The story of how I quit smoking
Page 3
So, to start with, I stopped looking for opportunities to go out for a smoke. If an opportunity did arise, such as being asked to go to another building, I simply didn’t smoke, telling myself “You don’t smoke at this time anymore”. And it worked, well mostly it did. There were a few times when I gave in, but gradually they got less and less until I’d stopped thinking about having a smoke at those times.
Next I started cutting down smoking the regular cigarettes by cutting out one of the cigarettes at a time. Unfortunately I had several setbacks, mainly because I was trying to do it too fast. I would cut out the cigarette smoked on the walk to work for a couple of days, then try cutting out the next one. But it only ever worked for a day or two, and then I would smoke the second one again.
The reason I gave myself at the time was always “I’d sacrificed the 7.09 cigarette, so I could afford to reward myself by smoking the 7.25 one”.
After thinking about this I decided the only way to was to slow down. Cut out the 7.09 cigarette, but don’t try cutting out the 7.25 one until I had not smoked the 7.09 one for so long I that I no longer thought about it.
I decided three weeks should be the minimum time between cutting out one cigarette and cutting out the next one. This would give me time to properly get used to not smoking that particular cigarette.
So I gave it another try, cutting out the 7.09 cigarette first. For the first three days I would get off the bus and think “don’t light up, you aren’t quitting smoking just walking 100 yards without lighting up a cigarette. Now think of something else while you walk.” And it worked, by the end of the first week I was getting off the bus and not even thinking about smoking.
After three weeks it was time to cut out the 7.25 smoke. So I used the same trick again. I’d get into the office, take off my jacket, switch on my computer then think to myself “Don’t go out for a smoke, it’s only five minutes, you aren’t quitting smoking just sitting at your desk for five minutes instead of going out for a smoke”. Instead of going for a smoke I began to tidy my desk and arrange my days work, it kept my mind occupied for five minutes and took it off smoking. Pretty soon tidying my desk instead of going out for a smoke became second nature, I did it without thinking.
Next came the 9.30 coffee break smokes. As you may remember, I had a 20 minute break at 9.30 and always followed the same routine. At 9.30 on the dot I’d go out and have a smoke, then come back and get a cup of coffee, maybe have a chat with whoever was at the coffee machine, then nip out for another smoke before the end of the break. I cut out the first smoke first, and it was just as easy as cutting out the others. Instead of going out for a smoke I went off to the coffee machine, got coffee and chatted with whoever was there at the time. I simply stayed there until five minutes before the break ended then I went out for a smoke.
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