A creative way to quit smoking

September 1, 2007 by SUM.

Yesterday, I read an article about the damaging effects that the carcinogens in cigarettes have on women, and the stories of four women who quit the habit and became nonsmokers. Today, I read in my hometown’s newspaper that a smoking ban is enacted, covering all public transportations and government agencies in Germany. Even in Germany, smokers are less welcomed.

Since I know from first-hand how hard it is to quit smoking, I like to share my own story so that you learn of another stop-smoking trick. This creative way certainly worked for me. Now, I’m a non-smoker for over 10 years.

It all started in early 1996 when I came down with a severe bronchitis. I couldn’t smoke a cigarette for about three weeks; breathing and smoking was just too painful. After the bronchitis was gone, I decided that I wanted to quit smoking. Therefore I thought of a method that would ease the nicotine withdrawal and break the habit of holding a cigarette in my hand.

First and foremost, I decided that I never again wanted to inhale nicotine smoke from a lit cigarette. Though I kept on lighting a cigarette for about three quarter of a year, I never again fully inhaled the smoke. I only lit the cigarette and smoked it like a pipe without inhaling the smoke. This method already changed the taste of smoking. The cigarette itself tasted pretty nasty. Since the taste of the cigarette itself was so disgusting, I lit less and less cigarettes during the withdrawal process. Over time I weaned myself away from a nicotine addiction and broke free of a smoking routine, and eventually stopped altogether.

I haven’t smoked a cigarette for over 10 years. I used to love it, but now I neither like the smell of it nor do I have any cravings for it. And my taste and smell sense are now much better than they were when I had been a smoker.

Keep in mind, if you really like to quit smoking, it actually starts with the conscious decision to quit smoking. Thereafter, you will have to find a method that accommodates your way of changing habits, and the commitment of following through with it. As so many others have done it, including myself, it’s doable.

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