Quitting smoking and some things you need to know!
2016-03-31
Quitting smoking and some things you need to know! By Sean Boyce 柏笑恩
1. You have to understand, smoking is first and foremost A DRUG ADDICTION.
It is not just a bad habit, it is a full blown drug addiction. I was smoking a pack a day at one point and I kept telling myself, I can quit when i want but I enjoy it. You need to realise, you do not enjoy it, YOU NEED IT.
Smoking messes with the chemistry of your brain, the nicotine(尼古丁) makes your body physically want to smoke. When I woke up in the mornings, the first thing I would do is search for my cigarettes and go have a smoke. I told myself I enjoyed it, but in reality, I needed this.
Let me explain to non smokers what a true drug addiction is like, wanting to smoke is like needing the toilet, you know that feeling when you need the toilet, there is no toilet in sight and you start squirming, inside and out? That's what a smoking addiction is like, it's like fighting a bodily reaction, a necessary function and when you finally get your cigarette it gives you the same feeling of relief as finding the toilet. Except that its stronger than that, a lot stronger. I wouldn't wish an addiction on my worst enemy, it takes over your life entirely and the first step to recovery is understanding, you are an ADDICT, only then can you start treating this issue properly.
Let me explain to non smokers what a true drug addiction is like, wanting to smoke is like needing the toilet, you know that feeling when you need the toilet, there is no toilet in sight and you start squirming, inside and out? That's what a smoking addiction is like, it's like fighting a bodily reaction, a necessary function and when you finally get your cigarette it gives you the same feeling of relief as finding the toilet. Except that its stronger than that, a lot stronger. I wouldn't wish an addiction on my worst enemy, it takes over your life entirely and the first step to recovery is understanding, you are an ADDICT, only then can you start treating this issue properly.
2. The odds are stacked against the smoker, the cigarette companies do not want you to quit.
The cigarette industry is absolutely massive worldwide and it is genius because as soon as someone is addicted, chances are the company now has a lifetimes supply of revenue. Cigarettes sell themselves and they are everywhere. When they are unregulated, it becomes even worse. They target the young, they make it look cool so that we get addicted at a young age and are hooked (吸食了) for life. There are examples of marlboro buying up stalls next to middle schools so they can sell cigarettes to children.
As for these companies producing "healthier" alternatives such as "menthol" and "lights", do not be fooled by their lies.
Light cigarettes have been proven to not be better for us at all. Light cigarette smokers who smoke light cigarettes in a bid to cut down have been shown to be LESS LIKELY to quit smoking. (I should know, I smoked light cigarettes exclusively). they are not healthier at all for you, check this site out for more details:
http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/cigaretteingredients/a/lightcigarettes.htm
As for menthol cigarettes, they are being banned slowly in many countries. You may be asking why? Because one of the biggest barriers to new smokers is the taste, and menthol cigarettes remove this barrier. For any of you who have tried marlboro iceblast, you will know what I mean. It is like smoking chewing gum! It tastes fantastic...and this creates a problem when children come into the equation. They may start smoking the ice blasts due to the taste, and as soon as you are addicted, you will smoke anything. Menthol was first and foremost a new way of getting more people to smoke, they are in no way healthier for us.
What you have to understand is that the cigarette companies do not care at all for you the consumer, they want your money and are willing to give anyone and everyone cancer in order to achieve that. When I realised I was giving my money to these b*****ds it made quitting a lot easier, it gave me determination not to be their slave.
3. e-cigarettes are not an alternative.
http://www.mensfitness.com/life/entertainment/e-cigarettes-actually-decrease-your-chances-quitting-smoking
4. Quitting does not happen over night.
Quitting is not an overnight thing, I did not wake up one morning and just quit, in fact I swore to myself I would quit almost every night and every morning I would loathe myself as I lit up my cigarette. However I did keep trying to smoke less and less, I started cutting down from 20 a day to 5 a day, then 4...then tried going cold turkey (突然的戒烟) every now and again until one day it stuck. I got through one day of not smoking and found quitting a lot easier. The hardest part is not smoking for three days as it takes roughly three days for the nicotine to leave your system (I believe, don't quote me on that). Those three days are pure torture but after that I promise it is very easy.
You just have to keep trying and trying and trying. Find your triggers for smoking, for me it was after class, after dinner and when drinking. So I quit while I was on holiday and ate in no smoking places. Find a good time that suits you to quit smoking and goo for it.
5. Quitting involves a massive lifestyle change.
I realised that if I was ever to quit, I had to get away from temptation. Smokers like to hang out together quite often and so for my own health I had to stop hanging out with my smoking friends for a few weeks. I had this one guy who was trying to get me to SMOKE AGAIN, I kid you not. It's times like this you realise how selfish some people can be too, wanting you to harm yourself to keep them company.
I also had to quit drinking, drinking lowers your inhibitions and when drinking I could easily smoke 40+ cigarettes in one evening. Now I can drink again but I would wait three weeks before drinking again.
You also have to get used to being around temptation. I eased my way back into society, avoiding smokers wherever I went for the first few weeks. Once I felt comfortable, I would go to a party with smokers but stay away from them. Then I would talk to a smoker. Now I can be in the same room as 10 smokers and have no temptation to smoke, but it takes time.
If you do smoke again, don't lose hope, you have A LOT LESS nicotine in your body post quitting. That one cigarette won't make you smoke 20 a day again. (So I did have one puff of a cigarette 2 weeks in, I panicked and then realised I still had no need to smoke, I am speaking from experience). Getting back on the "no smoking" band wagon is relatively easy, however do not use this as an excuse to smoke again.
6. You will get by with a little help from your friends.
I am very lucky to have some amazing friends, friends who encouraged me, friends who gave me comfort when I was trying to quit on my third day, even one friend who took it upon himself to rip every cigarette he seen out of my mouth. Many of us believe that we don't need anyone else, we can rely on ourselves, but sometimes when fighting demons such as smoking, look for help. There will be gaps in your resolve, a weak link in your chain and they will be there to take up the slack. There is no shame, no weakness in looking for someone to help you out, and you will also find out who your real friends are. A surprising amount of people were trying to get me to smoke again and I still to this day do not understand why. Your friends should look after your health, someone who wants you to smoke is not someone you could really class as a friend.
Quitting smoking has had a profound impact on my life. I now run 10km every 2 days, I don't get hangovers (this one surprised me), I have lost an amazing amount of weight, I do not get tired during the day, my heart speed has slowed down dramatically and I am so much happier. Quitting is not an easy road, and my heart goes out to anyone who wishes to walk this road. It's filled with pain, potholes, barriers, stress and difficulties and yet, I promise you...if you can make it to the end of this road, if you can just push through for those days, just hold on, hang in there, I promise you the end of the road is worth it in every way you can imagine. You will notice the difference it makes in your life. I wish you all the luck in the world!
A special thanks goes out in particular to Meilan, Alex (the cigarette ripper) and luke and the others who encouraged me along the way, without you guys, I would never have made it!
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I love how you stay in character and have done for all this time, makes me chuckle.
FOLKS! DON'T SMOKE! ...eeeeeeeeeh geeeezzzz......givin me a headache....
IT'S TERRIBLE THESE SMOKERS! NASTY PEOPLE!
The after-effects of smoking can turn you black, then you'll slide into a state of failed presidency...
NASTY PEOPLE-NASTY!!
I tried some sort of Polish medicine that replaced the nicotine somehow, it was basically a pill you took. That worked fabulously, I wasn't smoking while using this...until one day I stopped and I realised all the pill had done was load me up on nicotine haha. I ended up smoking even more after I stopped taking the pill.
As for things like nicorette patches, I decided after the pill thing, If I wanted to quit, I couldn't be using anything with nicotine in it. So I haven't tried anything else.
It is extremely addictive, but did you try any of the remedies on the market? I wonder if they work or is that just another scam to get more money out of us
Yes, thats true. I had to make sure I quit before I go home. At 90-100 yuan per packet I would be very quickly bankrupt!
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