To start with, I don’t consider myself an authority on ridding substance abuse but I am going to dispense some tips that helped me immensely. Read on. I’m certain some of you will find some of this quite useful or at least intermittently entertaining!
So, my first smoke was back in the year 2000 at my college hostel in Chennai. That was one cigarette shared with 6 others. The scarcity of funds during college days necessitated that a dozen of us pool our funds to procure a cigarette and share it till the last flake of tobacco turned to ash. Those were the humble beginnings… and like most other smokers, ten years down the line, I had graduated to smoking a pack or more a day without much strain on the wallet. Talk about Rags to Riches stories…..
Anyway, circa 2009 and I was to be part of our departments soccer team in the intra office football tournament. I don’t watch football, let alone play it, but I figured I could make myself useful by running after the ball and stop the opponents from having a free run. After all, running was my forte.. I had won medals when in college.. What I lacked in skill I would make up for in stamina… or so is what I thought..
As soon as the game started, I executed my plan of running hard after the ball trying to intercept passes. After 3 minutes of running, my heart was pounding, I was short of breath and my ears couldn’t hear a thing of what the noisy spectators were hollering! I felt like Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. Blank. My brain told me to kick the ball that was a mere 3 feet away, but my body just wouldn’t respond. I felt like I was going to die right there! There I stood on the pitch, palms on my knees, trying to catch a breath, which is when I realized that all the smoking had taken it’s toll!
This was the trigger. I had to stop abusing my body. I had to figure out a way to quit smoking.
I had read somewhere, that if you want to develop a habit you had to consciously practice it for 21 consecutive days. I figured that if consciously practicing something for 21 consecutive days could develop a habit, not doing something for 21 consecutive days could also break a habit.
When I returned home, I decided that I will not wait for the New Year to make a resolution. I started immediately. My target was to NOT smoke a cigarette for 21 consecutive days.
Many times in the past, when I had attempted to give up smoking FOREVER, within 3 or 4 days I would be filled with questions like ‘Till when can I do this’ ‘What’s the use of this futile exercise, when I know that I WILL smoke again SOME day’ etc. My weak will power would give in to these reasoning and I would start smoking again.
But this time, my target was not to quit smoking FOREVER, but only for 21 days! It seemed achievable.
At the end of each day I would proudly count to my wife the number of days I hadn’t smoked and she, like a gym instructor giving a count down would encourage me with “C’mon 10 more days” “Shabhash! 7 more days to go.” To incentivize my effort she would put a Rs. 50 note (the cost of my pack of smokes) in a small box everyday. In hindsight, I realize how important it was for me to announce my intentions to my wife and narrate the small wins to her… Had it not been for her egging me on, I might have lit-up before reaching my 21 day target.
During these 21 days I consciously did not attend parties and get togethers where I might get lured into taking a drag.
Believe me, once the 21 days were through, the urge to light up no longer existed. Voila!! It was gone! I felt in control. I could resist a cigarette at work, during parties after dinner and at all times.
Knowing myself, I felt that this quitting FOREVER thing was not going to work for me. I had to give myself some concession for this to work.
So that I don’t get hooked again, I set myself 2 concessions that I stick to:
• I may smoke when I am more than 100 km away from home. Since my job doesn’t require much travelling this scenario is applicable mostly on vacations (which are meant to be enjoyed)
• I may smoke when I meet old buddies after a long time over a drink. This too is a rare event.
I am glad to report that for the past 2 and half years, I have been a rare occasion’s smoker. Smoking has become more of a half yearly activity. I consider this to be a big and sustainable win and I’m immensely proud of myself. Unlike before, my throat isn’t congested every morning. My teeth are whiter and my lips aren’t chapped. I can swim 5 laps and run a mile without huffing and panting, and my wife still adds Rs. 60 (inflation adjusted) in a box. I just wish she’d bought ITC shares with that money all this time
In short if you too want to try this out:
• Capitalize on a strong trigger.
• Target Quitting for 21 consecutive days.
• Announce your intention to a close relative or friend who’ll help you along
• Set yourself some concessions if you think you might not be able to sustain*
• Remind yourself of what you’ve gained Physically, Emotionally and Monetarily.
Go on. Kick the habit.
*These are my personal experiences and there would be people who have quit smoking for good and forever. This article is not meant to promote occasional smoking, but to help you drastically reduce your consumption of cigarettes if not completely stop it.
So, my first smoke was back in the year 2000 at my college hostel in Chennai. That was one cigarette shared with 6 others. The scarcity of funds during college days necessitated that a dozen of us pool our funds to procure a cigarette and share it till the last flake of tobacco turned to ash. Those were the humble beginnings… and like most other smokers, ten years down the line, I had graduated to smoking a pack or more a day without much strain on the wallet. Talk about Rags to Riches stories…..
Anyway, circa 2009 and I was to be part of our departments soccer team in the intra office football tournament. I don’t watch football, let alone play it, but I figured I could make myself useful by running after the ball and stop the opponents from having a free run. After all, running was my forte.. I had won medals when in college.. What I lacked in skill I would make up for in stamina… or so is what I thought..
As soon as the game started, I executed my plan of running hard after the ball trying to intercept passes. After 3 minutes of running, my heart was pounding, I was short of breath and my ears couldn’t hear a thing of what the noisy spectators were hollering! I felt like Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. Blank. My brain told me to kick the ball that was a mere 3 feet away, but my body just wouldn’t respond. I felt like I was going to die right there! There I stood on the pitch, palms on my knees, trying to catch a breath, which is when I realized that all the smoking had taken it’s toll!
This was the trigger. I had to stop abusing my body. I had to figure out a way to quit smoking.
I had read somewhere, that if you want to develop a habit you had to consciously practice it for 21 consecutive days. I figured that if consciously practicing something for 21 consecutive days could develop a habit, not doing something for 21 consecutive days could also break a habit.
When I returned home, I decided that I will not wait for the New Year to make a resolution. I started immediately. My target was to NOT smoke a cigarette for 21 consecutive days.
Many times in the past, when I had attempted to give up smoking FOREVER, within 3 or 4 days I would be filled with questions like ‘Till when can I do this’ ‘What’s the use of this futile exercise, when I know that I WILL smoke again SOME day’ etc. My weak will power would give in to these reasoning and I would start smoking again.
But this time, my target was not to quit smoking FOREVER, but only for 21 days! It seemed achievable.
At the end of each day I would proudly count to my wife the number of days I hadn’t smoked and she, like a gym instructor giving a count down would encourage me with “C’mon 10 more days” “Shabhash! 7 more days to go.” To incentivize my effort she would put a Rs. 50 note (the cost of my pack of smokes) in a small box everyday. In hindsight, I realize how important it was for me to announce my intentions to my wife and narrate the small wins to her… Had it not been for her egging me on, I might have lit-up before reaching my 21 day target.
During these 21 days I consciously did not attend parties and get togethers where I might get lured into taking a drag.
Believe me, once the 21 days were through, the urge to light up no longer existed. Voila!! It was gone! I felt in control. I could resist a cigarette at work, during parties after dinner and at all times.
Knowing myself, I felt that this quitting FOREVER thing was not going to work for me. I had to give myself some concession for this to work.
So that I don’t get hooked again, I set myself 2 concessions that I stick to:
• I may smoke when I am more than 100 km away from home. Since my job doesn’t require much travelling this scenario is applicable mostly on vacations (which are meant to be enjoyed)
• I may smoke when I meet old buddies after a long time over a drink. This too is a rare event.
I am glad to report that for the past 2 and half years, I have been a rare occasion’s smoker. Smoking has become more of a half yearly activity. I consider this to be a big and sustainable win and I’m immensely proud of myself. Unlike before, my throat isn’t congested every morning. My teeth are whiter and my lips aren’t chapped. I can swim 5 laps and run a mile without huffing and panting, and my wife still adds Rs. 60 (inflation adjusted) in a box. I just wish she’d bought ITC shares with that money all this time
In short if you too want to try this out:
• Capitalize on a strong trigger.
• Target Quitting for 21 consecutive days.
• Announce your intention to a close relative or friend who’ll help you along
• Set yourself some concessions if you think you might not be able to sustain*
• Remind yourself of what you’ve gained Physically, Emotionally and Monetarily.
Go on. Kick the habit.
*These are my personal experiences and there would be people who have quit smoking for good and forever. This article is not meant to promote occasional smoking, but to help you drastically reduce your consumption of cigarettes if not completely stop it.
