Quit Smoking? Yes - You Really Can!

I've had people ask me in astonishment, "How did you do it?" On the one hand, it was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. On the other hand - quitting wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I had excellent motivation.

I was finally ready to hear what the doctor had to say - that if I quit smoking now, my chances of getting cancer would gradually diminish. If I didn't, lung cancer would become a certainty over the next ten years. I was also ready to hear what my boyfriend had to say: "I love you, and I really want to marry you. I want to be able to grow old together and if you keep smoking, that won't happen." That was a wake-up call. I was ready to face the fact that if I didn't quit smoking, I might not see my children graduate high school.

If you are thinking about quitting smoking, please do some research first. Talk to your doctor or company nurse about the health effects of smoking, and put together two things for yourself:

- a folder with as many graphic details as possible (pictures of diseased lungs and dead bodies are sure to make you think twice about lighting that cigarette)

- a small wallet card with 5 or 6 of your top reasons to quit smoking written on it. Carry it with you everywhere, and review it often... even before you make the decision. Once you've decided to quit, I think it's helpful to look at the process simultaneously from two perspectives. My Dad always told me that when I was ready to quit smoking, that I would "Just do it!" He was right. When I was ready, I didn't even smoke a last cigarette - I just didn't smoke any more. However, I did take several weeks to prepare myself for that moment, and unless you are a very light smoker to begin with I recommend that you do the same.

Most people benefit from a visit to the doctor's office first. Tell him that you are ready to quit smoking and ask for practical help. Most will advise you on matters ranging from diet, exercise, and relaxation techniques to medications you can take to help you. There are a wide range of drugs available to assist in quitting smoking. I used the nicotine patch. There are also gums and sprays that work in a similar fashion. Some people have had good results from a pseudo-cigarette that replaces nicotine and gives your hands something to do but breaks the "smoking" urge while you taper down to a quit point. There are also several pills that can help control the urge to smoke.

Increase the amount of Vitamin C you're getting, and take a good multi-vitamin as well. Quitting is a shocker to the body and your system needs the extra support, plus the Vitamin C helps to detoxify your system quickly.

It helps to grab a calendar and pick a quit date. For some people this may be a fixed date - you may need to abandon those cigs before you start a new job or go on a cruise. If so, I recommend your quit date be at least two weeks prior to that date. For others, it might be some arbitrary date in the future. The trick, though, is to make it no more than two weeks away. But give yourself a break. If your highest-stress day at work is Tuesday, then for goodness sake don't make your quit-smoking day a Monday or Tuesday!

Mark the date you pick in red on your calendar. Tomorrow, smoke your normal number of cigarettes and write that number on your calendar (the total number - not the number of packs). The next day, cut that amount by at least 10% and write your progress on your calendar. If you lack the willpower, give all your cigarettes to a trustworthy friend and have them ration them out to you. My husband did this for me and in two weeks' time I had gone from three packs a day (that is sixty cigarettes, friends) down to only ten cigarettes a day. I was highly motivated to quit smoking, and you should be too!

Go shopping for healthy snacks and hand diversions. Most people gain weight when they quit - I did, but not too much. Get a good variety of things to eat that are low-fat and nutritious that you can eat "all day". Carrots, raisins and other dried fruit, celery and peanut butter, grape tomatoes, whole-grain bread for toast, yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and the like are good. Also stock up on great things to drink - staying hydrated, especially with Vitamin-C rich juices, will help you immensely with this process.

The night before your quit day, take everything related to smoking out of your house: the cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, memorabilia, everything. Dump it in a dumpster that you will not be able to access again, not the trash can at home.

When your quit date arrives, that's it! No "one more for old times sake" - none. You just quit smoking. You did it!!

If possible, take your Quit Day off from work. You're likely to feel lousy. If the doctor has prescribed something, be sure to start taking it immediately. Open your windows and start airing out your house. Wash the curtains and all the bedding, mop the floors, wash your windows, and shampoo the carpets. You'll need to wash some clothes to completely deodorise them. Get as much of that smoke odor out of your house as you can. Believe me... you never noticed it before, but you will now! The smell will make you alternately sick and have wild cravings. Do the same deep cleaning on your car.

Any time you have a craving you can't stand, especially that first day, go take a shower. Seriously! Where is the one place that you can't smoke? Somewhere that you've got water pouring over your head! Plus, if you get that steam into your lungs, open your pores, and exfoliate your skin well, it further helps to detoxify your body. Repeated shampooing with something that smells nice will also get the smoke smell out of your hair. (Don't be surprised if nasty-looking stuff comes out of your pores during the first couple of days, if you were a very heavy smoker!)

Beyond that first day, dealing with cravings is a personal matter. Some people actually quit smoking and say they never feel the urge to smoke again. Others report that each day gets better and better, and after a few months they rarely feel like smoking. I fell into the latter category, and it's been nearly ten years since I've had a cigarette. Now the smell of tobacco makes me feel ill. When I first quit and I really wanted to smoke, I'd pull out that wallet card or my folder of information, and I would remind myself of why I quit. Out on the street, I'd close my eyes and take a few deep breaths and say, "I'm OK." A few minutes later the urge would pass.

Some people say that exercise helps tremendously with cravings; other people report that prayer gets them through. If you have a friend who is capable of talking you out of stupid things, give them a call. Just remember - a craving lasts for a few seconds. You can wait it out. You CAN do this. Think of it this way: You are not quitting smoking. You already have quit smoking. It's done! You're an ex-smoker. Do not let anything take that away from you!

Do not put yourself into social situations involving smoking for at least sixty days. Going to a party or even a friend's house where everyone has lit up is like throwing an alcoholic into a bar. Someone is sure to remember you as a smoker and offer you a cigarette. Worse, they may have heard that you quit and decide that you should remain a smoker. That happened to me more than once. Misery loves company - don't rejoin the miserable.

To quit smoking successfully, you don't need just willpower. You also need good planning and medical management to loose yourself from the shackles of nicotine addiction. As my father always said - Just do it!