I think I puffed my first cigarette at about 9 years old. Then the next summer, '76, my mum caught me with a packet of cigs and went to town on my arse with a leather belt. '78 to '79 and my first year in junior high was when the habit became a daily thing and, although attempting to quit many times, until about four years ago I never managed to quit for longer than a week. Four years ago at the end of summer I decided I wanted to really try and quit so I did a little research and came across
http://whyquit.com/
and some other info by a guy named Joel Spitzer (?)
and the next day I started my own personal fight against my addiction. The first few days were absolute hell but as each day passed the satisfaction, that I wasn't allowing myself to be a slave to nicotine anymore, was increasing. The cravings gradually subsided and three weeks in I was getting more confident that I could achieve my goals. Various psychological obstacles/triggers presented themselves and I managed to get past them without succumbing to a relapse. For example: I started playing guitar when I was 14 so I'd never practiced or played without, at some point, smoking a cig. Driving a car was also another thing that I habitually sparked up whilst doing? So, things were going nicely and I made it to three months and change, absolutely nicotine free.
One day I came across a couple of packets of smokes in a drawer that had been bought at duty free about four years prior. I had been rolling my own, using Colts vanilla tobacco for the last year or so up to my quitting. The reason I had started on the rollies was that in March 2011 the huge earthquake in northeast Japan, which caused the tsunami that hit Fukushima and the nuclear power plants, basically wiped out tobacco production as Japan Tobacco had all of their growing and production facilities in Fukushima prefecture. Eventually supplies of Japanese tobacco brands ran out and the brand I smoked, a sweeter, slightly chocolate-y aroma, high nicotine content brand named "Peace" also. During this time I found the Vanilla flavoured Colts rolling tobacco. Anyway, by the time JT got production up and running and I tried a pack of Peace I felt like the flavour had changed, not in a good way, and I noticed the nicotine content had been significantly reduced.
So, after finding the two packs of duty frees from a few years before the earthquake I foolishly thought I could try one just to see if I could get away with having "just one" and, also, to verify my suspicions on the changes made to the brand post Fukushima.
As soon as I sparked up that cigarette the flavour was everything I remembered, the aroma heavenly and the nicotine rush was so intense that I had tingling at my fingertips and temples. I realised straight way my mistake. I had just undone three months of recovering from addiction. I had already given the nicotine the chance to start the process of up regulating dopamine receptors. Within a few weeks I was back to my usual habit of 5 to 7 rollies a day. This carried on until February 17th 2016.
Long story short, I broke my collarbone in a bicycle accident. Basically hit a tree with my shoulder, narrowly missing a faceplant. Needed an operation to ensure the two separated parts would knit. The pain in my chest from impact was so intense and I couldn't even inflate my lungs to any more than about 20 to 25% of their capacity so the thought of smoking was out of the question. I decided there and then that this was my chance to try and quit smoking again, but this time FOR GOOD. I knew that one little relapse was all it would take to be dragged back into the addiction, letting nicotine rule my life and enslave me, so I vowed to never take another puff,,,,,,,,,,of nicotine:fro:
Closing in on 10 months completely nicotine free as I write this.
Still get the odd craving or situation that makes me think about the prospect of smoking a cig. Just need to recall how much I felt disappointed in myself every day I woke up saying I would quit but then gave in to the nicotine addiction and had a cig or two. Have no problem drinking and getting quite sozzled without folding and having a smoke. Had the dreams about smoking but seem to recall they were only in the beginning weeks of quitting, most likely from tar being transported from the lungs by the healthier baccilus bringing mucus up and tasting it in my mouth.
Always been pretty athletic and healthy. I cycle to and from work nearly every day, 26 kilometres round trip, 30 minutes one way and I never thought of myself as being a heavy smoker but was aware, for a good few decades, that I was a total nicotine addict. Now I' m happy to be a recovering nicotine addict who realises how easy it would be to fall back into the habit but has the desire to stay free.
Good luck to any and all who try to quit smoking
.
And thanks, PP, for starting this thread. Writing my piece here has been therapeutic and helped strengthen my resolve that little bit more.