Five tips from a smoker who stopped after 35 years

Almost three weeks into my new life without nicotine and I'm in a taxi – or maybe a streetcar. I'm with a friend, although I'm not sure who. I pull a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and turn on one. After two deep drags, I crush him. My mysterious companion asks me how he feels, to which I answer: "Disgusting taste."

After 19 days without smoke, I feel pretty ugly for this relapse – until I wake up with a relief to the realization that it's just a dream; a powerful fusion of psychology and neurochemistry playing with my vulnerable mind.

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At the time of writing this, I have exceeded the bar of the month, and am determined not to go back. So, what makes me think that I won the battle this time?

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "It is said that it is more easy to quit after a number of unsuccessful attempts, and I can understand why I tried the nicotine gum (it also has a "disgusting taste"), The manual of ############################################################################## 39, Allen Carr's classic self-help The easy way to quit smoking and the drug Zyban, which does not contain nicotine but prevents the symptoms of withdrawal. reactid = "35"> It is said that it is easier to quit after a number of failed attempts, and I can see why. I've tried the nicotine gum (it also has a "disgusting taste"), Allen Carr's classic self-help manual The easy way to … quit smoking and the Zyban drug that does not contain nicotine, but slows the symptoms of withdrawal. This time I decided to cringe and go to the cold turkey.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The advantage of" having tried to stop before, it is to familiarize yourself with the pitfalls. You know that it is advisable to socially avoid smokers for at least the first week. cravings – coffee in the morning, break time, beer in the evening, it is also useful to be in a new unknown environment, where there will not be as many trigger memories. "52"> The advantage of having tried to stop before, is to familiarize yourself with the pitfalls. You know that it is advisable to? socially avoid smokers for at least the first week.You know triggers that cause cravings – coffee in the morning, break time, beer in the evening.It is also useful to be in a new unfamiliar environment. where he There will not be as many trigger memories.

This is the perfect excuse to book a weeklong break overseas for a welcome distraction. So it was "Hello, Vietnam" for me. There would be no desire to get off the escalator after work before traveling to the MTR station, or the urge to take a break from the computer screen all hours.

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Initially, I did not have much hope of giving up because it was really that # 39, an attempt without enthusiasm. I had downloaded a free phone application – MyQuit Coach from Livestrong.com – only to track the number of cigarettes I smoked each day. The goal was to reduce more than 20 cigarettes a day to about 10 cigarettes, but the application urges users to set a target for quitting altogether. I tapped it in seven days, just to soothe it.

Finally, it was a fatty and expensive meal a week later that prompted me to stop smoking: it woke me up twice at night with acute acid reflux. In the morning, I felt sick and had no more cigarettes. So I just tried to try it and try it.

I had a cigarette that day; a broken one that I had thrown into the ashtray, that I smoked in two sittings

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt ( 0.8em) – -sm "type =" text "content =" I had two days of work left before going on vacation. I expected them to be in hell, but everything "It was surprisingly well spent." was a sign of my new determination. "data-reactid =" 58 "> I had two days of work left before I flew on vacation. I was expecting them to be in hell, but everything went surprisingly well. I can only imagine that it was a sign of my newfound determination.

People say that cravings last from two to seven minutes – so you have to manipulate them and shut them up. Desires may have the urge to regain lost pleasure, but we do not really want that lethal mix of toxic chemicals, is not it?

The sixth day was the hardest and the closest. . I had just finished dinner at a restaurant and I was enjoying a beer before returning to the hotel – the perfect scenario to trigger a craze. Then two young women sat down at the next table and lit up. The smell of the cigarette gave me an attack of anxiety. I could ask any of them if she could spare a cigarette, I thought. No, it's just pathetic. Instead, I could buy a package, smoke one, and then throw the box. Also not good. Fortunately I overcame the fight.

The Story Continues

So, what are the main points to remember from this attempt at abandonment? Here are some of them:

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = " 1. Get a Smart Book "data-reactid =" 98 "> 1. Get Smart Book

Get ready by reading a lot of documents focusing on both the negative effects smoking and on the psychology of habits and thirst. The first will strengthen your determination to stop, while the second is essential to help you prepare for the challenge.

Take the lead around the fact that these images on cigarette packs – black lungs, feet with peripheral vascular disease, oxygen masks – are not artists' impressions. They are real people.

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<p class = "canvas-atom web-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8 em) – sm "type =" text "content =" 2. Be attentive "data-reactid =" 102 "> 2. Be conscious

Develop mindfulness to cope with cravings and thwart nicotine. If you become aware of the mind games that play the ghost of nicotine, you have the advantage of overcoming them.

I learned to watch cravings carefully. I've seen how they take over like a wave that overwhelms you with a mixture of emotions: panic, fear, irritability and loss. Take control of your mind, watch cravings as if you were a stranger and wait until they pass.

In trying to get through the first day, it helped to think of situations where smoking was forbidden. problem. I remembered long-haul flights, and three days spent meditating and sweeping leaves in a Thai forest monastery

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8 em) – sm "type =" text "content =" 3. We are all different "data-reactid =" 122 "> 3. We are all different [19659029] Do not believe everything you read about side effects. We're all different. You will not necessarily eat more and will not gain weight. I've never had jittery fingers or the urge to spray or chew something. Worried about dreaded insomnia? Without the stimulating effect of nicotine, the drop in blood pressure gave me narcolepsy. On the fourth day, I took a nap for an hour three times after an eight-hour sleep. Believe me, however, two weeks after quitting, my colleagues began to comment on how clear my eyes and skin were. I did not even notice it.

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This can also help you develop a little anger, so quit, it's like fighting the injustice of "Big Tobacco" that robs you of health and money. At the time of writing, the application noted that I had saved $ 2,280 HK ($ 291 US). Contemplate how this lethal product can be sold so freely and if legally available while the use of other drugs could result in a term of imprisonment.

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<p class = "web-atom canvas-text Mo (1.0em) MB (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = " text "content =" 5. Being determined "data-reactid =" 144 "> 5. Be determined

It is said that cravings can haunt an ex-smoker for years, and even fewer months. After a month, they do not worry me that much anymore. They are coming again, fleetingly, but I have programmed my mind to consider them as a minor irritant: "Oh, that's you again, just go away."

Finally, it was the will and determination that won the battle against nicotine. It was just the right moment. If you try and fail, remember that you can always try again.

This article How to quit smoking: five tips from a smoker who stopped after 35 years appeared on South China Morning Post

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