After 27 Years, I have finally Quit Smoking Cigarettes!

** March 9, 2009 Update: 1 year 4 months; No Smokie! I did gain some weight after quitting smoking. It seems that smoking is a stimulant, so your metabolism goes slows down after quitting smoking, plus you tend to substitute smoking for food. After being disgusted with myself on my weight gain, I started eating less food more often, and only natural foods. This caused some smoking cravings to come back. Doing a few deep breaths and other relaxation techniques and the cravings go a way. This will be a lifelong battle, but I am now officially a certified non-smoker. I hate to be around smoke or smokers!

** 6/14/08 Update: 7 plus months; No Smokie! If I can do it- anyone can do it! The secret is to chew lots of gum, take deep breaths when a craving comes on, and do not smoke no matter what!

On a cool evening in March, 1981, I arrived at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio Texas for Air Force Basic Training. At 17 years old, I was still basically a kid. I will never forget the nightmare that this night was.

I remember standing in formation with the other recruits after being screamed at by god knows how many an Air Force T.I.’s after getting off of the bus. The full realization and nightmare of what was to come had not yet hit me.

It was at this time that one of the Air Force T.I.’s stated, “Men you have 5 minutes to smoke your last cigarette for the next 3 days.” He then stated for those of you who want to smoke, fall out. The rest of you, stay in formation.”

Everyone and I mean everyone fell out of that formation to have a cigarette. Before this night, I had experimented with cigarettes before, but I was not a smoker. After this night, I became a full time smoker for the next 27 years.

Yes, cigarettes have been a very important part of every aspect of my life for the past 27 years. Well, no more god willing.

I officially quit smoking on December 11, 2007 at approximately 9:00pm. For the first time since that night in 1981, I have actually made a volitional decision to quit smoking. Right now I am on my 7th day without a cigarette, and have quit Cold Turkey!

This will mark the 2nd longest time I have ever gone without a cigarette since I started smoking back in 1981. The only other time since 1981 where I have quit smoking longer, was during a horrible respiratory illness that occurred about 3 or 4 years ago when I was so sick, I could not smoke. As soon as I got better after about 3 weeks, I started smoking again. It should be noted that during this time, I used nicotine gum to get through the period of non smoking. Now I am using nothing but will power.

This time I quit smoking because I finally told myself it is time to quit, and that I am not going to pick up another cigarette again in my life.

I will be brutally frank, if cigarettes were not so dammed bad for me, I would continue smoking. However, after being told countless times by doctors that I needed to stop smoking, and after coming to that realization in my head that it was finally time to stop, I stopped.

Now I am under no illusions that quitting smoking is going to be easy. The odds are against me. Most people that try to quit smoking fail. The reason that they fail is that nicotine is one of the most addicting substances known to mankind. Secondly, you flat out get used to lighting a cigarette up and inhaling it. That part of smoking is also an addiction.

The last 7 days have in two words been utter hell. I am not going to mince words. It seems like every time I turn around, I think, OK, I need a smoke! Smokers call this jonsing for a cigarette. Hell simple things like coming to the computer monitor or starting up my motorcycle make me want to light up a cigarette.

In order to quit smoking, I thought about using the patch, and actually had it prescribed to me by my doctor. I also thought about using nicotine gum. I actually filled the prescription for the patch, and spent another 40 bucks on nicotine gum. Both have been sitting on my living room table for well over two months without being used.

After already deciding to quit cold turkey and after not having a cigarette for 2 days, I found a site called on the Internet called WhyQuit.Com which espouses the cold turkey method of quitting, and provides many great links to resources, and a library of support video tapes for the quest. I did learn that most of the nicotine and byproduct toxins of smoking leave your body within 36 hours of quitting smoking. This was good news for me. I also learned that smoking was not only a mental, but it is a physical addiction!

I will admit I have heretofore used none of what I read on WhyQuit.Com to help me in my quest to quit smoking. I have just been struggling through it thinking in my head that it will eventually get easier. I am quite sure that I will eventually start looking at some of the videos!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not sitting here blaming the United States Air Force, the cigarette companies, or other smokers for my becoming addicted to cigarettes. I am blaming myself. I knew full well that night in 1981 when I started smoking, that cigarettes were bad for me. I made the choice to smoke, and now I will suffer the rest of my life with that decision. I have been told by many smokers who have successfully quit that the incessant urge and/or cravings to smoke do dissipate in time, but they still come back years later, albeit not as strong. I am under no illusions that this is going to be easy by any means.

I have been told that my sense of taste, and smell will be much better, and that in time my body will start to repair itself. Hell, with some of the bikers and motorcyclist I hang out with maybe I don’t want my sense of smell to get better; just kidding.

You will notice in many of my pictures here on the Biker Law Blog that I appear in the pictures smoking cigarettes. Heck, all of my friends know that the first thing I like to do when I get off of my motorcycle is to have a cigarette. Well no more.

I would appreciate your prayers in my endeavor to quit smoking for good. For all of you smokers out there, who are thinking about quitting but are afraid to try, just do it. Hell, if I can do it, you can too. You just need to tell yourself, I am not ever smoking again, and don’t. I know it is easier said than done. I have found that if I take a few deep breaths when I have a craving to smoke, the craving seems to go away after a short while.

I will give you all a report on my quitting smoking in the future, whether it is good or bad.

By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2007