Craig’s Tips for Quitting Smoking Tobacco

Quitting smoking is no simple undertaking.  It is expensive.  It may require saving up to get it done.  If quitting costs you only $500 in quitting materials, you should consider yourself lucky.  If you are to be successful at quitting, for the entire first year or two, I recommend avoiding all places where tobacco is being smoked.

First, switch to self rolled cigarettes.  In my opinion, rolled cigarettes are less expensive and less addictive at the same time.

Have it in the back of your mind that it may take 1,000 attempts to stop smoking, such that quitting requires a constant mentality that can be sustained, instead of a mentality that is heroic.  Every time you try to quit and fail, do not judge yourself, but rather accept that you are mortal.  Mortals can succeed and mortals can fail.  If you are able to approach quitting smoking without judging yourself for the hundreds if not thousands of times you attempt quitting, there is victory in that alone.

This constant mentality I recommend includes acceptance of the displeasure for what cigarettes do to you.  Realize how much wreckage they cause to you.  The make you stink 24/7 such that people wrinkle their nose at you and think that they are better than you, and the make you order not only your day around smoking but your entire existence around smoking - I could go on, but if you are at this point, you don’t need to be reminded of the many ways smoking brings you down.

When you quit smoking, I recommend the strongest strength patch, but I can almost guarantee you this won’t be enough.  Don’t be a hero!  Buy the full strength gum too.  I realize that the label says not to combine these, but for me, the author of this, it was the only way to quit!  I would have quit trying just one of these methods, but one alone didn’t work.  I tried and failed many times.  Also buy the patch with lower strength and the lower strength gum, for once you buy the more expensive ones you may not have enough money for these, and that can cause failure as well, as you may find yourself sifting through ashtrays, and begging.  Like I said, quitting smoking is expensive, and it is a good idea to stock up on the things that will help you in the journey.

Use the patch and the gum such that you can feel that you no longer want a cigarette.  Though I do not recommend using two gums at once, you may have to abuse the gum too.  Use whatever method it takes to quit, and not put the next cigarette in your mouth.

If you fail, and smoke a cigarette, then don’t give up on the gum and the patch.  When I was using the gum and the patch I was able to wean down to 4 cigarettes a day.  I was having relapses on the gum and the patch, but through persevering it is impossible to say that I have not had success.  However, there were fewer relapses than without the gum and the patch.  Keeping strong with the gum and the patch after a few weeks I was able to go from 4 cigarettes a day, to none, in one very difficult step.

Once you have successfully instituted smoking cessation methods, and are no longer smoking for about a week, it gets slightly easier from this point, but just barely.  At this point for an entire year or two, I recommend avoiding having any contact with smokers.  Don’t try to be a hero, but instead cower and avoid places where you might smell smoke on someone’s clothes.  These places are the places that often cause relapses.  For example, I had to avoid places where I might hear the flick of a lighter, or even a word associated with smoking, etc, especially in the first year that I have gone without a cigarette.

I still feel the urge to relapse after years of having quit if I am around smokers.  Someone who has just quit is very fragile, and needs to protect himself or herself from situations where he or she might experience a trigger that make one have a rush of desire to smoke.

There are other methods to quit, such as behavioral substitutes.  I recommend these too.  I recommend using hot flavored sugar candies, such as fireballs or minty gum.  A friend of mine had some success with a chew stick, where one can use their jaw muscle to generate endorphins, which help substitute for nicotine.  My own personal method is to flex my jaw muscle until the endorphins come when I feel the urge.

I have been unable to avoid every situation where there is smoking entirely for at least a few years.  When I go to a restaurant, I sometimes see people smoking, and it makes me want to have one even years later.  Even mentioning words like tobacco, smoke, or cigarette are triggers for me.  One personal trigger for me is when I have a good idea often times it makes me want to have a smoke.  At this point, I pop a nicotine gum in my mouth if I feel myself getting close to the point of giving in and going to the store or to bum one.  In fact, I recommend always having a few pieces of the gum around even years later for really difficult cravings.

Even years later it is difficult and I have to fight put an end to cravings, as best I can.  Apparently, it seems quitting smoking is a lifelong battle, which is kind of sad, but there is victory for those who fight a good fight in the battle against the urge to smoke.  Even those who are stuck at the first few steps, such that even admitting that you don’t feel in control and don’t smoke by choice should serve as a warning for those are pondering picking of their first cigarette or their first pack, etc.  There is victory at all stages of the quitting process, from personal experience I can assure you that fighting in this battle is well worth it.  And, count yourself lucky if you never had to because you never got addicted in the first place and there are better ways to spend your time than picking up cigarettes just to want to quit them later.  Few are the people that enjoy being slaves to these cancer sticks that end too many lives too early.