Want to Quit Smoking? Go to the Dentist.

Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.

Mark Twain

I was a long time off and on again smoker until about 20 years ago. Like many of my generation we grew up with cigarette smoke everywhere – in elevators, offices, planes and even in hospitals. I can remember going out to dinner with a group of 10 and on the table were 10 packages of cigarettes, 10 lighters and 10 ashtrays. We smoked while we talked, we smoked while we drank and we even smoked while we ate. Waiters spent more time changing ashtrays than bringing food to the tables. The air was blue everywhere but we never noticed because it was the norm. There was no such thing as a “no smoking area”.

Gradually over the years smoking became less and less acceptable and most smokers (including me) considered quitting and usually made numerous attempts. One December morning I had a dental appointment which for me is a fate worse than death because I’m phobic of the dentist. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally released from bondage and got out of there as fast as my feet could carry me. It was a beautiful December morning. There was snow on the ground and the sun was shining. The first thing I did was reach into my handbag for a cigarette. I lit my cigarette, expecting satisfaction, but instead I experienced the worst taste imaginable. I tossed the cigarette and walked home. Still frozen, I could only have tepid water so I sat down in the dining room and lit another cigarette (in those days we all still smoked in our houses) – same reaction. The taste was vile and I immediately put out the cigarette.

Believe it or not, that was my last cigarette. I’ve never had the desire to smoke again. I kept the package Dunhills in a drawer in the kitchen for the longest time in case I changed my mind, but I never did. At the time I did some research as to why the dental appointment triggered this type of reaction and the only thing that I could come up with is that I had several shots of painkiller which could have had an acupuncture effect. The truth is that I don’t know and will never know, but I am a non-smoker and I’ve never had a craving for a cigarette since. So, want to quit smoking? Go to the dentist.

A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end and a fool at the other.

Author Unknown

Make someone smile today.

Geri