The second most common and equally ridiculous platitude is:

I can understand why smoking is commonly regarded as a habit. After all, there appears to be no other logical explanation. But are habits difficult to break? As an Englishman, all my life I’ve been in the habit of driving on the left side of the road. This causes some considerable inconvenience to Americans or Continentals who visit our Islands. However, they are fortunate in that the vast majority of countries that they visit also drive on the right and they are not inconvenienced. The people that are most inconvenienced by their obsession to drive on the left are the people who do so. Every time I visit the Continent or the States I’m forced to break the habit. Inconvenient it may be, but difficult it is not. I immediately break the lifetime’s habit and when I return to England, I find it just as easy to return to the left. The truth is that we make and break habits every day of our lives.

The only reason why we believe habits are difficult to break is because the most common ‘habit‘ that we would all really love to break is the smoking `habit‘, and because most of us find it so difficult or even impossible to break it, we assume that habits are difficult to break. Now with a habit that kills us and costs us a fortune, when all we have to do to break it is to stop lighting cigarettes, why do we find it so difficult?

When you arc learning to smoke, all you are actually doing is teaching your brain and body to become immune to the foul effects. It’s rather like working on a farm. To start with, the animals smell awful, but eventually you become immune to their smell, and incidentally, they become immune to yours. The human body is an incredibly sophisticated machine. It will warn you when you feed it poison and if you are stupid enough not to heed that warning and continue to regularly feed poison, it will try to protect you. Rasputin was able to survive a dose of arsenic twenty times the size of the dose that would kill an average human being purely by gradually building a resistance to the poison.

Let’s get back to the similarity between eating and smoking. We think of hunger as a rather unpleasant experience. The truth is that it is an incredibly ingenious device. I should emphasize that I’m not talking about starvation now, but the everyday business of enjoying three meals a day.

When we eat it’s rather like filling up our car with petrol. We’ve provided our body with the fuel and minerals it needs to survive. The moment we finish that meal we start to use up that energy but we don’t immediately feel hungry again, unless, of course, we have dietary problems. In fact, if we get into a regular habit of eating, say, three meals a day, we need never even be aware of the aggravation called hunger, provided that we eat when our next meal is due and our body says to our brain, “Hey, I’m hungry, let’s eat”. You can then obtain the genuine pleasure of satisfying that hunger without being aware of any aggravation.

However, supposing, for whatever reason, that meal is not available. Now you suffer. I remember as a boy on Sundays we ate lunch at 2pm when my father returned from having a drink with his friends. The problem was the rest of the week we ate lunch at midday and my body and brain were geared up to eat then. But what physical pain do we actually undergo at such times? OK, our stomachs might be rumbling, but there’s no actual physical Pain. Nevertheless, it is physical, and we musn’t underestimate its effect. Imagine having an itch on the tip of your nose and not being allowed to scratch it. That could drive you to distraction in just a few minutes.

How would you describe hunger? There’s no physical pain. We can only describe it as an empty, insecure feeling that we know will only be satisfied by food. The feeling itself isn’t so bad — just like the itch, it’s not being allowed to satisfy it or scratch it that’s the torture.

How do you describe the craving for nicotine? Are you in physical pain? No, you have just an empty, insecure feeling which you know will be satisfied by a cigarette. Just like a hunger for food, provided your brain is not aware of it, you do not suffer one iota, and provided when you do become aware of it, you are allowed to light up and relieve the empty, insecure feeling, you get genuine pleasure and relaxation.

Chewing tobacco can serve as a stop smoking alternative, too, for some people. A Danish doctor writing in The Lancet reports that, after several unsuccessful attempts to stop smoking by other methods, he was finally able to overcome his heavy addiction to cigars — eight or ten a day — by placing a little wad of chewing tobacco between his gum and his cheek. “This remarkable result,” he says, “shows that the smoking habit can be broken in a surprisingly simple way. The probable explanation is that blood nicotine is kept at the ‘right’ level by absorption through the mucuous membranes of the mouth.”

Nicotine chewing gum is another stop smoking nicotine alternative. Developed in Sweden and called Nicorette, it is already sold in a number of countries, including Canada, England and Switzerland.

A special feature of the gum is that it is buffered; it alkalinises the saliva. And this, as you saw earlier, makes absorption through the membranes of the mouth much easier. The gum, which releases the nicotine slowly for about half-an-hour, comes in two strengths, 4mg and 2mg. The 4mg version gives roughly the same nicotine blood concentration as one high-nicotine cigarette without, however, the peak level. People trying to stop are advised by their doctor to reach for a piece of the 2mg gum instead of a cigarette when they get a strong urge to smoking a year later, compared to 14 per cent of a group that had received only psychological treatment in stopping clinics. Addiction to the gum occurred in no more than 3 per cent of the cases; the gum does not produce the very addictive highs of cigarettes but definitely eases withdrawal pangs.

An abrupt switchover from cigarettes to gum, using the gum for four months, even if daily consumption is low, and then tapering off. He advises keeping an emergency supply on hand for up to a year, in order to avoid falling back into the smoking habit.

These points can be of practical importance to anyone who uses snuff as a stopping aid. They suggest that one should not attempt to cut off the use of snuff too soon if there is a risk of resuming the far more dangerous practice of smoking cigarettes.

Pipe or cigar Would either a pipe or a cigar be a sensible nicotine alternative for somebody trying to kick the cigarette habit? Before answering that question, there are two or three points to consider.

First, how do the two habits — cigarettes on the one hand, and pipe or cigars on the other — compare as to long-range risks? A pipe or cigar smoker of the traditional sort, one who does not inhale, is in much less danger than a cigarette smoker. There is, of course, some hazard, such as that of developing cancer of the mouth or the throat.

However, the big problem is that if you have been a cigarette smoker and you switch to a pipe or cigars, you are likely to continue inhaling unconsciously out of habit. In that case, you really have not made any progress, even if you think of the pipe or cigars as simply a temporary measure. Worse still, if you end up by adopting a pipe or cigar long-term and inhale, then you are just as badly off as you were with cigarettes; inhaled pipe or cigar smoke is every bit as dangerous as inhaled cigarette smoke.

So there is a fundamental difference between the “primary” pipe or cigar smokers — as the medical experts call those who have smoked only a pipe or cigars from the start — and the “secondary” pipe or cigar smokers, who have switched over from cigarettes at some point or other. Because of this, neither pipe-smoking nor cigar- smoking seems to be a good nicotine alternative in a cigarette-stopping effort, unless one is sure not to inhale.

The Stop Smoking Diet begins with a week’s worth of Stop Smoking Diet Breakfast menus. Each of the meals is planned in such a way that it can help you start your day on the alkaline side. All the menus are interchangeable. This means you can switch them around any way you like. You can, for instance, have the Tuesday breakfast on Friday or the Saturday breakfast on Wednesday. Or, if you prefer, you can choose one particular menu that you feel especially comfortable with and have that meal for breakfast each day. Many people are creatures of habit when it comes to breakfast, and they look forward to having the same thing every day. You may be one of them.

Each of the Stop Smoking Diet Breakfast menus has a choice of Basic Coffee or black coffee. The reason for this is that the caffeine present in coffee can help keep off pounds in much the same way that nicotine does. And you want to do all you can to keep your weight in check after you have begun to cut down on cigarettes. If you do not like to drink coffee, have tea instead.

Each of the menus for Stop Smoking Diet Breakfasts is, of course, planned with an eye to calorie control. But there are many people who need to start the day with a fairly substantial meal. If you are one of these, just include the food which appears in italics on the menu. This gives you what extra nourishment you need and is at the same time low enough in calories to help you avoid any sudden weight gain.

Mondays

8 fl oz (225m1) grapefruit juice

(1 small bowl of cornflakes cereal with a little sweetener and skimmed milk)

2 slices of rye bread, toasted Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Tuesdays

8 fl oz (225m1) orange-and-pineapple juice (half orange juice and half pineapple juice)

(1 biscuit of Shredded Wheat cereal with a little sweetener and skimmed milk)

2 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted

Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam

Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Wednesdays

8 fl oz (225m1) orange juice

(1 small bowl of Grape-Nuts cereal with a little sweetener and skimmed milk)

2 slices of white bread, toasted

Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam

Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Thursdays

8 fl oz (225m1) apple-and-grape juice (half apple juice and half grape juice)

(1 small bowl of All-Bran cereal with a little sweetener and skimmed milk)

2 slices of rye bread, toasted

Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam

Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Fridays

8 fl oz (225m1) pineapple juice

(1 small bowl of Special K cereal with a little sweetener and skimmed milk)

2 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted

Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam

Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Saturdays

8 fl oz (225m1) apple juice

(1 small bowl of Cornflakes cereal with a little sweetener and skimmed milk)

2 slices of white bread, toasted

Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam

Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Sundays

8 fl oz (225m1) pineapple-and-grapefruit juice (half pineapple juice and half grapefruit juice)

(1 chipolata sausage)

2 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted

Pat margarine

A little marmalade or jam

Basic Coffee* or black coffee

Basic Coffee

3 fl oz (75m1) liquid skimmed milk

1 heaped tablespoon non-fat dry milk

6 fl oz (150m1) strong black coffee, piping hot

Bring skimmed milk almost to the boil. Stir in dry milk. When dissolved, bring back almost to the boil. Pour hot milk and hot coffee into a big coffee cup at the same time, so the coffee foams slightly.

Nicotine is one of the most powerful of all known drugs. Two or three drops placed on your tongue would be enough to kill you. And, for that matter, the amount of nicotine in a cigar would be fatal if it were administered as an injection in a single swift dose.

The way nicotine affects the organs of the body — every one of them, at that — seems to stem from its action at certain key points in the brain and the whole nervous system. And one of the most intriguing things about nicotine’s effects is that they are often paradoxical. The effect of one particular dose at one particular spot can be quite different from that of another dose at another spot. Also, a low, short dose of nicotine may stimulate whereas a long-lasting high dose may depress or even paralyse.

Nicotine’s Effects on the Brain and Nervous System

Nicotine appears to have a stimulating effect on the brain. This is something which many smokers say they experience, and it is also indicated by very “hyper” patterns in the electrical recordings used to measure brain waves. But the effect is likely to be brief at best, and to be followed by a feeling of sedation, especially if you smoke a good deal. Another thing that can happen is that one part of the brain may be stimulated while another part is depressed: the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from the cortex, or outer layer, of the brain contributes to this paradoxical effect.

Nicotine also affects other parts of the central nervous system. According to some of the latest research, there may even be specific receptor sites for nicotine. Receptors are little grab points on the membrane of a cell that a particular chemical can latch on to, thereby causing a certain effect on the body. If indeed nicotine receptors do exist, then it may be possible to block them, just as is already being done with receptors for certain other drugs. This, incidentally, brings up a fascinating question: if it does become possible to block nicotine receptors, could this ever serve as a means to help smokers stop and stay off cigarettes?

Nicotine’s Effect on the Heart and Blood Vessels

Nicotine makes your heart beat faster. In increases the amount of blood that your heart pumps out with each beat, and the speed and force with which it does this. Another effect is the boost it gives your blood pressure. The mechanism underlying all this is the release of epinephrine, or adrenalin, and other catecholamines (stimulating substances) from the heart tissues and also from the adrenal glands.

Nicotine also reduces the blood flow reaching the surface of the body, and this makes the skin temperature drop. A single cigarette contains enough nicotine to slow the blood flow in your fingers by over 40 per cent, and people who smoke heavily often have cold hands and feet.

The cardiovascular system reacts much more noticeably to nicotine after a period of abstinence. Effects can last for as long as an hour, all told.

Nicotine’s Effects on the Stomach and Intestines

Smoking has been shown to stimulate the output of saliva, lessen hunger pangs for as much as an hour, reduce the secretion of gastric juice in the stomach, and sometimes delay the emptying of the stomach, too. It also tends to increase bowel activity; in fact, temporary constipation is one of the common withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine’s Effects on Behavior and Learning

Studies with animals suggest that nicotine, in small doses, helps learning processes, probably through the release of norepinephrine — another of the catecholamines — in the brain. But in larger doses nicotine has the opposite effect, through the counteraction of acetylcholine. Among human beings, smoking does seem to help addicted smokers concentrate and deal with stressful situations. It does not, however, enable them to perform better than people who do not smoke at all.

Nicotine and Tranquillisation

One of the best examples of nicotine’s paradoxical effects is the way in which a small dose seems to stimulate a person psychologically while a larger one relaxes. Quite apart from all this, nicotine does have a specifically relaxing physical effect on the skeletal muscles of the body.

Nicotine’s Effects on Weight

Through its stimulating effect, nicotine mobilises the release of fatty acids into the bloodstream; as a result, smokers do not use the calories of the food they eat as efficiently as non-smokers do. It may be because of this metabolic squandering, and a shift to greater efficiency in calorie metabolism which takes place when people stop smoking, that ex-smokers so often complain of gaining weight after they have stopped.

Interestingly, another alkaloid, caffeine, seems to have the same metabolic effect as nicotine does on calories. So for some people, coffee may be a good thing while giving up smoking, although there are others who find it too closely associated with cigarettes.

1. Spend as much of your free time as you possibly can in public places where smoking is prohibited. Museums and galleries are excellent. So are theatres. Concert halls are very good, too, and some cinemas (save all the films you have not seen and would really like to see for this period).
2. Although you cannot do much about the smoking habits of the other people in your office, try as much as you possibly can to steer clear of friends who smoke, at least during this interim period when you are trying to complete your cigarette countdown.
3. If you are in the habit of smoking while driving, perhaps you can shift to some means of public transportation — buses or trains — for a good deal of the time. Be sure to sit in a non-smoking compartment.
4. Do not stay at the table after you have finished eating if you can help it. This is a compulsive smoking time for almost all smokers.
5. Be very careful about alcoholic drinks. Drinking, whether wine or beer or hard liquor, is closely linked with smoking, as a rule. It is also a well-known fact that drinking is likely to weaken your willpower.
6. Some people find that having a cigarette with a cup of coffee — whether it is for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a break in-between meals — is a stubborn habit and one that is often very hard to break. On the other hand, you may discover that a small cup of strong, really delicious coffee, like espresso with a twist of lemon, can take the place of a cigarette at the end of a meal. It gives you the much-needed taste that you have come to expect at that particular time.
7. Find something new to do with your hands. For men, a key ring with lots of keys on it helps. So does a handful of small change in your pocket that you can play with and really jingle. Or twirling a pair of glasses, if you happen to use glasses. For some women, needlepoint can be an excellent preoccupation, but for others it is nerve-racking. The same goes for knitting and crochet. Worry beads work for just about everyone, and they are actually being used by more and mor_e. people. If you have any Greek stores in your neighbourhood, they usually have nice ones made of olive wood. One important point for women: wear clothes with pockets, big pockets that you can stick your hands in, and play with something small.
8. If you miss the oral gratification you got from a cigarette keep something handy you can pop in your mouth — chewing gum, Life Savers, or the new diet sweets that are just like old-fashioned acid balls but almost zero in calories (you can usually buy them in health-food stores and in some supermarkets). Use straws for drinks whenever you can.
9. Deep breathing can also be useful at this time; it can even act as a substitute for the deep puff of a cigarette. Take a long, deep breath slowly, hold it two or three seconds, and then let it out slowly. Repeat several times.
10. Take up some new activities, particularly some form of exercising. Try swimming or classes in karate. fencing, yoga, gymnastics or dancing. Or take up cycling, jogging, running, walking, tennis, squash or ice- skating.

Basic Almond Milk Punch

6 fl oz (150m1) milk

3 fl oz (75m1) plain yogurt pinch of sweetener

Few drops of almond extract pinch of grated nutmeg

Combine milk, yogurt, sweetener and almond extract in the container of an electric blender. Blend at high speed for a couple of seconds, until frothy. Pour into a tall glass. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Serves 1

Basic Strawberry Milk Punch

6 fl oz (150m1) plain yogurt

3 fl oz (75m1) milk

4 oz (100g) sliced strawberries (or other fruit) pinch of sweetener

Combine yogurt, milk, strawberries and sweetener in the container of an electric blender. Blend at high speed for a few seconds, until well blended. Pour into a tall glass. Garnish with a few more strawberry slices if you like. Serves 1

Basic Ovaltine Punch

Combine milk and Ovaltine according to directions on the package. Blend at high speed for a few seconds until the mixture is frothy. Pour into a tall glass.

Here is a checklist to use as a guide in getting ready.

Really decide to stop. This may sound simplistic, it is so obvious. But the experts stress that it is an extremely important step to take. From the moment you decide to take it, there should be no turning back; you no longer go around saying that you have absolutely got to stop, or that you simply have to make yourself stop smoking. You are, in fact, in the process of doing so. You have made a conscious and explicit decision.

Make your plans for the stop smoking diet. Search some menus and recipes and see what foods you need to buy. Do as much of the stop smoking diet shopping for the week ahead as you can during this get-ready period.

Decide if you need a nicotine alternative to help you make the break. It can make a measurable difference by easing the whole problem of withdrawal. It may be especially useful if you happen to smoke a lot and have already tried several times to give up smoking, but without ever being quite able to pull it off. If you use a nicotine alternative, be sure to use the stop smoking diet, too.

Get out a pad and pencil and start listing the reasons why you are anxious to stop smoking. Put down every single reason you can think of. Keep the pad, with the list attached, in a handy place where you can get at it at all times. If you think of still more reasons in the course of the next day or so, simply add them to the list. You will be surprised at how many reasons you can muster when you put your mind to it. Here are a few of the main ones that other people often give:

• There are such big health benefits — the greatly reduced risk of lung and other kinds of cancer, a heart attack, emphysema, other chronic diseases. With these benefits, you also have the prospect of many extra years of life, good healthy years. It makes a big difference when you can look forward to a longer, healthier lifespan.
• Being able to stop smoking gives you a greater sense of mastery over your own life. Instead of letting cigarettes get the better of you, you will be getting the better of cigarettes.
• You will also be setting a good example for all the people around you, especially the children, whether they are your own or those of relatives, friends, or neighbours. This is a tremendously important reason for giving up smoking, because it is so difficult to ask teenagers not to smoke when they see the adults around them puffing away.
• There are plenty of aesthetic benefits, as well. Cigarette smoke leaves a stale, unpleasant taste and smell in your mouth, your hair, your clothes, your office, your car, and every room and cupboard in your house.
• Just think of the money you will be saving — hundreds of pounds a year. Think, too, of what you would really like to spend that hard-earned money on. Make a list of all the things you want to buy.

Keep a careful stop smoking diary for at least one working day and one weekend day — say, Friday and Saturday. Be sure to keep track of each of these things:

At what time you have each cigarette.

How important each cigarette is. Score in this order:

1. Most important
2. Quite important
3. Not too important

Jot down two or three words to explain what you are doing at the time you have each cigarette — for example, the cigarette you have right after breakfast.

This smoking diary is essential. It helps you understand your individual smoking pattern. And it makes it much easier for you to reduce your smoking in a methodical manner when you start to taper off; you look at the diary each day and decide which of the remaining cigarettes is the one you can next give up most easily. In this way, you will be able to keep lowering the number of cigarettes you smoke daily, one at a time, with the diary to guide you.

If a person you live with — spouse, relative or friend — smokes, try to get that person to stop, too. This is extremely important. When you are together with someone who smokes, you are constantly exposed to the stimulus, and this makes it much more difficult to stop than it would be otherwise.