| Stopping smoking, whether it be cigarettes, cigars, or a | | | | Having read some motivational material about how to |
| pipe is not easy. Some "wag" made the remark | | | | get rid of bad habits, I remembered the advice of |
| "Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it 100 times." I don't | | | | several guru's. They suggested that to change a bad |
| remember who said it but I can tell you it is NOT easy. | | | | habit, the habit should be replaced by another habit. |
| The first step that every smoker must take is to say "I | | | | Step 3 - Pick a substitute. My first thought was the |
| will quit." Any habit that has been shown to cause lung | | | | "Lifesaver" (TM) candies. I went out an bought about |
| cancer and/or cardiovascular problems is a bad habit, | | | | 20 rolls, which I though would be enough to last me |
| and stopping may mean adding many years to your | | | | through the ordeal, which I thought might take a couple |
| life. | | | | of weeks. |
| In my own personal case, I had been smoking | | | | Step 4 - Start using the substitute every time you get |
| cigarettes from age 18 to about age 35, at which point | | | | the urge to smoke. At the end of the first week my |
| my wife in an economy move suggested that I switch | | | | teeth were hurting so bad from all the sugar, I thought |
| to smoking a pipe. I welcomed the move because | | | | they might all drop out. At this point I switched over to |
| many pipe smokers do not inhale the smoke, and this | | | | pretzels, figuring the extra salt wouldn't be as bad as |
| is a "biggy" from a health standpoint. Even smoking a | | | | the extra sugar. This worked, and after about 2 |
| pipe however is also addictive and a pipe smoker still | | | | weeks as I recall I was really over the smoking habit. I |
| gets the toxic nicotine in the system, mostly through | | | | have not had so much as one cigarette, pipe load, or |
| the mouth. To tell you how bad the habit was for me: I | | | | cigar, since that time. I am rather strong willed and |
| can still remember the panic setting in when I realized I | | | | determined, so it may not be as easy for you unless |
| had used my last match, and I searched frantically | | | | you are really strong in that respect. It is a FREE cure, |
| through all the jacket and trouser pockets in hope of | | | | because you will save way more, money-wise from |
| finding more. On some occasions I ended up lighting the | | | | not buying the smoking products, than the cost of the |
| pipe on an electric stove burner. If you've never tried it | | | | pretzels. If you can't tolerate either sugar or salt, then |
| that's quite a trick. I had thought about quitting more | | | | try raw vegetable sticks, like carrots, celery, or broccoli. |
| than once but had trouble really decided for sure. You | | | | If you try this FREE way and it doesn't work, my |
| play those "mind games" with yourself where you say | | | | suggestion is that you try one of the patches or |
| "I don't want to quit because I enjoy it so much." or "It | | | | hypnosis, whatever it takes. |
| keeps me calm, so why should I quit?" The turning | | | | Step 1 - Decide you are going to quit (this IMO is the |
| point in my "smoking career" came when I was in a 1 | | | | hardest step) |
| on 1 meeting with my boss at the time. He had been | | | | Step 2 - Set a time goal (I would guess a couple of |
| an "All American" basketball player and had never | | | | weeks from smoking to not-smoking) |
| smoked in his life, so far as I know. I lit my pipe and he | | | | Step 3 - Pick a substitute for smoking (some edible |
| started coughing. | | | | product is easiest) |
| He was very tolerant and didn't say a word to me, but | | | | Step 4 - Start using the substitute every time you feel |
| at that moment I decided I was not only endangering | | | | like smoking. |
| my health, but maybe even my livelihood, so I said to | | | | Note - DO NOT try to "taper off" instead of quitting |
| my self " This is just a bad habit so I'm going to quit. | | | | "cold turkey" because for most people it simply will |
| Step 2 - Set a time goal (a couple of weeks or so.) | | | | NOT work. |