Readers' advice: Learn to say no to a cigarette

Former smokers share their experiences on how they went about kicking the butt

On November 11 we asked our readers if Indian cigarette packs should also have photos detailing the harmful effects of smoking.

Here is the third set of responses from our readers

I quit smoking after smoking heavily for 10 years. I feel happy that I can provide some help through this platform.

These are my suggestions:

The first and the foremost mantra to success is to attempt it a few times, even if you fail.

And to understand and acknowledge the fact that failure is a precursor to success.

Most of us get demoralised and hopeless, when we fail. But believe me, that is what is going to pave way for quitting it altogether.

What matters most is that you know that it is not a healthy habit and that you want to quit it.

I think these trial runs make us more focused, determined and prepared for the upcoming hurdles during the final assault on nicotine addiction.

Secondly, most of the smokers want a relevant reason to quit the habit on an urgent basis.

When I got married, the very reason that there are some lives which are dependent on me for their very existence was enough for me to quit the habit altogether.

So, a person who is sensitive to changing situations (this is one place where being sensitive helps) and who can acknowledge his responsibilities towards them will always get a relevant reason for quitting.

The timing is another important thing.

Never attempt quitting when you are under stress at work/home.

One should attempt only when one knows that the next 5-6 days will be ordinary/routine days and nothing extraordinary is expected.

Acknowledging that your mind might not necessarily be your friend every time and it can trick you to have just that one more puff, is essential.

Confronting peer pressure is another important thing to consider.

Either you be strong enough to confront those who encourage you to smoke (and discourage/bully you when you quit) or to avoid them completely.

The ability to say "NO" to certain things will help you a lot in the future.

Rest of the normal directions/suggestions you can easily find in the Internet.

Another word of motivation for you from my own experience: habits are funny things. Till you quit, you wonder how others live without it. And the moment you quit, you will again wonder, why at the first place, it held you for so long.

VS Devraj

Do you think carrying shocking photos on Indian cigarette packets will discourage desi smokers? Tell us what according to you will reduce smoking amongst young Indians.

Tell us how you quit smoking.

Send in your suggestions to getahead@rediff.co.in with the subject line: 'How I quit smoking' and we will publish the best responses right here on Rediff.com.

I was a smoker for 12 years before I decided to call it a day. I know how difficult is to quit smoking, especially if you can buy loose cigarettes instead of the whole pack.

Luckily for me I moved out of India to USA and here you have to buy by the packet.

I was hesitant to buy the entire pack as I would have to carry it home and also access to cig will make me to go for smoke breaks more often during work.
 
So I decided not to buy cigarettes. Whenever I feel like smoking I borrowed one from a smoker (cheap! but works)

Initially everyone shared a cig with me but after a while I felt ashamed to ask the same group of people again for a cig.

Once in a while I used to buy a pack for them to cover up my borrowings.

To cut the story short, the limited access I had to smoke at work and no access over weekend and after work, reduced my nicotine intake and diminished my urge to smoke over a period of time.
 
This worked wonders as I never felt the urge after some time. I always had gum to chew and snacks, as sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between craving for food (hungry) and urge for nicotine.
 
With this approach and a timeframe of one year in mind, I was able to give up my cigarette. I kicked the butt.
 
Sumit Mathur

Giving up smoking is one of the most difficult things to do.

People try to give up cigarettes and start again cribbing work, feeling tired or praising beautiful weather, or some small reasons.

A very famous one liner goes: "Smokes go well with alcohol"

People get addicted to smokes just because its easy to buy, low cost, can smoke every where (well we do have rule, rules on boots that's very common), most of the guys smoke or would have started smoke to have a manly image during the college days and now as early as school days.

Yeah I am not a guy who is dead against smokes, just scratching my head to find a way to leave smokes. Another famous one liner:" I can leave smokes easily" "I am not addicted" then why don't you try, lot of blokes just do not have guts to try it out, actually its very difficult, you could experience lot of mood changes, imbalances in thinking, all sort of emotional problem, and the love and drive towards smokes increases everyday and it starts the moment we decide to leave, and the last drag enjoy story never ends.

To the best of my understanding the following methods do work

Leave now or never: It's of no use to try or reduce smokes to one a day /5 a day. If we decide to leave smokes should leave it for god sake.

Write down in a piece of paper: "I have the confidence to leave smokes, its not bothering me, and I do not loose anything leaving smokes, leaving smokes makes my health better, have left a disaster in my life" read this whenever you feel like smoking, automatically it will have a positive effect on your sub conscious mind and the smoking temptation slowly fades away.

Tell to everyone: tell you are leaving smokes to everyone, every one you are associated with, your colleague, your driver, your boss, friends, your bench mate (in case if your still in college or even school).

This will kick your ego up, and the ego will act upon and will help you leaving smokes.

What I mean to say is you would be too ashamed to lose your word, thereby your name, and you would feel sick to hear 'you can never leave smokes, then why the hell you are mucking it up after creating a scene'.

Every one of us have ego, most of the times we use our own ego for our downfall and negative side, why not use it once for a positive effect.

Don't start with some other: don't start to use tobacco, or having too many chew strips just to avoid smokes, there by you need another set of effort to leave the newly acquired habit/ or skill what ever you want to call.

Guess people can test their mind and proving to themselves more importantly, how to stop something which we habited. I go me it will create a positive effect, display confidence; this could have a terrific output in your work and family.

Vijay N

Do you think carrying shocking photos on Indian cigarette packets will discourage desi smokers? Tell us what according to you will reduce smoking amongst young Indians.

Tell us how you quit smoking.

Send in your suggestions to getahead@rediff.co.in with the subject line: 'How I quit smoking' and we will publish the best responses right here on Rediff.com.