Anand Singh of Indore, 60 was worried that being a smoker he was more vulnerable to Covid-19 virus. Having once given up smoking, he made yet another concerted effort to quit smoking. Read what worked for him.
As the lock down in the wake of Corona virus progressed, there were warnings aplenty in the public domain that elderly persons and smokers were vulnerable to Corona. It was also getting difficult to get my brand of cigarettes. These were reasons enough for me, aged 60, to give up smoking.
This was my second serious attempt at getting rid of tobacco.
I had earlier quit smoking for about 20 months. The nuts and bolts of my approach to giving up a 40-year old habit of smoking essentially were exercise, focus on raw food and keeping away from things that were associated with smoking.
What worked for me:
First things first. I drink a jugful (almost one-and-a-half litre) of water. Many Yoga practitioners recommend this, and, it worked well for me in the past. Forcing oneself to drink plenty of water in the morning creates enough pressure within the body to help smooth bowel movement. So, that helped me get away from my regular “first cigarette” of the day.
PE Tip: Don't try this if you have sodium imbalance or kidney problems. Luke warm water in lesser quantity can also work.
Regular exercise -- long walks, a bit of running and pranayam (breathing exercises). Besides taking walks in the public park close to my house, I started walking on the main roads that were mercifully free of traffic. Exercising to the point of sweating profusely helped me. In that state, I would crave for water, not tobacco.
The biggest challenge for one trying to quit smoking is the first week or so. I would feel millions of pin-pricks from the blood coursing through the veins. As in the past, I would resort to more exercise to sweat it out. At as odd an hour as 2 pm, I would put on my sports shoes and go for a brisk walk and run in the public park in the afternoon heat This, followed by drinking water, always helped me get over the urge to smoke.
I also found it useful to increase the component of salad and raw food in my regular meals. My watchwords in effect were: Nothing cooked in oil and no sugar.
As a regular smoker, I used to light up while having endless cups of tea and coffee. Occasional drinks with friends were invariably accompanied by smoking. During the last two months of being away from tobacco, I also drastically cut down on tea / coffee. Alchohol become an absolute ‘No’.
Take the NO TOBACCO PLEDGE to quit smoking
Also read: Best Ways To Quit Smoking
