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.

How I Quit Smoking

On January 2, I quit smoking at 7:30 in the morning. As a smoker of 32 years, quitting has been a thousand times easier than I ever imagined it would be. And the reason it’s been so easy is Chantix (Varenicline) — the prescription drug from Pfizer. I started taking the pills a week before my target quit date, as directed. Some time around the fifth day, smoking a cigarette was becoming an odd experience. The smoke had somehow gotten “neutralized” and I was not getting the satisfaction from a smoke like I used to. On top of that, the smoke itself tasted funny — not bad but not good, either. What was going on? Well, apparently, it was the Chantix at work.