I Never Wanted to Quit Smoking

Addiction is a terrible thing and I destroyed my body for 30 years

I quit smoking almost two years ago, but I smoked for most of my life — all the way from the age of 18. Like many who smoke, I tried quitting hundreds of times over the years. For some reason, I always went back. I didn’t figure it out until just recently what that was.

I liked — no, loved — smoking.

I didn’t finally quit until I wanted to stop more than I wanted to smoke.

I tried quitting for so many different reasons. It was bad for my health and cigarettes got to be too expensive. My wife hated it. I had all these reasons, but none of them were sufficient enough to make me quit smoking long-term.

We All Know Smoking is Bad for Us

Every smoker is well-aware of how bad smoking is for our health. Every message we see is telling us that it is bad — from the black lungs on the pack of cigarettes to the disapproving looks from someone unfortunate enough to get downwind of our smoke.

We’ve been told by doctors hundreds of times that we need to stop immediately. Most of us know someone who died from lung cancer.

Why isn’t that enough to make us quit?

It’s not just because cigarettes are addictive. They are. Except for benzodiazepines, cigarettes were the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to quit. Cigarette manufacturers purposely put high concentrations of nicotine in their products so they will always have a large customer base. They have done evil things for their billions, and they won’t let go of them easily.

Yes, cigarettes are physically addictive, but there is a huge mental part to it as well. There is a comfort in placing one between your lips and lighting up. There is group camaraderie when you step outside for a cigarette break. There is a comfort when you have a pack to go with your coffee or beer.

Everything about cigarettes is comforting. Nothing about not smoking is. If you go too long without a drag, you get extreme anxiety. All you want is to feel better, physically, and mentally.

It turns from a habit, into something we like. It turns from like into love.

So How Did I Quit?

Many things came together perfectly which caused me to quit when I did. The need to quit smoking was becoming so great that I couldn’t ignore it. My wife was constantly nagging about the smell. The price of cigarettes kept going up. I’d developed a noisy cough that wouldn’t go away.

My want to quit was very strong.

I still didn’t leave it up to that. Quitting cold-turkey is very problematic. I found an app for my phone that tracked everything about the process. It told me how many cigarettes I’d avoided and what health benefits were occurring throughout the next few months. It gave me a win every hour, just like the win when you smoke.

I won’t try to lie — it was agonizingly difficult. Cigarettes were on my mind 24/7 for at least a month. The number of times I almost gave in were too many to count.

But, I always did one thing when I wanted a cigarette. I went in and looked at my wife and daughter, and was thankful that I would be around for a long time.

The benefits of quitting smoking far outweighed the need to smoke. I wanted to quit more than I wanted to smoke.

How to Quit Smoking

Before you buy any apps for your phone. Before you buy any patches and gums. Before you ask your doctor for a prescription, decide once and for all that you really want to quit.

Make up your mind that quitting is more important than anything. It has to be more important than the need for comfort. You WILL be uncomfortable during the quitting process. That much is assured!

After there is no doubt that you will quit, get an app, buy the patches, and set a date.

Be firm on the date. Don’t smoke 50 cigarettes a few minutes before you stop. Taper off in the last few days before the event. It will make it easier to go cold-turkey.

I would suggest going cold. I’ve never heard of anyone who had much luck tapering off. Eventually, you will have to go cold, and it will be bad no matter what.

Just get it over with! Do it!

I know you can!