Duelin’ Deals Blog by Marlaine

November 15, 2007 was the 30th anniversary of the Great American Smoke Out……… Years ago, when they would advertise it on TV, I’d get a sick feeling in my stomach, my fear whispering that I would never quit. I was afraid there was no hope.

Smiling…….. Yippppppppppeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! ………. I was WRONG!
I will try to share how I quit with you because it is HEAVEN not to smoke!

I quit more than 10 years ago!!!!!!!!!! My now-husband (and most beloved) has told me that my encouragement and tips helped him, too. There is one ad in this post that is just a suggestion to help with the self-hypo that you can actually get from a local lending library – and a plug for the Orange Growers of the world. Also big plugs for fresh air and good, clean water!

I used a combo of self-hypnosis, deep breathing exercises and orange juice to help myself quit. I did not use nicotine patches or nico gums at all!!! Not only did I save my lungs and body, I also saved money while I quit!

Here are the basics of how I quit smoking (Average 3 packs a day for more than 10 years).

All of the following applies in any order…….

One of the biggest helps is to drink a lot of orange juice. It speeds up the leeching out of nicotine from your system. It takes only 3 weeks to get rid of the addictive chemicals – the rest of your addiction is psychological! Drink lots of water, too, because the more fluids you drink – non-alcoholic is better – the quicker you flush all the bad chemicals out of your body.

Every time a craving gets almost too strong to bear, take a huge inhalation of air and hold it as long as you can! Do this two or three times but try to be sitting down, at least until you’ve tried it a few times. Some people get very light headed from this. Part of the brain’s addiction to smoking is the rush of air it gets every time you inhale. If you’ve gone hours without a cig – besides while asleep – you probably noticed an almost light-headed high when you take a first drag from a lit cigarette. That first cigarette of the day always seemed – so incredible. You are dragging in air – to the brain. And your brain loves that!

Every night as you fall asleep, visualize clean fresh air going through your clean pink lungs even before you quit. Start doing this well before you quit. Here is a wonderful, incredible tape that is especially soothing and helps promote healing. Use it to help you see you lungs clearing the tar and nicotine from your system.
Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace By Susie Mantell

Try to cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke a day before you actually quit. I had gotten down to 5 cigarettes a day for about a week. Then I caught a nasty cold and was coughing and sneezing a great deal. I spent one whole day in bed without smoking at all and decided to quit before the end of that day. (Use ANY excuse to quit!)

Don’t let what others think effect your resolve! I made the mistake of telling my then-landlord that I had quit smoking! I was so high on the idea of finally being free that I had to tell someone. She said, “That’s great! How long since you quit?” Ermmmm…. “Three days……..”, I crowed until I saw her frown. It was obvious that she didn’t think much of my achievement. Heck – it sounded lame to me! – once I thought about it. I hadn’t mentioned my not smoking to any one else. When people around me started asking, I could say…..”Yes! I quit 2 weeks ago!!!” or a month ago or whatever amount of time it was. I had gotten really tired of people asking me how it was going when I had announced that I was going to try to quit in the past. That and the 10 thousands suggestions from non-smokers and the grimaces from smokers. Once you quit, you see how happy non-smokers are for you and how begrudgingly smokers give you a nod for your achievement.

Stop smoking in a place or room that you always normally used to smoke in. I started with my garden – that’s right. I picked an outside place full of fresh air for my first place to not smoke. I told myself to finish weeding or watering a row or area of the garden before I could go have a smoke. I would end up finishing a bit more because it was a long walk back to the house, and sometimes the motivation to finish was stronger than the cigarette need. Sometimes an extra hour would pass and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Build up to having only one place that you allow yourself to smoke but do not make it the place you always used to smoke! I used to smoke while watching TV, reading or working on my computer. I quit smoking while watching TV first. I’d get up and smoke in my “designated” room. I didn’t smoke in my bedroom because I wanted to sleep in a smoke-free room, even before I started to quit. Smoking in the bathroom is something I never cared to do either because it kept me in there longer than I wanted to be. I decided that the kitchen was the place to smoke because there was often a lot of smoke from cooking and a window was usually open there – except in winter. I do a lot of reading and would always smoke while I read. Instead of avoiding reading entirely, I started getting audio books from the library – which helped with the next step……..

Keep your hands and mind busy………. I started crocheting Full & Queen size afghans. Everyone I loved got them the year I quit! Smiling!!! I listened to varied subjects, including the History Of Botany Bay. This was an odd co-incidence in my future since I had no serious interest in Australia except as adding to my knowledge of history. My adorable husband is from New South Wales and I never dreamed that I would ever know anyone from Australia, much less marry someone from there! I also listened to Patent Law, Steven King books, and some pretty forgettable stuff but it all helped me keep my mind off lighting up! I have to admit to getting hooked on audio books. Now, Brad and I listen to audio books most of the time before we go to sleep.

More info:
In truth, you are getting rid of an addiction and it isn’t easy! Food will taste crappy for a while. You will have headaches and the sweats here and there. Your brain is going to scream and fight you as though you have another being in there. You will feel tired, even exhausted at times because the nicotine stimulant is gone. You will feel irritable and be hard to live with for a while – unless you work hard at understanding it is your brain’s way to get it’s way back into the addition. You might have trouble sleeping and feel restless a lot of the time. Your concentration may suffer for a while. There is an increase in appetite even though things taste bad at first! You will definitely be coughing and spitting up disgusting brown stuff but …

Every time you try to quit and fail, you are actually getting closer to quitting. Remind yourself of this and repeatedly. The first time I actually got past three days without smoking, I knew I had it beat! Yes, I had to keep fighting hard for a few more days, but the worst was over after three days. Before that, I must have tried to stop smoking at least 75 times! I would kid myself about not having smoked for a whole 22 hours, or, what would grow to more than a whole day of not smoking in my mind (delusions, really!). That day would have included a fitful 8 or 10 hours of laying in bed, not being able to actually sleep very much and the rest of the time was filled with a whole lot of pacing and fidgeting around doing whatever to keep my mind off cigarettes – but really never not thinking about cigarettes. Be reassured that all the hours you go without smoking allows your body to start getting rid of the tars and nicotine in your lungs and it enjoys every moment of it! Every time you try, your body kicks into hyper-help mode because it does not want you to smoke.

Chewing tobacco is not as bad as cigarettes and cigars but it does contain nicotine. Nicotine increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels and reduces circulation. Nicotine can act like a stimulant or a sedative, and causes the release of endorphins, which provide a tranquilizing effect. Nicotine is actually more addictive than crack or alcohol. According to the American Cancer Society, chewing tobacco users are 50 times more likely than non-users to get cancers of the cheek, gums, and inner surface of the lips.

You must motivate yourself into quitting and commit to never smoking again ever – not even one cigarette and yes – just one Christmas cigar could suck you right back into the habit, you guys (Brad!). I went so far as to keep my last pack of cigarettes… there were only four cigarettes out of it. I labeled it with the date and put it in my top drawer. As the days went by and I did not smoke any more, I realized it was getting older and older. Those cravings enticed me once or twice the first couple of months but I told myself that I would only be allowed to smoke cigarettes from that last pack. Those babies must be dry enough to be tinder by now! Nope – I will never smoke again!

One last note…… DO NOT smoke cigars instead, thinking they are not as bad as cigarettes. Cigars contain the same addictive, toxic and carcinogenic compounds found in cigarettes. In fact, a single large cigar can contain as much tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes!