My mother started smoking because she married a smoker.
Then one day she announced that she was giving up and she did, but not everyone is as strong willed as my mum, Betty.
She carried her open packet with her in her ubiquitous red handbag for years. That meant she only had to hold the same level of ‘won’t power’ as she could always say, “No thank you, I have my own,” when offered a cigarette.
Dad carried on smoking for many years until there was a price increase and an extra tax on cigarettes in the same month. As he had only handled money for his roll-your-owns and highly subsidised pie with a cuppa for morning tea at the New Plymouth wharf cafeteria for 20 cents, he did not have a realistic view of the value of money and the new price was daunting.
Betty quietly left a Women’s Weekly article open on his bedside table with the formula for breaking down nicotine.
So, after 55 years of smoking, Snow used it and gave up in two weeks. The first day he smoked half of his usual cigarettes. Each day the amount reduced until it was one, then a half, then none. He found he could taste more so reduced the sugars in his coffee from four, eventually to two teaspoons. He needed something to do with his mouth and didn’t want to chew gum as he had seen others do, so he took up whistling – a very happy sound!
This 12-step programme is taken from my parents' experiences and a few tips added from others who have been successful at stopping smoking.
BETTY AND SNOW’S SECRET FORMULA TO QUITTING SMOKING
Step 1 – Decide you want to give up
It’s your decision and no one else’s; it’s your willpower and motivation.
Step 2 – Stop mid-pack of cigarettes Carrying an open pack reduces the willpower required to resist offers.
Step 3 – Find an encouraging support person
Someone non-preachy who won't berate you if you fall off the wagon.
Step 4 – Place the formula on the palm of your left hand just before bedtime –
1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp white sugar.
Step 5 – Mix the formula together in clockwise circles with your right forefinger –
This body patterning will imprint into your mind.
Step 6 – Say your reason for quitting ‘mantra’ three times while mixing the formula – 'Smoking is a waste of money' or 'I want to breathe better’.
Step 7 – Poke out your tongue and lift your left hand towards it
Place the formula on your tongue to dissolve and absorb.
Step 8 – Close your eyes and think of your mantra
'I want to breathe better'.
Step 9 – Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke each day
Use your willpower, without being too hard on yourself.
Step 10 – Any time you struggle and want to smoke, use the body patterning
Trace those circles on your palm and repeat your mantra silently.
Step 11 – Put all the money you would have spent on cigarettes in a jar
Transfer this to a bank account and it will pay for overseas travel each year.
Step 12 – It’s a secret – don’t force this on anyone
Only tell people who have already decided to give up smoking.
As you can see, the prize is six-fold. You quit smoking, save money, get a yearly overseas trip, gain more friends because you smell better, gain better health and live longer.
Disclaimer: I have never smoked a puff of anything in my life because it is disgusting. Smoking is the only thing I ever argued with my father about.
Dad’s birthday was 3 May, Mum’s on 31 May, hence this is an appropriate time to share this sage advice. Think fondly of Snow and Betty, I know I do.
Gael Baldock, community advocate, GaelB@xtra.co.nz
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