I
used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day and I did it perpetually for 12 years but now
I have left smoking completely. When I thought of quitting smoking, I started
to seek advice from doctors and friends on how to quit smoking. Most of them
advised me to leave it gradually by reducing the number of cigarettes consumed
every day. I also tried some of the sprays and anti smoking chewing gums but without
result. Surprisingly I left smoking suddenly one fine day.
Photo Credit : Nicoletta Ciunci
I
used imagination to quit smoking instantly. I tried to find out and understand how my brain
functions during pre and post smoking scenarios. The urge to smoke was more or
less time specific and it lasted till I had a cigarette. Suddenly increasing or
reducing the number of cigarettes caused discomfort, when I analyzed the reason
for it I found that it was basically because my brain was sending an
instruction to my body but the body was not complying with it. I tried to
identify the same discomfort with some other activities I do. I read for about
half an hour before sleeping, when I stopped reading, it caused discomfort and
it took me more time to fall asleep. I shifted my time to have breakfast by an
hour, I felt discomfort in the beginning but after a few days my body adjusted
to the new timing. these analogies helped me in understanding the pattern my brain follows.
For
sleeping and breakfast the body had an alternate time to adjust with but for
smoking the body has to live without it. So, I concluded that I have to tame my
mind or rather fool my brain. I collected pictures of people smoking and pasted
it in my room and washroom. I looked at details of the pictures and imagined
how happy and satisfied the person in the picture would be feeling while
smoking. I did it several times in the day so that the picture pops up in my
mind without even without looking at it. It is also necessary to remember the
feelings we associate with smoking.
Whenever I felt like smoking I closed my eyes
and remembered the pictures and the feelings. My brain could immediately
identify the feelings and my urge to smoke was gone in five minutes. I kept
doing it repeatedly to keep away from smoking. I left smoking three years back but my brain still believes that I smoke.