Can't Quit Smoking? Neither Can I

Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times."

He sure had a way of getting to the heart of the matter in a witty way, didn't he? What long-term smoker has not stopped smoking multiple times? It's easy to quit. Remaining smoke-free is the hard part.

Once I quit for five years. One moment of weakness, and I was right back in the game, chasing that dragon. Nicotine is powerful stuff, and once your brain is wired for it, you are toast. My best advice would be to never start smoking. You weren't born addicted to nicotine unless your mother smoked while she was pregnant, as was the case with me. Don't do this to yourself.

If you're already addicted and want to quit, I can tell you about the different methods. Any method is as good as the next, but the thing to remember is that once you quit, smoking is no longer an option. It's just not something you do. If you do it once, you will be hooked again. You're always hooked. Recovered alcoholics never touch the stuff for that reason. It is exactly the same with nicotine. Once it gets its hooks into you, it does not let go.

Of all the ways of quitting smoking, the one that worked best for me was cold turkey. That was the time I quit for five years. Those first 3-5 days were pure h-e-double-hockeysticks. I never wanted to have to go through that again, and I was proud of myself for having done it. That's why I stayed off the cigs for so long.

Hypnosis actually works pretty well for me. It makes it easier to get off the cigarettes, but it wears off. Usually hypnosis lasts about ten days for me. I think if you listen to the CDs regularly your results might be better.

Acupuncture does diminish the cravings, but it is very expensive.

Medication works until you go off it. The downfall here is that the medication re-wires your brain and the next time you try to quit will be harder, should you stumble.

Nicotine replacement is the way to go if you're a hard-core addict like me. It at least minimizes the damage though it is not perfectly safe. Nicotine is a carcinogen. Anyway, of all the nicotine replacement products, the electronic cigarettes are the best. You get 99 percent of the pleasure of smoking with these things and none of the 400-degree smoke blasting into your lungs. They're also cheaper than the gum, which tastes like doodie anyway.

I hope you enjoy better long-term success at quitting than I have. If you don't smoke, I hope you never do. If you must smoke to feel normal (like me), give electronic cigarettes a try.