A Guide to Stopping Smoking for Good

More and more smokers are escaping the nicotine trap for good. Through my experiences of quitting smoking I have devised this guide that, when followed carefully, should give you an excellent chance of breaking free. I dearly hope you find my words of use. Good luck.

As a smoker, saying goodbye to cigarettes is perhaps the greatest gift you can give yourself. We smoke cigarettes for a multitude of reasons, but there are, I believe, two main elements to our addiction. The principle driving force is that we are addicted to nicotine, the oily, colourless alkaloid found in tobacco (phrased like that, the cigarette loses some of its romance, don't you think?). Nicotine addiction is a chain that is easy to forge yet tricky to break, a fact evidenced by some 1.3 billion smokers worldwide. The second reason we stay hooked to tobacco is the preconditioning. Over the course of our smoking career we hardwire our brain to expect its fix at certain times: on waking up; after a meal; before (or during) a car journey; with alcohol. As a smoker, you'll be aware of how long that list runs.

Before you quit you must be sure - really sure - that you are ready. Any doubts, any caveats to your resolve, will corrode your confidence and you'll do what you've always done - return to smoking. This time has to be for good, for life. Anything less than that will not sustain you in the long run.

I smoked my first cigarette to fit in, not because the notion of breathing in fumes from a fiery white stick appealed to me. The first drag was awful. I coughed and spluttered, and vowed never to do that again. But I did. And as time swept by, I began to smoke more. I noticed that smoking made me feel calmer, more relaxed, removed this unexplained yet nagging sense of tension, if only for a while. By the time I reached my late teens I was smoking 15-20 a day and was hopelessly addicted. What had I let myself in for?

You see, nobody needs to smoke. Ever. The only way a cigarette can even appear to work is when you are addicted. A blast of smoke, which comprises chemicals such as arsenic (often used as a rat poison) and formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies), contains a small dose of nicotine, the element of tobacco that keeps us addicted. When smoking, the nicotine stimulates our central nervous system, releasing adrenaline and, moreover, dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure. As the nicotine is absorbed into our bloodstream its effect subsides. So we feel itchy and unsettled and crave another to make these uncomfortable feeling disappear. This is a cycle that will last a lifetime if you don't break it now.

Non-smokers, of course, don't need to smoke because they're not suffering from nicotine withdrawal. Smokers, however, are forced to smoke and smoke to stave off these feelings. Smoking isn't a pleasurable pastime but something smokers, like myself for many years, are compelled to do over and again to feel secure. Let's be honest. Why else, other than through necessity, would we feel the need to breath in a cocktail of deadly, poisonous, disease-causing chemicals? We do it because we have to.

But not anymore.

Quit for the right reasons. As honourable as quitting to please someone else is, using this reason alone will cause you problems down the line. You must harbour a burning desire to be rid of your addiction, for yourself. Of course, health and money are popular and valid reasons to want to quit, and you will notice the improvements in both departments, but as a driving force for quitting you need that underlying sense of striving for freedom and an understanding of your addiction.You must understand vividly why you smoke and be straining at leash to be free from this self-imposed servitude. Anything less will invite doubt, and doubt, as we will soon see, is perhaps the biggest enemy of the newly reformed smoker.

When should you quit? Straight away? When it feels right? There is no straightforward answer to this one, but it is nevertheless crucial. Those first days and weeks are the critical stage of your quit. Pick a time of hardship and turmoil and you could find your resolve slipping, your willpower overtaken by events. My advice is to pick a time when your life should (I say should, because fate often has other ideas) be more or less running as normal, the routine of your working week uninterrupted. This is because you are familiar with these moments and can prepare for those familiar smoking triggers (more on those later) in advance. A rocky period fraught with uncertainties is not, in my opinion, a good basis to attempt to quit.

I believe the best approach is to pick a date and stick to it. If, of course, something unexpected happens in your life, then you might need to rethink things. Quitting must be your first priority. If you're bogged down with other concerns, put it off - but only if you sincerely must. Give yourself enough time to prepare mentally. Think long and hard about why you're quitting. Concentrate on each cigarette you smoke: the taste, the smell, the feelings it stirs. We smoke most cigarettes without even thinking about them. Focusing on each one will show smoking in a new and distasteful light. Clear your house of paraphernalia: lighters, matches, ashtrays, dog-ends. Start as you mean to go on - a clean, smoke-free life. By all means, tell those closest to you about your decision to quit, but don't tell everyone. By doing so you'll spin a web of expectation that might feel like pressure. And what do nicotine addicts do when they're under pressure? You guessed it. They smoke.

Finally, prepare for those triggers. When you make a coffee or go about a daily chore, your preconditioned brain will expect its fix. For a fleeting moment you might well suffer a stab of despair that you can't smoke. But don't worry, the feeling will pass and can't hurt you. Except that for a while this will happen. Every time you stay focused and don't let doubt creep in, your mind will come around to its new routine. Be positive and stay focused and you'll get through moments like this with ease.

Sooner or later the planning and thinking will cease and you'll begin your new smoke-free life in earnest. From day one stay focused. If you're mind is on the job then it should be straightforward. When a trigger hits, and it will, you will have fortified your mind for these times and they will pass quickly. Cravings will come and go, but they never last long. Take a few deep breaths if needs be. And remember the huge favour you are doing yourself by ridding your life of this filthy addiction.

You might, for a while, suffer a handful of side effects. They are nothing to worry about and, moreover, are part of the healing process. Sleeplessness, headaches and nausea are a few common complaints, but bear in mind that these mild afflictions are temporary and are a cheap price-tag for a life free from nicotine addiction. You might put on a little weight, too. Try to be philosophical about it. A few stray pounds will disappear when you're able to exercise without losing your breath after mere moments. Stick to healthy food, with a few treats thrown in, and you'll be fine.

Never underestimate the power of choice. Provided you remain at all times convinced you don't want to smoke you will find quitting nothing more than a fun challenge, yet crucially one you know you're up to. Never, ever let doubt creep in. If you do, if you let that little invidious voice begin to talk you around, your resolve will begin to falter. Smoking is simply not an option. It is crucial to your success that you keep doubt under lock and key. After a while you won't even need to try. But for those initial days and weeks remain vigilant and never question your chosen path.

The image of a person lighting up and placidly breathing in a chestful of smoke with a look of undiluted serenity on their face is a common image in the media, one we've wholly bought in to. It is the sophisticated and romantic face of tobacco. All of us had those moments where tobacco seemed endlessly precious. My romantic image was holidays. The idea of sitting on a sun-soaked terrace with a cool drink and a cigarette was bliss. Yet a holiday that followed quitting was every bit as enjoyable - better in fact - without smoking. I came to realize that the terrace scene was about the icy drink and warm sun - not the cigarette. The cigarette was simply the manifestation of my addiction, a neccesary evil wheeled out to complete a scene that was, in fact, already complete. I wasn't smoking it through want, but through need. Remember, life has wonderful moments and none of them is enhanced by the deathly touch of tobacco.

Willpower is a phrase that is much quoted. Will you need it to quit? Absolutely, yes. But it is worth looking at what 'willpower' really means. The common perception of willpower in relation to quitting smoking is of a person desperately fighting the urge to smoke yet valiantly resisting. Do you want to go through life with that battle on your hands? No, of course not. The willpower you will need is applied differently. If you've taken on board what I said about smoking being nothing more than needless chemical addiction then you won't want to return to cigarettes - hence, you won't find yourself engaged in this unenviable battle. I Believe willpower is also about knowing your own mind. If you despise smoking and have made a vow to break away from it then that is all you need. Cigarettes aren't enjoyable, and with the right perception the willpower you need will come naturally to keep your mind focused on your new smoke-free life.

As the weeks turn into months smoking will slip from your mind. Don't try to forget about it; it will come naturally. Suddenly you'll realise days have gone by without a solitary thought of cigarettes. A blast of smoke from someone's cigarette will smell like what it is: a blend of harmful chemicals. You will feel healthier, more alive. Your teeth will be whiter, your fingers free from sickly yellow stains. You will walk through life the master and not the servant of nicotine.

But remember: full-blown addiction is a puff away. Never think you're safe to smoke. You're not, and smoking a cigarette will set you back to square one. All that work and commitment will be for nothing. Don't let it happen to you.

There is nothing better than that realization that you don't need to smoke. It is an unforgettable feeling, one you'll cherish. Thoughts of smoking will be so sporadic and inconsequential as to be no problem. But always keep fresh in your thoughts the reasons you quit. And if you see someone puffing away, remember that they wish they were like you: a non-smoker.

There may come a time in your life in which a cigarette seems desirable. I sincerely hope this never happens and, if it does, that you're emotionally equipped to work around it. Whatever you do, never, ever smoke. That one cigarette will do nothing to make you feel better. After all this time it will taste foul and simply pump your bloodstream full of nicotine. The demons will return. Before you know it you'll be back on twenty a day and hating it. It is a cycle, remember. It started when you were younger but now it is broken. Don't re-forge the links of addiction. Bear in mind the work you put in to quit. If tempted to smoke you've three straightforward choices. 1) Be a smoker till the day you die. 2) Go through the quitting process again. 3) Don't smoke. The third option, I'm sure you'll agree, is the most desirable. Be positive in your decision. Stay focused. And never go back.

Good luck, and remember:

This is the single greatest gift you will ever give yourself.