Kick the Smoking Habit with Common Sense Advice

I smoked for some years and never thought that my one or two or three cigarettes a day would cause me any harm, but I was wrong. At the moment, I am dealing with lung problems probably exascerbated by my irregular heart beat and having been exposed to tuberculosis. My hopefully last cigarette box sits like a demon on my porch settee. And I am willing to let it sit out there all winter and hopefully it's freezing will also freeze my undeniable almost frustrating need to smoke. Since Easter is only a couple of weeks or so away, I have quit cold Turkey. This is what I have done to transfer my automatic response to smoking.

I have begun a pattern of activities that are regular, repeated every morning like washing my face, etc. reading, dressing, makeup, breakfast, early morning radio talk shows, walking for an hour, talking to my cockateil, preparing my own food. Believe it those pleasant outtings to restaurants also encourage the need for a cigarette.

I have begun a gradual process of letting go of street noises and distactions, ear plugs help. Stress accentuated by lack of control of one's environment heightens the need for a smoke, real experience talking here.

I have let go of relationships that were not satisfying to my own sense of personhood. Need I say more?

I have adopted the European habit of forcing oneself to rest for an hour in the middle of the day. That means letting go of chores, responsibilities, things that would probably cause the world to end if we didn't do them.

I have no history of alcoholism and I do have a glass of wine or a shot of vermouth each day.

I have washed or sent to the cleaners all my clothing worn while smoking.

I have cleaned my teeth and whitened them free of all yellowing tobacco and coffee stains.

I have begun to look at my skin and want to see it free of oxidizing, wrinkling properties of smoking. I think that advertisers could use just that one fact to sell their stop smoking products. Smoking ages a woman, both her voice and her neck skin and cheeks are giveaways of her smoking addiction.

I have added manicures and pedicures on things that are absolutely necessary.

I listen to music and picture myself as a beast hungry for a cigarette being calmed by Orpheus' harp.

I follow this by a trip to the mall where I buy myself a new lipstick.