Ok, so I know that giving up smoking ‘apparently’ comes with its hardcore challenges and unbreakable required efforts…and I am about to add some information pertaining to the aids and methods you can implement in order to succeed in your journey, which I do hope people will find helpful, but I have to say, there is, in my opinion only ONE thing that is required in order to quit, and that is the desire to quit. STRONG determined desire.
We all know the risks of smoking. Every body does. Its as well known as the royal family or cherly cole…We ALL know the risks..Heart disease, lung cancer, all and every other type of cancer, enphysema, stained skin, bad breath, wrinkles, the fact you stink!…The list could and does go on but you’ re all familiar with the list anyway.
So, lets get personal – I’ve always been an addictive personality. Someone who if and when involved in something I would be involved 100% or not at all. My youth was pushed to the limits of hard partying, drinking, smoking and the rest. First to arrive at the party, last to leave and the following day I would wake up, have the worlds strongest coffee and mouthful of cigarettes, call my friends and start it all again….fun times had and I don’t regret them for a minute but, you grow up and wise up and somewhere down the line the free falling 20 something turns into an adult. Now we don’t all start families but in my case, the day I did (the day I fell pregnant – and that was a surprise in itself) I quit my old life in exchange for one of the responsible, healthy role model for my new creation. In other words, the next stage of my life began and it didn’t involve drinking, clubbing or smoking. Most people give up the drinking or clubbing part and continue throughout their new stage of life to keep the old dirty habit of smoking, even though they know the consequences but in my opinion, why carry on with that when you’ve dropped all that came with it before? Because its hard too right? WRONG AND VERY WRONG! Maybe some people set themselves a time, such as’when I turn 40 and I’m on the middle age line I’ll quit’ but by then its harder to quit and more to the point, the damage has most probably been done.
Maybe its just me and my personality but for someone that smoked 20 a day religiously for the best part of 10 years, I am proud to say that the day my daughter shocked us with her pending arrival, the smoking got dumped and it wasn’t hard in the slightest. Morning sickness perhaps helped as the thought of a cigarette was enough to make me rush to the bathroom but most new mums would say, as soon as their little bundle pops out, the chance to smoke again is available and more often that not, a habit thats renewed within weeks. I admit that the thought of smoking did enter my mind simply because I knew then I could, but I’d gone through 9 months of not smoking, why bother. I did however have the odd few to complement the odd glass of wine but very much like my old ways, hammering back the wine meant more and more cigarettes and by the time my daughter was 6 months old I was back to smoking though pleased to say only 3-4 a day. My mother in law moved in with us for 2 months during that summer and as she smokes, it made it harder for me to say no, so 3-4 was turning into 4-5-6…Nowhere near my old 20 a day habit but I had never intended to start again so without questioning the amount, I was smoking wether it be 3 or 15. The thing was, that I all of a sudden became very concious of the fact I had someone there to depend on me. What if my smoking was right now the cause of some pending illness or what if this cigarette I’m smoking right now is the one that’s going to give me cancer..The guilt was overwhelming, but really overwhelming and that was the thing that pused me to give myself strenght to quit. Looking at this innocent child who only has me and my husband to rely on, why would I jeapordize that? I want as many days as possible with her, and health ones so we can enjoy doing things together, So in June last year (after a 4 month relapse- and not a terrible one but still) I quit for good! AND IT WAS, AS IT WAS THE FIRST TIME, EASY PEASY!
The first time I gave up I said, of course its easy, I had morning sickness and never felt like smoking, not to mention something growing inside me that really didn’t want to smoke either I’m sure…but the second time, I had no reason not to smoke. I could have smoked all day long like I used to if I really wanted, but the giving up was easy…because I really wanted to. It was one day to the next. No hypnotherapy to back me up, no patches to replace the cigarette, nothing….just my desire to stop. I don’t even think I comfort ate though it was around that time I officially became a green tea addict (but thats a vice I’m quite proud to admit) but I feel fantastic. I no longer wake up with that frog that on rising needs to be peuked out in the form of the worlds most disgusting cough. (The thought that it was a daily occurance when I was a bonafide smoker makes me feel really quite horrified.) I can walk up stairs without getting out of breath..in fact, since practising yoga has become a regular activity my breathing is fantastic. I can’t remember the last time I had a heart pain (You know the kind you get when you’re stressed) because actually, giving up has seen me less stressed, even though my lifestyle remains the same. I can taste my food so much more than I could before, which is great because now food tastes of something, I don’t need to plough it with salt (another healthy bonus), I smell so nice! My house smells nice and my clothes… Go round to friends houses and you really notice the lingering fog and the stale smell that won’t go away and I couldn’t smell it before while I was one of the ones helping to create it but now (and I’m sorry friends) you all smell really bad! But the one thing that I think I really love about not smoking, is that I QUIT. I quit the habit. I find it really weak and pathetic to think I was hooked on something that could potentially and very factually ruin my life and when people say ‘I NEED a cigarette.’ How do you NEED one? Surely the will to live is stronger that the need to smoke? The control that these evil things have over your life and until you quit, you don’t see the hold it has on you. I feel free and strong being able to live a life where I’m not dependant on something like that and I feel sorry for those of you that don’t feel like you’re strong enough to quit because it may be too hard. If you think it will be too hard, that really means that you’re not ready to quit. You don’t really want to….but please consider the consequences and take it seriously when weighing up the odds. I’m not writing this implying that those of you that have had children and that continue to smoke are bad parents. That is not my intention, though it just does not suit my lifestyle now I have become a parent. If I was to honestly ask myself, would I have quit if I didn’t have a child? I really couldn’t answer that for she was my saving grace. Nor am I saying this in means to promote myself as a glorified champion for having done it without assisted aid or support. I just didn’t need to and therefore am very bluntly trying to give a whole lot of encouragement and hope to those of you that don’t think its possible. IT IS POSSIBLE! I can visit family and be the cool one that stays inside while the smokers huddle out in the cold, and strangely, looking at them pointlessly stood there seems quite bizarre now. Friends have said that they’re scared to give up because its become such a part of their lifestyle, and one that allows them to have fun and relax. Even though they smoke all day every day, the excuse of drinking and letting go on a weekend combined with all that comes with wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t smoke, but my lifestyle hasn’t changed at all. I have to say I don’t drink much these days though, because if I were to, it would increase the desire to want to smoke, though not that I would, so I stick to 1 or 2 glasses of wine and I’m safe…so all thats really changed is that I’ve managed to cut down to a civilized 2 glasses of wine, instead of the 2 bottles I used to have. The morning after is like waking up in heaven when you don’t have to spend 3 days shaking off the worlds most pungent headsore combined with ashtray mouth…all part of growing up and enjoying the next stage! and having mentioned all the benefits of quitting and the feelings that come with, just think how proud you’ll be of yourself when you get to that stage where you can truly consider yourself a non smoker too! INCREDIBLE! Add on years and do it now! Its not cool to smoke anymore…its cool to quit!
For those of you that feel the cold turkey approach is maybe a bit too much, here are top tips on how to start the process and keep it going so you can be assured to quit!
GOOD LUCK!
To quit smoking successfully, you first need to find out what trigger you to smoke. Once you find your trigger point, find ways to work around it. Emotions are the most common smoking triggers.
How Identifying Your Smoking Triggers Can Help You Stop Smoking
Lirio Covey, PhD, director of the Smoking Cessation Clinic at Columbia University, where a major component of counseling focuses on identifying smoking triggers.
Covey identifies these common smoking triggers:
• Stress and emotional upheaval — often negative, but sometimes positive emotions can trigger the desire to smoke.
• Exposure to the cigarette or something related to it, like being in the company of other smokers, is another common trigger.
• Conditional or environmental triggers, like the times you used to smoke and behaviors you have been conditioned to associate with smoking. These are strongest right after you stop smoking, and can weaken over time.
How Can You Find and Face Your Smoking Triggers?
Trina Ita, the counseling supervisor for the American Cancer Society’s Quitline, has some advice:
• If you find yourself wanting to smoke while riding in the car, make your car an unfriendly place to smoke. Clean it out, empty and scrub the ashtrays and the glove compartment, and get rid of your “what if” pack. Febreze the upholstery. And keep things like gum or sugar-free candy in the glove compartment to give you something to do with your mouth while you’re driving.
• If being around other smokers is a common trigger for you, talk to your friends who smoke. Ask them for help in not smoking around you as much as possible, to minimize the chance of relapse. If your friends are outside smoking, stay inside; congratulate yourself on not having to stand out in the cold, or not missing the big play at your favorite sports bar because you were outside having a cigarette.
• Do you find yourself wanting a cigarette right after eating? Get busy immediately after your meal. Get up and clear the table, do the dishes, and pack up the leftovers.• As many smokers who have quit successfully have discovered, often just getting through the first few minutes after a trigger spurs the craving to smoke is all you need. “Just delay that urge,” says Ita. “Even if you wait just 15 minutes, you’ll find that you’re not thinking about it anymore.”
Fortis Health 