My name is Zak and I am a member of Leave the Pack Behind, York’s smoking cessation group at the Keele Campus. Unlike almost all other blogs regarding this particular topic I will not persuade you to quit. I won’t even bring up any facts about smoking that I’m certain you’ve come across at one point or another. We all know smoking is bad for your health, and your wallet. Instead, I will walk you through the experiences of an individual who was influenced by the wrong people to start smoking and climbed mountains to right the ship. That’s right, you guessed it.. that individual is ME!
I had my first cigarette when I was still in high school, I think it was at some point during grade 12. Prior to this I was an athlete, having played on the senior boys’ basketball team at Vaughan Secondary School. At first I was very reluctant to try cigarettes. My dad has been smoking for over 30 years now and I saw through him how difficult it is to stop once you start. Seeing his struggle seemed to be the perfect antidote for me not to pick up the habit around friends of mine who were already pursuing their lust for independence. I thought I would never smoke, but fate had a different path for me.
Initially, I would only smoke on “special occasions”. Going out with friends, having a smoke after a few beers or maybe if someone offered me one. I would always tell myself, “You’re never going to get addicted, you’re never going to need to buy cigarettes, you learned from your dad’s mistakes”. Sadly to say, that was just an illusion. What started out as an indulgence became a habit. It started to spiral out of control as I embarked on my York University journey. I would have a smoke before and after class, after a meal, while waiting for the bus or driving, in the morning and at night before bed, at parties, at bars and sometimes even while [on the toilet]. This was a slow progression, very inconspicuous through the first 4 years of my university life. No matter the situation or circumstances cigarettes would always be my dark path to happiness. In the winter I would risk getting a frost bite just to go out for a 10 min “study break”.
This summer I was at my lowest point, smoking 2-3 packs a week. I would always have a morning cough, never had enough energy to last me throughout the day, my cloth and my car would always smell of smokes and I would go to great length to conceal this from my parents. One time I told my dad that his sense of smell must be deteriorating and booked him an appointment with our family doctor, when he confronted me about the smell he would always suspect on me. Ridiculous!!!
It was time to quit! I knew it would probably be the hardest thing I would ever go through. Turned out it was not the hardest thing, but the most rewarding. Today, I am proud to say I’ve been 2 month and 18 days smoke free. It was not easy at first. I tried everything, from nicotine gums and patches (which cost a fortune), to herbal medicine, to cold turkey and E-Cigarettes, and even meditation. Although some of these methods definitely work for some, nothing seemed to work for me. I deduced that it wasn’t my only my need for nicotine I craved, but it was engraved in my social patterns and the need to physically “smoke” and “inhale” tobacco. The addiction to nicotine was easy to overcome, but the latter part I struggled with for quite a while. I developed some TECHNIQUES to aid me..
WHILE DRIVING: I would chew on sunflower seeds, eat grapes or nuts. Basically, something to keep my mouth busy.
AT WORK: This was extremely difficult to overcome. I worked as a residential and commercial painter, and cigarettes are a staple in the diet of construction workers. My solution to this was not to bring any cigarettes to work, and if I was offered one by a co-worker I would usually take it and tell them to never offer me one again. After a while, everyone I worked with would never offer me smokes. I would also try to take breaks at different times from the rest of the crew so I wouldn’t be tempted to ask.
DRINKING/SOCIAL SETTINGS: The honest truth is that I worked so much this summer I had barely enough time to go out. After work it would be so late and I would be so tired that going out was a more of a burden than pleasure. When I did go out, I tried to stick with a “non-smoking” crowd, play games like pool or darts to distract myself or on extremely lucky nights, have a girl pretend to my overprotective smoke-free girlfriend. They key here is this: occupy yourself as much as possible with activities you enjoy, so the idea of smoking is somewhere in the deep abyss of your mind.
STRESSED OUT: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY!!!! Seriously, take it from me or take it from science physical activity will calm your nervous system better than any cigarette can. Cigarettes actually increase the amount of stress hormones in your blood, causing your heart beat to speed up and your heart rate to rise. In addition: I noticed that cigarette cravings only last about 5-10 min, doing push-ups/sit-ups/squats/stretches/jumping jacks for a short period of time relieves those cravings.
AT SCHOOL: The same concept applied here for me as it did for work. LEAVE YOUR PACK AT HOME! For a little while it was hard to resist the urge to ask someone for a smoke, but after a while I didn’t even think about it. IF you do give in at some point, don’t be discouraged that happens to a lot of people. But soon, you will realize how petty it feels to constantly have to ask for cigarettes from random strangers. IF you have friends who smoke here’s what I did: stopped going out for smokes with them when they did, told them my plan and convinced them to help me, made them aware of why I was doing this and had them agree not to offer me any cigarettes NO MATTER what I said!
And finally, ABOVE ALL, I had to set my mind on accomplishing this goal. This was probably the most significant challenge I had to deal with. People always ask, what does it mean “to set your mind to it”? Well, here’s what it means to me:
Imagine the feeling of a utopia (whatever yours is) and place that feeling onto a projection of yourself with no reliance on smoking.
Remind yourself of the benefits and cons and when confronted with a tempting situation.
Believe you can accomplish it! Without a doubt, or a second thought I genuinely believed I was strong enough to resist the temptation.
I can say that since I’ve stopped smoking I’ve definitely experienced an increase in energy. My workouts are longer and more intense now. There’s a slight feeling of euphoria that engulfs me every once in a while, as I remind myself that I am no longer dependent on cigarettes. It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve gained self confidence in my ability to accomplish tasks I seriously want to achieve. And there’s some level of respect your friends gain for you once they truly see your change. For those friends still dependent on cigarettes you become a sort of role model for them, the one guy who made it out the ghetto.
I hope that my story was a worthwhile read! I hope that you can learn from the mistakes I made, as I should have from my dad’s. If my story inspired you to help yourself or a friend lead a healthier lifestyle you can always reach me or one of my teammates through the various links below.
Here’s a few links to the groups I’m involved with on campus:
Leave the Pack Behind- https://www.facebook.com/LTPBUTM (hyperlink attached in introduction)
Health Education and Promotion- www.yorku.ca/healthed or @HealthEdYork (twitter)
“Wise men learn from their mistakes, but wiser men learn from the mistakes of others”
