DuBrul May 20, 2008 Health

So you're a smoker. Every day you become more and more aware of the dangers of nicotine and the risks of getting lung cancer. You've tried to quit....many times....without success. DON'T give up! Here is a new approach to quitting smoking that just might be the right one for you!

I was a very heavy smoker for most of my life. I started when I was thirteen. By my mid twenties I was smoking two packs a day of unfiltered cigarettes (you know the ones.... they come in the package that has the desert scene with the palm trees and pyramids and a certain mammal that shall remain nameless). I tried a few times to quit. Once I managed to go without nicotine for about six months, but a combination of the daily stress of my failing first marriage and the constant exposure to second-hand smoke from friends and family eventually pushed me off the wagon. I thought I would never be able to quit and struggled with the habit for the next twenty years.


Step 1........  Make the Decision


By now, just about everyone is aware of the dangers of tobacco use and the health hazards imposed on the public from second-hand smoke.  Reminders of  just how destructive the tobacco habit is are all around us. Middle aged men and women breaking out in a fit of coughing while in the process of  lighting up a  cigarette. Small children stuck in a car with the windows up and a parent at the wheel with a cigarette dangling from her lips. A restaurant owner attempts to  beautify the entrance with a pair of healthy potted plants only to have those pots become unsightly, overflowing ashtrays for their own employees and any smoker who happens to pass by. How many thousands of hard earned dollars literally go up in smoke every day? The time has come.  Stop stalling and make the decision to quit smoking. Quitting is difficult. It is not necessary to list here the countless methods, patches, gums, seminars, hypnosis programs, and other aids to quitting that are currently available. They all have their place and have been successful techniques for many.

However, writing from my own experience, I am proud to share the one thing that FINALLY worked for me. Many of my friends that have tried my "system" have also been successful.


STEP 2........  The "System"


Ten years ago, while thinking about a good surprise for my wife's approaching birthday, the perfect present dawned on me and I came up with a plan for the best birthday surprise imanginable.  Never in my life have I given a gift only to take it back later.  I gave a tobacco-free-me to my wife for her birthday!  Not married? Then present this  special gift to that "special someone" in your life. Your  parents, your children, your grandchildren.......  let them know that you are doing whatever you can to see to it that you intend to be a part of their life for as long as you can

I made a card for the occasion. On the front I drew a cartoon of my face with a cigarette dangling from my mouth. Around and through this I drew a thick red circle and diagonal line....the international symbol for NO!

Inside was the message: "I love you! No if, ands, or BUTTS!

Of course it wasn't any easier than my previous attempts. But this time, whenever the urge hit me, just the fact that my quitting was a gift to my wife more than strengthened my resolve. Two months later, nicotine was completely out of my system along with any desire at all to smoke!  That was ten years ago. Since then, my lungs have healed significantly and  I no longer am forced to sit panting after climbing a flight of stairs. My sense of smell and therefore my sense of taste came back.  My clothes no longer stink.


Step 3.........  DO IT!

Do you really want to quit? Give your quitting to someone that you love!  Pick a target date that coincides with a loved one's birthday and begin the process at least twenty days before that date.  

Cut back by one cigarette a day. Notice how foolish smokers look. Carry a pack of gum (NOT Nicotine gum) and try chewing a piece instead of giving in to the urge to light up. Think how foolish you must look to young children who are being taught about the dangers of smoking in elementary school.  Each time you put out a cigarette, take a long look at accumulated filth in the ashtray.  Picture you lungs. Don't become another statistic.

These are just a few suggestions to help you along as the special day approaches.
The night before that day arrives, smoke your LAST cigarette just before getting into bed. In the morning  give the new smoke-free you to someone you love.

It worked for me. I have no doubt that can work for others.

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