I’ve been smoke-free for almost eight months now. No patches, no e-cigarettes, no slow weaning off—I quit cold turkey. The reason? I finally WANTED to quit, instead of feeling like I NEEDED to quit.
Realizing the Truth About Smoking
It’s no secret that smoking is terrible for you. Everyone knows it. The warnings are everywhere—on cigarette packs, in anti-smoking campaigns, in the concerned faces of loved ones. Smoking is expensive, unhealthy, bad for those around you, smelly, and outright disgusting. The list of reasons to quit is endless, but none of that ever mattered to me.
When I wanted a cigarette, I smoked a cigarette—end of story. No amount of health warnings, expenses, or guilt trips could stop me. I had my own list of reasons why I enjoyed smoking: the taste, the social aspect, the ritualistic break, the burn in my throat, the way it paired perfectly with a drink. All these justifications drowned out the logic of quitting.
The Moment Everything Changed
Then, one day, eight months ago, I crushed out a cigarette and something shifted. At that moment, I realized I truly WANTED to quit. Not because I was being told to or because I knew I should—but because, for the first time, the desire to not smoke outweighed the desire to smoke. I had felt this way before, but this time, I decided to act on it.
The next day, I didn’t smoke. The day after that, I still didn’t smoke, though the cravings started creeping in. By the third day, I wanted a cigarette badly, but by then, I had two smoke-free days under my belt. The thought of throwing that progress away felt worse than the craving itself.
Building My House of Cards
This mindset became my secret weapon. Each smoke-free day was like adding a card to a fragile house of cards. At first, it wasn’t much—a small, shaky structure that could fall apart at any moment. But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, that house of cards started to mean something. It wasn’t just about resisting a cigarette anymore; it was about protecting what I had built. If I smoked, the entire thing would collapse, and I wasn’t sure I had the willpower to start over.
Even now, after eight months, I still have moments of temptation. Just this morning, I saw someone smoking on their balcony in the cold, and I felt a sudden pang of jealousy. But then, just as quickly as it came, it passed. That’s the thing about cravings—they don’t last forever. They flare up, testing your resolve, and then they fade. If you can ride out those short moments, you win.
The Dreams That Remind Me I’ve Quit
Every now and then, I have nightmares where I light up a cigarette, take a drag, and feel the crushing regret as I realize I’ve ruined my streak. I wake up in a panic, convinced my house of cards has collapsed—only to feel immense relief when I realize it was just a dream. That’s how I know I’ve truly quit. It’s no longer about avoiding cigarettes; it’s about holding onto what I’ve achieved.
Final Thoughts
Quitting smoking isn’t easy. Some days are harder than others, and the cravings don’t disappear overnight. But if you can shift your mindset from needing to quit to wanting to quit, everything changes. Find your own ‘house of cards’—a reason to stay smoke-free that means more to you than the cigarette itself. For me, that fragile structure has kept me going for eight months, and I have no intention of knocking it down now.
If I can do it, so can you. The cravings will pass. The desire will fade. And one day, you’ll look back and realize you’re finally free.
