During recent days I was fighting to get rid of the smoking habits that has been with me since 2005.Its hard not because of the cravings but its hard because of what it makes me without the smoke. Somehow I got psychologically related to the smoke. Till the present day I think there is a deep bond between us. While unable to explain the feelings in exact words..Strangely a tip with Google search revealed that not only me but many other people suffer it. I picked up these lines from the site Stop Smoking Tips.
"Many smokers are only slightly bothered by physical symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, but experience a lot more trouble with the psychological nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Getting over the psychological loss can be very complex. It may even take several months for you to restructure a lifestyle without smoking.
Our reaction to quit smoking can be like our reaction to death. Something dear to you is gone forever. It was something that was dangerous, but it was something that you were used to and liked in many ways, maybe because it made you feel sophisticated or able to manage things or attractive or sexy. Maybe it relaxed you and put you in a better mood.
Think of giving up smoking like the death of a close friend. Cigarettes have been your friend. They were always there for you. They didn’t tell you that you were making mistakes or that you were being unreasonable.
They never got angry at you or demanding except when you ran out in the middle of the night. Instead, they made you feel more relaxed and confident about what you were doing"
"All mentally healthy people have this defense. For a smoker, this means that, even though you know the significance of quitting smoking, you may not want to believe it. Here are some common denial statements:
- “I know I should quit, but I’m not sure I want to.”
- “Cigarettes don’t affect my health like they do others. I’m not huffing and puffing.”
- “Cigarettes haven’t been proven harmful.”
- “I’m not addicted.”
- “This quitting thing is easy - I can do it anytime, just not today.”
- You’ve already started the quitting process, so you’ve gone past this denial stage. Or have you? Have you found yourself thinking things like?
- “If I’m having trouble quitting, it wouldn’t be so terrible to go back to smoking.”
- “Hey, it’s just not a good time for me. I can do this again …”
- “I’m young. By the time I get old enough to get lung cancer, they’ll have a cure.”
- “I keep my weight down and I use seat belts and I don’t drink too much, so one ‘vice’ isn’t going to do me in.”
These are attempts to deny the problem rather than deal with it. We all do it."
Are these people crazy?
On a more personal level I would say the Movie No Smoking did brought up some unique and intriguing ideas. In practical life however this radical approach won’t help quit smoking. Instead let’s talk seriously about what could be the real hazards from a smoker's point of view.
- Passive Smoking can result in Cancer, Heart diseases, Respiratory diseases and problems, Ear infections, Low birth weight, Low birth weight, Sudden infant death syndrome, Stillbirths and lots and lots of list. So the point is do you want your dear ones and friends to die? Or to harm them in the most involuntary yet controllable manner possible?
- Check out the following link to calculate your total savings for not smoking. For me if I don’t smoke for 2 years and save the money it brings out yearly around 9125 rupee. For 10 long years its 132189.88 rupee with 8% interest (I smoke Flake(Per Packet 25, One packet per day)..Ouch it’s a very heavy amount man. Plus the cost of Medicine required is not included. We are talking about some serious expenses.
- The worst part is addiction. Have you sometimes felt that you truly can’t quit or if it is missing then your life becomes meaningless? That’s addiction. It doesn’t really limit itself to only Smoking but anything that suites the description. The essential question to ask yourself is that do you want to live the rest of your life bound by some addiction that guides your life and makes itself a top priority?
Note: Smokers don’t really think about health. Otherwise they won’t be smoking in the first place which is by the way the most damaging stuff among the list.
Don’t You Smoke Yourself?
True and that’s why I have been thinking that this war can’t be fought alone. One needs companion and true fellow warriors to make this grave journey. So here I am, planning to quit smoking or reduce it to a healthier level. No The plans are not yet in motion but yes I truly am planning.
How exactly are we going to cross this vast challenging Ocean?
That’s exactly the purpose of this blog. I seek ideas from every corners of your world. But for a start I am planning to pick a plan for systematic reduction and I am going to spend that extra amount saved to give myself some nice treat. Soon I will be posting blogs about it.
What about some side activities to fight the craving?
For me, I am starting a new Book..sort of collections of poetry and novels(short stories really) and I am gonna get busy in some other wild crazy ideas like
- Gardening
- Photography(Actually taking snaps of myself in potrait)
- Reading and lots of reading classic literature.
- Redecorate my website and practice some nice designs on it.
Update:I have added a page for Smoke Monitoring.Be sure to check it out for tips to reduce smoking
Wonderfully thought and articulated article....as usual Santanu Ghosal at his creative best...
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