One Approach to Quitting Smoking

The most basic key to successfully giving up cigarettes is to quit with a plan and with a good reason. Trying to quit because a loved one wants you or because you’re flying to Europe and will have to endure several hours of not smoking is just not good enough. It’s trite but true: you have to want to quit. And having a plan is essential so you’re prepared when you come across those inevitable bumps in the road. Don’t give yourself an out for failure. There are no valid excuses for giving up on quitting. Life being what it is, there will never be the perfect time to quit. Shit happens and you have to be prepared to deal with it without cigarettes.

The key to the ease of my quit, I truly believe, is Chantix (varenicline). It’s a prescription drug from Pfizer, the giant pharmaceutical company. I’d read about Chantix last year in a magazine and had mentioned it to my doctor. He said when I was ready to give it a try, he’d write me a prescription. Fast-forward eight months to a new doctor, who was more insistent in encouraging me to quit. She gently coaxed a quit date out of me and I left her office with the prescription in hand. That was December. I got the prescription filled, although I wasn’t sure I was really going to try this wild and crazy plan. Me quit smoking? I didn’t really see it happening. I smoked for 32 years, was in pretty good health, and wasn’t really bothered with shortness of breath when I played sports. Mostly I was tired of smelling bad and also tired of the increasing restrictions placed on smokers. Lastly, I felt like an idiot for continuing to smoke knowing how unhealthy a habit it is.

A week before my target quit date, January 2, I started taking the Chantix as prescribed. The first few days I didn’t notice any change but four or so days after I started on the Chantix, I realized I wasn’t getting the satisfaction from smoking I used to. The cigarettes didn’t taste quite right either. But I continued to smoke as often as I could, trying to load up for my quit date.

There is a Web site I found before I quit smoking that I used like a cheap date on a Saturday night. Known as the “Q” by its many regular users, www.quitnet.com was a lifesaver for me when I’d picked my date to quit but found myself unprepared the day before. I hadn’t done the prep work I knew I should have done so spent most of my New Year’s Day reading and getting myself psyched.

Armed with a knowledge of what to expect when I stopped smoking and a grocery list, I headed to the store for the items I thought would help me most. Sugar-free hard toffees, sugar-free spearmint gum, orange sherbet, fat-free ice cream sandwiches, orange juice, apples, bananas and grapes. I bought candy and gum to fill the oral void. I bought fruit because it’s healthy and isn’t conducive to craving a smoke. Ditto on the ice cream treats — I never craved a cigarette after eating ice cream.

Also in preparation, I wrote a good-bye letter to my cigarettes. OK. It sounds hokey but writing the letter was satisfying and also let me reiterate all the reasons I wanted to quit. I printed it out and put it in a bag with the candy and gum. Also in the bag were straws, which I’d read were good to chew on when you were craving a cigarette. On the QuitNet Web site, this bag is known as a quit kit.

I also had devised a plan for my first quit day. It was a work day, which for me, usually started with coffee and cigarettes. The day I quit, I was going to have that coffee and as many cigarettes as I could smoke before showering. The shower marked the end of my days as a smoker since I wanted to wash the smoky smell from my hair and start my life as a non-smoker with fresh hair. I’d read years earlier that it was easier to quit if you let yourself start the day smoking, which made perfect sense to me. That first cigarette is usually the best of the day. From what I’ve read, my impression is most people wake up and start their quitting day smoke-free. That sounded too tough to me.

So I think I smoked five cigarettes that morning. Then, following the advice of a fellow quitter, I took the cigarettes remaining in my pack and broke them up into a clear plastic cup of water. I left the cup on the patio table so the brown, disgusting color of the water could serve as a reminder of how nasty cigarettes are. I showered and headed to work, carrying an insulated cup of ice water I sipped through a straw.

Work was the typically dreary day after a holiday. During the work day, I would usually go outside to smoke about every hour and a half. I didn’t linger outside but liked the break and getting outdoors for a few minutes. The first day, I didn’t really crave a cigarette but caught myself several wondering why I hadn’t had one. I kept forgetting I had quit. That actually went on for several weeks — why haven’t I smoked lately? Oh yeah, I quit.

The second day, I was going to skip the coffee altogether since it’s such a smoking trigger. I had poured myself a glass of orange juice and was surfing the QuitNet Web site when I came across a funny post from a guy who’d just spilled hot coffee on himself. Hmm, I figured if he could have coffee and not smoke, so could I. So I brewed coffee. It was superb. And I didn’t really crave a cigarette. I have stuck to the coffee every morning but rather than fix a cup to take on the drive to work, I still drink ice water through a straw instead. Somehow, that’s become a habit.

I’ve now been smoke-free for 101 days. The biggest struggle I’ve had has been resisting chocolates and sweets. My weight is a few lbs. up but it could be worse. I had some weeks where I couldn’t keep my hand out of the candy dish but my sweet tooth has calmed down. My appetite continues to be voracious but I’m dealing with it by drinking extra water and snacking on mostly healthy foods. My favorite afternoon snack is now a golden delicious apple and some reduced-fat Cheese Nips crackers. What a good combination that is.

Initially, I gave myself as few smoking triggers as I could. I didn’t have any beer or wine for the first four or so weeks. I stayed away from the smokers at work. One night I went out with a friend and had some beers. They tasted so good but I didn’t come close to wanting a cigarette. Since then, I’ve looked at someone smoking and thought, I bet if I asked they’d give me a cigarette. Why I play these little mind games I don’t know but I still don’t want to smoke!

If you smoke and would like to quit, visit the QuitNet site. Register as a user and start reading. What you need to quit is the desire, a plan and determination. That’s all. The Chantix prescription comes with a card to get you set up in its own support program although I found it a little lame. You can learn more from your doctor and, of course, at the Chantix Web site.

The Chantix gets most of the credit for my success but I’ll take some of it. I prepared mentally and physically. I followed the rules as I knew them and didn’t give myself any outs. It’s a lifelong commitment and I’m afraid temptation is lurking around every corner but I don’t want to smoke ever again. And I’m not going to. Ever. Again.