On June 10, 1982 I quit smoking FOREVER! I have 3 friends who are currently giving up this health killing habit. Is not easy. But you know what? It’s the best thing I could have done for myself (and the hardest).
This is how I felt the first day: HORRIBLE! All I could think about was smoking. Just one puff, just one inhalation: I couldn’t wait to go to bed that night to stop thinking about it. I was tired, cranky, mean, miserable, depressed, angry at the world, and yet I stayed the course. My cough increased a bit (my lungs were already cleaning up the damage). I was constantly chewing hard candy. I held a small pencil between my 2 cigarette holding fingers so my brain would “think” I had a cigarette in my hand. He had an elastic band on his wrist that he broke whenever he had an uncontrollable urge to smoke. I wrote in a journal about my successes. My activities included ONLY things that did not allow smoking. In 1982, that part was difficult. The church, the library, and the local movie theaters were pretty much the only places where you couldn’t smoke. Today, non-smokers have many places to visit where smoking is NOT allowed. Hooray for us! I could never understand smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants. The smoke goes where it wants to go. How can a non-smoking section remain smoke free when the smoking section is in the same room? Hey! Some restaurants had a “non-smoking table” near the restrooms (I always thought the manager was a smoker when that happened). It was the manager’s way of serving smokers when the laws began to tighten. All they had to do was provide a “non-smoking” table and that’s what they did. Fortunately, non-smokers are now the majority. Hooray for that!
I saved all my cigarette butts from the last 2 weeks of smoking, put them in a jar, and filled the jar with water. When I had a strong urge to smoke, I opened the bottle and took a puff. Great! But it worked. Who wants to smell like this? And yes, that’s what a smoker smells like. You don’t realize it until you quit smoking for a week or so. When the food smells like food again and the flowers are fragrant, you begin to realize how unpleasant smoking is. Even my dog was healthy. Yes, dogs, cats, and children breathe in secondhand smoke, which makes them more susceptible to illness, allergies, and shortness of breath.
If you can, exercise. Take long walks. Drink fluids. Much water. Try to stay away from caffeinated drinks for a short time as caffeine is similar to nicotine and can increase your cravings. Alcohol is also something to be avoided for a while. Above all, change your way of living. Avoid situations where you used to smoke. I stopped sitting at the kitchen table in the morning. That’s where he smoked the most. I changed my routine. I got up, ate in the dining room and got to work.
It takes time to be a non-smoker. It took him 22 years to become a 2-3 pack a day smoker. it took me 2 years mentally kick the habit However, after just 2 weeks, she no longer had the physical cravings. My body was nicotine free. Now, 29 years later, I have absolutely no desire to smoke. I hate the smell. I just had a lung capacity test (pulmonary function test) done and I passed with flying colors. My lungs are as healthy as the lungs of a non-smoker.
So hang in there. It gets better and better. There are gum and medications that can help, but my recommendation is to try everything else first. One more thing, beware of “zealous” smokers who will sabotage your efforts. Avoid them until you feel comfortable with your new status. Or invite them to join you in quitting. Make a no-smoking rule in your house, inside and out. I did, and I didn’t lose any friends.
