I could stop the Cigarette. ～ Symptoms in my body, and good points and bad points ～

Have you ever get negative messages such as
「Are you still smoking ?」 「Ahhh !!! You are still smoking ! 」
from your friends and family ?　

Yes yes,,, We, smokers already understood what you want to say,,, but they still want to say so…

I really understand your mind who read this diary.

We are the person who want to smoke cigarettes, and we also have
responsibility and pride. We adhere to the rules and smokes.(Excluding some peoples who can not follow rules)

On the other hand, they also think our health condition, and there are a lot of books and smoking cessation guides on the market. These days that explain all the disadvantages of smokers. Of course, I really understand its atmosphere.

Moreover, the trend in the world is becoming narrower and narrower for smokers, and I think it is unlikely that this trend will change in the future.

So this time, I stopped Cigarette !!

And I thought that I should explain my experience as good points and bad points of Non-smoking. Actually I just thought about stopping smoking very lightly, and I didn’t think about the symptoms that would appear on my body after stopping smoking, and I regretted that if I made a mistake, I might have had a serious mental illness. If you read this post and have any readers who are thinking, “Let’s stop smoking …”, I hope it will be of some help for your future.

As for the information in advance, I have been living with Marlboro Menthol Light BOX for 14 years since I was 20 years old. Then, just before stopping smoking, I switched to “Plum Tech (Japanese heated tobacco like a IQOS)” and finally decided to quit smoking one month later. Currently, we have entered the 62 days of smoking cessation.

I think that this mind came out as a final trigger due to the intertwining of various things, but the first starting point is that my father died of heart failure. My father was 63 years old, which was relatively early. (Of course, he was a smoker.)

Therefore, I was over 32 years old so I have had an image of a vague second half of my life such as “I’ve already reached half of my life. I need to consider next life style for other half”.

Furthermore, in order to prevent corona infection due to crowding and close contact, which started around March 2020 in Tokyo, “blockade of smoking areas” began to occur in my living area in Tokyo. As a result, the places where we can smoke are getting farther away, and the gear of fate, which is involved in the big milestone of my life of stopping smoking, had begun to turn.

In other words, the reason why I decided to quit smoking was, “It is inconvenient to have to walk for 10 minutes to go to smoke. Let’s try quitting smoking once and experience a life without smoking.” It was the opportunity to enter.

Furthermore, as for the situation at that time, I was working from home by teleworking, and one week later it was a favorable condition of “summer vacation”. So I though that 「Even if I stop smoking and get frustrated, I don’t bother people around me.」

　From here, I would like to describe the symptoms of smoking cessation (actual experience only) and the measures to be taken after that as specifically as possible. Also, since these symptoms are symptoms that came out while trying various things, I don’t think that the same symptoms will appear uniformly on your body. Therefore, I  would appreciate it if you could read it as a reference as an individual experience. (I will explain what kind of measures were taken on later page)

(1) First day of Smoking cessation
・ I was highly motivated to stop smoking, and the strength of my desire to smoke did not bother me.(Still, after a meal, I wanted to smoke as a matter of course during breaks)
・ Still, I wanted to smoke about 500 times

(2) Second day ～ Third day of Smoking cessation
・ Even after waking up in the morning, I feel very sleepy
・ I wanted to smoke about 1000 times a day
・ When I tried to concentrate on my work, I was struck by sleepiness and became dumb and untouched.
・ I became frustrated

(3) 4^th day ～ 2^nd week of Smoking cessation.
・ The peak of the desire to smoke has passed and it will be much easier.
・ I can sleep well at night
・ For a moment, I was suddenly struck by a feeling of sadness as if the world was over today.
・ Although it is not as high as during peak hours, it can sometimes be frustrating, and I’m looking for ways to eliminate the frustration.

(4) 3^rd week ～ 4^th week of Smoking cessation.
・ Once a week, I was struck by a feeling of sadness and despair as if the world was over.
・ My skin is feeling better
・ The amount of exercise has increased significantly (no more tiredness)
・ Sometimes it was still frustrating
・ The food has become delicious

(5) 5^th week ～ 8^th week of Smoking cessation
・ I feel better in my stomach
・ The feeling of sadness and despair is no longer struck, and the feeling of exhilaration in the morning has increased.
・ Almost no more frustrating
・ I realized that I had free time and wanted to try various things.

Among the above symptoms, I was particularly worried about the “feeling of despair and sadness as if the world was over” that I experienced in the 2nd to 4th weeks after quitting smoking. I wasn’t in that mental state all the time, but suddenly I was completely depressed for about 10 minutes. Actually, I also stopped alcohol when I started smoking cessation. The reason is that, as you know, “If you drink, you will want to smoke.”

And it seems that the symptoms of depression due to this Non-Alcohol etc. appeared. (As will be described later, it was not possible to conclude because the test results were still within the normal range and the symptoms appeared only in some people.) Of course, I went to the hospital immediately and got a doctor about this symptom. The test I received is an optical topography test, which is a test method that illuminates the brain and reads the blood flow pattern to diagnose mental illness such as depression.

The result was normal. However, although it was said that it was not depression or other mental illness, it was not so good at the stage before that.

The day ended with a light discussion (hearing) and a trial of TMS (Transcranial magnetic stimulation) for about an hour. Also, as advice from the doctor, light exercise every day (walking for about 15 minutes in the morning etc…) and talk with various people (conversation that makes you think by deciding the theme, fun conversation) were recommended, so I immediately incorporated it into my life.

For detail of TMS(Transcranial magnetic stimulation), please refer here (Wikipedia).

I think the first thing I had to overcome is the first peak I visit after quitting smoking (around the 1st to 3rd days). The main things I practiced there were as follows.

(1) If I wanted to smoke, eat candy, drink water, coffee, juice, and eat sweets (vinegar drinks are also recommended)
(2) Walking or running in the morning or at night
(3) If I wanted to smoke at night, give up and go to bed.

I think you already know above actions. Moreover, sweets and water can cause me to get fat. But I can’t smoke. So I had to forgive myself for getting fat, and I chose to get fat in order to cross the peak.

Next is how to deal with the frustration that lasted from the 2nd to the 4th week. As mentioned above, I had some symptoms like a depression, so it was quite tough for me personally. Until now, the way to deal with frustration was to calm the mind by ruminating the event while smoking, and to calmly deal with it, but the cigarette has disappeared. I had no choice but to consider other measures.

Here’s how to get rid of the frustration that I practiced there. I closed my eyes and calmed my mind with the image of Zen.

(1) First, do not deny, but accept frustration from the bottom of your heart (If you deny that you are bad, it is bad for you)
(2) Recall that everything has an end and that it will not last for a long time, and look at the cause and think about how to deal with it.(You can calmly see any frustration, such as frustration that you can not smoke in 1 to 5 minutes, etc.)
(3) Eat, exercise, and sleep healthy so that you can develop stress tolerance in your daily life.

In particular, exercise was able to release stress, strengthened the body, became stress tolerant, and gave me moderate fatigue and promoted sleep.

The last of the coping methods is what to do when I want to smoke about 1000 times, get dumb, and feel “sadness / hopelessness”.

Actually, it’s been about two months since I quit smoking, but when asked if I want to smoke, I’m at the level of “I can smoke.” In other words, if I want to smoke, I can smoke at any time, but it’s not a pain not to smoke so I can continue to quit smoking. That is my current  situation. Perhaps from now on, I have an image that it will be in such a state until the day when I really do not want to smoke, but on the other hand, the following countermeasures have brought about various good side effects, so I would appreciate it if you could read it as a reference as an individual experience.

(1) Read your favorite book for about 10 minutes at the timing of “It looks good if you smoke at this timing” every day.
(2) Use “my blu” at the timing of daily “I think it would be good to smoke at such a timing”.
(3) If you think that “a feeling of sadness or despair” is about to strike, take the mindset of “Come, I will accept the pain.“
(4) When work is not progressing, work while listening to “music”
(5) Eat well and take appropriate amounts of vitamins. Living with nutrition in mind.
(6) Any form is OK, talk to people, and if there is a chance, appeal “I’m doing my best to quit smoking!”.

I’m sure there are people who think, “What? Book?” This may be my hobby, but when I quit smoking, I have a lot of time. I use the extra time to read a book. Then, I put a sticky note on the place I was interested in and read it back during regular breaks to change my mind and calm down. The side effect in this case is exactly “increasing knowledge”. The more “knowledge” you have, the more interesting you will be, and the more time you have, so if you want to do something, you will probably do more and more. I’ve read more than 10 books with great momentum, and I highly recommend this method.

I also took advantage of my blu, which is popular now in Japan. The main reason for tobacco is to enjoy its “taste”, but the next factor is “situations”.

Situations such as “I’ve finished my work!”, “I need to think calmly …”, “Well, do you want to separate …” often occur, but I’ve already stopped smoking. I have no choice but to take other measures.

“my blu” is recommended there. It’s a nicotine tar-free e-cigarette. Furthermore, it does not smell and the amount of smoke (water vapor) is at a satisfactory level. So I could take advantage of this and smoke without hesitation when my favorite situation comes.

This was actually quite effective. To be specific, I’m quitting smoking in the first place, so I have a good desire to smoke, but I’ve already graduated from the peak situation of having to smoke. So, when the situation comes, spend about 5 times slowly in my blu and stop when you get tired. I don’t know if the situation will come in a couple of hours or tomorrow. It was not a withdrawal symptom, but a request from a situation, so I personally came to that situation 2-3 times a day. One flavor pot can be used for 300 suctions, and two of them are included for 940 yen (tax included). I smoke this in a week, so the cost performance was also good.

<Following picture is “my blue” in amazon, you can see more detail by clicking picture>
● my blu starter kit

Also, if you feel sad or hopeless like the author, it is your first priority to go to the hospital and see your doctor. In my case, it was about 10 minutes and never lasted, so I welcomed him with the intention of slowly accepting it as “pain in life, pain of walking together.” This is also the method I learned from the book I was reading, and when I was prepared to accept it, this was quite a good result for me. The feeling of sadness and hopelessness is certainly right around the corner, but I feel calm and able to stare straight at that feeling. And it gradually disappeared.

In addition to this method, if you feel drowsy or depressed, I recommend that you do not think that you are denying yourself, but rather work while listening to music. When I listened to my favorite music, I felt like I was cut off from unnecessary thoughts, I was able to do the work I had to do, and above all, my heart became brighter (because it was telework, my boss did not know it. so I was able to do it). I’m already a older man, but I heard Arashi’s “Love so sweet”, and although it was a long time ago, SUM 41’s “Still Waiting”, Billie Eilish’s “bad guy”, etc…. I really enjoyed such musics from the past to the latest.

For this reason, I bought the AirPods that I had been interested in for a long time. I got a stylish telework feeling using the new product, and now I can work very happily. With this level of spending, I think it’s okay to steadily touch the trends of a new age.

<Following picture is “AirPods” in amazon, you can see more detail by clicking picture>
● Apple AirPods with Charging Case

Next is the “nutritive diet”. However, it is not a well-managed meal, but in addition to being conscious of adding vegetables or meat to ordinary lunch boxes and meals to eliminate bias, and eating in the morning, noon, and evening. I am repeating my life by supplementing with an appropriate amount of vitamins. I often think that I’m afraid to depend on medicine, but if I take this appropriate amount of vitamins, I can drink it quietly, and now I prefer to take it after meals. It may be an alternative to smoking after a meal.

 Finally, it is recommended to “talk to people”. In addition to this conversation method, it is not just a matter of talking about work, but a boring theme, so it is very easy to decide one theme by yourself and talk for about 5 minutes or 10 minutes. It was good. Specifically, if the other party is from Okinawa, “About Okinawa” is fine, and if there is nothing, “Weather” is fine. The point is that you can think for yourself by “deciding on a theme and talking”, and the other person will come up with an answer related to it and proceed to an unexpected story, discovering a new side and having fun. There were quite a few things to do. Even without it, talking is a headache, and when it comes to quitting smoking, saying “I’m trying to quit smoking” makes it difficult to go back, and depending on the other party, There are conversations like “Hey! I’ll do it too!”

Now, I would like to briefly describe the benefits of quitting smoking. Also, I will not mention the medical merits here (because I am a complete amateur), but I would like to mention the good points that I felt as a real experience.

(1) You don’t have to worry about smoking by looking for a smoking area or giving consideration.
(2) It doesn’t smell like cigarettes
(3) You can have many time.
(4) You can get money.
(5) Increases the amount of exercise and reduces fatigue.

First of all, as you know, you don’t have to find a place to smoke. Until now, I searched for a smoking area before entering the store, or if I had to say, I searched for a smoking area before I went, and in the worst case, if there is no smoking area there, I would like to take a portable ashtray outside while paying attention to the eyes of others. I used it and smoked, but first I was able to get out of this work.

Moreover, it doesn’t smell like cigarettes, so you won’t be complaining.

And while this may be even more noticeable if you stop drinking with it, you’ll start to get many time and money. It’s a very good thing, but on the other hand, I think that how to use this benefit is an important factor in predicting smoking cessation in the future. (I would like to mention it in the summary)

Also, this may be because I try to exercise every day, but I didn’t get tired even when I ran, and I was less tired than when I was smoking.

(1) I couldn’t concentrate or get sleepy at the peak of withdrawal symptoms.
(2) I quit smoking and get frustrated for a few days
(3) There are various problems if you suddenly quit smoking alone from an amateur’s point of view (likely)
(4) Information cannot be collected at smoking areas
(5) I know the pleasures of tobacco and alcohol, so I feel very boring without it.

First of all, as mentioned above, there are various disadvantages such as withdrawal symptoms and various troubles caused by doing it with an amateur’s idea, so if you are thinking of starting smoking cessation from now on, please do not miss it. We would like you to consult with your doctor once and discuss the specific graduation method.

I would like you to be careful, so I will restate it here, but the mental state like depression was quite painful. The doctor who consulted me also said, “I don’t know if smoking cessation is involved,” and I’m not sure what caused this situation. It is a point of reflection that I started smoking with a light feeling and worried about the result.

Also, I still have teleworking (working from home) at Corona, so I don’t have this disadvantage, but when I come to work, I still have smoking friends, and it is a sad disadvantage that I will not be able to obtain information from them in the future.

  However, it is also an element that can be supplemented while maintaining close communication, so I am thinking of taking time on my side to slowly organize personal connections and build a new information network.

Finally, about the pleasures of tobacco and alcohol. This is as you might expect, but since you know the taste, it certainly feels very boring without it. I will talk about countermeasures for that point in a summary. (Next point)

Thank you for reading this topics. I would appreciate if above information are useful for your future.

Lastly, as I mentioned in good points and bad points, I would like to mention the measures of extra time and money.

 In my case, I spent the time and money to “Exercise” and “reading books” at first.

Also, to make it a habit in my daily life, I specifically walked and ran in the morning and at night, and selected and purchased only the books that I was really interested in. And for books, I put in the work of reading back the contents of the sticky notes before and after the work started and after.

By doing so, the desires (intellectual curiosity, aspirations, and learning desires) other than the pleasures of smoking and drinking naturally increase, and I am blessed with the opportunity to try new things, and I also exercise regularly. I was able to have a good cycle, such as releasing stress, promoting appetite, and getting a good night’s sleep. (Read popular money books and promote savings, too.)

I would like to talk about the books in another post in the future, but I think roughly reading is good as first step. (Read it first, and then read back what you are interested in.) I also think the joy of learning and the joy of practice will come from accidental encounters, and also I think that learning without greed may be wasteful.

I think little by little is OK. I would like you to read the books you are interested in and come into contact with new knowledge, experiences, and ways of thinking, and experience the fun and excitement of things you did not know or want to try.

On the other hand, if you can’t handle this extra time and money well and just think about what you want to smoke, I think you might return to being a smoker (this is just my opinion). The countermeasures shown above are just for me, so I think there are effective ways to use each of them. If you have failed to quit smoking many times, you should definitely use your spare time and money. It might be a good idea to find a place to use it.

And I think that support around you is also important for smoking cessation. The fact that the compassion and consideration of others saves people is not limited to cigarettes, and if there are people around you who are worried about it, I think we are better to come together and slowly move toward Non-smoking. In that case, we suggest that you go to your doctor and take appropriate smoking cessation procedures. Quitting smoking is not embarrassing, and it is good to fail. In Napoleon Hill’s words in book 「Outwitting the DEVIL」, “Failure is a state of mind that anyone can control.” In other words, my interpretation is that “failure is a stepping stone to success, and whether you are ashamed or not, it depends on the person who thinks it is a failure at this point. No other person’s evaluation is necessary.” Therefore, I personally think that it is a very good way to quit smoking and smoking repeatedly to aim for a reasonable quit smoking.

As with all things, please take care of yourself first to get the best life for you.