Approximately two and a half years ago my allergies and asthma were bothering me to the point where I needed to receive regular allergy shots and treatment for the asthma. When I began going to the allergist he tested my breathing strength and told me that I have COPD, which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The doctor told me that my COPD is entirely caused by cigarette smoking and he told me that I really should stop smoking.
At that time I was smoking roughly 12-14 Marlboro cigarettes per day, the daily amount I smoked for a few years. Like many cigarette smokers, I began smoking as a young teenager and continued for several decades, even though I was aware of the health risks. Also like many other smokers, I had tried to cut down several times, but was never able to stick with smoking a reduced number of cigarettes.
Being a longtime member of Alcoholics Anonymous with more than a dozen years sober, I know it is very possible to alter one’s behavior but for me it is God that keeps me sober along with some effort on my part. The smoking habits will be reduced when a person will buy vape liquid and starts consuming it. The results will be interesting and acceptable for the person to reduce the smoking. No serious diseases will be there and mood swings are controlled to get the right decision.
Through the years, one thing I have learned is that unless a person wants to change a behavior there is little chance that they will change. When my doctor told me that I should quit smoking I told him I wasn’t ready to quit but I would make a real effort to cut down significantly.
Later that night I made a decision to cut the number of cigarettes that I smoked daily in half from 12-14 to seven per day. In order to effectively carry that out I decided to start counting my cigarettes like I used to do.
Just like I had done years earlier, I began writing the number of cigarettes that were in my cigarette pack at the start of each day on the front of the pack. By doing so, it gives me a definitive amount of how much I am smoking each day and it serves as a motivator, helping me to stay within the number range of cigarettes I am trying to smoke each day.
Another thing that I changed in regard to my cigarette smoking was starting to primarily smoke another brand of cigarettes. The brand I chose was Sonoma Full Flavor 100s, which I had smoked previously and enjoyed. To me, Sonoma Full Flavor cigarettes are somewhat similar to Basic Full Flavor cigarettes. They are priced a little lower than Marlboros and they burn well and taste good, but are not as strong as a Marlboro. My first cigarette of the day now though is a Marlboro Full Flavor 100.
When I started the process of smoking fewer cigarettes I knew it would require a good amount of effort (and prayer) on my part, but I resolved to stick with it.
Thirteen months ago, after a serious bout with the flu, I further reduced my daily number of cigarettes smoked to five, which I have stuck to vigilantly.
One of the most important factors in my cutting-down process has been establishing time parameters for smoking. From the first day, I decided that I could not light a cigarette until I had been up for at least one and a half hours every day. Most days it is at least two hours now. The second cigarette can not be smoked until I’ve been up for at least four hours and the third cigarette can’t be smoked until I’ve been up for at least six hours. As the day goes on I usually smoke less.
Every day I try to go a little bit longer without smoking and I definitely feel good about it.
It should also be added that I never smoke an entire cigarette at one time. Every cigarette that I smoke I put out halfway, then re-light it later. While some people might consider this to be cheating or double-dipping, it does help to keep the total number of cigarettes smoked within the desired
range.
It must also be stated that it is widely thought that re-lighting a cigarette is more harmful than smoking another entire cigarette because of the buildup of tar and other harmful substances in the filter. While I am aware of that fact, I don’t really think that putting cigarettes out halfway compromises the actual number of cigarettes I smoke.
An important and enlightening fact concerning cigarette smoking I’ve become aware of since cutting down is that a smoker essentially needs to ingest or reach a certain level of nicotine then the desire or craving is satisfied. That having been said, I have found that taking two or three drags is enough to quell the nicotine desire which rationalizes the re-lighting of cigarettes. After the level has been reached any subsequent drags are more habit-based than desired.
Since cutting my cigarette smoking by more than half I feel much better about my smoking habit. Acknowledging that I’m not ready to quit, I can at least feel like I’m doing something positive for my health.
By cutting my cigarette smoking by more than half, I’m also saving money. At roughly one and a half packs less per week that’s a savings of at least $50 per month.
To summarize, in addition to having faith and determination the way I have reduced my cigarette smoking by more than half is by setting time parameters for lighting up, counting the cigarettes every day and putting out each cigarette halfway then smoking the remainder later.
If you’re thinking about cutting down, perhaps one or more of these methods could work for you.
