I quit smoking 1 year, 4 months, 6 days, 22 hours, 6 minutes, and 28 seconds ago. Exactly.

I have saved approximately $1445.61 by not buying cigarettes. But that’s only because I smoked cheapo-brand cigs (about $2.65/pack). Had I purchased ‘major’ label cigs, I would have been out-of-pocket a total of $1,936.49.

According to my SilkQuit Meter, I have added 5 weeks, 2 days, 21 hours, and 10 minutes back to my life.

All these numbers and statistics are well and good. But the number that most boggles my mind is the number of cigarettes that I would have smoked since I quit: 10,910.

That’s Ten Thousand Nine Hundred and Ten cigarettes. Go ahead. Say the number out loud. Holy shit.

Assume that it takes about 4 minutes to smoke each cigarette (not to mention time spent looking for a lighter, stopping to buy more smokes, walking down 3 flights of steps to the smoking area, etc.), that’s 43640 minutes–or 30.3 days. An entire month.

In the last 16 months, I would have spent an entire month huffing on a cigarette; 30 days–around the clock–spent with a lit cigarette dangling from my lips.

That can’t be good.

But it’s not the numbers I want to talk about. It’s the myths.

MYTH 1 — Quitting Smoking is Hard

Bullshit. It’s not hard. It wasn’t for me or my wife. Or my mom. Or anybody else that I’ve ever known who has quit. The irony is that it was harder for me to start smoking than it was to quit. Seriously. The first cigarette I ever tried? The first two or three packs? Tasted like ass and made me feel nauseous as hell.

I don’t want to diminish how hard it might have been for anybody else who has quit because…actually, I take that back. I DO want to diminish how hard others have made quitting out to be.

Because every time an ex-smoker laments about how hard it is to quit, they dissuade and discourage other smokers from quitting. And they perpetuate the myth. The truth is, quitting smoking is not hard. But ex-smokers are so brow-beat by this myth, and many just want others to pat them on the back— not for quitting—but for ‘being strong’.

Meanwhile, they do a tremendous disservice to other smokers who might be contemplating quitting. But it’s just too hard. How do they know? Because they’ve heard the “It’s so damn hard” mantra so often that they just accept it as gospel.

If it’s so easy, why don’t more people quit?

Because they don’t want to. Pure and simple. Yes it’s addictive. There’s no debating that. But it’s not crack. It’s not heroin. Hell, it’s not even PS2.

All that’s required to quit is the desire to do so. Deciding to quit—or more accurately when to quit—now that’s hard. But once you’ve made that decision, quitting is the easy part.

Myth 2 — You can Quit Gradually

There’s only one way to truly quit — all at once, suddenly, and immediately. Weaning down from 30 cigarettes a day to 10, or even just to one is not quitting. And it’s really not preparing you for quitting either. So don’t kid yourself. Smoke all you want until the moment you are ready to quit. And then quit cold.

All you have to do is buy a pack of smokes. Your last pack. And enjoy them. When your down to your very last cigarette, enjoy it too. And from that moment on, do not stop and buy another pack. Do not bum one from somebody at the bar. Do not ask for a ‘quick drag’ off of someone else’s cigarette.

Over the next 2-3 weeks, you’ll have cravings. Find something else to do. For me, it was sunflower seeds. For others, it’s gum. Or chew on a straw. Just do not put another cigarette in your mouth. After about 3 weeks the physical cravings will have all but disappeared.

Myth 3 — I can be a “Social” Smoker after I quit

Some people think that they can still have an occasional cigarette after they quit smoking…such as when they’re drinking. Or right after sex. Or after they’ve eaten a big Mexican food dinner.

This may just be semantics…but if you smoke—even just once a week—you are a smoker. Not a quiter. A smoker. Understand the difference?

Once you quit smoking, you are an ex-smoker—until you have your very next cigarette. Besides, if you used to be a heavy daily smoker, one cigarette here and there will eventually become two or three cigarettes. And then you’ll rationalize and justify more and more excuses/exceptions/circumstances when it’s OK to have a cigarette. And before you know it, you’ll be back to your pack or two a day death sentence.

If you believe for even a moment that you will be the exception and not the norm to this rule…then you are a moron. If you didn’t have the strength or desire to quit completely, what makes you think you’ll be able to maintain your “special circumstances” smoking schedule?

The bottom line: If you want to quit smoking, pick a date, and buy one last pack of smokes. After that last cigarette is gone…don’t ever put another one in your mouth. Ever.

That’s the only way to quit.

And when you’re done smoking, admit that you have some cravings and admit that you miss smoking. But don’t tell people how hard it was. It makes you sound weak, not strong. And it might prevent somebody else from trying to quit too.

NOTE: I’m not on an anti-smoking crusade. I could care less if anybody else smokes. In fact, I support a person’s right to smoke. I also support a business’ right to allow smoking in their establishment (such as in bars, restaurants, bingo parlors, etc.) If patrons don’t want to go somewhere because of smokers, then they shouldn’t go.

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Monday, October 4th, 2004 | Trackback |