Quit smoking for reals in 2012
Looking back, I think it was harder to take up smoking than it was to quit.
It's cringe, but I remember feeling like trash after smoking for the first time, but I wanted to be rebel and give everyone the middle finger lol, so I rode that wave (being a teenager, lol)😂
and when I quit in 2012, it was an odd process... and different from all the other times I tried to quit.
I gave in a few times and had a smoke, but unlike other times, I just picked up where I left off.
Like, sure, had a smoke, so tomorrow I will try to only have 1 smoke or less.
Also realised a lot of dumb things about myself, like a corny type of separation anxiety.
If I had the day off, I would only care about have 1 or 2 smokes in the morning MAX.
But if it was a day where I had to go out, it be like: Oh, 5 minutes before I have to shower, quick have a smoke.
I'm waking up to my morning coffee, quick try and fit 2 smokes in.
10 minutes before the bus arrives, quick, I think I can fit 2 smokes in, 10 minute walk to wherever it is I need to go, another 2 smokes, maybe 3 if I'm early.
On lunch breaks, I used to basically chain smoke for 30 minutes.
Realising this, helped a BUTT TON.
Like, half the time, was I really craving a smoke? or was I just having separation anxiety from ciggy?
Other mistakes that made me fail quitting in the past were also:
-Quitting first thing on a Monday morning, or new years day
-Telling everyone I was trying to quit
-too much avoidance: (eg: not having breaks, trying to quit everything else like coffee etc)
-keeping myself overly busy
I considered them personal mistakes because:
Monday morning, I'm already feeling irritable and like trash hence the desire to smoke, first thing in the morning isn't the best time to form new habits because you're on autopilot, and when you fail you have this backward belief that you have to wait till another markable time, like Monday or tomorrow morning etc, so it just becomes a self defeating loop
Telling people or advertising I was trying to quit made it worse, because if I did have a setback, people would be on my back about it which made me want to smoke more
avoiding smoke breaks was not a good idea for me either, turns out what I really wanted from the smoke break was the break more than the smoke, and just because you're quitting smoking, doesn't mean you have to give up everything. Take breaks, enjoy coffee, not trying to quit all your bad habits at once, etc
and while being busy is good in a sense that it's good to keep yourself distracted from cravings, I had a tendency to over plan activities and obligations to a point where I was just annoyed and wanted to smoke more lol
But here's the interesting part...
about 1 or 2 months without having a smoke, I caved in.
I remember how much I used to enjoy it, and I was filling pretty annoyed at something and thought screw it. Screw this. I'm having a smoke.
I went outside and lit up, didn't feel as great as I remember it feeling... but then when I finished the smoke I come inside, sat down and about 2 minutes in started feeling dizzy and throwing up and that sick feeling lasted all night.
That was a very pivotal moment for me.
I didn't really enjoy smoking because it made me feel this way, it wasn't THAT hard to give up in comparison to what I would feel if I tried to pick it up again.
And I never looked back, and never craved or even felt tempted to pick up another smoke.
I also quit for myself and by myself, so I guess that's another reason why I don't look back and feel tempted just out of spite 🤔
I do miss the feel of the breathing tho, so I got one of those metal stress straws and that does the trick....
I dunno, just felt like sharing my experience with quitting the cigs and thought that someone else might glean some pointers if they're thinking about quitting...
Might have even posted a story like this before, but I dunno lol
my memory is trash 😂
But yeah, if you're trying to quit and have failed a bunch of times, don't give up and it's all about figuring out what works for you, like how I figured out what was right for me and what actually helped me quit.
PS. Sorry for the novel
It's cringe, but I remember feeling like trash after smoking for the first time, but I wanted to be rebel and give everyone the middle finger lol, so I rode that wave (being a teenager, lol)😂
and when I quit in 2012, it was an odd process... and different from all the other times I tried to quit.
I gave in a few times and had a smoke, but unlike other times, I just picked up where I left off.
Like, sure, had a smoke, so tomorrow I will try to only have 1 smoke or less.
Also realised a lot of dumb things about myself, like a corny type of separation anxiety.
If I had the day off, I would only care about have 1 or 2 smokes in the morning MAX.
But if it was a day where I had to go out, it be like: Oh, 5 minutes before I have to shower, quick have a smoke.
I'm waking up to my morning coffee, quick try and fit 2 smokes in.
10 minutes before the bus arrives, quick, I think I can fit 2 smokes in, 10 minute walk to wherever it is I need to go, another 2 smokes, maybe 3 if I'm early.
On lunch breaks, I used to basically chain smoke for 30 minutes.
Realising this, helped a BUTT TON.
Like, half the time, was I really craving a smoke? or was I just having separation anxiety from ciggy?
Other mistakes that made me fail quitting in the past were also:
-Quitting first thing on a Monday morning, or new years day
-Telling everyone I was trying to quit
-too much avoidance: (eg: not having breaks, trying to quit everything else like coffee etc)
-keeping myself overly busy
I considered them personal mistakes because:
Monday morning, I'm already feeling irritable and like trash hence the desire to smoke, first thing in the morning isn't the best time to form new habits because you're on autopilot, and when you fail you have this backward belief that you have to wait till another markable time, like Monday or tomorrow morning etc, so it just becomes a self defeating loop
Telling people or advertising I was trying to quit made it worse, because if I did have a setback, people would be on my back about it which made me want to smoke more
avoiding smoke breaks was not a good idea for me either, turns out what I really wanted from the smoke break was the break more than the smoke, and just because you're quitting smoking, doesn't mean you have to give up everything. Take breaks, enjoy coffee, not trying to quit all your bad habits at once, etc
and while being busy is good in a sense that it's good to keep yourself distracted from cravings, I had a tendency to over plan activities and obligations to a point where I was just annoyed and wanted to smoke more lol
But here's the interesting part...
about 1 or 2 months without having a smoke, I caved in.
I remember how much I used to enjoy it, and I was filling pretty annoyed at something and thought screw it. Screw this. I'm having a smoke.
I went outside and lit up, didn't feel as great as I remember it feeling... but then when I finished the smoke I come inside, sat down and about 2 minutes in started feeling dizzy and throwing up and that sick feeling lasted all night.
That was a very pivotal moment for me.
I didn't really enjoy smoking because it made me feel this way, it wasn't THAT hard to give up in comparison to what I would feel if I tried to pick it up again.
And I never looked back, and never craved or even felt tempted to pick up another smoke.
I also quit for myself and by myself, so I guess that's another reason why I don't look back and feel tempted just out of spite 🤔
I do miss the feel of the breathing tho, so I got one of those metal stress straws and that does the trick....
I dunno, just felt like sharing my experience with quitting the cigs and thought that someone else might glean some pointers if they're thinking about quitting...
Might have even posted a story like this before, but I dunno lol
my memory is trash 😂
But yeah, if you're trying to quit and have failed a bunch of times, don't give up and it's all about figuring out what works for you, like how I figured out what was right for me and what actually helped me quit.
PS. Sorry for the novel
