odd sentence right? It is It could have been more like I quit smoking 4month back or so.
Here is the mantra. You ready for this? It is you mind. It is all in your mind. From the very first drag of the cigarette it is in all your mind. You never lost control, You thought that you no longer have control.
Cigarette is a dose of Nicotine about 2mg. And nicotine is a stimulant or relaxant, When you smoke it goes into your brain and release dopamine, adrenaline, serotonin. In simple words these characters inside your brain like they showed in the Inside Out movie. These chemical will gives you the feeling of calmness, alertness, relaxed etc. so basically a cigarette is a drug and highly addictive one. And over time the our body develops a habit of having these chemical as normal level and when these level drops it is time for another boost. And cycles goes on and on till the time when you no longer feel the effects that the you enjoyed with the first cigarette but still you need the stick. I wish I could insert the title credit from the thank you for smoking movie here. Really it fits. Now you know what you are suffering from? Nicotine Addiction. Now give yourself the treatment. Rehab you may call. For any addict you do not give them the substance anymore and let them go through the withdrawal cycle till they follow through. Same is here. When you allow yourself to have a certain amount of cigarette you are not quitting you are taking the drug in the system and the system and your body is fighting for more and you are under constant strain for longer period and since the cigarettes are available everywhere and chances are that you are not doing well. Now you may think that how do I go through the withdrawal effect. The thing is nicotine’s withdrawal is easy to handle it varies from cranky behaviour to a degree of nausea or headache which you can handle. The lungs is self-cleaning organ and it tries to repair all that damage that you have caused to it is past couple of year. and you will feel irritation in lungs and you start coughing which is normal and good. Now remember you may have caused some irreparable damage to your lungs but at least you will be able to climb 3 flight of stairs without wheezing : )
A small but effective tip but not easy one ditch those habits that lead to smoking, like taking a stroll to the tea vendor where you usually go, After meals special puff or that friend or gang who smokes and offers. Break this habits and you will have more chances.
Now if you excuse me. I will try to control my drinking habits.
Just kidding “It’s nothing. I can quit whenever I want”.