Quitting tobacco is not as impossible as it sounds. In fact, with recent applications and studies, quitting tobacco has become easier than ever. And you can take this from me – a former tobacco addict who quit. Twice.
Throughout the course of my journey with dropping my tobacco habit, I have found several techniques, both mental and physical that helped me along the way. I have also discovered brilliant apps that proved immensely helpful. All these have made me come to the conclusion that this time period is the easiest it has ever been to break an addictive habit.
Quitting Tobacco: Why is it Such a Struggle?
The thing about smoking is that it does not become as addictive as many other strong drugs. Although it has a chemical basis in nicotine, it is more similar to certain pleasurable activities such as gambling, shopping, and sex, all of which can co-opt the brain. Its main grip on you is your fear of abandoning it, of the discomfort and misery you will experience if you do.
Trust me, I know what I’m talking about. I smoked heavily for over a decade before coming to my senses and quitting. You eventually realize that tobacco is a bad investment. There are numerous infirmities and disasters that may befall you in life.
Terry, an Olympic-level swimmer who lived a life of health and exercise, died of a stroke at the age of 33. Steve Jobs, who led Apple from the brink of bankruptcy to becoming the world’s largest publicly traded corporation (with a $233 billion turnover last year), was a fruitarian, frequently eating only one or two plants, such as carrots and apples, for weeks at a time. He was 48 years old when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he died eight years later. You have the impression that there is nothing you can do about these things.
The aim of the game with vaping is simple – find a better alternative to smoking so you can quit for good. While vaping has proved highly successful with millions giving up cigarettes already for e-cigarettes, the transition is difficult as smokers try to match the throat hit while equalling the amount of nicotine salts comparable with their smoking habits.
But it’s not the same with tobacco.
You can break the habit. By smoking, you are inhaling a variety of poisonous chemicals and carcinogens that are behind several heart and lung diseases, including cancer. Tobacco was responsible for 5.4 million deaths worldwide in 2004, and 100 million deaths throughout the 20th century, according to the World Health Organization. Tobacco use is described by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as “the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide.”
How to Quit Tobacco: It is Easier Than Ever
So, one thing is clear: quitting smoking is the most powerful, most effective thing you can do as a smoker to improve your health and extend your life expectancy. It’s like putting a stop to banging your head against a wall. Even if you are killed by a freak accident or disease, not banging your head will increase your chances of survival and upgrade your quality of life. One more thing: it will not cost you a fortune to implement, in fact, it will cost you nothing. Far from that, you will actually be earning a lot of money when you eventually quit smoking.
So, what’s stopping you? It is, of course, addiction, which, by the way, has a Latin root and means something akin to “enslavement.” According to HelpGuide, it “exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain that manifests in three distinct ways: a strong desire for the object of addiction, loss of the ability to control its use, and an inability to stop using it despite negative consequences.” It is, at its core, a brain hack that involves the release of a neurotransmitter (dopamine) in the nucleus accumbens, a collection of nerve cells located beneath the cerebral cortex.
I found the following strategy very helpful, and I urge you to consider adoption it as well.
- Understand how addiction works and the fact that quitting will not cause unbearable pain. That is not the case with certain powerful drugs, such as heroin or meth (if animals are placed on meth, they will continue to take the drug repeatedly until it kills them). However, nicotine has a low level of addiction.
- Take advantage of relevant software. A group of former addicts converged to set up the rTribe app. You can use the app to create an anonymous profile, connect with others through direct or group messaging, monitor your recovery, share your improvement, and reach out for help when you feel triggered. The app also keeps tabs on your sobriety days and check-ins. One useful feature of rTribe is the ability to pinpoint what times of day you are most prone to using substances. This can assist you in developing a relapse prevention strategy and determining how to plan around these triggers. You can take a quick test to determine the severity of your addiction, and the app will make suggestions for your recovery.
- Change your habits, particularly those associated with smoking. In my case, I stopped going to get-togethers or similar places where I smoked a lot. This lasted about three months. It cost me a few friends, but I discovered that my relationships with those who stuck with me through the process became even more beautiful as a result. A sort of overcompensation.
- Reward yourself with something else. I had a weakness for a particular type of Japanese cracker that was exorbitantly priced (for my income at the time). However, the money I saved by not smoking allowed me to purchase them at no additional cost. So, after dinner, it was Japanese crackers and other treats that I would normally consider too pricey.
- Get your hands busy. Smoking is a tactile activity – one that involves your hands. I took up drawing when I first quit smoking. Not just any run-of-the-mill style, but rather complex oil paintings. I made portraits for my sons, and it was a joy to see their reaction as they unveiled the gifts.
- Never think you’re over it or that it’s okay to light up now and then. After a few years of abstinence, I decided it was acceptable, for example, following a meal or in a club lounge. It was like jumping off a cliff; the splat came quickly and there was nothing I could do about it. As I quit the second time, at the age of forty, I taught myself to play the piano — classical pieces by Beethoven and Chopin. Trying to control two hands with a single brain is excruciatingly difficult. But it’s incredibly satisfying when you succeed — and your hands don’t have time to handle cigarettes while you’re at it.
- Mercilessly punish those who attempt to tempt you. When people offer you a cigarette knowing that you’ve quit, the best punishment I’ve thought up is to take the cigarette and calmly crush it over an ashtray. They will never try to tempt you again. You can be assured of that.
So, if you take my advice and quit smoking, send a $100 check my way. Of course, I’m kidding! However, you should share this guide with others going through the struggle. Talk to them and offer them a reward like I did in my previous job. I met three young brilliant young men who were smokers, and I promised each of them a valuable gift from me if they quit — if they could tell me, “For one full year now, I have not smoked a cigarette.” One of them came back successful, and I gave him a lovely Kodak camera. With a delightful gleam in his eyes, he exclaimed “This is too much, why spend so much?”. Amused, I blurted out: “$200 dollars for one human life? It’s the best deal I’ve ever gotten!”
