stop smok-in 89 days

I’m a formal smoker of a 22 year habit. It’s been almost 20 years now since I kicked the smoking addition to nicotine. I won’t bore you with a bunch of statistics. What inspired me to write this article was, one day I was looking through the paper I read 10 different methods on how to stop smoking. I didn’t see my method. Actually, I failed for 5 years. Numerous unsuccessful attempts to stop before I developed my on method. I marked my calendar the 89-day's that would be the finish smoking days.

I know you can’t wait for me to tell you about what is the 89-day plan is! Well that comes at the end of my story. My whole method took 89-days. I won’t even get into the tens of $1,000's of dollars that you can save by not spending it on indirect cost of medical, Rx's, time off from work, etc etc. My whole method takes 89-days.

To begin with I started by buying the less and less % nicotine content packs to buy. You gradually do this over the whole 89-days. Every method I tried, I failed. The patches didn’t work, acupuncture didn’t work. Shots didn’t work. The nicotine gum didn’t work. Now I spent 5 yrs trying to quit before I got to this 89-day method. At times I would go a week or a month. However, I would always go back. I would start back up, by rewarding myself with a cig telling myself, see I can quit any time I want too!

I had to replace something to do with my hands. So I started carry toothpicks in my billfold. I carried them in my shirt pocket. I left toothpicks in my car, on my desk, by the bed, literally everywhere, even in my hat! I simply never let myself ever run out of toothpicks. Then I started buying packs of cig's that I didn't like the brand. I did this for over the whole 89-days. Now this is important. I’ll mention it again. Every time you buy a pack, buy a different brand that you don’t like!

Now we are at the final 89 days of how to quit with the 89-plan! This is when I started weaning myself off & limiting my cig's to 9-a-day. That was my allotment for each day. 9-a-day! I would smoke 2 after meals. I would not smoke in the house or in the car. So you see where I’m going? Also, after 44-days we repainted the inside of the house. Cleaned everything. Curtains and furniture, woodwork you name it. We cleaned it!

You keep yourself busy doing something so your not thinking so much about smoking. You will have stop smoking withdrawals.

I always carried my little bag of goodies. I had my toothpicks, butterscotch candy, and my favorite gum! The guys at work gave me a name and it just kind of stuck with me. The gum-man with his 89-plan! By the last week of the month your down to five cig’s a day. You got your goody bag. Each month it will get easier and easier. Just don’t ever pick up one. Because if you ever pick up, you’ve blown it! You’ll loose! I promise! Just don’t ever pick up that one!

If this true story inspires just one person then I’ve done my job. You have to substitute your time with doing other things! I started a RUNNING HABIT somewhere in the middle of these 89-days. I’ve RAN almost every day of my life ever since. I would never have been able to RUN marathons as a smoker.

See my desire to RUN 4 to 5 days a week and RUN races that became my passion just as you will find a passion of yours! I’ve RAN about a hundred races. This mindset gives you the strength to help others to stop smoking and to start a daily exercise program. You can do this! If one man can do something, so can another. And you will too just like the 89-day plan did!