Month: May 2019

How Can I Quit Smoking?

This question is one of the most frequently asked questions by urban smokers on Google and forums like Quora. Google answers back with lot of rich experiences from ex-smokers; products that can help quit or websites that help you plan your quit journey. In this blog I’m going to narrate a practical experience from a friend who quit successfully by self. This is my gift to all the tobacco users on this World’s No Tobacco Day to start practicing the tips below with immediate effect.

Last week I met an old friend of mine, named Raj (name changed), a chain smoker for 11 years, and I was astounded to see him not smoking! I could see the transformation in him when he decided to quit and adapt a healthy living for himself. He had experienced a stroke, anxiety and breathlessness because of smoking. He had grown obese and lazy and was failing badly at his work and family life.

It was good for him to realize in time and take steps towards becoming healthy. I’m writing his story because he practiced the 4D strategy (Delay, Drink Water, Distract and Deep Breathe) of quitting and stopped smoking within a year without even realizing that he was practicing the 4D technique! He did not undergo any intervention or seek physician’s help. It was his strong willpower and self-determination to become healthy which led to his transformation. This blog describes his effort in detail and I hope you can find some tips to quitting by self.

4D Strategy - Drink Water, Delay, Deep Breathe and Distract

Change Brand and Flavour

Switch to new brand and flavour every time you buy a cigarette. Raj used to buy a different flavour of different brand every time he went for a smoke. He said that his sense of taste and smell for his favourite was fading over a period of time and his cravings to smoke were reducing. This happened in about 3-4 months of his quitting smoking. His urge reduced by 80%.

Take a Small Puff

Raj used to throw his cigarette after taking a couple of puffs. Similar process was practiced by late CM Shri Biju Pattnaik of Odisha. He used to smoke a puff and cut off the cigarette from the butt. This satiates the cravings and helps to manage the withdrawal symptoms. This way the “need to smoke” is satisfied and the body is not harmed too much. Slowly the urges become manageable and are easy to control. Let me also mention that after the puff was thrown away, Raj used to take a walk to DISTRACT himself from the thought of smoking the full cigarette.

Delaying the Urge and Drinking Water

Raj used to smoke as soon as he used to wake up. So, he changed his habit to having 4 glasses of water every morning after waking up. He then used to walk down to a distant kirana store for a cigarette. He used to climb down the stairs from the 3rd floor of his apartment and walked on foot to buy a different brand for smoking.

For the first few days, it was very tough for him to drink water. He wanted to smoke first. He also bought cigarette from the nearest kirana store. However, over a few months, he started having 2-3 glasses of water daily with practice and was finding it tedious and difficult to go to a kirana store to buy cigarette every time. This made him procrastinate buying cigarette every morning and a major factor that changed his habit of smoking in the morning forever.

This is a wonderful way of delaying the urge and getting into the habit of procrastinating smoking by making it very tiresome and tedious.

Buy Less

Buying 1-2 sticks instead of a pack will have a very strong impact and help you quit faster. When you have limited sticks you tend to smoke either when desperately required or you make the process of smoking tedious, tiresome and time consuming– first buying cigarette every time when you want to smoke and then smoking! With the latter, you delay the urge to smoke and that’s how the tendency to smoke lessens. If you have a pack, you tend to smoke whenever you please and it will not help in quitting.

So the crux is that you keep changing brands and flavours till you lose the sense of smell and taste for smoking your favourite brand; buy only 1-2 sticks; delay urge by buying cigarette every time; you cut off the butt after 2 puffs; drink water and deep breathe to relax. Distract yourself from thoughts like completing the full cigarette by either walking or making your environment tough so that you start procrastinating buying a cigarette to smoke.

Raj started exercising and running regularly. This way he turned himself into a fit, handsome and active man. It has been 5-years now that Raj is a successful ex-smoker. He has not experienced any relapse and I’m sure he will not give into smoking anymore.

All these will practically help you to quit over a period of 6-10 months. However, to be successful in quitting, you must ensure that you need to have self-confidence and determination to quit!

Raj not only quit smoking but also helped his various friends to quit smoking by the same method. I hope help you too. If you fail to quit by yourself, do not take medications by self. Ensure that you consult a doctor before you use any kind of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

Post your experiences and stories of quitting in the comment box below. I would love to learn more from your experiences.

The Navsari Experience

On 6th and 7th of April, 2019 I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. I was invited to Navsari a town just 35 kms from Surat. The place where JRD Tata was born. It is also 18 kms from Dandi Beach the famous salt satyagraha was done by Gandhiji.

First, I would like to introduce my host Dr Rajan Shethji and Mrs Kavita Shethji, wonderful and jovial couple.  Together they have been able to change lives of many people. They are the most sort after couples of Navsari not just because they  are Doctors but because they have the power to influence and do things.

Accompanying Mr Rajan were another couple Mr Pranav Shethji and Mrs Dhwani Shethji. Mr Pranav a business man and a cancer winner, twice operated and very enthusiastic to intervene and influence the lives of the cancer patients, they started the ADDlife foundation at Navsari.

Dhwani a teacher and a story teller, very sober and supportive lady.

Around 11 oclock I was introduced to a group of 7 Parsis led by Mr Yezdi Contractor and some journalists. Mr Yezdi and his group formed Muskurahat 4 years ago. Mr Yezdi a banker, lost both his parents to cancer. Since than he has been working to make people tobacco free. The Muskurahat group who had never sung learnt singing. They would go to some village and first start singing hindi old songs and once people gather around them would talk about tobacco and would take the list of people taking tobacco and follow them and help them quit tobacco. Till date they have been able to completely free 120 people from tobacco addiction. A commendable work they are doing. The interaction with them was extremely cordial. I wish to value add their efforts in a more defined way.

In the evening I had a visit to Dr Arpan Desai’s dental Clinic. Came to know that tobacco is rampantly used in Navsari, and oral cancer rate is very high. Had interaction with some patients and guided two to quit tobacco.

In the evening, I had a meet at the IMA Navsari, gave a presentation on “Kill the arjun within you -Change the World”. Not surprised at the lukewarm response of the senior doctors. Although most set through my presentation I was able to impress upon them that treating patient as a whole is important and addressing the root cause, tobacco, of most of the disease they deal with is their moral responsibility. I did have some interaction.

Later in the night I was an invited guest at ‘Muskurahat’ by Yezdi and his group which include Monaz, Rohintan,Gaver,Aspi,Khushali at  Tatahall. What amazing performance by the group. They sang some old Bollywood numbers as good as any professionals. The drama was too good and was on tobacco.  I had a wonderful interaction with the audience and tell you yet to see such motivators. Tatahall with a capacity of around 800 was full till the end at 1 am. I met lot of people off stage who wished to do more on tobacco and join hands for the purpose.

Next day I was an invited guest speaker for the NMA talk. A well organised talk by the Navsari Management Group for its member. The audience was business owners, corporates and senior executives. My talk “The ripple effect” for the management how they can bring a change in their business houses and into the lives of workers and their family. The participants enthusiastically participated in the talk. It was a full house and not a single person walked out during the session on the Ripple effect talk of 90 minutes. The senior executives and owners went back with the message to adopt the SAVE the Youth campaign – win over tobacco in their premises. The Ripple effect was evident immediately! Who does not want to save money of the organisation!

The best part was visit to Gurukul Ashram sankul, Bhadarpada.village in Dang district. adopted by Dr Rajan shethji. He had been working in that area for the last 10 years. Uplifting and upgrading the school to provide education to the village children. It was amazing to know how a school in shambles once is now a multi-storeyed building, The children are provided with education food , books etc. with increase in education overall development of the village has improved rapidly. Further the village is alcohol free, thanks to the women empowerment. Now Dr Rajan and Kavita have got Mr Pranav and Dhwani to depend upon.

Considering the tobacco control in this town it is a unique situation. We have a group, muskurahat, led by mr Yezdi, working tirelessly for the cause. In addition they are well supported by Drs Rajan, Arpan, Dr Jamil etc. The support of large groups like Navsari Management Association is possible, who are ready to implement Tobacco free units. To make the efforts effective what is needed is simplification and amplification. Simplification and skill development with evidence based practice on tobacco cessation is required, setting up of tobacco cessation centres, so that the patients can be properly guided and results can be amplified.

ICanCaRe would be happy to help.