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Ultimate HostingThe Good Way To Give Up Smoking Is The Natural Way
The author of the article has been a life long smoker from Europe. After immigrating to the US, and being diagnosed with asthma, nearing her middle age, she was trying to quit smoking approximately on daily basis, but all of the attempts miserably failed. Nicotine gum and patches didn't work for her, hence she consulted her surgeon, who joined her in a program and suggested tablets, but that didn't her her quit smoking either. What she found was that a drastic change of routine worked excellently in her case. Somewhat amusing approach to a quite serious matter recommends that everybody wants to get what works efficiently for them, as well-known "one size fits all" approach never makes everyone satisfied.
In the first person: I was born 40 something years ago in Europe, with a cigarette in my mouth. My parents smoked, my relatives smoked, my friends smoked. My father is 82 and still a chain smoker. Smoking is an necessary part of cultural habits, meeting people, and having excitement. For a culture that lives on lanes full of cafes, smoking is not optional, it's almost obligatory.
I was 13 when I got hooked on cigarettes, enough to start budgeting part of my everyday allowance for cigarettes. Mind you, I wasn't an outsider, a straight A learner, from a well-to-do academic family, I was truly trying to fit in. At that point, and even several years later, trying to quit smoking was not even in the back of my mind. It will take me 30 more years to reach to that point.
Novelist by profession, smoking was very much a part of my everyday routine. It was accurately like it used to be in the old black and white movies - me, the typewriter, and the big ashtray with the cigarette butts piled up high. Soon after I moved to the US, the problems with my smoking ensued. They were not only of social nature any longer; they became a health concern also. Not only did I move to the Bay Area, California, which was the undeniable leader in the witch search for smokers, I was analyzed with asthma.
I could say from that moment on, 15 years before, I was trying to quit smoking on an everyday basis. There was already a severe change in place for me - I couldn't smoke at my workplace any more and I had to time my smoking habits according to the office timetable. It was harder at home since my colleague, an American, was a smoker as well.
We decided to just smoke outside the home. That didn't work at all, because, unfortunately, it's California, the weather is pleasant year around, so we both finished up only sleeping in the house, while living, eating, having friends over on the back yard terrace. It's astounding with how much yard work you can spend - our postage stamp sized back yard became more similar to jungle with heirloom tomatoes, tea roses, sweet peas, and citrus trees.
I finally quit smoking cold turkey. Two years afterward, with a new lease on life, I'm proud to say - I haven't had a cigarette since. I understand it very well: once an addict, always an addict and I had my share of night sweats, nightmares, inevitable shivers, uncontrollable crying. But I can always say it was caused by my divorce drama, not nicotine. Every now and then, during lunch break in the monetary district, I stop by someone smoking in front of their office building. Second hand smoke still smells so nice.
