It’s been a long time when I quit smoking. I mean, I have quit smoking several times but it’s been a long time since the last time. 2 years to be precise.
How do I feel? Clean and free!
But I have come to believe in “once a smoker, always a smoker”. Though I don’t feel any urge today but whenever life is rough, I get tempted. I have seen two sources for this temptation:
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When it gets rough, I want to play a bad guy. I mean, I just feel like doing something negative (even if it affects me). I don’t want to see myself as a nice guy.
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My mind has created a strong association between smoking and stress. So, whenever my mind feels stress, it thinks about smoking.
So, today, even though I am so much beyond it, I can still see the traces of that habit. Who said “old habits die hard”?
By the way, three things helped me quit:
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Vaishali (my wife) pestered me so much that I found it easier to quit than to reason with her.
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Aarushi (my daughter). After she was born, I couldn’t justify it to myself.
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Art Of Living (Sudarshan Kriya) ensured that I do not have any withdrawl symptoms. I didn’t even feel the urge even for a day when I quit the last time. It was so smooth as if I never smoked. I mean I remembered that I used to smoke but that’s about it.
If you want to quit smoking, I would highly highly recommend practising Sudarshan Kriya. Eventually you quit on your own will power but what’s the harm if it becomes infinitely easier?