Spring Break
Bad habit be gone
Patrick Fancher
Issue date: 1/13/09 Section: Forum
Every year, some people out there make the proclamation on New Year's Eve that "my resolution is to quit smoking." I'm not saying that I think these resolutions are foolish, but the majority of the time the individual doesn't follow through with this lofty goal. Back in the day, even I made the same decision countless times without succeeding once. Most ex-smokers would probably agree with me that giving up cigarettes was the most difficult thing they've ever done.
In retrospect, I actually feel embarrassed knowing that I smoked Camel Lights consistently for ten years of my life. Those are the times that I wish I could take a mulligan and do it over again, as I still feel some of the negative effects from smoking.
Before I quit, I always promised myself that I would never become "that guy," who quits and then turns his nose up at other smokers and acts disgusted by the sight and smell of cigarettes. Unfortunately, I am that guy, but hopefully the pointers I provide in this column will help smokers know that I sympathize and would like to see everyone living the healthiest lives they possibly can.
First, there are a couple misconceptions that I want to address. You either quit or you don't. There's no in between. Trying to cut down or deciding to only smoke when you drink alcohol are plans that sound promising in the beginning, but they never worked for me. Cutting down made me feel extremely irritable and all I could think about was how much I wanted a cigarette. Smoking only when you drink beer makes sense at first, but then you find yourself sitting on your front porch drinking a can of PBR at 9 in the morning. Plans like these ultimately lead to failure. If you have to make these types of negotiations with yourself, you're probably not going to succeed.
Here are the steps that helped me quit after many other failed attempts. First, I came to the conclusion that cold turkey definitely wasn't a realistic solution, so I tried using the nicotine patch. Those things are really strong and made me feel nauseous, so I cut them in half and found them to be quite effective after that. After a month of using the patch, I was able to kick the physical addiction to cigarettes.
In retrospect, I actually feel embarrassed knowing that I smoked Camel Lights consistently for ten years of my life. Those are the times that I wish I could take a mulligan and do it over again, as I still feel some of the negative effects from smoking.
Before I quit, I always promised myself that I would never become "that guy," who quits and then turns his nose up at other smokers and acts disgusted by the sight and smell of cigarettes. Unfortunately, I am that guy, but hopefully the pointers I provide in this column will help smokers know that I sympathize and would like to see everyone living the healthiest lives they possibly can.
First, there are a couple misconceptions that I want to address. You either quit or you don't. There's no in between. Trying to cut down or deciding to only smoke when you drink alcohol are plans that sound promising in the beginning, but they never worked for me. Cutting down made me feel extremely irritable and all I could think about was how much I wanted a cigarette. Smoking only when you drink beer makes sense at first, but then you find yourself sitting on your front porch drinking a can of PBR at 9 in the morning. Plans like these ultimately lead to failure. If you have to make these types of negotiations with yourself, you're probably not going to succeed.
Here are the steps that helped me quit after many other failed attempts. First, I came to the conclusion that cold turkey definitely wasn't a realistic solution, so I tried using the nicotine patch. Those things are really strong and made me feel nauseous, so I cut them in half and found them to be quite effective after that. After a month of using the patch, I was able to kick the physical addiction to cigarettes.
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