Alfwold Silveira was always a devout man and still is. He conducts the choir in church every Sunday and has composed religious musicals. In fact, it was while composing music for a musical called The Carpenter’s Cross, that Alfwold managed to shrug off his own burden, that of being a heavy smoker. But it wasn’t easy.
Silveira first started smoking in 1979. Around 32 years later, and having thought of quitting many many times, he decided to quit smoking for the 40 days of Lent. “Every day I reminded myself that Easter was one day closer, but since it was more than 40 days that I stopped and habits take 40 days to form, I made it a habit not to think about a smoke. I left for a family vacation on Easter Sunday, so decided to start smoking upon my return, but by then the urge had dissipated,” he says, adding that while he was composing The Carpenter’s Cross he “felt unworthy to compose music for God, with a cigarette in hand,” a decision that perhaps spurred him on to finally kick the habit.
Studies and research have shown that an addiction to nicotine is far worse than most other addictions, even stronger than alcohol or heavy drugs. It’s no wonder that most smokers who are no longer walking around smelling of smoke anymore have often spoken about horror cravings, anger issues and more. The mind can play serious games. “I found myself losing my temper more often than before. It continues even now, almost three years after I quit smoking,” says Leslie D’Souza, an advertising executive from Porvorim, who now lives in Mumbai. Leslie began smoking when he joined college and was lured by some of his peers. It took him 18 years and atleast seven tries before he managed to finally quit. “Here in Mumbai, especially in the creative industry, everyone smokes. It’s not easy to quit since you’re always surrounded by smoke. In fact, some seniors hold meetings in the stairwells so they can all have a few smokes. But I managed to hold my own. Nicotine gum helped but it didn’t have that much of an effect as some say it does, but then I would smoke 20-odd cigarettes a day,” D’Souza states.
Many rivers to cross…
The reasons for quitting are many; everyone has their own story to tell. For businessman Armando Gonsalves, it was “an act of love and as a promise to my two children.” Armando suffered a typhoid attack when his son was born and was in hospital for a few days, which he now looks at as a miraculous intervention. Perhaps the reason why he says the days after that were quite easy. “It was difficult as along as I was trying to leave, but it happened in a jiffy. Now it is 20 years that I have stopped smoking. So there was nothing difficult in giving it up. It was a part of Jesus that made me quit cigarettes,” he says.
For flight attendant Kimberly Pereira, who started as an occasional smoker when she was around 17, being a non-smoker today makes long flights easier, as she doesn’t crave a cigarette on long hauls. “I quit because I didn't want my non-smoking boyfriend to kiss a smoker. Personally I've been on the other side and I didn't quite like it then. The health benefits came secondary,” says the girl from Mapusa who now can “walk longer and swim better without being as breathless.”
There is no funny story when it comes to quitting, but tattoo artist Duncan Viegas’ reason for giving up cancer sticks may just have a tinge of humour to it. “I had just started seeing my partner Dionne who is a non-smoker, we were spending so much time together that I found myself smoking a lot less when i was with her. That, coupled with the fact that when she was from the UK sending her a text cost Rs 5 each back then and the studio I was working for at the time had me on commission. As I was new to Goa, footfalls were slow in the beginning and after spending on rent and food I wasn't left with much. So I had to choose between sending her a text or having a smoke. I chose to text,” he says with a smile. But that wasn’t the only reason. Viegas loved tattooing and says he “finally found something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I would do whatever it took to ensure that it was a long and successful career.” He was halfway through a cigarette, when he just chucked it out and never looked back.
But quitting isn’t easy. It never was, especially for those who have been regular smokers for years. Apurva Kulkarni used to smoke 60 a day and had developed that oft-heard smoker’s cough. He was sick of being enslaved by the habit and decided to quit. According to him, it was one of the most nightmarish periods of his life. “The craving, it was both psychological and physiological. The day after I quit, I kept drinking water throughout and watched horror movies the whole day because I am a fan of the genre. Polo, the mint with the hole, also helped a great deal,” he says, now smoke free for 23 years. To test his resolve, he did what many still cannot do. “Since day one, I hung around other smokers because I told myself that if I could do that and not smoke then I would persevere. Being around them is the battleground. One must face it!” he states.
Charmaine Ds Souza Fernandes did not have a problem when she and her husband decided to quit. “Right out of the blue my husband decides that the last cigarette would be the last cigarette and it was!” she states. That was over six years ago. “The first week was the toughest. It was just a matter of mind over matter. If you don't think about it, you don't need it. I turned my attention to gaming, playing World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings online. I still game,” she adds.
Not everyone had it this easy. Romanick Aguiar from Colva, who is now working in Bangalore, too quit cold turkey, but had to battle his mind to stay off nicotine. He explains, “The withdrawal symptoms were bad. I became cranky, would snap at the slightest provocation, couldn't sleep, had trouble eating - the first two weeks were hell but I kept reminding myself that it was me who decided to quit and I pulled through!”
Life without smoke
Most of those who quit smoking talk about being able to smell and taste better. The biggest takeaway from not smoking anymore is that you are now not enslaved to anything. “in order to quit, you've got to want to quit. No one can force you. Do it for yourself more than for anyone else, you'll probably have a higher chance of success and feel less guilty if you don't,” says Duncan Viegas. Life is much better after that.
--
When you quit
After 20 minutes
Pulse rate returns to normal
After 8 hours
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by more than half and oxygen levels return to normal
After 48 hours
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris
After 48 hours
There is no nicotine in the body. Ability to taste and smell is improved
After 72 hours
Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase
After 2-12 weeks
Your circulation improves
After 3-9 months
Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases by up to 10 percent
After 1 year
Risk of heart disease is about half compared with a person who is still smoking
After 10 years
Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a smoker
After 15 years
Risk of heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked
--
Money in the bank
If you smoked 5 cigarettes a day, and then quit, you would be saving approximately Rs 1500 a month. That’s around Rs 10 per cigarette per day. Do the math!
