What I learned from quitting smoking after 20 years

 

Photo by Antonino Visalli on Unsplash

"Smoking is one of the greatest and cheapest enjoyments in life, and if you decide not to smoke, I can only feel sorry for you."                                                             Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Introduction:

This is something that I am not proud of, but the reality is that I have been a smoker for the past two decades. What started as an effort to be stylish, went on to become a full-blown addiction that has cost me my health and finances. Knowing how harmful it is to my health, I have continued to indulge in this vice. There have been times that it has been enjoyable. There also have been moments where I have gone through the motions without even a hint of pleasure. Going on a day without the cancer stick was unfathomable to me. Even when the entire nation was under strict lockdown, my major worry was how to get my hands on the next packet.

It has been two months that I have been sober as far as smoking is concerned. These months have given me a new perspective in dealing with addictive behaviours. How helpful, I leave it to the reader to decide.   Even if it helps one person deal with his addictive patterns, I will consider my effort worth its while.

What does smoking do to your body:

Now there is a lot of data available to understand the harmful effects of smoking. Lung cancer, heart disease, diabetes are some of the ailments that, we expose ourselves to when we smoke. It has been shown that your chances of above mentioned increase exponentially when you are exposed to smoke. I would not like to elaborate further as most of this is available in the open sources. You can also easily find the physiological changes in your body when you give up smoking. The body gradually starts expelling the toxins. Your blood carbon monoxide levels come down. After some years of quitting, your chances of fatality, become like that of a non-smoker.

With so much knowledge and information available, why do smart, bright and educated people continue to engage in this habit? All addictive substances hijack the cognitive and limbic systems in our brain. They trigger our ancient pleasure circuits with a craving against which our logic and reason do not stand a chance. We become zombies, wanting nothing but the next fix. Our knowledge and awareness are not of much use now. Yes, you may force yourself to some extent, but the spectre for your next high will always lurk behind you and believe me he will strike when your guard is down.

Fight fire with fire:

I have always been a passionate runner all my life. My day mostly begins with a small run where I charge my batteries before I begin my day. This was always after I had smoked my early morning cigarette with my cup of black coffee. Within a week, I started to see changes in my morning run. Even with minimal effort, I shaved off 30 seconds to 45 seconds per kilometre without much effort. The feeling of fresh morning air cleansing my lungs was a lovely change from all the huffing I was used to. I started to look forward to my runs and was pleasantly surprised at my progress. This also gave me a new high, something that I needed to do early in the morning if I was to have a great day ahead. This was the precise feeling that has helped me sustain my efforts to stay away from cigarettes.

Blindly following logic or knowledge to beat addictive behaviour may or may not work. But using an addiction to beat addiction holds much more promise in dealing with bad habits. We are the sum of our daily habits. What you do daily over a sustained period will define you. You have to critically examine and introspect within yourself to weed out your unhealthy and unproductive actions. Make the prize of having a good habit or leaving a bad habit important to you, that you may regain the pleasure circuit in your head.

Anything that you indulge be it alcohol, food, television or social media, there is only one truth. Either you control it, or it will take control of you. You think that you have problems in life, and a bottle of scotch will make them go away? You know the answer. Just numbing your senses will not see you make any progress. No amount of puffing at the end of a cigarette will reduce your stress. The idea that substance abuse helps us cope up with pressure is not only archaic but absolutely incorrect. In these moments, a positive addiction to negate your negative one can be of immense potential value.

Conclusion:

For me, it was the fun I had during my morning run, it can be something else for you. Is it writing a book, starting a new venture or learning a new skill? If the end resonates with you and you feel passionate about, then make it your prize. Align your daily activities towards that prize. Remind yourself how badly you want it and what all you are ready to give up for it. Find your passion, change your habits and become the new you.

It is very early to claim victory for me. Hindsight will let me know the correctness of my path. I may well fail and relapse into self-destructive habits. Today though I am in a happy place and proud of myself. The air feels great, the food tastes delicious, and my daughters are proud of their father for trying, to become a better and healthier person.