“Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it many times.”

I overheard a senior chain-smoker quoting Mark Twain to a newbie, “Quitting smoking is easy. I’ve done it hundreds of times”. I am saying senior because he is very experienced in smoking and attempting to quit smoking. Many of my patients feel the same. One of them said, it’s easier said than done. I agree.

I never said quitting will be easy, but there will never be a better time to start quitting smoking than today. The choices you make today design your future. Smoking not only reduces your healthy life years but also of your wife, kids and other family members. Second hand smoke that you gift them slowly destroys their lungs also! There is one golden rule for getting rid of any addiction, “your desire to quit”. If you don’t have it, no medicines or counseling will help you.

I pursue all of my smoker patients to quit. All had different social and psychological issues. All of them had difficulties, many succeeded and with some, still work is in progress. I would like to share some scenarios.

Mr. D - I have desire to quit, but I’ve failed, so I have accepted my fate.

Me- there is no such thing. Every time you try to quit smoking you are actually getting closer to staying smoke free. Reduce it day by day. Know why you want to quit and keep reminding yourself those reasons.  It’s all in your head you have the power to make things seem hard or easy or even amusing. The choice is yours.

Mrs. A – I have too much work pressure, and most of my colleagues smoke. Its impossible for me to quit.

Me – nothing is impossible. Divert your mind, take a walk, drink a glass of water take a nap, get a cup of coffee or tea, practice your deep breathing and so on. Make your own list of things which you can do when you get a desire to smoke. Most helpful is to develop a new hobby which you love doing.

Mr. J - I have such a strong will power, I can leave any habit from today itself! But I tend to smoke one cigarette off and on.

Me- The process of quitting smoking doesn’t end with the last cigarette. It’s not quitting itself, the real key is staying quit. Smoking in any amount is dangerous. Whenever you feel like smoking, read the list of things it can damage in your body. Keep yourself motivated; tell your family/friends to help you stay quit. The more help you have, the better are your chances.

Mast. P (a 15 yr boy)- I have to smoke, else I’ll be social outcast. All my friends smoke. I have to fit in!

Me- “with a smoke in my hand I felt like a man”, it says right that you are a dead man. You feel you are smoking the cigarette; sadly it’s the other way around. You may enjoy the effects now, but when you will be so breathless that you have to hold someone’s hand to go to the bathroom, none of your friends will be there. If cancer doesn’t kill you fast, you will consider yourself unlucky to survive the horror of the life that will remain.

There are many such stories of success and failure to quit. It is said that, some people have to quit as many as eight times before they are successful. You will have difficulty, you may start smoking again after quitting, but don’t lose hope. Don’t quit, quitting. There are a lot of people, websites, drugs that can help you. They can help you as long as “you have the desire to quit”.