How did I quit smoking in one day

A cigarette for me, the same as for most of the smokers, at first was a simple and fast way to get rid of the stress. Every time, something got me out of order, distracted or unpleasantly surprised I just needed to light up a cigarette and in a minute if not all than  half of the problems disappeared.

At the point, where a number of cigarettes I smoked a day could fit in the package, I actually didn’t have any problems any more. The situation at work was pretty much ok, and the personal life was going fine but i still was smoking. And this time it was not anymore about the stress reduction. All these reasons were replaced by the simple joy you get from lighting up a cigarette on holidays, at the bar, on a hallway during the dinner at a friends. And these few puffs (well, to be honest, it was round 200 of them a day if we say that it takes 10 puffs to smoke a cigarette and I had round 20 a day) was just a joy. Well, was, until one day I noticed that to get up these stairs leading to my flat on the 5th floor became pretty much impossible, not talking about running to the bus or trying to catch a nephew in the garden.

And one day I simply stopped. Quit for good. What I realized was that smoking is nothing more than a release of energy you have. It is a physical action which gets out the various energy you have inside. Some people smoke, others drink, some take drugs, but the others go running, paint or take a walk more often. So why this particular action, smoking, is the one you have to choose for your energy release?

A simple exercise which will help you to get rid of smoking or to put your self together than your past addiction begs for a cigarette

Smoking, as any other habit, is difficult to get rid off. Especially if the cigarette lighted up is the only way you can cope with stress, calm down and relax. These few tips will suggest you how to quit on smoking. We are not saying it is going to be easy, but maybe it is worth a try? Here are few tricks:

1. All the best conversations happen while smoking. FALSE

You tried to quit smoking, but every time you go out or just have dinner with your colleagues, you find yourself following a bunch of people to the balcony/doorway/ smokers room just not to feel excluded from the group and few minutes later you already have a cigarette in your hand. Are you sure you really need to identify yourself with the smokers crew, willing not to miss something important in the outdoor conversation? Next time, why won’t you stay with a nonsmoker next to the table. What if you are the only one non-smoker? Than convince someone of the smokers crew to keep you the company as you don’t want to sit all alone and now, here you go, it is two of you. Maybe that person will not quit smoking but he already had one cigarette less today thanks to you.

2. Figure out the reason why do you smoke at all.

Being addicted is not a reason. How did you start? you were stressed at a certain period of life and a cigarette probably was a relieve. Or you were a rebel teenage who thought that a cigarette makes you tough. And think now.  Maybe the stressful situation you were dealing with disappeared and you can barely remember what it was, so why keep on smoking? And you are not 14 anymore, so you don’t look older with a cigarette in you mouth. (And I am pretty sure you would be rather mistaken to be younger now).

3. Never quit “tomorrow”

Than it comes to any kind of addiction, the work we don’t like doing or the people we don’t like contacting there is always a solution – “tomorrow”.  That is just plane wrong. Tomorrow seem to have a way to extend to unlimited hours, days, weeks and months. So don’t say you will quite tomorrow. You have two options: to quit ever now or to set a very concrete timing (e.g. birthday, anniversary, meeting). The other important tip is to spread the news about your commitment to quit on that day. The more people you tell the bigger support you are going to have, because the people will simply remind you about your promise and keep you away from smoking and smokers.