You Can Do It!

“How To FINALLY Stop

Smoking...Once and For All”

By Joe Blow

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 INTRODUCTION
Every Dark Cloud Has a Silver Lining
One remarkable thing about this world we are
living in is that nothing is perfect. And this element of
imperfection has seeped its way into everything and
everybody, which is probably why we’re always hearing,
“no one is perfect.“

But in my opinion, there’s a lot of hope and

encouragement embedded in this statement because it
helps us to accept ourselves as human beings - with all
our inherent weaknesses and imperfections. Oh yes we all
have them. We have our share of bad (you may read that
as not-so-good) habits and deep down inside us there is a
murky something from which all these base cravings and
the tendency to cling on to them take birth.

But even when it comes to bad habits, there is a

ray of hope. Just like every dark cloud has a silver lining,
deep down inside us there is something that cries out in a
very plaintive voice. And it is this something that makes
us squirm when we think about the habit as such.

The moment somebody starts talking about our

habit, we feel queasy. The fact is, even we know that
something has to be done about it and it is this feeling
that makes us squirm. This silver lining is what makes us
take sneak peeks at manuals like this one, which are like
stepping stones towards quitting the habit.

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 Most people know what is good for them and what
is bad. Come on we all live in a very civilized society and
all of us are more or less fairly well educated. But then,
why is it that certain people develop certain habits and
others do not? The reason is pretty simple. We all are
products of the circumstances we grew up in. That is the
simple reason why some of us like doing some thing while
the others do not.

Before you proceed any further, I would like to tell

you that this manual that you are about to read is not a
“do this don’t do that” kind of manual. In fact, many of
the things printed here are just common sense and won’t
seem completely knew or earth-shattering to you.

But I think you’ll agree that KNOWING doesn’t

always equate to DOING. This manual is about getting
you to DO.

The essence of this book is to show you how to quit

smoking. But this book has been written in such a
comprehensive manner that it is targeted at making you
a whole new person who is determined to live life to the
fullest.

Hats Off
But before we proceed any further, I would like to
take a moment to take my hat off to you and
congratulate you very warmly for deciding to take a look
at this book. Come on, we’re all sensible enough to know
that you didn’t just happen upon this book.

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 And when you decided to order it, you made the
realization (either consciously or subconsciously) that
smoking is a bad habit...and one you need to kick. In my
opinion, that took bravery.

I always admire brave people and that is why I said

that I want to congratulate you. It requires a lot of
courage and will power to accept that you have a habit
that has to be changed. You ought to feel very good
about yourself. It is no easy task to accept ones
weaknesses.

In fact, if everyone in this world started accepting

his or her weaknesses, well then heaven would indeed be
a place on earth. But let us leave heavenly things aside
and come to very worldly things, because this problem is
indeed a very worldly one, which does promise certain
heavenly results if it is not addressed as soon as possible.
Got the idea? No? Well, does the picture of a harp, wings
and a halo ring a bell?

Sit Up and Take Notice

Most of us know that smoking is indeed a habit that
can have many serious implications on our health but
there is a tendency to view the problem lightly. It’s
important that every smoker be aware of the facts
concerning smoking and so I have included certain facts
and figures that I hope will serve as eye openers.

I don’t know how it is with you, but as far as I am

concerned as soon as I have to look at statistics, my eyes
get bleary and something just turns off in my head. But

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for your own good I implore you to take a good look at
the statistics given below, remember, it could save your
life.

The World Health Organization has been studying

smoking trends and statistical patterns across the globe
and has come up with the following statistics:

• A good deal of variation exists from one part of the

world to another. Many more women smoke in
Eastern Europe than in East Asia and the Pacific
Region. Eastern Europe itself has a particularly high
rate of smoking, with up to 59 percent of adult
males smoking.

• As with other substances of abuse, such as alcohol

and cocaine, the global frequency of tobacco use
varies by social class, historical era, and culture.
Historically, smoking had been a pastime of the
rich. This trend has changed dramatically in recent
decades. It appears that economically advantaged
men in wealthier countries have been smoking less.
The more years of education you've had, the less
likely you are to be a smoker.

• Most smokers begin early in life, before they

are 25 years old. According to World Health
Organization studies, the majority of smokers in
affluent countries begin in their teens. A decline in
the age of starting smoking has been observed
worldwide.

• As a wannabe quitter, you're in excellent company.

People all over the world are trying to quit and stay
away from cigarettes. There appears to be a

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 correlation between a country's standard of living,
level of education, and income and the number of
people who have quit smoking. The more and
better-informed people are, the more likely they
are to quit smoking.

Current estimates are that over 1 billion people in

the world smoke. (In other words, approximately one in
three adults on the planet smokes.) The majority of these
smokers reside in countries on the low end to the middle
of the socioeconomic spectrum. Of this majority, about 80
percent live in low- and middle-income countries. The
total number of smokers worldwide is expected to keep
increasing.

But are things in the USA any better? Not really, as

you can see for yourself in the figures of National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics

In the United States, an estimated 25.6 million

men (25.2 percent) and 22.6 million women (20.7
percent) are smokers. These people are at higher risk
of heart attack and stroke. The latest estimates for
persons age 18 and older show...

• Among whites, 25.1 percent of men and 21.7

percent of women smoke

• Among black or African Americans, 27.6 percent

of men and 18.0 percent of women smoke

• Among Hispanics/Latinos, 23.2 percent of men

and 12.5 percent of women smoke

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 • Among Asians (only), 21.3 percent of men and
6.9 percent of women smoke

• Among American Indians/Alaska Natives (only),

32.0 percent of men and 36.9 percent of
women smoke

• Studies show that smoking prevalence is higher

among those with 9-11 years of education (35.4
percent) compared with those with more than 16
years of education (11.6 percent). It's highest
among persons living below the poverty level (33.3
percent).

And These Figures Spell Death...

• One out of every five deaths is caused by

tobacco

• An average of 400,000 Americans die each year

from tobacco

• Tobacco to blame for many serious pulmonary and

cardiovascular diseases

• Tobacco and nicotine are some of the most potent

carcinogens and are to blame for a majority of all
cancers of the lung, trachea, bronchus, larynx, and
esophagus

• Tobacco use also produces cancers in the pancreas,

kidney, bladder, and cervix

• Impotency is sometimes to blame from addiction to

nicotine because of its ability to reduce blood flow

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 • Smoking is an important risk factor for respiratory
illnesses, causing 85,000 deaths per year from
pulmonary diseases such as chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease and
pneumonia

• Children and adolescents who are active smokers

will have increasingly severe respiratory illness, as
they grow older

• Smoking during pregnancy causes about 5-6% of

prenatal deaths, 17-26% of low-birth-weight
births, and 7-10% of pre-term deliveries, and it
increases the risk of miscarriage and fetal growth
retardation

• Cigarettes are responsible for about 25% of

deaths from residential fires, causing nearly
1,000 fire-related deaths and 3,300 injuries each
year

How Does One Become a Smoker?

Nobody becomes a smoker as a result of will
power. In fact it is the other way round. Can you imagine
somebody as a child making up his or her mind that when
he or she grows up he or she will become a chain smoker
determined to smoke at least 30 cigarettes a day?
Nobody in his or her normal senses would do that.

Then why do so many people become smokers? Let

us sit and think about it for a minute. Of course there are

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a lot of other reasons like the ones I have listed below but
I would like to pin point to one specific reason, which I
have added, at the end of the list.

Many, in fact most people become smokers as a

result of an experiment. What often starts as an
experiment becomes an experience and before they know
it, it becomes a pattern. So let us examine some of the
factors that contribute towards making a person a
smoker, chain or other wise.

Peer pressure. One bad apple is enough to make a

whole barrel of apples bad. And during the age of
thoughtless youth (most people develop the habit before
the age of 25) every one is ready to take up a dare. So
when peers compel others to take a puff, one just has to
take a puff or else face the danger of being branded as
“chicken” or “goody-two-shoes.”

Availability. Cigarettes are available every where and

almost any body can get them and that is one major
factor that contributes to the development of the habit.
Another reason is that cigarettes are so damn cheap!

Aping. Movie stars and other celebrities who smoke look

so cool, and this is more than enough reason for
youngsters to start smoking just to copy their matinee
idol.

The Feel Good Syndrome. Cigarettes are often

identified with the “cool factor” and so it is a great way to
impress others if you can delicately balance the cigarette
between two of your fingers and blow up a puff of smoke
while you are in your friends' circle.

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Stress busters. Cigarettes are often wrongly identified
as stress busters and one of the best ways of driving
away sleep. So when we see others resorting to the habit,
we are tempted and even coaxed into taking a puff. If
one parent smokes there is a 25% chance that the child
too will grow up into a smoker. If both parents smoke,
there is a 75% chance that the child will become a
smoker.

Attitude. This is a good one, but strangely enough this

cause is seldom identified as one of the reasons for
picking up the habit. One thing about most of us is that
there is a rebellious strain in all of us. There is something
in us that generates an urge to protest against existing
rules and norms and during our teenage, what better way
to express our defiance than by sporting a lighted
cigarette between our fingers or lips.

Wet Paint
It is not just some thing about smoking. It is a
general tendency of every human being. The moment
some body tells us not to do something a strong feeling
develops in us to do the very thing that we were asked
not to do. If you want to understand what I mean, just
consider how people really want to touch and get the wet
paint on their hands in spite of a big sign that says ‘wet
paint’.

There are many laws which we can’t break for fear

of ending up in a cell, but there is no such law against
smoking and so it’s just one big, “it’s my life” kind of
attitude that makes most youth pick up the habit.

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 We are all intelligent to know what a message
means. When we read the statutory warning that says,
“Cigarette smoking is injurious to health” we know what it
means. Even a kid knows what it means. It is not like a
bolt from the blue. Ignorance is the last thing that we can
connect to the habit of cigarette smoking. But then when
we see a sign that says ‘wet paint’ it is very much the
same thing. The message is loud and clear that the paint
is wet but yet we have to touch and make sure.

Cigarette smoking may be dangerous to health but

just how dangerous is something that we have to
convince ourselves about. But the sorry fact is that unlike
wet paint, we just can’t wash of the effects of smoking
with water or turpentine. Nor do the effects fade over
time, they just worsen. Smoking is not something that we
can experiment with. You just can’t take a risk like smoke
for a couple of years and say, “look guys, I survived.” It
is a matter of life and death.

Smoke Signals
Then you might ask, if every body knows that it is
such a dangerous habit, then why do so many people still
become, and continue to remain smokers. Well, the
reason is because of a paradox that is involved in the
habit of smoking.

If all those who smoked, kicked the bucket at the

end of the month, then nobody would even think of
smoking. But the paradox is that not everyone who
smokes hits the grave that fast. Smoking as a habit is a

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slow killer. It does not paint all smokers with the same
brush of death. On the other hand it is like a florist who
picks a few flowers here and a few flowers there to adorn
the house but at the same time leaves some flowers on
the plant so that the garden does not remain bare.

The problem is that because cigarette smoke as a

killer is so choosy, most smokers just keep on hoping that
he or she will remain on the plant in the garden forever.
In this modern age when we are all so educated and well
informed, isn’t it kind of silly to leave ourselves in the
hands of fate and just keep hoping that we won’t be next.
The funny thing is that we do have a choice.

But there’s more to the story. The matter of choice

is something that exists only in the initial stages. At that
time it’s just a puff here and just a puff there, more to
impress others than any thing else. But soon enough
things start slipping out of our control and before we
know it we just can’t do with out our daily dose of
nicotine in whatever proportions we demand it.

Nicotine Is Addictive
Here is where the problem lies: addiction. The sad
thing is that most people don’t realize this.

They puff away on their cigarettes and attach a lot

of definitions to it. I have taken care to include some of
the most popular excuses that people attach to their habit
of smoking.

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EXCUSE #1 - It relieves stress
It really doesn’t. Your body and mind are capable
of handling a lot of stress and you do not need any
alkaloid to lend external support. The fact is that once
your brain is addicted to nicotine, it kind of weakens and
becomes unable to handle problems. The result is that
you get stressed up very fast and your brain starts
demanding its doze of nicotine. When you puff away, you
give it the nicotine and you feel as if your stress is
relieved.

EXCUSE #2 - It drives away sleep

Sleep is a natural response of the body. Our body
needs rest and it has the right to demand this rest from
time to time. When you take a puff, the alkaloids go
straight to your brain and interfere with the working thus
confusing the brain. You might be able to ward off sleep
but you are in fact interfering with the functioning of your
brain, which is indeed playing with fire.

EXCUSE #3 - It perks me up
Maybe, but isn’t that a kind of external perk? Isn’t
that another way of saying, I am unable to keep in high
spirits by myself so I need to depend on cigarettes? Hey,
look at all those little children, they are always in the
highest of spirits and they do not need any alkaloids for
that. You should lessen the burdens on your shoulders
and take life as it comes.

Most people wrongly think that it is only narcotic

drugs that are addictive. This is a very wrong notion
indeed. Nicotine too is as addictive as any narcotic. Once
you get used to it, it is not going to be easy to break
away from it.

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 An Unfair Battle
Let’s take a moment to ponder over our bodies.
They are such remarkable things. Just think of all those
activities that are going on so harmoniously inside our
bodies. Most of these activities and functions go on with
out our own knowledge. It’s almost like a well oiled
machine.

And think of the count less number of times when

you have fallen ill and how this remarkable body has
fought back and won the battle. Forget about giving
credit to it. None of us do that. But the least we can do is
lend it a helping hand.

The world we are living is horribly polluted. And as

it is the body has a colossal task of fighting off all those
toxins. And here we are pulling in loads and loads of toxic
smoke as many times a day as possible. The body will
pull on as long as it can, and in the end, one fine day it
will put its foot down and say “enough is enough, go
ahead cough up and die,” and really we cannot blame it
at that time.

The battle is already unfair, so the least we can do

is help by not consciously contributing our own share of
toxins to this body that is already waging a fierce battle in
this polluted world.

I guess we have said enough about smoking, now

let’s talk about what we really intended to talk about and
that is how to stop smoking. But before we proceed any
further, I want to give you a word of caution. It’s not
going to be easy. This is an exercise that will put your

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nerves, your muscles and every cell in your body to the
utmost level of endurance. But in the when you triumph,
you will realize that it was worth it.

After all, it is a matter of life and death. And

believe me you can do it once you make up your mind. I
can tell you that with all the authority in the world
because right now you are being addressed by a person
who quit being a chain smoker and is now a total non
smoker. That’s right, me!

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 Step 1: The Decision
The Difference Between Wanting and
Deciding

Let’s get one thing straight. Wanting is very

different from deciding. It may seem like the same thing
but really it’s not. There is a sea of difference between
wanting to quit and actually deciding to quit. You have
probably wanted to quit the very day that you started
smoking, but as can be clearly seen, it just didn’t happen.

On the other hand, deciding is a very serious issue.

It is something that can affect our self esteem and our
dignity because once we decide then we have to stick to
the decision right? And that is not going to be easy.

Any decision that one takes must be based on

sound common sense and in the case of smoking too, this
holds true. I would support any smokers decision to quit;
but my request to every such prospective quitter is that
they should get their facts right.

The problem is that if the prospective quitter is not

proceeding in the right track, there is a greater tendency
to fail. And once a person tries and fails, it is going to be
all the more difficult to break the habit.

The Actual Decision

Before we come to the real decision we might have

to do some serious thinking. The decision to quit smoking
is not something that can hit your mind in the middle of

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work. You need to feel composed and have everything
well within your control. You need to sit and think about it
for at least ten minutes. Oh yes ten minutes is more than
enough time.

You have to remember what I told you the odds

are all against it. You have to work really hard to think of
a reason to go on smoking “the feel good” thing is not
good enough an argument. Obviously you are going to
end up feeling terrible maybe within the next couple of
months if you do not break the habit. So there is
absolutely no point in dwelling on temporary pleasures.

What I would suggest would be to browse through

this manual, an exercise that would hardly take you ten
to fifteen minutes and then sit and think about it for
another ten minutes and then hit the right button (which
means take the right decision). Hey, come on, we’re just
talking about half an hour of your time. Surely any one
can spare half an hour of their time for a matter of life
and death...their own life and death to be precise.

Right, so now that we’ve done the serious thinking,

all we have to do is make up our minds. Please remember
that it is not the decision making that is difficult. It is
sticking to the decision that is going to be the difficult
part. So go ahead and make up your mind.

Let the World Know

Once your mind is made up, you have a very

important thing left to do. You have to announce your
decision to quit smoking to as many people as possible.

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Tell all your friends that you have decided to quit and ask
them earnestly to help you as much as they can.
Remember, that bit is not going to be an easy task and
you are going to need all the help in the world so it is all
the more better that a lot of people know about your
decision to quit.

There is one good thing about letting others know

about decision to quit. It makes you more accountable. It
lessens down your chances of taking a sneak puff. Having
people who support you all around you, keeps you
distracted from that great pull. And believe me it is a lot
easier to stick to promises made in public than to keep
promises made in private.

In one word, it just makes you all the more

accountable. Hey you have a word to live up to, and the
fear of being scorned and ridiculed by others for breaking
your promise is a strong force that can keep you going.
Discuss your decision with your family, tell them about
your decision and the difficulties that you are going to
face. Tell them that you are going to need their support
and help ad that it is not going to be easy for you.

An excellent thing you could do is draft out a

contract for your self about your decision to stop smoking
and sign it. It would be an awfully good decision to hang
up this contract for all to see so that the next time you
take a puff and somebody sees you with the contract
above you ganging on the wall; they would at least raise
an eyebrow.

It is best if you can get one or two others to quit

smoking with you. Quitting smoking is a lot like loosing
weight, so it is best if it can be done in small groups. If

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your partner also smokes then it’s a wonderful thing for
both of you to take the decision to together so that you
can go on backing and encouraging each other.

A Formidable Foe
The battle is not going to be easy, because you will
be pitted against a very formidable foe. Most people tend
to under estimate the intensity of the issue. Again I
repeat that quitting is not an easy task. I would
recommend that you do not measure the size of the
enemy by the size of the cigarette. Size does not matter
sometimes. After all a stick of dynamite is not very big
but just consider the amount of damage that it can bring
about.

It is not just one cigarette that you are going to be

fighting against. Consider that great chunk of humanity
that has been removed from the face of the earth just
because of tobacco. You have the statistics given above
to prove it. If so many people have succumbed to
cigarette smoke, then obviously it’s no ordinary killer.

That is why it is highly recommended that you

approach the issue only after thorough preparation. I
suggest that you compare yourself to a commando who’s
preparing to venture into a thick forest shrouded with
danger to rescue a hapless child from the clutches of
some hardened criminals. Such a commando would be
armed to the teeth. He would have been taught all the
survival skills and would be a force to reckon with.

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 The commando would be constantly on his guard
and even while resting his eyes and ears would be alert.
Success for him is not a matter of luck but comes as a
natural consequence of his training, his skills and his
alertness. He’s brave, he’s sharp, he has nerves of steel
and that is just what you must try to be. This battle
should be fought to be won, because just like for the
commando, for you too this is a matter of life and death.

A Myth to Break
First, let us break a myth. Most smokers
honestly believe that they can quit at any time they
want. This is far from reality. The fact is that most
smokers can’t just do that. The decision to quit is not
something that is wholly controlled by the brain.

This exercise of control by the brain happens only

in the first few days. After that, the brain or mind takes
the back seat. It will seem as if the whole body is
screaming out for more and more, and the brain has no
choice but to comply. As we can see, every part of our
body is connected and the brain too prefers to toe to line.

So when a smoker believes that he or she can quit

at any time that he or she wants, then the person is
actually fooling himself or herself. I don’t want to under
estimate any body. I agree that some people do have
more will power than others. But what I would like to
point out is that we are talking about a force that is more
than just a physical or mental control. We are talking
about withdrawal symptoms.

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 Withdrawal Symptoms, What’s That?
This is the stumbling block over which many a
would-be quitter trips. The problem with many smokers is
that they fail to recognize these symptoms as symptoms.
A withdrawal symptom is something that a person
experiences once he or she stops using a substance that
gives them a kick. Opps, is that too hard to digest? Well,
let’s try to make it simpler.

There are many things that are identified with

substance abuse. Alcohol is one of them, narcotic drugs
are another and tobacco is in no way to be left behind.
The problem, or let us say that the similarity among all
these substances, is that once one gets used to them,
breaking away is not easy.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the fear of

deprivation of the pleasantly high feeling that drives the
person to use the substance again and again so that it is
used, misused and eventually abused. The person returns
for his or her daily shot because of certain altered
conditions in the body. These substances are indeed very
potent and they affect certain specific spots or centers of
the brain.

The brain quickly gets used to these alterations and

then before we know it, these centers of the brain cannot
do without the daily doze of the substance. The brain did
not ask for the substance in the first place but we gave
them to it. When we experience that pleasantly high
feeling we do not bother about the changes that are
taking place within.

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 It is common knowledge that the entire processes
carried about in the brain are maintained by a delicate
balance of the various chemical salts there. Once we start
using substances like the above mentioned tobacco,
narcotics and alcohol, the balance of these chemical salts
gets altered. The body as I mentioned earlier is a self
adjusting machine and so this new chemical balance is
established and it takes no time for the brain cells to get
adjusted to the new balance.

Then when the brain cells do not get what is

required to maintain the new balance (read that as the
daily puffs) things go hay wire. The old balance was
disturbed and altered and a new balance was set up. But
this new balance is not the real natural thing. It is
something that has to be artificially supported and when
that daily, or timely dose of nicotine does not get to the
brain, the new balance gets upset.

That is when a person gets those peculiar feelings,

which can be broadly called the withdrawal symptoms.
You know what I am talking about don’t you? Haven’t you
felt uneasy and jittery when you were unable to get that
puff? It’s a strange kind of feeling isn’t it?

It’s a feeling that can only be soothed when you

take that long refreshing pull of highly toxic smoke. Some
people break into a sweat, some get the tremors, some
feel queasy, some get constipated…

All these are withdrawal symptoms, so unless you

prepare yourself to face the pressure of withdrawal,
you’re going to face a losing battle.

Psst…let’s not leave out an important detail...

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 The new balance in the brain that was established
with the help of the used substance can indeed be
broken. I’m not saying that it is easy but once you start
conditioning your brain, that it just not going to get what
it wants, that is the external substance, the brain will be
left with no alternative than to go back and restore the
old balance.

Of course the brain is not going to give up without

a fight and that is what we are going to experience as the
withdrawal symptom. Initially the brain had been doing all
too well without the help of any external substance; and
then we made the brain become dependent on
something. So when we stop using that something, it is
only a matter of time before the brain goes back to its
original state of functioning. All we have to do is to
muster up the will power to over come the withdrawal
symptoms that might set in.

But again I do admit that it is easier said than

done. In the end, however, knowing that withdrawals will
come (and recognizing them as such), is a vital part of
the quitting process.

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 Step 2: Prepare Yourself
Again and again I want to stress on the fact that
this is a task that can be achieved only if you are well and
truly prepared. There is an old saying that says “well
begun is half done,” and the same thing rings true in the
matter of quitting as well.

So let us hit the different buttons that are part of

the preparation. As I mentioned earlier, it is not just
enough that you know that you are trying to quit
smoking. All those who move around closely with you
must be let into the affair. This includes your family, your
friends, your colleagues and -brace yourself for this- your
boss as well. Now, that might sound a bit strange, what
the hell has your boss got to do with your attempt to quit
smoking?

The answer is simple, if you tell your boss that you

are trying to quit smoking it gives you one more reason
to go for it with a resolute mind because no body would
want to stand sheepishly in front of a boss and say
something like, “well I kind of gave up I guess.”

Do NOT Take It Lightly…

Smoking is not a joke and quitting is even a more
serious affair so it is best that you approach the problem
with all the seriousness of the affair. It would be best if
you prepared yourself mentally, emotionally and
physically for the change. And it doesn’t stop with that.
You should also prepare your surroundings. Get rid of any

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thing and every thing that reminds you of smoking. This
includes things like ash trays, packets of cigarettes.

It would also be a good idea to put up signs and

reminders that smoking is injurious to health and that
you are trying to quit smoking so that you really get the
hang of it. Try to come up with original stuff if you want.
If you can make them funny then it is going to be all the
better but these signs should also be morale boosters,
they should make you feel good about what you are
trying to do and should make you feel that it is worth the
effort.

You could try messages like:

• “Only the BRAVE HEARTS can quit smoking!”

• “I said YES to life today when I said NO to
Nicotine”
• “SMOKE has 5 letters...so does DEATH”

Or my personal favorite...

I said NO to my daily SMOKE

‘Cos this life of mine is not a joke
I want to live on like an oak
Smokers’ lives end early in coughs and chokes

This last bit is something I penned when I was

trying to quit smoking. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s
corny, but it proved to be very useful for me. I hope it will
have the same effect on you. Now we have another
important task to do and that is preparing our selves
emotionally for the change that might take place.

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 The main thing is to get your mind of smoking and
for that you have to find a substitute for it. There are
many other things that you could practice when you get
the urge to smoke. I will list out the things that you could
do here. Then you could choose the ideal thing to do
according to your life style.

Music

Music is a wonderful way of getting your mind off

that urge to smoke. If you have fixed times for getting a
smoke like after meals or during the coffee break you
could try playing something very soothing using a walk
man and head phones so that you do not disturb others
though you might attract attention. Another thing you
could do is that you could play music on your computer if
you have a work station all to your self.

Music is a wonderful stress reliever. I do not want

to emphasize on any particular type of music because
tastes differ.

Meditation

Meditation is also an excellent way of helping you

to get better control over your mind. It is not a very great
thing too. Any body can learn the art with a little bit of
practice. Now I hope you will pardon me if I digress a bit
from our topic and give you a few essential points on how
to meditate because this as I see it is the best method of
helping you to gain better control over you mind and
there by get over that urge to take in that puff of smoke.

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 The simplest method of mediation that you could
practice by yourself would be to sit in a very comfortable
position with your eyes closed. In the initial stages you
may find your mind drifting but gradually you will learn to
focus more and more. The idea behind meditation is not
to cut out all the forces around you but to become one
with them. I have seen people plug their ears with cotton
to shut out sounds. But that is not the purpose that we
wish to achieve. On the contrary we should focus on the
sounds around us.

Be aware of them, listen to them. First listen to

the bigger sounds around you like the traffic or machines
or even loud music from your neighbor’s apartment. Then
listen to the softer sounds like the drone of the
refrigerator, or the A/C. And then bring your attention to
the sound of your own breathing. If you can actually hear
yourself breathing then you have arrived and this is what
you have to keep doing.

It would be useful if you could try to focus on some

inner picture that you could conjure up in your mind. By
inner picture I mean an image that you can concentrate
on for example the flame of a lighted candle or a single
flower on a plant. Try and see how long you can keep
your mind focused on such an image. If the image blurs
immediately and is replaced by something else, then you
need to work on it. Gradually you will see that you can
keep your mind focused on the same thing for more than
ten minutes.

That means that you have arrived. Once you have

reached this stage and have begun to practice it without
fail, you will see that it can give you immense mental

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strength. Then the next time you get an urge to smoke,
all you have to do is sit put where ever you are, close
your eyes and meditate. The urge will have vanished by
the time you open your eyes. Meditation not only drives
away the urge but gives you control over your mind.

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises too can prove to be useful in

controlling the urge to smoke. It is common knowledge
that the human body takes in a lot of toxic substances,
both through the air and through food and drink. Apart
from this, various toxins are also released in the body as
a result of the various processes that are going on. These
toxins have to be released on a continuous basis or else
they will accumulate in the body with serious results.

One of the best ways of releasing these toxins is by

means of exhaling while breathing. One funny fact is that
most of do not breathe properly. Just take a look at the
picture like this. With each breath that we take, we take
in oxygen. This oxygen is carried by the blood to every
cell of the body and every cell must indeed get enough
oxygen not just to survive but to remain healthy as well.

So it is imperative that we make an honest attempt

to breathe properly. But first of course we have to make
sure that we are breathing in unpolluted air. The time
best for breathing exercises is early in the morning when
the air is comparatively unpolluted. Now what you have
to do is this. Again, sit comfortably so that there is no
strain to any part of your body. It is not imperative that

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you close your eyes, but I have always noticed that the
exercise works better when the eyes are closed.

When you are ready, what you have to do is to

breathe in deeply and slowly, and feel the fresh air filling
up your lungs until it just can’t take any more. Conjure up
images of the air encircling throughout your body and
reaching every cell, literally bathing it with oxygen. Of
course it doesn’t happen that way but the image helps a
lot. Then hold your breath for a few seconds and then
very slowly exhale letting out all that foul air.

Again conjure up an image of all the toxins being

released from your body. Every cell has become free of
the burden it was carrying. Now pause for a second or
two and again breathe in deeply, slowly letting your lungs
fill up with all that good, clean, rejuvenating air. Repeat
this exercise at least ten times and take your time for it
taking care not to rush through.

When you have done that part of the exercise it is

time for the second part. Again sit with your eyes closed,
but this time, keep one nostril closed with the help of
your index finger. It is best to close the right nostril first
and that too with your right index finger. Now breathe in
deeply and slowly through your left nostril keeping the
right nostril closed. When you have held air for a second
or two, release your right nostril and breathe out through
it.

While you are breathing out conjure up an image of

all the toxins being released form your head and the brain
especially. And as you breathe in conjure up images of
the clean air circulating though out your brain freeing it of
all the worries and trouble and lightening it.

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 Repeat this exercise with the other nostril closed
and in this way alternate between the nostrils at least ten
times. The entire breathing exercise need not take more
than ten minutes. But you will be surprised at how light
hearted and free you will feel after the exercise. Once you
have practiced it for three or four mornings, you will be in
a position to do the exercise each time you get the urge
to smoke. The breathing exercise can easily become a
substitute for the urge to take in that hourly doze of
nicotine.

An Experiment
Now, I want you to try something. It’s a little gory,
I admit, so I’ll apologize for that right up front. Here’s
what I want you to do next...

While you are doing this breathing exercise and

feeling all those cells perk up, just think for a minute
about what happens when you’re inhaling the hot,
fuming, toxic, carcinogenic smoke from a cigarette.
Visualize the smoke circulating through your body and
slowly killing all the cells that it comes in contact with.
Watch as it slowly but surely pollutes your entire body,
and then see yourself finally succumbing to it one day.

I know this experiment is tough to deal with, but

it’s important that you understand the hideous crime that
you commit against your body each time you smoke a
cigarette, compared to the good you do your body by
inhaling clean, natural oxygen.

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 Try Something Else
When you get the urge to smoke try using
something else like a chewing-gum or a toffee. Try things
that have strong flavors like menthol, mint or spiced with
something like cardamom. It is even better if you can get
your hands on spices like cloves or cardamoms; they
really help a lot though you could burn your mouth if you
take in more that a teeny weenie bit. You should not
swallow these things immediately, but should bite into
them and then let the taste linger in your mouth for a
couple of minutes. You might experience numbness in
your mouth but it helps take away the urge to smoke.

But please note that these things can be addictive

too, so try alternating among chewing gum, candy,
chocolate, spices and maybe even coffee.

Make a list of all the smokers around you who you

know closely. And then what you have to do is STAY
AWAY FROM THEM. Unless they too are trying to quit,
keep a very safe distance from them. If you had a habit
of smoking with them at fixed times, take special care to
steer very clear of them at those fixed times.

Don’t Put It Off

Most people - in fact, I should say all of us - have a
habit of putting off things for another day. This habit is
called procrastination and it’s the guardian angel of
smoking. As long as we have this habit of procrastination,
we are never going to stop.

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 The funny thing about procrastination is that we
only tend to postpone unpleasant tasks. The good things
in life we try to do as early as possible and the things that
involve hard word, giving up comforts, or a little bit of
pain, we try to put off till the last possible date.

The dangerous thing over here is that in the case

of most smokers there no real last possible date. Many
people become serious about quitting after a first heart
attack or a stroke. Don’t tell me that you too are waiting
for a real warning like that. If we are waiting for a
doctor’s warning, then we can’t be too far from falling
terminally ill. There is absolutely no sense in putting it off.

There is a law in Physics that was put forward by

Sir Isaac Newton. It states that a body continues to be in
a state of rest or of uniform motion until an external force
is applied. This same rule is true in the case of smoking
as well. Smoking is not a habit that can die a natural
death all of a sudden. It is something that has to be
worked on. It is something that involves a lot of restraint
and control. The only cases in which I have seen a
smoker stop at one go is when the doctor shook his head
and said “I’m sorry but you have only a few months left
to live.”

Come on get a grip on your self. You are much

stronger than you think. So why do you have to postpone
it any further. There is no better day than today. It is not
something that you have to wait till New Year to do as a
part of your New Year resolutions. Do it today itself and
you can increase your chances of succeeding and
…gulp…surviving.

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 Just think about it for a minute. Did you really want
to become a smoker? Was that really your ambition as a
child, to grow up into a smoker? Chances are that you
became a smoker as a result of habit. Look at yourself.
You have a respectable job and you have people who you
care about and who care about you.

If one of your friends were to approach you with a

problem and ask you to think of the most sensible
decision wouldn’t you do it for them? Now if you would do
that for a friend, shouldn’t you be able to do it for you as
well? If you are capable of taking sensible decisions for
others don’t you owe it to yourself to take sensible
decisions as far as your health is concerned? Of course
you do, but then what is stopping you?

The Voice Within

Well, I have news for you. You might not believe
this but the fact is that you always wanted to stop
smoking. Oh yes you did. You do not need any body to
tell you what is good for you and what is not. Deep down
inside, a plaintive voice has been calling out to you to quit
and you have been heeding it but you just haven’t done
anything about it now.

You want to know why that happens. It is because

you have convinced your self that you will stop smoking
at a later date. This promise false though it might be was
enough to subdue that inner voice. The voice cried out
and the response it got was...

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 “Well I didn’t say that I was not going to stop
smoking did I? Just give me the time and I will do it. I
know what is good for me so don’t nag.”

And that silences the inner voice. But that later

date never comes. Come on who are we trying to fool.
It’s just a way of convincing yourself that you can stop if
you want but certain external factors are hindering your
efforts.

You can start the quitting process by doing some

paper work again. You have to have a very clear idea
about why you want to quit and the best way to find out
why is to sit down with a piece of paper and write down
why you exactly want to quit.

You list should include things like:

• To save your self from the hazards of smoking

• To gain better control over your life

• To increase your self esteem

• To set a good example to others, especially

children, because if you smoke there is a very good
chance that they too will become a smoker

But the most important point that you should put

down is that you should try and quit in order to make it
healthier and safer for those who live around you
especially your friends and family. Hey come on, you
really owe it to them. I would like to take another
moment off to digress and talk about second hand
smoking.

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 Second Hand Smoking
The funny thing about second hand smoking is that
most smokers don’t even know that something like
second hand smoking exists. It is also referred to as
passive smoking.

Second hand smoking is the process by which

another person smokes but the toxic smoke is also
inhaled and affects those who move along with the active
smoker. The sad thing about this is that second hand
smoking is just as harmful as active smoking. So the next
time you smoke in the company of other people you have
to be well aware of the fact that you are not just putting
your self in danger but the same amount of danger is
being passed on to your loved ones as well; a very
strange gift indeed to pass on to your loved ones.

So if not for your self, at least for your loved ones

you ought to try and give up the habit.

So, though I included the reason of passive

smoking at the end of the list, it should be the most
important reason for you to stop smoking. Isn’t it a very
selfish way of existing without bothering about the safety
and well being of others just because you want to indulge
in a pleasure of yours?

More Paperwork
The next thing you have to do is that you have to
fix the day when you want to start quitting and write is
down as well. But as I mentioned earlier, it should not be

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very far away. The very next day is as good a bet as any
other day. And may I ask you, why not today itself?

There is still a little more paper work to be done. It

would be a good idea to write down any other occasions
when you had tried to quit smoking earlier but did not
succeed. Try and find out the reasons while you failed and
write them down as well. These reasons are what we call
pitfalls and it would be best to be extremely wary of these
pitfalls and steer clear of them.

That’s enough paper work for the day. But do not

throw away this bit of paper but try and keep it where
you can see it always. You could try pinning it in your
work station or even on your bathroom wall.

Admit That You Are Addicted

Go on, face it like a man, (or a woman) say it and

realize how much it hurts. If you can do that much then
the battle is half won. Most smokers make a fatal mistake
here. They keep on telling themselves that can break off
as easily as snapping their fingers when they really can’t.
They try to fool themselves and you know why?

It is because they feel sort of weak and submissive

when they admit that they cannot do with out that hourly
puff. So they do not admit it. They just say something
like,

• “I need something to soothe my nerves,” or

• “It helps me think better,” or

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 • “I need to unwind.”

Well, it sounds very cool but what such people do

not understand is that what they are really saying is that
they cannot function well by themselves. They are
actually admitting that their brains are incapable of
carrying out those routine activities any more without the
help of an external agency. It’s all the same thing isn’t it.
And personally I think it is much better to admit that they
are simply addicted to smoking.

There is nothing to be embarrassed about. There is

no need to feel inferior. Again take a look at the statistics
and see all those people who have become addicted to
smoking. But unlike those people you are going to do
something about it. Tobacco is like a colossal octopus.
Once it gets its grip around you, then you are done for. It
swiftly tightens its tentacles around you and before you
know it, you are fully and completely in its grip and you
cannot even breathe without its permission. You and only
you can save your self.

That is why I said that the first thing you have to

do is you have to take a look at your self in the mirror.
Look at your self for a minute and face the truth. Let is
sink in slowly and maybe painfully. Notice the tentacles of
the octopus around you. Then you can admit to yourself
that you have indeed become a slave to the master that
is tobacco.

Now that is not a nice thought at all is it? You with

all your remarkable faculties, abilities and potential have
actually become a slave to something so gross! You who
have never bowed your head before any one have

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actually been taken by this gruesome monster. Grr…the
thought is going to be infuriating. But you have to face it,
you have to accept it only then can you muster up
enough strength to fight back.

And please take heed; we are not talking about any

ordinary battle over here. We are talking about fighting to
win and win is what we are going to do that this manual
is all you are going to need for that ultimate victory.

All Kinds of Cigarettes Are Bad

Some people think that the number of cigarettes
one smokes decides on the harm that is caused but that
is not true. Smoking any number of cigarettes is harmful.
Of course the harm is increased when the number of
cigarettes is increased but that does not mean that a
person who smokes only one or two cigarettes a day is
free from danger.

Similarly, let us get this straight once and for all,

all kinds of cigarettes are harmful to health whether
filtered or not, whether it contains menthol or not, all of
them are terrible harmful to your lungs and every other
part of your body that the toxic smoke touches.

So do not go about believing that just because you

have a different smoking pattern from most smokers you
are going to get away Scot free.

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 Step 3: The Quitting Process
Now when we come to the actual quitting process,
I would like to remind you once again that it is not going
to be easy. Please do not consider yourself to be
superhuman so be ready to get external help if you need
it. As I told you earlier, there might be physical, mental
and emotional changes when you stop smoking. But you
do not have to worry. There is plenty of help available
nowadays.

Medical Help
Do not feel bad about getting support. On the
contrary, your chances of succeeding will increase many
fold if you get professional help. Remember, nicotine is a
very powerful substance and getting over it is no easy
task. The more help you get, the better.

If you can get professional medical help, then it’s

even better. Getting professional medical help does not
mean that you have to under go prolonged medical
treatment. Your doctor or even your dentist will be able to
guide you and provide you with all the solutions to your
queries. They will able to suggest methods of handling
the withdrawal symptoms and even prescribe medicines
that can help you.

One of the most common problems that quitters

face is frequent mood changes in the initial stages. You
might even end up feeling sort of depressed and it is here
that a medical practitioner can help you with anti
depressants or mood boosters. It is well and good if you

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can quit by yourself and over come the powerful urges to
relapse, but if you feel that you might need help there’s
nothing to feel bad about.

If you need the help of medicines do not consider

your self to be weak or look upon your self as a patient.
All you have to do is understand how badly the nicotine
had affected you and you can start counting your lucky
stars that you decided to quit before something really bad
happened.

Medicines
Most of us feel queasy about taking medicines, and
I don’t blame you if you feel the same. But try and look at
it like this. Right now you do not have any serious
affliction apart from the fact that you are smoking. In
order to quit smoking you might have to take medicines
for may be a month or two. This is a lot like getting a
vaccination as a preventive measure to ward off a
disease. But on the other hand if you continue smoking,
you might end up with major illnesses which will require
that you not only continue taking medicines for life but
also that your time on earth will be considerably reduced.
It’s a matter of being proactive than reactive.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has

approved five medications to help you quit smoking:

1. Bupropion SR — Available by prescription

2. Nicotine gum — Available over-the-counter
3. Nicotine inhaler — Available by prescription

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 4. Nicotine nasal spray — Available by
prescription
5. Nicotine patch — Available by prescription and
over-the-counter

Taking these medicines will not just double your

chances of succeeding but will actually increase your
chances by a whooping 80%. But of course it is highly
recommended that you start using these medicines after
consulting a medical practitioner.

Counseling
Counseling is one way in, which you can strengthen
your effort to quit. It is not really required that you
consult a professional counselor. If you have a doctor or a
dentist who you trust, that person is more than enough.
In the initial stages, ask the person to detail you on all
the harmful effects of smoking. Then the person can
monitor your efforts and your progress and can give you
helpful hints as well.

You might also consider possibilities like group

counseling or telephone counseling. Group counseling has
a wonderful effect, because there is nothing that feels as
good as having others who face the same problems that
you are encountering. When you hear the fears of others,
and how difficult t is for them to pull no, you will feel
surprisingly encouraged. Group counseling will provide
you a wonderful arena to compare notes with other fellow
quitters and you can watch and monitor your progress.

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 Try reassuring others, it has a wonderful effect on
you. When you talk convincingly to others without
knowing it you are really convincing yourself as well. This
will go a long way towards building up your own
confidence that you will succeed.

Telephone counseling is also a possibility that many

people tend to ignore. The best thing about telephone
counseling is that it can be done at any time without too
much of a strain. Just consider the possibility, it is not
always easy to dash off to your counselor when you feel
the urge to smoke, know you are not supposed to and
end up feeling depressed about it. On the other hand if,
at such a moment you can just pick up your telephone
and dial your counselor’s number, you can get what you
want and with the minimum loss of time and effort.

A Financial Reward
Sure cigarettes are expensive, but because people
buy them in small quantities, the expense doesn’t seem
much. So what you can do is start saving the money that
you do not spend buying packets and packets of
cigarettes. Save the money for something special and if
you can, try to make it special for your family as well.

Promise the kids something like a trip to

Disneyland or a vacation at the sea side. The advantage
of making such public declarations is that you have all the
more reason to refrain from buying cigarettes. Your kids
too will be very enthusiastic about reminding you not to
splurge on cigarettes and there is something to look
forward to for all the family.

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 What if you do not have a family to save for? Well,
go ahead and save for yourself. There’s always something
that you would want but ay have refrained from buying
because it might have been slightly over you budget. So
now you can add the money that you are not spending on
cigarettes to get yours elf that little something.

The point that I am trying to drive home is that you

should be rewarded for your efforts. You attempt to start
smoking should not become a sort of punishment towards
yourself but must promise better things for you later.

Bringing Down the Number

This again is another pitfall. There is often a
misconception about quitting. Many people believe that
instead of stopping at just one go; they should try to
bring down the number of cigarettes that they smoke.
Wrong! That is not the way that it should be done. If you
try and bring down the number of cigarettes that you
smoke, you will still be smoking and that just doesn’t
help.

It is a very tricky thing indeed to fix on the number

that is safe for you. If you are still carrying cigarettes
with you then you are in fact tempting yourself. You
might have brought down the number but since you still
have a packet with you, you are in fact waiting for the
slightest provocation and that number will shoot up again.

What is it that makes you smoke? Tension,

excitement, anxiety, problems, the need to unwind,

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stress? Can we ever free ourselves form any of these? So
the next time you hit one of these then that becomes
your green signal for you will just whip out that packet,
light one of them and start puffing away to glory. The
excuse that will be reverberating in your mind is that “it’s
just this once, just to get over this small problem.”
And then before you know it, you will be back to smoking
the same number of cigarettes.

So let me emphasize that point again, you have to

quit once and for all if you are really serious about
quitting. It just does not work if you try to bring down the
number. The number just never becomes zero. I have
met many people who say, “I used to smoke 6 packets a
day but now I’m down to just 2 packets a day.” I look at
them out of the corner of my eye and I do not say
anything to them though the message on my face is, “but
you are still puffing away like a steam engine aren’t you?”

Water Flows Down

It’s strange isn’t it how every thing in this world
always keeps coming down. Sir Isaac Newton explained
this phenomenon using the laws of gravity. But I must
admit that I am still amazed how everything in this world
tries to reach the lowest possible point.

If you have ever watched water flow you will

understand what I am talking about. A water fall, never
thunders upwards, a stream always flows down wards
(remember the nursery rhyme, “Row, row, row your boat
gently down the stream”) even a tiny pool of water spilt
on the table tries to find the easiest way downwards.

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 So what about it? You must be wondering what the
connection is between quitting smoking and flowing
water. There is a very deep connection as you will see for
yourself. There is an unwritten rule in this world that
everything must try and find the easiest route
downwards. When you take something to a higher state,
it becomes unstable and tries to find the easiest route
downwards.

Over here we are trying to precisely the same

thing. We are trying to take you from a lower state (the
state of being a smoker) to a higher state, (the state of
being a non-smoker). So you must bear in mind that it is
the easiest thing in the world for you to relapse and again
pick up that packet of cigarettes. It is going to take a lot
of effort and will power on your part to refrain from
smoking. That’s why I keep saying that you will need all
the support and encouragement while you are still
working at it.

But then you might wonder if you have to keep up

that will power and constantly have to keep battling
against the urge to smoke for the rest of your life. The
answer is no. Once you have given up the habit once and
for all, once you have over come all these withdrawal
symptoms, then you have arrived. You will automatically
pick up a new life style and there will be no room for
cigarettes in that new life.

You will start to realize how much better your life

has become with out cigarettes. You will feel the power in
your hands, you will be in absolute control of your life and
at that stage there is absolutely n coming back. Once you
have tasted the sweetness of success, there is no coming

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back. Than you are safe and there is no fear of relapsing
after that.

The whole thing is like a threshold. When you are

controlling yourself for the first time, you are at the very
middle of the threshold. You can fall upwards or
downwards and it is much easier to fall downwards. This
is where you need the support, help and encouragement
of others. But gradually as you over come the urge, you
advance further and further upward and once you are
beyond a certain point, then you have reached the point
of no return and then there is no coming back.

Low Tar and Low Nicotine Cigarettes

Many people switch to low tar and low nicotine
cigarettes thinking that there will be lesser harm done.
This is again a myth. The point that such people are
missing out is that they continue to smoke because the
body or the brain has started demanding its daily doze of
nicotine. Nicotine is what the body wants and nicotine is
what harms the body most.

So no matter what you smoke you will try to give

you body the nicotine that it has become used to. You
cannot reason with the body. You accustomed it to a
particular dosage of nicotine and when it doesn’t get that,
its starts to complain. At such a tie even if you switch to a
low nicotine cigarette it is not going to be of much use.

The end result will be that you will start taking

stronger pulls on these cigarettes, may increase the
number of cigarettes that you smoke, or you might take

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more puffs per cigarette. Nicotine is a venomously
addictive substance and once you get used to it, there is
no bringing it down, there is only stopping it once and for
all.

The message here is loud and clear. Smoking any

kind of cigarette is bad so don’t even consider other
possibilities.

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 Stage 4: The Agony and Ecstasy
Change Your Lifestyle
Nothing is permanent in this world except change.
So when you plan to stop smoking, bring about other
changes in your life style as well. Take a look at all those
things that have become a kind of routine and break that
routine. Try to do things differently and will make a lot of
difference.

What we are trying to do as part of this exercise is

that we are trying to create a new environment for you. It
is not possible for you to shift to a new apartment so
bring about a few changes in the way things are as part
of your exercise to quit smoking. Let every thing have a
new feel about it. If there was a favorite chair in which
you used to sit when you smoked, change the upholstery
of the chair or maybe you could stash away the chair into
a corner.

Try to set a new routine. Try working out or going

to the gym. If that is not possible, try waking up a little
earlier and go for a short morning walk. If you can make
that a run or a jog, it is going to be very stimulating and
is going to be the best way to start your day.

Exercise does not necessarily mean pumping

metal. If you do have the time to go to a gymnasium
everyday, then that is well and good. But I suppose most
of us do not have the time for a regular work out in a
gym. So what is the other alternative? Do it at home of
course.

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 But whether it is at home or at a multi-gym, there
is something that I want to tell you. Regularity is the rule
of the day. It is not getting started that is the difficult
part, it is sticking to a regular exercise routine that is
difficult and this is what proves to be the stumbling block
for most people.

Most people have a wonderful start. In fact it is

truly spectacular. They buy track suits and gym-wear,
running shoes and a whole lot of other gear. Their first
day at the gym is almost a celebration. Then as the days
go on, they find it increasingly difficult to meet the
domestic and professional demands and so their routine
slows down and finally comes to a complete workout burn
out.

One mistake that many people make is that they

choose the evenings or a work out. If that can suit your
lifestyle, then that’s fine. But for most of us, by the time
the evening lifts up its curtains we are completely
pooped. We find ourselves physically and mentally
drained. And at that time our bodies will be just too tired
for a work out. So it is best to set aside some time for
exercise in the morning itself.

There are two advantages of setting apart time in

the morning. The first advantage is that in the morning
our bodies are fresh and full of energy. Now over here I
want to make one point clear.

Many people believe that exercise depletes the

body of energy but the case is just the opposite. Exercise
pumps up more blood through the different parts of the
body and warms up the body, so in fact, after exercise we

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feel more charged and ready to face the challenges of the
day.

The second advantage is that in the morning we

can plan for the whole day without letting the exercise
routine affect the rest of our activities.

What about those of us who have never worked out

before? In such cases you might need to start off under
the personal supervision of an instructor and that may
require that you go to a gym. But what I would suggest is
that there are two simple things that any one can do for
which you do not need the help of any instructor.

You know what these are? They are walking and

swimming. Any body can walk and those of you who
know how to swim can swim. For these two activities you
do not need much gear and experts say that these two
exercises have no side effects and are excellent stress
busters.

So in the morning wake up just half an hour

earlier, put on your walking shoes and hit the roads. Most
roads will be less crowded at this hour and less polluted
too. It is a wonderful way to start a day.

Take a break form coffee and try tea instead. If

you are moving around the house, try playing music.
Redecorate your room by adding a few pictures here and
there preferably of scenery. And while you are
redecorating, do what I mentioned earlier that is get rid
of every thing that even remotely reminds you of
smoking.

Plan your day in such a way that you have

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something enjoyable to do at the end of the day. It does
not have t be something that involves money. We do not
want you end up bankrupt. It can be something as simple
as spending some time with the family playing a board
game or something. Or it can be going out for a walk
together.

But I would like to add that watching television just

does not fit into this list. The reason is because T.V is not
something that demands too much of our attention. We
can easily do something else while we are watching TV
and what can be easier than taking a smoke while our
eyes are glued to the T.V. While you are working on
breaking the habit of smoking, you need to move about
with people. You need the company of people who can
take your mind off that craving and TV doesn’t help you
do that.

Make a list of those things that build up your

stress. Try to steer clear of them. If that is not possible
try to find out some stress busters and use them. Do not
use stress as an excuse to start smoking. There are a
hundred other methods of beating stress. As mentioned
earlier, you could try breathing exercises, mediation or
even music. There is another excellent way of beating
stress and that is using the distressing ball. If you do not
have one of those, try wriggling your fingers and toes.
That too is a natural method of beating stress.

The point that we are trying to drive home over

here is that you need a break from whatever you have
been doing for this exercise of quitting to work. Since it is
impossible to change your job or your home, you have to
bring about as many changes as possible to get that
whole new feeling.

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 Develop New Interests
Try developing new interests or hobbies like
gardening or painting. Such things would keep your mind
off that urge to smoke. All of us have a certain measure
of creativity that often remains untapped. It would be a
wonderful thing if you could try working on that
creativity. Join a dance class or a drama class. Or you
could try learning a new skill like pottery or clay
modeling. Try to involve yourself with other people. Do
same social work, or try helping out at the local volunteer
organizations.

Do not feel shy to tell these new acquaintances

that you are trying to quit smoking. You will be surprised
at how understanding people will be. The advantage of
doing such things is that it not only takes away all your
brooding (read that as spare time that you other wise
smoke away to glory) time but it also makes your life a
whole lot richer. In other words it lends a lot of meaning
to your life so that you will become accountable to more
and more people.

Such activities make us appreciate the meaning of

life in a better way and we will stop to think twice before
we waste away this life at the end of a cigarette.

Eat Right
Once you stop smoking you might notice significant
changes in your food habits. Most smokers experience
weight gain as soon as they stop smoking. There are
people who have gained nearly 15 pounds once they

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stopped smoking. But there is no reason to worry. This is
just a very temporary phase and you will soon get over it.
It is however important that you develop a proper diet
routine and watch what you eat. That is why I have
included this supplement on proper eating habits.

Work on your diet as well. If you have erratic

eating habits, it is going to affect every thing you do and
that indirectly affects your smoking habits as well. There
are many of us out there who skip breakfast. Now, this is
the best way to start your day badly. Just check the very
meaning of the word. It is break-fast. So what does it
mean? It means that this meal is meant to break the fast
that we were undergoing.

The effects of skipping breakfast may not be felt

immediately but sometime during the day this is sure to
tell. Our body needs the energy from the food we have at
breakfast. And we can either start our day with good
breakfast or smoke a couple of cigarettes and gulp down
a cup of coffee and work away towards a highly stressful
day.

So what does a proper breakfast mean? In this

context, I would like to point out that a cup of coffee is
not breakfast. Many people believe that a big cup of
coffee is breakfast. Sure coffee perks you up but it also
takes away your hunger and as the caffeine and other
alkaloids present in the coffee hit the different parts of
your body, it completely takes away your appetite.
Couple that with the nicotine of cigarettes and you are
done for. You will have succeeded in fooling your brain
that it is fully equipped to meet the challenges of the day.

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 So it is advisable to go easy on coffee especially in
the morning. Drink tea instead. Tea is supposed to be
good for your heart and can prove to be just as
stimulating once you get used to it. But those of you die
hard coffee fans, what you could do is take a lesser
quantity of coffee if you must, in the morning. A breakfast
drink is fine, but there is nothing that beats a tall glass of
fresh fruit juice in the morning along with two pieces of
toast, an egg or a cereal. Then you are all set for a
wonderful day.

The same thing that I said about having breakfast

applies to the other meals as well. Our body needs
nourishment at fixed time intervals and at those times
you had better grab something to eat. The human
stomach is a remarkable thing and can even digest small
bones and small stones. So if you do not give it
something to digest from time to time, it will very well
start attacking its own walls. That is when people end up
with conditions like acidity, ulcers and digestive disorders.
If you have never experienced such disorders before in
spite of your erratic eating habits, don’t wait for it,
believe me a digestive disorder is not something to play
with.

It was my experience that in order to silence those

maddening pangs of hunger that hit us during work, there
was nothing like a couple of cigarettes. I used to do just
that and in a couple of years I ended up with a severe
acidity condition.

Noon time is meant for lunch so have it then itself.

There are many people who find it difficult to have lunch
between 12 and 2, which is the right time for lunch. For
such unfortunate souls, the best thing you could do is

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gulp down yet another glass of fruit juice or probably
nibble on a cookie. But again coffee is not a substitute for
lunch. And nor are cigarettes.

Again in the evening it is best to eat something

that is not too filling like a light sandwich or a couple of
cookies. A glass of milk along with that, and you will have
had the perfect tea. But of course tea time is not an
absolute no-no to coffee or tea whatever be your choice.
But any how I suppose all of us do our share of downing
cup after cup of coffee during the day time.

It is those coffee breaks that you have to

extremely wary off. Those are the times when you will
have to exercise the maximum mind control and there is
nothing better than that meditation or breathing exercises
that I described.

I suppose supper is not such a big ordeal because

by evening most of us are relatively free. But there we
have another foe to battle with. Most of us are so pooped
in the night that we cannot be bothered with supper.
Even putting something to warm in the microwave can be
a chore so most of us settle for something fried which is
usually munched while sitting glued to the television.

I would like to say it now once and for all fried

foods are bad for you and the more you cut out on fried
foods the healthier you will become. Most people go for a
smoke after meals and this is something that must be
tackled carefully. You are going to find it increasingly
difficult if the people you have just dined with make a
beeline for the balcony to smoke.

It would be best if you could stop dining with such

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people, but if you do, muster up all your will power and
do not accompany them to the balcony. It is ideal if you
pop in one of those gums or spices after meals to control
the urge.

While you are trying to quit smoking, try to double

your intake of fluids. Drink as much water as you can at
least 12 to 15 glasses a day. If you can have fresh fruit
juice, then it is even better. But I don’t think it is possible
for a person to have 12 glasses of fresh juice every day.

A few more pointers on what to eat…

• Choose a variety of foods from all food groups

every day. This is a fine way of keeping
deficiency diseases at bay.

• Steer clear of food supplements or

nutraceuticals as they are sometimes called. If
you are eating properly, you do not need any
supplements.

• It is best to go for natural foods instead of

processed or packed foods.

• Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fresh juices

whenever you can. Fresh fruit has a lot more
fiber, which your body needs.

• Go crazy on vegetables and salads; they can

never do much harm.

• If you can say no to alcoholic beverages please

do.

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 • The next time you are thirsty, try drinking water
instead of soda. Your body prefers water in its
purest form.

• Increase your intake of fluids. Try and drink at

least 12 glasses of water every day; it helps to
flush out all those toxins.

• Wash your vegetables and fruits well before

consumption and search for packets that say
‘free from pesticides.’

Practice these eating habits and before you know

it, you will have a whole new body, which you certainly
won’t want to pollute with cigarette smoke.

Smoking and Sleep

Some people make it a habit of taking a puff or two
before going to bed. And this is precisely something that
should not be. A smoke or two before going to bed is the
worst thing you can do when your brain is just preparing
for the much needed rest. The nicotine that you inhaled
goes straight to the sleep centers of your brain and then
everything goes hay wire. The result is that you have a
bad night’s rest.

In the morning you wake up feeling any thing but

refreshed and the only way to take away that feeling is by
having that smoke again. Below I am going to discuss
sleep in general and when you alter your life style and
habits it would be good if you could include these pointers

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in your sleep routine as well. You see, everything is
connected; your eating patterns, your sleep patterns and
every thing. So if you are not doing any of these tings
right, you might just bounce back into becoming a
smoker.

The National Sleep Foundation reports (2002) that

America is on the verge of a poor sleep epidemic,
characterized by the following eye-opening statistics:

• 64% of American adults get less than the eight

hours of sleep that experts recommend is
required to maintain optimal physical, mental,
and emotional health.

• One-third of the US population says they get

less sleep now than they did five years ago

• One-half of Americans have experienced

insomnia (sleeplessness)

• Drowsiness due to a lack of a proper night of

sleep interferes with the daily activities of 37
percent of all adults.

Amazed? Well, you should be. Sleep has become a

critical issue as far as most adults are concerned.

The following is an excerpt from "Sleep: Essential

for Optimal Health" by Drs. Robert Goldman and Ronald
Klatz.

"Don't slight sleep. It's when you're tired

that you tend to overwork. When you're

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 rested you can finish the work without
strain and still have energy and time left
over for the rest of your life. Research
shows that workers who get less than six
hours of sleep a night are prone to costly
accidents, poor concentration and poor
performance. Without sleep depression,
anxiety and anger increase. The quality of
sleep is just as important as number of
hours. If you have trouble sleeping, try
going to bed earlier, before 10:00. This
usually creates a deeper sleep. Prepare for
deep sleep by avoiding TV and computers in
the evening."

You know what is funny about sleep? Most people

believe that sleep is something that the body will take
care of by itself. They feel that their bodies will give them
signals when it wants sleep. That maybe true, but the
question here is, do these people know how to read or
sense these signals that the body is trying to give them.

If such people think that the tendency to nod off to

sleep while working or driving is the signal that their
bodies are going to give them, then they are mistaken.
The body starts by giving subtle signals like dark circles
around the eyes, listless eyes, a general lethargy, a lack
of interest in everything, unwarranted yawns, poor
performance and so on. But of course, most of these
‘symptoms’ can be washed away with a cup of coffee or a
puff of nicotine.

Again let us go back to the lower animals. Look

around you and you will find that most of the animals
sensible enough to get the sleep that they want. Whether

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it is horses, or cows or dogs or cats (cats the most) they
sleep when they want to, and that is probably why they
are more wiry and energetic than humans.

You won’t find a dog sitting up half the night to

watch a ball game, nor would you find a cat browsing the
net all night long. An important point that most people do
not know is that our bodies are influenced or governed by
what experts call circadian cycles. These are cycles of
sleep, rest and activity that are in fact governed by
sunlight and darkness.

You might have seen certain plants that let their

leaves droop their leaves in the night to revive them
when it is day. Just like this, our bodies too are influenced
by light and darkness. For every stimulus there should be
a response. Here the stimulus is darkness so the response
must be to sleep. Thankfully however, our bodies do not
really need 12 hours of sleep.

Experts tell us that adults need 8 hours of good

sleep to become fully functional. If you cannot manage
eight hours, try to make it at least seven. Anything below
that is not good for your body, and is going to take its toll
at some time or that other.

Similarly think about all those activities that are

constantly going on in our bodies. Think of your heart
that never stops pumping blood not even for a couple of
seconds. Think of those lungs that help you breathe in
and breathe out and the various other parts like you
digestive system, your organs and you sense organs.
Don’t these wonderful systems deserve some rest? They
certainly do. And I have news for you.

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 Experts have found out that when the human body
is in a state of sleep, all these functions slow down (they
can’t stop of course) and get carried out at a much
relaxed pace. This is the only rest that these parts of our
bodies get. So don’t you think that it is highly unfair to
deprive them of the rest that they really deserve? Often
we use the brain or the muscles as a measuring stick.
When these parts are tired we decide that we need to
rest.

And so we relax with a book, or plant ourselves in

front of the idiot box, or listen to some music. Ah, but
that is just rest, it is not sleep and when the body needs
sleep, you should give it sleep itself. When a cat is hungry
you cannot give it dry oats or raw carrots.

Of course there is another extreme where some

people need more than eight hours of sleep. Such people
sleep too much. But that is altogether a different issue,
which I cannot address here. In such cases all I can say is
that such people might have a physiological condition for
which they might require medical assistance.

Other people can never sleep properly and I was

one of them. I used to go to bed in the night and wake up
in the morning feeling no way better for my “sleep.”
Phrases like sleep like a baby or sleep like a log were
completely alien for me. But now I have over come this
completely and on most days I do sleep like a baby.

Below, I have included some pointers that really

worked for me. Try them out I’m sure that they will work
for you as well.

If you have problems falling asleep:

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• Fix a bed time routine and stick to it
religiously

When I say religiously I mean it. It does not

mean from Monday to Friday, and then wild
nights on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe once in
a month you can have a wild night but if you
want to break this routine every week it is not
going to help.

• Go to be early.

Now, that is a tough one. I’m sure that most of

my readers are very late sleepers. And when I
say go to bed early they will probably think that
I sound like a fussy old parent. Well, I think it is
good if I do sound like a fussy old parent
because our parents knew what was good for
us. Now coming to the reason why I suggested
that you go to bed early.

Most of us are working people right? So our

work demands that we get to our offices at
fixed times. That of course deprives us of those
couple of extra winks that we hope to get in the
mornings. So it becomes going to bed late and
getting up early. When we should wake up is
decided by our work.

So the only thing that we have the freedom to

decide is the time we crawl into bed. So the
ideal condition would be to go to bed by 10 or
11. If your wake up time is 8 in the morning,
this can be extended up to 12 or even 1 in the
morning.

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 In any case, let your wake up time decide your
bedtime, work backwards so that in any case
you give yourself those blessed 8 hours of
sleep.

• Don't eat two hours before bed time

It is difficult to get a decent sleep with your

tummy full. So try to have supper at least two
hours before your bed time. And keep supper as
light as possible. If you have a heavy meal
there is a greater chance for you to have
disturbing dreams and even
nightmares…oooooh!

• Have a glass of warm milk at least 30

minutes before going to bed

Milk is the best sedative that nature has to offer

so go for it by all means. In order to really
make your eyelids droop, just before boiling add
a pinch of ground ginger, pinch of cinnamon and
1 clove. But remember; drink it warm, not hot.
A date along with the glass of milk is the classic
sedative that has stood the test of time.

• Wash your feet and calves up to the knees

in warm water.
And also wash your hands and forearms. It
really works!

• Gently massage feet and calves, hands and

forearms for few minutes preferably with some
moisturizer or baby oil

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 • Diffuse some lavender essential oil in the
room 30 minutes before bed time. This will
help tremendously.

• No reading in bed and absolutely NO T.V.

• If you are a light sleeper shut off all

disturbances like a loud clock, a dripping
faucet, a telephone that might ring or even a
creaky bed.

If you wake up and can't go back to sleep:

• Have a jar filled with dry rose petals by your

bed. When you wake up, inhale the rose scent
for minute or two. You'll be back to sleep in no-
time at all!

• But my strongest advice is to steer clear of

sleeping pills of any kind. Let nature and your
natural body cycles do the job for you. If you
need external intervention, then realize that
everything has been thrown hay wire and you
are not on a safe track.

The Agony
When you start your first day of quitting, in the
morning you will feel very glad about it. You might
experience an uneasy feeling once or twice but it does not
affect you very much and you start wondering about the
great fuss that is made about quitting.

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 But as the day progresses, the feeling gets worse
and it’s almost like a monster raising its fearful head
every now and then. If you are chain smoker this feeling
becomes terrible as the clock ticks away and by noon
time, it becomes almost unbearable.

You start feeling terrible and it is almost as if

something has taken possession of your body and mind.
You end up feeling so depressed that you begin to think,
“What the hell? Who cares a damn about quitting?”

But this is not the worst. The worst is still to come.

It is almost as if you are at one end of a tunnel and have
started advancing. As you keep moving forward, the
darkness of the tunnel engulfs you. You inch forward
slowly at first and then at a faster pace. But the tunnel
seems endless. There is no end to the darkness. It is so
black inside that you can almost walk on the darkness.

There doesn’t seem to even a glimmer of light. To

make things worse you lose your sense of direction and
do not know whether you are advancing or retreating.
Along with that the air starts to get stuffy. You find it
increasingly difficult to breathe and before you know it
you are gasping for breath.

Every part of your body seems to be tearing itself

apart and the feeling is just too much to bear. You cannot
identify what exactly the feeling is. It is not pain but yet
you feel tormented and tortured. It is sheer agony for
you.

It is almost as if someone has got a grip on your

throat and is slowly squeezing the very life out of you. To

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make things worse you start stumbling and have to reach
out to steady yourself from falling. You reach out and you
feel a hand. It is not a strong supporting hand but a wet,
slimy and cold hand that makes you shudder. But you
hold on to it to steady yourself.

Then before you know what happened, the hand

gives you a tug and sends you whirling around. You try to
stop yourself from going round and round but you cannot.
The hand keeps on exerting force that you can hardly
resist. You feel dizzy and realize that you will hit the floor
at any moment. The experience is sheer agony.

You do not want to fall down because you realize to

your horror that the tunnel has started filling with water.
But then you stop caring. Your agony is so great that you
just want to fall down and die. At this moment when you
feel that all is lost and you are about to lose your senses,
you see a sudden ray of light; the exit of the tunnel.

If only you could get there. If only you could

steady yourself. You make one last effort to stop swirling
around and to your surprise you stop. But your head is
swimming so much that the exit of the tunnel keeps
passing in front of your eyes. You topple over and you are
on your hands and feet. The water is dangerously close to
your head. You literally crawl towards the opening but
you just can’t seem to reach there. At last, after what
seems like eternity, you reach the opining of the tunnel.

But you are so exhausted with your efforts that you

just want to lie where you are with your eyes shut and so
that is what you do. You lie there for what seems to be a
very long time but in effect is only a couple of hours. And
then the feeling seems to disappear almost as fast as it

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appeared. You mind starts getting clearer and clearer and
you find it much easy to breathe.

There is no longer the sound of swirling waters

around you. Your hands and feet seem to have lost the
numbness that hat hit them. Your breathing becomes
more regular and you calm down a lot. But still you do
not want to open your eyes, but there is bright light that
is beating down on your eyelids which is trying to force
them open. Unwillingly you pry your eye lids open a little
bit and lie there squinting.

The Ecstasy
You cannot believe what you see, you stare
upwards into the bluest sky that you have ever seen and
after your dark experience in the tunnel you had almost
stopped believing that there could be any ting bright in
this world. But here it is the bluest sky ever.

You sit up and though your hands and feet feel a

bit sore, there is a perfect freshness about every thing.
The grass seems greener, the air seems cleaner and all
around you there are smiling faces. For a minute you
wonder whether you are a heaven but it takes you only a
moment to realize that you are still on earth. But it seems
to be a very different earth indeed. You get up to walk
and you feel fresher than you ever felt in a very long
time.

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 A Second Chance
You have done it, you have managed to quit
smoking and what you have now is a whole new life. It is
almost as if you have been given a second chance. This
life of yours is like a new gift. You know better than any
one else what you have been through and how difficult it
was to get through that horrid tunnel. But yet you
survived like many others. You shudder at the very
thought of going back there.

As you walk on you can see the other end of the

tunnel as well and standing in front of it is an endless
queue of people. They all seem to be waiting to enter the
tunnel and they all have lighted cigarettes in their hands.
Just beside this long queue there is another small line of
people who are walking away from the tunnel.

They are obviously the people who failed to make it

through the tunnel. They walk away with their heads
hanging low. If you care to take a closer look at them,
you can see that their eyes are listless, their faces are
glum, their teeth are stained with nicotine and as they
breathe they let of a wheezing sound. Every now and
then they let out a rasping cough that seems to hit at the
very vitals of their bodies.

They are the ones who failed to quit smoking. You

feel sorry about them but there is very little that you can
do for them. They too know that their days are counted
and they smile glumly at you flashing once again their
nicotine stained teeth.

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 You realize with a shiver how close to death you
were and you thank your lucky stars and the forces that
formed you for giving you the will power to get over the
addiction. You are now free to start your life all again.
And this time there will be no mistakes. Life is too
precious a gift to waste it at the end of a cigarette.

Do not underestimate your self. You are perfectly

capable of having a good time, or maybe I should say a
wonderful time even without the help of any external
stimulant. You can work as hard as you want and you can
go through stressful situations; believe me your body can
take it.

Understand that you do have a choice so choose

wisely and live life to the fullest. Once you get over the
habit you will realize how different conditions are than
when you used t smoke. You will realize how it feels to no
longer be dependent on tobacco.

A Word About Relapses

I certainly would not tell you to expect a relapse,
but the fact is that one out of three people who are trying
to quit experience relapses. This is something that
happens within the first three months when one is trying
to quit.

Now if at all you experience a relapse understand

that there is nothing to feel bad about. It is quite a
natural phenomenon. But just because it happened, do
not let it get the better f you. All you have to do is start
the quitting process all over again and believe me you will

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be stronger this time because you know what to look out
for.

Some Final Facts About Tobacco Before You Go:

• Tobacco is the single largest cause of oral and lung

cancer.

• Use of tobacco leads to conditions like erectile

dysfunction and premature ejaculation in men

• Pregnant women/new mothers. If you continue to

smoke you are increasing the chances of giving
birth to a baby who has congenital disabilities and
diseases. By quitting, you protect your baby's
health and your own.

• Hospitalized patients. By quitting, you reduce

health problems and help healing.

• Heart attack patients. If you continue to smoke you

are increasing your chances of a second heart
attack.

• Lung, head, and neck cancer patients. If you

continue to smoke you increase your chances of a
second cancer.

• Parents of children and adolescents. By smoking,

you expose your children and adolescents to
illnesses caused by second-hand smoke.

Well, so what are you waiting for? The choice is

yours. There are so many things that you can do with this

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life of yours. And isn’t it a pity to waste it at the end of a
cigarette. It is no wonder that George Bernard Shaw once
said that a cigarette is a roll of paper that has fire at one
end and a fool at the other.

I hope this guide will help you in your quest to

STOP being the fool.

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