Many quitters say it took 'will-power' and 'great determination' to get them off their daily ritual drug habit.
Nicotine IS a powerful addictive drug, but nobody need let it rule their mind or their life, or literally TAKE their life!
I found my way of quitting SO easy I look back on the 30 years they had a hold of my life in amazement.
Stopping smoking and staying a non-smoker is just as easy and effortless as lighting up a ciggie, but much cheaper, healthier and rewarding, in more ways than one. I decided to quit on a Thursday in late October 2002. I promised myself that when I woke up the next day I would not light up a cigarette. I smoked as normal until I went to bed and fell asleep. Here is how my decision affected me daily, how I beat the cravings, but most importantly, how much I felt better!
DAY 1 (Friday)..
I woke up and remembered immediately that this was the day I had promised myself I would not smoke. I felt afraid, could I really do this? Would life ever be the same without my beloved ciggie? What would I do whenever I craved for one?
I lay in bed a long time, knowing that once I was up and about, my desire to light up would be tremendous.
'Oh, what the heck, get out of bed and face it, it's not the end of the world!!'....
I made a cup of tea but couldn't sit down right away with it as normally I'd light up and smoke two or three ciggies whilst drinking my morning tea. I decided to go get washed first, brush my teeth, look in the mirror at my yellow tongue (to help put me off my craving), brushed my hair and went upstairs to get dressed. Of course, I didn't run upstairs, at 45 years old I was too old to do that, and had been for a few years previous. Anyway, after dressing I went back down and faced sitting in my favourite chair by the window with my cooled cup of tea. I took a few sips, it was nice, I loved my cups of tea at any time of day, but the morning cups tasted the best of all. I put down my cup and automatically looked around me for my ciggies and lighter. 'Don't be stupid' I told myself out loud, 'It's just a habit to reach for them now, you've done this on auto-pilot for 30 years'... I stroked one of my cats instead, then started watching a little of TV. I finished my drink and decided to not sit around, temptation would set in if I did, so I took to the task of doing daily household chores, washing pots, vaccuming the room, putting the dirty clothes in the washing machine, making the bed etc.
It wasn't long before I'd done everything there was to do, or that I felt like doing! I put the kettle on again, and yes, my craving for a ciggie began to overwhelm me. What could I do to stop craving like this? How many weeks or months would it last? Could I really stand the test? I poured my tea and took it into the room in front of the TV again. I felt fidgety, I needed to do something with my hands, I wanted to hold a ciggie so badly! I stopped my thoughts racing in my head and thought about what I would do if I DID have a cigarette. I thought about the 70-80 a day I'd been smoking. I realised that even if I allowed myself my 80 ciggies today, tomorrow morning the craving would still be as bad for one. In fact, if I smoked until 4pm today, I'd still crave one by 5pm, and after a meal or a cup of tea, so I might as well crave for one and NOT light one up! Wow, who'd have thought a damn cigarette could get you hooked like this? I'd read about people coming off heroin and cocaine, was this going to be as hard? Surely not, but if it's so easy, why are others still smoking despite knowing the dangers to their health?
Yes, I'd been a fully committed member of the 'Smokers club' for 30 years, now it's time to leave, time to live again, time to see my fingers as they should be, not tainted with yellow nicotine, and to see, most importantly, if I could get rid of this awful cough that I'd suffered for about 3 years, but which had worsened over the last 10 weeks. I was also eager to see if I would breathe easier in time, as doctors had promised.
I drank my tea with these positive thoughts in my mind, then decided to go out shopping for food. As I picked up my handbag and purse, I realised it was the first time I was walking out without my cigarettes and lighter. I decided to give myself an imaginary 'pat on the back'.
As the first day went by I found myself counting every hour I'd gone without a cigarette. I would remind myself that it was now 12 hours since I'd last lit up, then 13, 14, 15 and so on.
As the evening came my craving didn't seem to be quite so important. I told myself I'd lived the day feeling like this, I could go just a few more hours before bedtime. If I did, I knew I could wake up in the morning knowing I'd resisted the demon drug a whole 24 hours! What a great personal triumph that would be!! I was still breathless as I climbed the stairs to bed, and I coughed until I fell asleep, but I felt proud that I had gotten through the day, and even prouder that I had managed to find some sort of inner strength I never knew I still had! 'Goodnight, God bless the world, my family, friends and pet kittys.....'
DAY 2
I woke up and immediately remembered that I had quit smoking! I counted the many hours since I'd last lit up. Had I really gone 30 hours? Thank goodness I'd managed to lie in, day 2 was not going to be so long.
I made my tea, got washed, dressed and then sat to drink it, did the household chores, fed the cats, went to see my father for an hour and came home again. Up to now it wasn't too bad, not quite as bad as yesterday anyway. I added up each hour that passed, it made me feel more like a quitter! I then added up how many ciggies I'd have lit and inhaled in my quitting hours, I was amazed to figure out I'd resisted about 120 cigarrettes! Well, if I can beat 120 of the little demons, I can beat a few more today!
My chest was tight and my throat was sore from the infection I'd had for several weeks. I sucked on a menthol lozenge and realised it took away my desire to suck on a ciggie! Wow, this felt amazing, here was I preferring a cough sweet to a coughing stick! I decided that each time I craved a ciggie I would pop a lozenge into my mouth.
Twenty lozenges and about 7 hours later I went to bed. It was the first night in a long time that I never coughed as I lay down. Funny how I'd noticed that my chest felt better so soon. 'Goodnight, God bless everyone and thanks for getting me through another day!....'
DAY 3
Instant relief and pleasure on waking! Day 3 coming up, this wasn't going to be so hard after all! Again I counted all the hours I'd not smoked and added up all the ciggies I'd resisted. It seemed pathetic that these little sticks of white paper holding tobacco together were ruling my life, my health and my money! I literally jumped out of bed, ran down the stairs, put on the kettle and began to sing! I'm not a singer at all, I wonder what the neighbours thought, my two cats had their ears bent back as far as possible! What was I singing this cold October morning?
'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..........'
Why was I feeling so happy? Oh never mind, just enjoy the moment and if the cats don't like it they know where the cat flap is!
I drank my tea first, then washed & dressed, tidied the house and literally shocked myself when I found I'd run up the stairs and back down again without coughing or getting breathless!! I felt like I was 10 years younger! Well, if I feel 10 years younger in 3 days, how young will I feel in 3 months, 3 years?
I had the odd moments where my hands and not my brain tried to find a ciggie... but instead they found a menthol lozenge, and it tasted really nice. Well, if I can go 3 whole days and nights without a ciggie, I can surely go four! Yes, let's try not to think of quitting quite so much today, but in bed tonight, count up the ciggies I've resisted and pat myself on the back. It's not so hard to just resist 'one more' is it? The evening passed quickly as I talked to my online friends, sorted my e-mail and added to my many websites. Instead of chain smoking on the PC I drank tea and sucked menthol lozenges, it wasn't so hard as I imagined. Anyway, 3am... tucked up warm, 'Goodnight, God bless everyone I love, and thanks for getting me through day three!...'
DAY 4
Wide awake in bed but wondering why I'm not so thirsty as usual? Never mind, get up and put the kettle on, feed the cats and pour my tea. Go off to the bathroom to get washed, clean my teeth, look at my tongue (out of curiosity)... oh my, its turned pink already!!! Where has my yellow tongue gone today? What's that awful smell coming from outside the bathroom door? On investigation I find its the newly opened can of chicken cat food! Funny how I never smelled it before, both cats have tucked in heartily and it's nearly all gone. It seems warm and humid in the house, I open the back door to let the winter air in.... mmmm fresh air smells so great! I take a few deep breaths, then drink my cup of tea by the back door, watching the cats wash themselves in the garden.
Is this what they mean when they say your sense of smell comes back after quitting smoking? Why do I feel like I have an oxygen mask on my face all the time? Why am I breathing differently?
I run upstairs to get dressed. I stop suddenly on the landing..... I realise I just ran up my stairs in a matter of seconds, I'm not even breathless, I'm not coughing, in fact, I've not coughed once yet this morning. This quitting lark is going to be much easier than I expected. I've never felt this healthy in years, in fact, when did I last feel this way?
My mind feels brighter, sharper somehow too, I find myself singing more and more around the house as I do the housework. In fact, I find I'm actually DOING the housework without moaning at the effort it takes! Gosh, I'm only 45 years old, I've beeen living like I was 75... in fact, I know of old people that were healthier than me!
A packet of menthol lozenges later, tucked up in a warm bed, breathing freely with my nose (forgot it worked this way!)... counting up the 92 tobacco-free hours, the 750 minimum ciggies I resisted, and remembering how much better I felt mentally and physically today, I say goodnight to my cats curled up either side of me.... then the usual 'goodnight, God bless everyone I love..' followed by '...and thanks for getting me through another day...'
Yes, this is the secret, just quit smoking and be thankful if you succeed 'Just one day at a time...'
DAY 5
Got up in a pretty good mood today, ciggies were not quite so much on my mind. Feeling very proud of myself for going this long without giving in, I ought to have done it years ago. Can't be bothered to add up the hours or amount of ciggies I haven't smoked, I don't feeel the need to. Just waiting for day 7 to end so I can say I've gone a whole week! Yes, counting days instead of hours, then hopefully will be counting weeks instead of days. Still craving a ciggie two or three times a day, but the throat lozenges soon sort me out. Breathing is so much better every day, cough has completely gone too. I thought we developed a bad cough after quitting? Well, maybe some do, but 'touch wood', I'm not coughing at all. Funny, I washed my face today and my skin felt really soft, I had noticed I was using a moisturiser the last two years (when I remembered) as my skin felt sore and dry, especially around my eyes. Well, it feels ok now, wonder if that's another benefit for my effort? I really didn't believe that smoking aged your face, but I think I do now!
DAY 6
Giving up is getting much easier with every passing day. I never even thought of a ciggie when I got up this morning, it's as though they never existed in my life! If the days get better like this from now on, I know I can do it! Gosh, who'd have thought I could be one of those that could just quit smoking? Not me, I imagined myself dying with a ciggie burning in my hand! Well, a silent pat on the back from myself... somebody has to do it, don't they?
DAY 7
This is the day I've been waiting for! Tonight I will be a non-smoker for a whole week! If anybody had asked me seriously a week ago if I could do this, I'd have said no. I really thought it took lots of strength, courage, going crazy even! Well, my cats still think I'm crazy when I sing whilst doing my housework, but I only realised this week that I stopped singing as I was too breathless for it!
Well, today IS an easy day, and one I'm very proud of too!
If I can go a whole week, I can go another. But, I'm not rushing ahead, just going to take this thing 'One day at a time...'
Tucked up in bed with a cat purring either side of me... 'goodnight, God bless everyone I love, and thanks for helping through a whole week!'.....
DAY 9
Well, as you might guess, I lit up at teatime, but oh, what a dreadful taste! I felt like I was sucking the sewerage from the drains through a straw! I had to put it out quickly. Just thinking of one now gives me an awful taste! Serves me right for thinking 'just one won't hurt'. Well, slap on the back for that, and better days ahead! Stayed up on the PC until 6am putting this site together! Crawled into bed, cats crept either side of me... 'goodnight, God bless everyone, lie still cats!' zzzzzzzzzzz
DAY 10
Got up at 2pm! Mind you, I was awake at 10am, but felt like being lazy so went back to sleep! Afternoon went very fast, it was dark before I'd finished cleaning the house and getting dressed etc. It was about 7pm as I sat to watch TV that I first craved a ciggie, but it passed within minutes. I sucked on a lozenge to make me forget and it worked again. Feeling so fit I want to enter for the London marathon next year! I reckon I could win it too... yes, yes, in my dreams.... but at least I could run in it now! Only 10 days ago I'd have needed a wheelchair to enter! How funny that sounds in such a short time! I can't believe my lungs are healing as fast as they are. I really do breathe normally, and through my nose as well! Funny, I can even smell the scent of perfume or after-shave on a person from a long way away. I can smell tobacco smoke on others too, oh my God, did I really smell that bad? Pat myself on the back tonight before bed, I know I must smell sweeter than I have in 30 years!
Goodnight, God bless everyone I love, thanks for another day!
DAY 14
Decided to skip a few days to the second full week!! No use posting the last few days, they were just normal, craving odd ciggies now and then but sucking a lozenge and just forgetting.
I can't believe I've come this far! Think how much money I've saved! How much healthier I must be too with well over a thousand of ciggies I HAVEN'T smoked!! Seems such an easy day to get through today, it must be because it's a milestone for me. Giving myself a bigger pat on the back tonight, I deserve it don't I?
Lying in bed at 2am, breathing normally through my nose and lying on my back, cat either side of me, not wanting to cough, not wheezing, not used my Inhalor in ages. In fact, where did I last see it? Oh well, won't need it ever again if I stay a quitter! Goodnight, God bless everyone I love, thanks for these 2 whole weeks of strength..... where the heck did I find it from?
DAY 21
Three whole weeks without smoking! I feel so great, so healthy, so fit! If only I'd known it was this good to be a non-smoker! Well, anyone who read this far, you must seriously want to quit, so, what are you waiting for? Go ahead, just do it, if I can, you can too!
To be continued when necessary....
