Smoking

One of the most widespread evils of modern times is the habit of smoking. Every smoker knows that he is harming himself yet he goes on smoking just the same. Smoking is supposed to be a seda­tive in its effect on the nerves, but in reality it is nothing more than a mild narcotic causing temporary brain fag and a comfort­able feeling only to bring on a greater depressive reaction a short while later. This, in turn, causes a craving for more let-down and another and another smoke, and thus the habit is continually aggravated.

The first smoke of a beginner produces a number of violent reactions—dizziness, headache, vomiting—an indication that the body is desperately trying to get rid of a harmful substance. To­bacco, whether raw or cured, contains various deadly poisons like nicotin, nicotianin, furfural, pyridin, carbolic acid, ammonia, carbon monoxide, collidin, and others. It has been established by medical authorities that tobacco is the direct and indirect cause of many diseases and complications. The most serious of the latter is degeneracy of glands, particularly the sexual ones. Sexual gland degeneration causes premature sex debility in men and sterility in women. Excessive use of tobacco will cause cancer, ulcers, lung diseases, heart trouble, hardening of the arteries, dyspepsia, ca­tarrh of the throat, ear, and nose, blindness, and scores of other diseases. Equally distressing are mental disturbances resulting from excessive smoking: irritability, nervousness, brain-fag, insomnia, hallucinations, and a condition of general mental instability.

Many of us have heard of popular men who were heavy smokers, very brilliant, and lived a long life but such cases you know of only from newspapers because they are exceedingly rare. Men like Winston Churchill with his habitual cigar are scarce. As a rule, they are endowed with an unusually strong physique and had in their lives favorable influences which amply counterbalanced the bad effects of smoking. On the other hand, all smokers we know personally or see around us usually present an aspect of perfect misery.

It is quite evident that smoking cannot be conducive to health and happiness in the long run. One already addicted to this de­structive habit should do his best to get rid of it before it is too late.

There are three different methods of breaking the smoking habit—substitution, gradual cutting down, and stopping completely. Whichever method is employed, one thing is vitally important — the will and perseverance in breaking the habit. Realization of the great harm of smoking should spur anyone to use his will power to that end.

As in the case of getting rid of the alcoholic habit a prolonged fast will prove highly beneficial in combating the habit of smok­ing. Ridding the system through fasting of all impurities, tobacco deposits lodged in various parts of the body, and general toxins, will abolish the craving for the weed. Two to three weeks of com­plete fasting should be sufficient to bring relief in all average cases providing a rational regime of living is adhered to afterwards, so that with the absence of toxins in the blood the craving will not return later on.

To make it easier to get over the habit the afflicted person should try to substitute some other activity, food, or drink every time there is an urge to reach for a cigarette. Chew on an apple, drink a few swallows of orange juice or water, take a walk, or read a few pages of an especially interesting book at such times. Keep away from other smokers for a while. Weigh yourself often to watch the gain in your weight as well as other improvements in the general condition of your health; many of them will result after you cut out smoking. This will give you added encouragement arid serve as inducement to keep up the good work.

On the mental side of breaking the smoking, as well as any other bad habit, the influence of the mind is the greatest factor in achieving success. Where the desire to improve is present a meth­od of self-suggestion can be used with very good results. On the other hand, where such desire and will power are lacking sugges­tion by another person will prove efficient. We have dealt with this particular matter in detail in our previous chapter on alcohol. Here we shall only point out that in order to get rid of the habit affirm to yourself every night just before falling asleep and also right upon awakening in the morning the following: “Tobacco is killing; tobacco tastes rotten; I am cutting out smoking forever; I am cured of this habit,” and so on. These affirmations will help you in getting over the hardest moments of the fight, and will strengthen your will power in resisting the temptation of reaching for a cigarette in waking hours.

The method of mental suggestion by another person is the same as the one applied in the case of getting rid of the alcoholic habit. It is performed either with or without the knowledge of the afflicted as the circumstances may require. After the afflicted person has gone to sleep at night his wife, mother, or anyone else desiring to help the victim in getting rid of the habit should quietly enter his room if possible, take the recipient’s left hand in his right one, call the person in an audible whisper by his name and order him to vomit every time he takes a smoke. A few minutes of this procedure every night for a period of ten to twelve days should accomplish the desired results.

The advantages gained by breaking the habit of smoking are so great that no amount of hard work and sacrifice are too difficult in attaining them. Think of the health, happiness, and the extra amount of money which could be used to improve your living conditions that freedom from this malignant habit will bring you! It will pay you to invest a little time and effort in order to get rid of the smoking habit once and for all.