This is another bizarre technique for stopping smoking that you won’t find much discussion on outside of here.
This is a real-world solution though because it actually worked for me in the short term.
Here’s what I did:
I replaced cigarettes with cigars.
Now most people through up their hands at this idea and exclaim: “Cigars are worse for you than cigarettes!”
People really get upset and exasperated when you tell them you successfully quit cigarettes and have now switched to cigars.
This reaction is very predictable and understandable. It’s also wrong.
Switching to cigars is a potential strategy for quitting altogether. Why? Because the nicotine content and the chemicals in cigars are much less than in cigarettes.
The idea is to switch to cigars and get off of cigarettes completely. Once you’ve done that successfully, the next step is to start slowly changing the way you smoke the cigars. What do I mean by this?
Cigars are traditionally not inhaled, but are instead enjoyed for their taste. So at first, when you switch to cigars, you will probably be inhaling them in order to get your Nicotine fix. But as time goes on, you can slowly start smoking the cigar as it was intended, and not inhale as frequently, or as deeply. This will have the effect of weening you off of the Nicotine, while still giving you the oral fixation “fix” of being able to smoke. You also get the social benefits of smoking (yes, there are some!) and you continue the “ritual” of the smoking habit.
All of this makes it fairly easy to switch to cigars and eventually get to where you are no longer inhaling deeply when you smoke them. Once you get to this point (should only take a week or two), then you are in a prime position to make the decision if you want to quit smoking altogether. You will essentially be “off” the Nicotine at this point, and will no longer be facing a nasty withdrawal.
Really, what have you got to lose? If you get hooked on cigars instead of cigarettes, remember that cigars are actually healthier and probably cheaper at this point than cigarettes, so you really can’t lose. I know this technique works because I once switched over to cigars and continued to smoke them for a period of several months before eventually returning to cigarettes (just wasn’t ready to quit at the time!).
If you’ve never even tried to quit smoking before then the cigar switch method can be a great way to ease into the idea.
You might also be interested in more about what to expect when quitting smoking.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the good laugh! Smoking cigars never works as a way to quit smoking cigaettes and your post proves it. You never quit smoking because you went back to cigarettes. Quitting is stopping smoking and staying stopped. You only stopped temporarily and were doomed from the start because you were still smoking cigars.
Kind of like a an alcholic who drank whisky saying he quit drinking while he was still drinking beer. Alchohol is alcohol and tobacco is tobacco.
I quit smoking 14 years ago. I did it by quitting tobacco…period. No cigars, no chew, no pipes. I quit tobacco. Was it easy? No way, it was very difficult but I told myself that I was stronger than tobacco.
Next time you really want to quit. Just quit and don’t play around with cigars or any other form of tobacco. Good luck!
Bob
I have quit cigarettes with cigars. I went from 2+ packs a day to 2 to 3 cigars a day. I do not inhale, which means i get the nicotine through my lips. I can now breathe. I don’t freak out for a cigarette. Now lets be clear. I went from cigarettes to real hand rolled cigars. The nicotine withdrawl was horrible, because your lungs are by far the best delivery method for nicotine… but the oral and hand fixation are taken care of by the cigar. It is a fixation urge not a “nic” fit! Again, we are not talking swisher sweets or blunts here… I am talking about nice hand rolled long filler cigars. I can attest to my habits changing. I dont smoke every hour cause I have too… I smoke after a meal usually. It is that nice break that a smoker gets after a meal that most people claim is the hardest thing to give up. So for all of you polluting your lungs out there… Smoke a cigar instead. You will thank me.
Thank you for the information. My New Yyears resolution was to quit smoking,i’ve tried several times but with no luck.I desided on this try to use cigars and the first few days it seems to be working.But thank to everyone again
When I chose to quit cigarets,I tried Nicoret gum.It helped,but I needed to perform the ritual of smoking more than the actual satisfaction of the Parlaiment Light cigaret.I have not smoked a cigaret in 4 mos.I enjoy cigars much more,smoke zero to three per day.I smoke the small vanillas that come in tins.They’re hand rolled Dominicans and do not need to be inhaled to enjoy,don’t even miss the cigarets,and the cigars taste much better.I find I can breath much more easily.
Hi there Karen
Stick with your strategy and make sure you do not ever go back to cigarettes. You will inhale them and then you’ll be hooked all over again. At least with the cigars you are avoiding the chemical dependency. Later on you can quit those too and it will be much easier than quitting cigarettes. Good job!