Like most people who try to quit, I was not successful the first, fourth, possibly tenth time. I had tried hypnosis, acupuncture, tapering off to just a few per day, all methods that you still see advertised today. What finally worked for me started with the desire to not smoke. Desire lead to a plan, I smoked my last cigarette at the usual time that I would smoke my last cigarette on a work night. I woke up the next morning and said to myself that I was now a non-smoker. With each activity I did that day, and for many days thereafter, I “re-wired” my brain to capture that image of me drinking a cup of coffee-without smoking, driving my car-without smoking, talking on the telephone-without smoking, having a drink with friends-without smoking.

The first day was by far the hardest. 50% of my consciousness that day was my mind saying I want a cigarette, I want a cigarette, I want a cigarette continuously, the other 50% of my consciousness had to deal with all the other functions a person performs on a daily basis including work. I did learn in all the previous attempts at quitting that it takes two weeks for nicotine to work its way out of a person’s system. I kept telling myself anytime I was tempted “Why would I want a cigarette, I am a non-smoker”. And I would take a deep breath, it seems that smokers do breath deeply when inhaling so often taking a deep breath can help alleviate the desire for a cigarette. It takes much longer to break the “habits” that people have formed linking cigarettes to so many activities. I did smoke in my dreams for many years.

The final contract I made with myself was to never, ever have a cigarette again. It has now been 20 years since I quit (after smoking for 18 years) and when I see someone smoke, I pity them immensely. I was a pack a day smoker and quit when cigarettes were less than a dollar per pack, saving $365.00 per year. At today’s rates of approximately $3 per pack, the cost would be $1,095 per year – which is a very nice vacation for me. That is why I pity the people that still smoke.

Melissa Wick

Lawrence