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Last Pack: 2,880 Cigarettes Later

by David Gauci

Ottawa, Canada, Bangor, Maine
United States

I've known for years that the day had to come. Now as I enter my 40's I've come to terms with the fact that I've gotten off lucky so far. Mid life brings on a really fun time in one's life. I want to enjoy it as long as possible. I had tried to quit on a few occasions before, all of which obviously failed. They were silly New Year's resolutions and such. This time I was going to do it right. Mental preparation has been the key to what has thus far been a fantastic success. I can honestly say that I haven't cheated once. My determination this time is tenacious. I commute to the US each week for work so I was buying cigarettes cheap at the duty free. I began to bulk up on cartons as my contract in Ohio ended. At the end of June I had 12 cartons of cigarettes in my freezer. I made a vow to myself to make those the last cigarettes that I would buy. As the supply dwindled, I found myself trying to get the most from my stash as I wanted to make them last as long as possible. The last 2 cartons lasted well over a month. This pattern of tapering I feel took a lot of the edge off of this effort when I finally went to butt out the last one. Upon breaking open my last carton, I began taking Zyban as a further aid and watched and waited as I reached for what would be my "last cigarette". I was ready, I was psyched...I really want to do this. I stocked up on gum, carrot sticks and low fat snacks. I take a toothbrush with me so that I can brush regularly. Everything was well planned and so far well executed. It's been 10 days now. I haven't cheated once. I've had a few short lived periods of cravings, feelings of loss of what to do but I'm actually finding replacements. I'm amazed at how quickly the habit of instinctively reaching for a cigarette has been replaced with other less offensive activities. I'm playing my guitar much more often, typing letters such as this. Compared to past efforts, this has been a piece of cake. My advice... Prepare yourself. make a date well in advance and stick to it. Taper as you get to the end. This is a physical as well as a psycological addiction. Give your body a break and wean it Avoid situations where you would light up such as bars(just for a while) Don't look at quitting as quitting smoking, look at it as a beginning of a new and more active life. Set a goal. I'm setting a goal of running (not winning) a marathon before the end of March 2001 with the hopes of being able to qualify for the Boston Marathon next April. I was an international athlete 20 years ago before I started this stupid habit. If I can get halfway back to my former self, I'll be thrilled. Just do it!!! You can