Well that is a bold statement! But in 1991 on a cold winter day I found myself out on the fire escape in the freezing rain holding an umbrella, freezing cold but driven to smoke. I worked at a hospital-based treatment center at the time and they had just banned smoking from hospitals. Of course that seemed insane for our unit as probably 95% of drug and alcohol addicts smoke cigarettes. But I was compliant as I stood on the fire escape willing to go to any lengths to smoke that freezing January day.
Just for a little background – I started smoking when I was eleven. It is embarrassing to admit that, but my need to have a substance relieve me of how I felt started at a really young age. I always felt ashamed and guilty for smoking. I knew at 11 that I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing; multiple times had I tried to quit, swear off, taken an oath, and prayed to quit smoking. Just like many people I had quit what felt like a thousand times. Sometimes it was a thought and sometimes I went a few days to only return to the bondage of cigarettes.
On this particular January day, I was pretty disgusted with myself. As I stood there freezing, taking my puffs, I realized I was chained to this stupid cigarette. This stupid white roll of tobacco owned my time, my money, my health, and my attention. I was angry at myself for not having more will power. When I returned inside, I commiserated with one of the counselors I worked with, and he told me what to do to solve my smoking problem forever. I was all ears as he shared this simple technique. He told me every time I lit a cigarette to thank God that he was removing the desire to smoke and to thank Him that I wouldn’t be smoking much longer. Well, that seemed a little too simple but I thought, “What the heck?” So from that day forward every time I lit a cigarette I would say “Thank You, God, for removing the desire to smoke cigarettes; thank You that I will not be smoking much longer”. Sometimes I would forget to thank Him as I was smoking, but I would just say it when I did remember no matter how long it had been since I had smoked. I would pull the cigarette out of the pack, look at it and state those words… “Thank You, God, for removing the desire to smoke cigarettes; thank You that I will not be smoking much longer”.
One day I woke up and I knew I didn’t smoke anymore. It is a pretty weird thing to wake up and know you don’t smoke anymore. I had full carton of cigarettes in my freezer but I knew it was over. So I gave the carton to someone who appreciated the gift and went about my process of detoxing.
I still had to go through this detoxifying process, which was pretty painful. I could literally smell the nicotine coming out of my pores. I was angry and irritable. I would cry myself to sleep as the nicotine left my body. I can remember sitting at red lights watching people take drags off their cigarettes. But still I knew I didn’t smoke anymore and that this would pass. I cleaned everything I could get my hands on and I had to completely re-paint our entire condo to get the smell out. The cravings, the anger, the tears, the crazy cleaning – it all finally passed.
That has been almost 23 years ago now. I will tell you there have been times I have thought about wanting a cigarette – times of extreme stress like a funeral of a loved one, chronic marriage problems, and financial troubles. But I have always known that if I picked one up, I would quickly be back to 2 ½ packs per day.
God says in all things to come with prayer and thanksgiving. So if your New Year’s Resolution is to quit smoking or any other bad habit, give this technique a try. After all, you have nothing to lose!
Blessings ~ Tammy
Green Apple 
Recent Comments