January 14th, 2024—It started like any other day but ended as the day that would change my life. I had just finished reading The Easy Way to Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. Yes, that book. I had been clinging to it like it was some kind of holy scripture. I smoked my last cigarette, went to bed, and told myself, “This is it.” And for the millionth time, I thought: “Tomorrow will be different.”
Well, spoiler alert: it was.
I woke up determined. I was a woman who had finally had enough of stinking like an ashtray. I was tired of hacking up a lung every morning. I could no longer convince myself that I was still young enough to be invincible. Nope. Not anymore. That morning, I made the decision to stick through the withdrawals. And trust me, it wasn’t pretty. There were moments when I felt like I was fighting a dragon in my head but it wasn’t so much the habit.
I had already made up my mind that my smoking had been habitual, and I was fully prepared to give up the habit. It wasn’t too bad reminding myself that the cravings were just the nicotine screaming to be topped up in my body.
The hard part was going through the withdrawals. When we smoke, we make a trillion excuses as to why we can’t quit. But what it comes down to is that little poison named nicotine is what makes us feel that way. I think the book helped me garner a good understanding on nicotine addiction. This is what shaped my mindset when I gave up. I understood it wasn’t going to be easy. I had the shakes, I was sweating. If people hadn’t been aware that I was quitting smoking they probably would have assumed I was addicted to far worse substances. By day three, it had really come to a head and I felt awful. Run down, tired, just well… meh. But I stayed strong and really pushed through. My immune system took a battering but it really was worth it.
The real magic happened the following week. That was the moment when I knew this was about more than just quitting smoking. I went for a sunrise walk with my eldest son—a walk that felt more like a rebirth than a stroll. The air was fresh, my lungs were screaming (but in a good way this time), and everything felt… peaceful. I was present. Like, really present. Not distracted by thoughts of when I could sneak off for a cigarette or whether I’d stashed enough for the day. Later that day I took my sons for a swim at the local pool and that is how I rekindled my passion for swimming.
The very next morning, I did something I hadn’t done in years—I got in the pool on my own, lane swimming. Yes, folks, after 32 years of smoking, this former fish decided it was time to remember how to swim. It was a disaster at first, but I kept at it. I felt rather embarrassed that I couldn’t even swim 50 meters without having to stop to get my breath back. Even more embarrassing, was that I took nearly 20 mins to recover.
After the first few swims, I decided to buy a membership to keep me motivated. I invested in a smartwatch to monitor (‘satan-o-meter’ as my partner affectionately named it) and help me keep track of how many lengths I was doing. About 3 months in and I was already seeing results. I was swimming about half a mile each time and I would make a point of swimming one mile once a month just to push it. By July I was taking a swim test to prove I could qualify as a lifeguard and by the beginning of August I had passed the NPLQ course.
Fast forward to today, and I still can’t believe it. After countless failed attempts to quit, here I am. Smoking is a thing of the past, and in its place is a whole new me. It’s as if quitting unlocked this massive treasure chest of opportunities I didn’t even know existed. Opportunities to get fit, to feel better, to live better.
It wasn’t just about quitting smoking; it was about opening doors that had stayed locked for far too long. And now? I feel myself pushing past my own limitations. Which that, in itself feels amazing.
Have you been considering quitting smoking? Have you tried to quit in the past? Or maybe you’ve been a non smoker for some time now. I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
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