October 11th, 2010, at 2:00 P.M.
That was the last time that I smoked a cigarette. It was a Marlboro Menthol Light. It tasted wonderful.
It's surprising what you can remember. I remember more about my last cigarette than I do the last Christmas. I remember that I got my son an art easel for Christmas; or was it a tent?
Last September, the hospital I work for put up a flier for class at the local health department. It was called the Cooper-Clayton Stop Smoking Class. The hospital was gearing up for a change in the smoking policy (as in they were getting ready to stop it on campus, all-together), and they were offering to pay for this class for any of the employees who were willing to take it. My wife had finally discovered after being together for four years that I had been a smoker for three of those years. My options were quit or be alone.
I don't like being alone. So I signed up.
The first class began on October the 4th on a Monday. I went in expecting them to tell me that I had smoked my last cigarette on the way there, and I would be expected to respond with outrage mixed with disappointment. However, I was informed that my assignment for the week would be to smoke like I normally do and log it. I walked out of that first class not knowing what to expect. Of course, the next week was a wake-up call for me as I looked back at the log and noticed how much I really was smoking.
My instructor told me that I would be able to smoke even after the first week if I really felt the need to, but that we should try to abstain from it. I wanted to go above and beyond in this class, not because I wanted to impress anyone, but because I wanted to live longer and prove that I had the will-power to do something this intense. I don't remember where I wrote down that last entry for the cigarette, but I'll never forget that date.
The next twelve weeks got easier and easier as they passed by. The Cooper-Clayton method to stop smoking involved weekly lectures and support topics, coupled with the person using either Nicotine patches, lozenges, or gum on a step-down process. By the end of the twelve weeks, I wasn't even using the patch anymore. I didn't feel the need for it and I felt great. I didn't get winded walking up stairs anymore, my tri-annual strep throat didn't come back, and my wife told me that I was more cheerful than she had ever seen me.
This class has been the first thing that has actually got me to stop smoking and "make it stick." I had tried quitting cold turkey and using Chantix in the past, both of which lasted a few months but I always wanted to smoke very badly up until the point that I gave in.
This time, I don't want to smoke. It holds no power over me anymore, and I believe that it can be this way for everybody, as long as they have the will-power to want to stop.
If you're interested in the Cooper-Clayton Method to Stop Smoking, please click the link below:
http://stopsmoking4ever.org/
Awesome!
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