Vanity: A Simple Solution to Quit Smoking

The task of quitting smoking is one that many of us fail at many times before we ever completely quit. I’ve heard ideas from using the patch, to telling friends to slap you every time they see you smoking (OUCH!). For me, I used a couple of kooky, yet simple ideas that really worked. But what really helped me quit smoking was vanity and realizing how much money I wasted on cigarettes.

I started smoking socially when I was twenty-one. Then I started smoking when I was stressed, when someone made me mad, when other people smoked around me, and then it was an everyday thing. As we all know, smoking is a nasty habit, so after a few years I decided it was time to kick it to the curb.

I tried quitting cold turkey (yeah right), I tried the patch (sleep walk much?), and I tried chewing gum every time I wanted to smoke (I don’t know about you, but gum DOES NOT calm me down when I’m stressed). I decided to try a different approach; I started thinking about things that I like about smoking and things that I dislike about smoking. Likes: Keeps my buzz going when drinking with friends and it relaxes me when I’m stressed. Dislikes: They stink, you stink, you can’t breathe when you work out, your teeth turn yellow, you get wrinkles, and my shopping money is wasted on nasty cigarettes!

This made me think of a very simple solution: think about how much more attractive I’ll be if I don’t smoke, and how much money I’ll save! I started by getting my teeth whitened; there was no way I was wasting that much money on a teeth whitening just to get yellow again! Next, I made a bet with my bestie that if I didn’t quit smoking by my goal date, I’d have to pay up $1,000 and if I did quit, I got $1,000 (cha-ching!). Then, I found out online that Avena sativa (oat) extract helps smokers decrease the number of cigarettes they smoked (score!). Also, every time I was craving a cigarette, I would do something to distract myself like go to the gym or for a bike ride. Lastly, I made a habit out of looking at pictures of longtime smokers, and let me tell you, it was enough to make me never want another cigarette again.

Quitting is a different animal for everyone, but for me these small changes in my everyday routine really helped and I’ve been smoke-free for over six months. Every day it’s a challenge, but when you find the right solution for you it’s all worth it.