Quitting Smoking - Painlessly

A Story of Self Preservation

“Quitting Smoking is easy,” said Mark Twain. “I’ve done it hundreds of times.”

A 1964 U.S. Surgeon General report proving cigarettes cause cancer, persuaded many, but not everyone, to quit. While smokers recognized the dangers, some still found the addiction difficult to give up. To make quitting easier, people, over the years, looked for ways that are free or easy or painless or without withdrawal symptoms. When Eric (to give him a name) quit, after several attempts, he found a method with all these benefits and possibly more.

This is a story of a tragic situation with a happy ending.

Benefits

After quitting, several things changed for Eric. His bank account breathed easier right away. Health improved with fewer colds. Morning cough gradually went away. What didn’t happen was weight gain. No need to replace a smoking addiction with a food craving. Without tobacco, life became a whole lot more enjoyable.

That was over thirty years ago. Since then, he felt no cravings and hasn’t smoked even one cigarette. In today’s money, estimated savings total around $100,000, ($10 a day for 30 years).

Can this method be credited with all of these benefits? It’s hard to know for sure, but Eric believes it can. Unlike Mark Twain who stopped many times only to start again, his attraction to smoking ended. With this routine, he essentially eliminated the urge to smoke, the cravings stopped.

Consequences

Everyone knows people who gave it up and how happy this made them. Unfortunately, they also know some who didn’t quit. Recently, a friend since school died shortly after retiring from an almost year-long painful bout with lung cancer. With enough money to never have to work again and otherwise in good health, those golden years ended far too soon from this self-inflicted illness.

Based on Eric’s family history and longevity, his father forfeited approximately fifteen years of life due to respiratory arrest. His lungs just quit after a lifetime of smoking, but not before going through a long and agonizing illness. At the end he became a prisoner in his own house, unable to get far from his life-sustaining oxygen tank. In reality, the cause of death could be listed as smoke inhalation. In his father’s own words, “And to think I brought this on myself.”

To be reading this you probably have an incentive to quit. Is it grim stories of friends and family? Signs of your own diminishing health? Financial concerns and wanting to reduce expenses? This may help.

Painless and Easy

Building on the experience of his unsuccessful attempts, Eric did some research and took a different approach. He decided to try a routine while smoking to help him quit. It went like this. When lighting up, he said, usually silently, “One day I will stop doing this”.

That’s it? That’s all there is? Yes, that’s it. Seven words changed his life. Could it be any easier? This method to finally quit smoking was that simple and that painless. No patches, no hypnosis, no acupuncture, which also work, but not the method he used. Every day, with every cigarette, he repeated this mantra, ‘One day I will stop doing this’. This is now known as an affirmation.

There are two simple steps. Step one: choose an affirmation that feels right for you. Use this one, one you find on the internet or make one up yourself. Just make a positive statement of what you want to do. Step two: say the affirmation every time you light a cigarette, until the day you quit. It has been said that repetition is the mother of learning. It can also be an agent for change.

Some may not agree with this wording of an affirmation. In this situation, it worked. One day he did quit. It didn’t happen right away. It took a couple months. The time seemed unimportant seeing progress. Cravings decreased gradually, along with the number of cigarettes per day. Not creating urgency for results, he figured, helped with the long-lasting success. Having no time limit and no target date to quit allowed for a gentle progression to the right time to give it up.

When that time came, he was on a weekend trip with friends a long way from the nearest store. The trip lasted longer than planned and disaster struck. He ran out of cigarettes. No smokes for more than twenty-four hours. Unlike other times without cigarettes, he suffered no discomfort and no cravings. Feeling the time was right, he quit. This smooth transition to a smoke-free life felt natural. Mentally, he was prepared. To add to the good news, his friend gave it up cold turkey the same weekend and never started again.

Going through a stressful time, or a difficult situation, increases the need to light up. How to possibly get through this without a smoke? Surprisingly, it is easier than thought possible. Whether a fight with a significant other, or losing a job, people manage to get through difficult times without this crutch. Cigarettes don’t help anyone do anything that can’t be handled smoke free. Eighty percent of people do just fine without them.

Thirty Years Later

Now that Eric is about the same age as his father when he died, there are no breathing problems, no prescription drugs, no doctors involved, no oxygen tanks and no expiration date in sight. At a time in his father’s life when managing to walk around the block brought cheers from the family, Eric enjoys good workouts at the gym and long walks in the country.

The Results Are In

When it comes to smoking, the hazards are well known. Statistics say fifty percent of long-term smokers die early, about ten years early on average. Besides the tragic ultimate end, the path to get there can be horrendously painful. Whether cancer or a lung ailment such as Emphysema, the dying process and suffering can last several months. Quality of life decreases significantly. Pain and suffering fill the days of the smoker, family and friends. Don’t forget the toll smoking takes on them. Eventually the need comes for a caregiver to manage life’s necessities. Hopefully, someone close by will take that on, or there is money to afford hiring someone.

On the other hand, quitting reverses the progression. The smoke damage already caused will start to heal the day the irritation stops. Healing continues for about five years. Yes, that’s how much harm is done. Colds usually subside in a week or two. A broken leg heals in about six weeks. But overcoming the effects of smoking can take five years to be considered free from risk of major illness, and ten years to clear completely.

For Your Consideration

For anyone who decides to try this method, please know that you may not find a clinical trial to prove the percentage of success. One thing that is known for sure is the value of affirmations. Various websites offer affirmation suggestions that can be used. Here, the only proof and expertise came from experience, the school of hard knocks. Since there are no products to sell, this is just a technique to be practiced similar to learning to ride a bike or the multiplication tables. If you want to consult experts, many are available, several quitting ideas are around. Even your government may have a website on quitting that is worth reading.

There are no guarantees offered or implied, no assumption of responsibility, no money back with no money paid, and no suggestion of it being risk free, since this may not work for you. (No method seems to work for everyone.) Why? Success depends on the individual, the ability to persist, to continually repeat the affirmation with every cigarette and trust the method works. This all determines the success and how long it will take. How badly a person wants to quit also affects the outcome. This is achievable. It just takes doing.

If the decision is made to try this method, please do not complain after a month and say it didn’t work. It may take longer. But why not stay the course? This is easy, takes no time and costs nothing. Making excuses of why not to continue may be a sign a person is not ready to quit. Hopefully the time will be soon.

Even though this takes no effort or courage to follow, some people won’t try anything without recommendations from doctors or PhDs or celebrities. That’s fair enough. Anyone who feels that way, might google and read up on affirmations. Find out how effective they can be.

Also, because smoking can have bad effects on the body, it could be helpful to add foods to the diet to boost the immune system during recovery. This may include certain supplements and vitamins. For suggestions on what to eat, check with a doctor, and possibly google, ‘How to boost the immune system’. There’s lots of information out there, on YouTube and Ted Talks. Exercise suitable for your current physical condition might also help to fight infections and eliminate toxins. Also, get professional medical assistance and advice before starting this or any new exercise program or making a lifestyle change, to make sure it is suitable for you.

Every day, smokers are in a position to stop tragic events like these from happening. No one, except the individual, has this power. Seeing a problem on the road ahead, only the person in the driver’s seat can apply the brakes.

Wishing you success in your quest for a healthy, smoke free life.

© Tom Schmor 2021

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How does tobacco affect the world? A google search provided these details.

Estimated global revenue for 2024 is $800 billion. It is said to be one of the most profitable industries in the world.

It is also the leading cause of premature death – preventable death – from lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

Estimates of the cost to the United States, about $600 billion a year. $240 B goes to health care. $372 B is lost in productivity. 480,000 die yearly from it.

The percentage of smokers: Globally 25%, US 13%, Canada 12%. Gen Z prefers vaping.

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Decades back, smoking was hip. Movers and shakers, posers and wannabes, smoked with pride. When research again proved the health hazards, movers and shakers quit.

With cigarette ads prohibited in different areas, some movie heroes still smoke onscreen. Even the president’s character sneaks off for a puff periodically. Who better to do the promotion.

Sir Walter Raleigh introduced tobacco to England in 1586. Thinking of his own situation, John Lennon of the Beatles sang, “And curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git”.