Table Of Contents
Introduction of Abhirup Chatterjee
Abhirup Chatterjee smoked for nearly 4 years, from the mid of my first year in college till mid internship. It was in Feb 2011 when I had just broken up with my first Girlfriend and was severely depressed. It started as one cigarette a day, and within no time escalated to 10 per day. During examinations, I used to surpass this mark invariably.
By the time I was pursuing my Internship, I had already started experiencing the bad effects of smoking. Besides the physical effects, I was low on self-esteem and feeling sick of the constant need for a smoke. I wanted to really take control of my life again.
After reading about the various ways of quitting smoking, I (Abhirup Chatterjee) devised a plan for myself.
I took a gym membership which included a sauna and steam bath.
I decided on a date I would be stopping smoking completely
I removed all my smoking related stuff and threw it all away
I cleaned up my room which used to reek of smoke
The date I decided upon was the1st of March 2015. 28th of Feb was a Saturday. Normally a party day for us college-goers.
I did smoke at the party that day. Party got over and I (Abhirup Chatterjee) smoked my last at 11:45 PM. Came back and slept.
The next day, I first skipped my morning cigarette. Instead, I had Green Tea with lemon.
Went for a walk too. came back and kept warm water for me (I shall tell the reason later). Went for my college posting, did all my work, and skipped the mid-posting cigarette break. Instead, I treated myself with another cup of Green Tea.
I Started Suffering From Withdrawal Symptoms
The day passed slowly. But I succeeded in refraining till the evening. At 6 P.M. I went to the gym and used the Steambath. It was really relaxing. I came back and to curb the urge, I went to sleep earlier (10 Pm) than my usual 2 AM.
This became pretty much my routine. By the third day, I (Abhirup Chatterjee) started suffering the withdrawal symptoms, at least psychologically. Throat Irritation, slight choking sensation, dryness, and slight coughing. I felt like grabbing one cigarette right then and lighting it.
I (Abhirup Chatterjee) Am Very Very Proud Of Myself
My flatmates used to smoke too, and I could smell every single cigarette they smoked and that used to increase my agony. Even the sight of the pan-cigarette shop made me feel a lump in my throat.
I later supplemented the steam bath with a sauna and continued it for that month, twice a week. I started using Green Tea as a supplement every time I (Abhirup Chatterjee) felt like smoking.
This agony was at its peak for the first week, then it slowly decreased and totally vanished in about 15 days.
I also started supplementing my diet with Vitamin C, E which acts as an antioxidant.
That day was the 28th of Feb 2015 and today I am writing this piece. I have never smoked a single cigarette since that day. And I am very very proud of myself.
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Since quitting, I started breathing exercises for anxiety, Jogging again, and slowly reduced the weight I had gained in those 4 years.. to a certain extent at least.
“The best time to quit smoking was the day you started, the second-best time to quit is today.”
The warm water I kept was to soothe my throat of the irritation which I felt in the initial days of quitting cigarettes. Remember, you will quit smoking only when you decide it yourself. It won’t work if you try quitting for someone else. It won’t work if you want to reward yourself with one cigarette for completing a day without cigarettes.
I hope this helps anyone who wants to quit smoking.
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