Staying Smoke Free

You've quit smoking for 6 weeks and you feel great!  You have more energy than you can ever remember.  You don’t cough anymore and your clothes and hands don’t smell like cigarettes.  More interestingly, you can smell cigarette smoke from a mile away and it repulses you.  Why, then, do most quitters start smoking again? 

S tatistically, the average smoker will not be successful until their third attempt to quit.  There are a lot of good reasons for this, but they all come back to nicotine addiction.  Your brain wants nicotine and will do whatever is necessary to trick your higher processes into believing that just one won’t hurt.  Accepting the fact that you are a nicotine addict and understanding the processes by which your brain will attempt to thwart your attempts will arm you to overcome smoking. 

First, avoid any triggers that you know will be an issue.  These include typical places and times that you smoked, or smoked a lot.  These typically include talking on the phone, hanging out with other smokers, and lingering over meals with a cigarette.  There are others, though that can be difficult to avoid.  Smoking while driving is common for most, but you can’t give up driving.  Have your car professionally detailed and deodorized, or better yet, buy a new one. 

This step will cause you to think twice before stinking the interior back up again.  Don’t let anyone smoke in your car.  Do the same for the room your computer is in if you liked to smoke while working.  Drinking alcohol is an issue for all smokers.  It lowers your resistance and inhibits your decision making processes.  People chain smoke while drinking, and you probably did to.  How often have you been asked for a cigarette by someone at a party who tells you they quit a year ago or more?  Avoid these situations until you have firmly kicked the habit (at least six months) and then take along someone who will try to intervene if you try to smoke.

Feelings of stress and depression are common for a least a month after quitting.  This is a typical way that your brain tries to convince you to smoke again.  The nicotine withdrawal is as much of a physical process as a psychological one.  Your brain may blow things out of proportion or create events that cause stress.  When you find yourself thinking “I need a cigarette to deal with this”, don’t believe it.  You don’t “need” a cigarette.  This can even be true even if you are on nicotine replacement, like the patch.  Why?  When you smoked, the habit was part of your relaxation.

Sitting, thinking, and taking deep breaths while inhaling was the method by which you dealt with difficulty.  Find another relaxation method, like meditation or exercise to fill the gap.

Reward yourself for quitting.  You deserve a pat on the back for taking this life changing step.  Many quitters put the money they would have spent on cigarettes away to save for a special treat.  If you smoked a pack a day, this can add up to $100.00 per month.  Cash out on specified target days, like every three months and spend the money on something you never would have bought for yourself before.  After the first or second cash out, lengthen your cash out days to increase your savings.  After 6 months to a year, you will probably have enough for a nice vacation or cruise. 

If you do sneak a cigarette, do not be hard on yourself.  Quitting is difficult to do – for everyone, regardless of what they may say.  Just put it out and move on. Identify what factors caused you to light up and make note of how you will avoid that response in the future.