It's Been a Month Since I Quit Smoking, and I Have a Lot to Say About It!

I started smoking occasionally when I was in college, just to have fun with my friends. It seemed cool and harmless back then, but 9 years later, the "just for fun cigarette" has become a necessity whenever I was feeling bored, anxious or even happy.

Back then, I planned my outings around smoking, I couldn't hang out at any place that didn't permit smoking. And during outings, between serious talks and jokes, you could smoke around 20 cigarettes without even noticing. I started feeling tired and dizzy all the time, and anxiety kicked in. It was such a horrible feeling, as I also started to run out of breath quickly. You feel OLD!

After a while, I looked at every cigarette I inhaled and wondered, what am I really doing? This is not food, and it's not a drink, it's just smoke that I am taking into my lungs for no absolute reason! I felt stupid, and I hated that feeling.

I stopped buying packs of cigarettes, and started taking ones from my friends whenever I felt like I really needed it. I hated taking cigarettes from other people, so, I asked a couple of times, and then went to buy a new pack, and I felt really bad about this; I felt like I was powerless. But while smoking the last cigarette in the pack, I said to myself that this was it, I have to stop. And that was 30 days ago.

During this month, I had to fight the urge to ask for a "just for fun" cigarette from anybody. I didn't tell anyone that I decided to quit, and I had to remind myself every day why I took that decision. I also created a calendar to count the days, and to write down how I felt every day, to monitor the progress. I had to substitute this unhealthy addiction with another healthy one, so, I started drinking water more, and I started eating raw vegetables more. Actually, munching on bell peppers and cucumbers helped me a lot when I felt like I needed a cigarette.

In conclusion, I think the decision to quit is quite easy, you just need to realize that this whole process won't be a success if you don't set your mind seriously on it. You also need to realize how a tiny cigarette controls your whole life, and you'll drop it. But what's really hard is to stay away from it, because the moment you'll feel a little bit better, you'll start telling yourself that it's okay to smoke just one every once in a while, and that my friend is your way back to the 20 cigarettes between serious talks and jokes. And please, don't listen to people who will tell you to start using a vapor; it's pointless, and it will be your new harmful addiction, and I don't need to even warn you from hookah right?