Quit 1 Year Ago

Finally: it's been 1 year I quit smoking. Now I'm certain: I have really kicked the habit. What made me really stop it? I stopped using money and I couldn't "request" rolling tobacco or cigarettes. I spent a week with friends in Lyon who didn't smoke, and I stayed until I really quit.

Of course it wasn't the first time. Giving up smoking had been a big fish to fry, possibly even the biggest in my entire life. The addiction is out of this world. Several times I had tried already. And every time I started again. What was it that really stopped me? Sticking to a principle stronger than the desire to smoke. Here some additional advice.

I want to stop

Do you want to stop smoking directly and you don't know how? Possibly through a course or through the help of a coach? Are you pregnant and you want to quit smoking? Or possibly you just had it with the tobacco industry and its detrimental effect to the environment, but you just don't know how to get rid of your addiction? Whatever the reason is to stop, it's a big challenge for which you can use some help.

Save money

People who stop smoking can save a lot of money. I easily spent 10 euros per week. Keep that money apart to quickly save money. Check your jar in half a year. Easily 200 euro and up to a 1000 euro if you smoke a pack a day. Use the money to buy yourself a present.

Stop smoking tips

Going cold turkey might work for some but it if you're a heavy smoker it could be better to reduce over the coarse of a week.

Tell your friends and family. Even join a support group.

Give up coffee. Coffee and cigarettes are great combination. It's much easier to stop drinking coffee and remove one association to smoke.

Drink less alcohol, don't go to smokey pubs and other places where people smoke, and where you would consequently be a passive smoker.

Eat vegetables and fruit. Eating fresh food will reduce your appetite for a ciggy.

Go work out. Spend the money you save on cigarettes on a gym subscription. Or just go for a run in the park every day.

Find other ways to deal with stress. Chewing gum, yoga, meditation.

Keep a diary, even a blog. Write a line or two every day about how you feel.

Clean your house, if you've smoked inside, keep windows open as much as possible to clean the air. Clean all ash trays and put them away.

Try nicotine replacers.

If you fail, don't give up. You'll quit smoking one day, it better not be the day you die.

E-cigarettes and Electronic smoking

Lot of people think e-cigarettes can help to stop smoking. But it's rather a replacement than solution. If quitting smoking outright is proving difficult, a cheaper alternative exists: electronic smoking. After the initial purchase of a vaporizing starter kit (prices vary, usually ranging between 20 or 50 currency), the e-liquid refill, which contains the nicotine and is inhaled through the vaporizer, costs way less than a packet of cigarettes.

E-smoking not only offers a cheaper alternative to smoking tobacco, but a healthier option as well. When vaporizing e-liquid, none of the nasty carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke are present. E-cigarettes can be used as an aid to help quit smoking altogether (the best option by far), or at least to reduce toxins in the body and financial outgoings.

The realisation that smoking is little more than a social habit and an addiction to nicotine, can help you to move on to far more rewarding social experiences, without the worry of long-term health problems.

Less dependency

In any case, if you want to live with less money, or even completely without money and you're still smoking, then to stop smoking is the only real answer. Not just because you will decrease your dependency on money and smoking, but also because it will teach you how to kick a difficult habit, such as money.

Further reading

New York Times: Quitting Smoking Cold Turkey May Be Your Best Bet

Wikipedia: Smoking cessation: "Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, and quitting smoking significantly reduces the risk of dying from tobacco-related diseases such as heart disease and lung cancer"

First image taken by Serge Melki, available under the CC-BY license.