My Journey to Becoming a Non-smoker
How long have you been smoking?
It’s a question I often get asked.
The truth is, I started smoking back in college. Almost all of my friends smoked, and like many young people, I wanted to fit in. Ironically, instead of blending in, they laughed because I didn’t even know how to smoke properly.
One of my French friends patiently taught me how to inhale. I remember coughing uncontrollably as I tried to breathe in the hot smoke for the first time. When I finally managed to do it “correctly,” everyone applauded.
Looking back now, I can’t help but laugh.
That was the beginning of a habit that would stay with me for many years.
At first, smoking felt exciting.
It was social.
It was something we did while chatting over coffee, studying together, or simply passing time.
Before I realised it, smoking had quietly become part of my daily routine.
On a good day, I smoked about a pack of cigarettes.
On a stressful day, it could easily become two.
I burned holes in my favourite clothes, my car seat, tables, chairs… I even almost burned my hair and eyebrows trying to light a cigarette once.
Looking back, I wasn’t proud of it.
But at the time, I didn’t think much about it.
When I lived in the UK, cigarettes were expensive, so we often shared packs with friends.
Eventually, I switched to menthol cigarettes simply because nobody wanted to smoke them. Ironically, I ended up liking them and stayed with menthol until the day I quit.
After moving to Dubai, I discovered Indonesian clove cigarettes and, later, shisha.
Winter evenings, coffee, friends, and grape-mint shisha felt like the perfect combination.
Until one day I realised something.
Smoking wasn’t just costing me money.
It was stealing my time.
I smelled of cigarettes.
My clothes smelled.
My hair smelled.
Even my confidence slowly disappeared.
My boss, who had never smoked, gently told me how often I disappeared for cigarette breaks.
He wasn’t being cruel.
He was simply honest.
All I could say was,
“I’ll try to quit.”
One day, a friend mentioned that he had stopped smoking after reading a book.
He eventually started again, but the title of the book stayed in my mind.
When I told my boss about it, he immediately offered to buy me a copy. He even promised that if I managed to stay smoke-free for three months, he would buy six more copies for me to give away to other smokers.
That simple gesture meant a lot to me.
The book was Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking.
Curious, I downloaded the eBook and started reading.
Then I reached a chapter that said:
“Stop reading if you’re not ready to quit.”
Believe it or not…
I actually stopped reading.
I still had about ten packs of cigarettes sitting in my drawer.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of me.
I kept reading anyway.
Slowly.
One chapter at a time.
I wasn’t convinced.
I was sceptical.
But I wanted to know how the story ended.
I smoked my very last cigarette on the day I finished the book.
Then I prayed.
I asked God to give me the strength to stop.
And somehow…
I did.
Life changed in ways I never expected.
I suddenly had more free time.
I started exercising.
I ate healthier.
I lost almost 20 kilograms.
Most importantly…
I regained confidence.
A few years later, I made one mistake.
I was sitting in a café on a beautiful winter afternoon.
The weather was perfect.
Without thinking too much, I ordered my favourite grape and mint shisha.
“Just one,” I told myself.
That one shisha led me back to cigarettes.
For another three months.
I was disappointed in myself.
But strangely, I also learned something valuable.
Quitting smoking doesn’t end with the last cigarette.
Sometimes, protecting your new life means saying “no” even to the things you once loved.
The second time I quit was harder.
The cravings returned.
The headaches returned.
The bad temper returned.
But this time…
I never went back.
Today, I no longer call myself an ex-smoker.
I’m simply…
a non-smoker.
What helped me quit?
Everyone’s journey is different, but one resource changed my perspective completely:
Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking.
I won’t spoil the book, because discovering its message for yourself is part of the experience.
What I will say is this:
If you decide to quit, tell the people closest to you.
Your family.
Your friends.
Your colleagues.
Withdrawal symptoms are real.
You may become irritable.
You may get headaches.
You may not feel like yourself for a while.
Having people who understand what you’re going through makes a tremendous difference.
If you’re reading this because you’re thinking about quitting, I hope this encourages you.
Not because my journey was perfect.
It wasn’t.
I relapsed.
I started over.
And I learned that quitting isn’t about willpower alone.
It’s about making the decision, one day at a time.
If today is the day you choose to quit, I’m cheering you on.
💡 Be-Bulb Reflection
Breaking a habit rarely happens in a straight line.
Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back.
Sometimes we fall.
What matters is that we choose to get up again.
Looking back, I don’t think quitting smoking was the greatest achievement.
Learning not to give up on myself was.
If you’re trying to quit today, don’t let one setback convince you that you’ve failed.
Every new day is another opportunity to make a different choice.
One cigarette doesn’t define you.
One relapse doesn’t erase your progress.
Keep going.
Your future self will thank you for it.
Be Well. Be Kind to Yourself. Keep the faith… every new day is another chance to begin again.
Be.
Curious by choice. A planner at heart. Sharing stories about life, travel, wellbeing, faith, and the little lessons that help us grow. Be curious. Be kind. Be the light.