The Marlboro Man & Me
Author: Pat Graham

I smoked for at least 40 years. I really enjoyed it and had no
intention of ever quitting, even though I had frequent bouts
with pneumonia and related problems. I loved my Marlboros and
kept them close to me through every personal crisis that hit
me…death of friends & family, loss of jobs, financial problems,
broken marriages, illnesses, dysfunctional relationships…normal
things that usually happen to normal people.

I tried to quit three or four times and actually did for a week
here and there before some perceived crack in my comfort zone
drove me right back to my best friend, Marlboro cigarettes. I
read all the steps to quit; even followed some of them for a
few minutes or days. I even "worked down" from my beloved red
pack to the light version.

I made a general announcement, "This is my last cigarette! I
quit!" My belief was that I would chat myself into a public
hole that would embarrass me enough to prevent relapse. Wrong!

I found things to keep in my mouth to distract me from
smoking…hot cinnamon candies, mints, fake plastic cigarettes,
nasty-tasting mouthwash. Wrong! Nothing tasted like my
Marlboros and I was never distracted from the craving to smoke.


I read that after 3 days, the physical addiction was gone and
the rest was emotional, Well, after 3 days my emotions were
pounding a drum beat inside my head and I was sure I was going
crazy. But I thought about that emotional thing for a
while…while I was happily relapsing into nicotine heaven and
working up to another bout with pneumonia.

One day, while taking a shower, it came to me that I was using
cigarettes as my personal reward system…do the dishes and have
a cigarette…take out the garbage and have a cigarette…wash
clothes and have a cigarette…put them in the dryer and…you get
the idea.

Being somewhat logical, I decided to try quitting smoking in a
new way…one I designed myself. I gave myself permission to get
some Marlboros anytime I wanted to, but I had to wait 30
minutes before I did it. This removed the "absolutely
forbidden" component of trying to break this habit. While
waiting for the 30 minutes to pass, I got busy doing something
I enjoyed…like playing computer games, writing my genealogy,
watching a really good video.

When I felt a need to smoke, I took notice of what task I had
just finished…dishes, picking up dog poop on the lawn, etc.
This brought the entire nicotine addiction problem down to
something I could handle and could understand. Most times, when
I got myself involved in some distracting activity while waiting
for the 30 minutes to pass, an hour or two had actually gone by.


I have to admit that more than once I grabbed my keys and
started out the door to buy some Marlboros. Once I analyzed my
own need to smoke (reward system) I could say to myself,
"You've got to wait 30 minutes," and it worked. I haven't
smoked for over 10 years.

I still feel a twang of wanting a cigarette when I am stuck in
traffic on Southern California freeways. I look around and
people in most of the cars around me are smoking. But it is a
momentary passing urge that disappears in a moment and no
longer controls me. Hope this helps you.


About The Author: Pat Graham spent many years teaching parolees
in parole offices in California to recover from substance abuse,
create better relationships and control their anger. Her
experiences in those classrooms revealed that most of the
parolees abused drugs at a very young age. Her ebook on this
subject covers the disasterous results of child addiction.
Visit: http://www.childdrugaddicts.com