Start Again Tuesday
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I occasionally come across something that my son, Jonathan, wrote. He had great dreams and aspirations and wanted to help all of humanity. For many years of his life, Jonathan smoked cigarettes, which he regretted. But he said that getting off nicotine was harder than getting off heroin or crack for him. He stopped smoking many times, but he would fall back into his old behaviors when under a lot of stress.
One time, he decided that in addition to quitting himself, he was going to encourage others to stop smoking. This is the reason he wrote the following article, “Start Again Tuesday,” and put it online. If you know someone who wants to stop smoking, please share Jonathan’s words of advice with them.
Start Again Tuesday
by Jonathan Fales
National “Quit-Tobacco” Tuesday
Hi, my name is Jonathan Fales. I am a former smoker and chewer. I am now the founder of National “Quit–Tobacco” Tuesday. You might ask the question, “Why is Tuesday the National Quit Day for quitting tobacco?” If you are wondering, these are the reasons why:
There are seven days in a week. For some religions, a cycle of repentance starts over every seven days—a starting-over or process-of-change point. There is also a seven-day cycle for many things like trash pick-up day; mowing the lawn; washing the car; even a weight-lifting cycle. Some pay-checks are issued every week. I think you get the point. Right?
The second reason I chose to have one day designated to quit tobacco—and for it to be once a week—is that on New Year’s Eve, vast numbers of people make New Year’s resolutions with sincere attempts to change once and for all—to extinguish the cig or flush the chew—in order to move forward in their life. They want to begin a new, healthier, and more fulfilling lifestyle. But, for one reason or another, their noble attempt falters, and the chains of this cancer-causing agent remain forever with them until the next year, not to be thought of or attempted again until December 31st.
I remember one year when a cousin of mine made this noble attempt to quit smoking, only to “spark up” not even two hours after the apple dropped. Well, with this “One-Day-a-Week Quit Day,” we no longer need to wait for a whole year to roll around to make another attempt to quit! You may still question, “Ok...well...that makes sense, but why Tuesday?”
Well, for one reason I know from experience that Monday is a pretty hectic day for anyone to try anything stressful. If you are able to set your weekend up to give yourself two days of quit time, all the more power to you. While quitting on Tuesday is only a suggestion, I truly feel that the National Quit Day should be recognized on a week-day so that the average worker can see that there are other ex-smokers out there functioning just fine, withstanding the urge to smoke or chew—and maintaining stability while engaged in the work place.
Tuesday is the day to think about quitting, to talk to others about quitting, and to attend tobacco meetings held by the Health Department or by other people and support groups who want to get involved. Here are suggestions of things you can do in groups or alone on Tuesdays.
- Study about the harm of tobacco through books, internet sites, DVDs, magazines, etc.
- For those who pray, pray. Pray for yourself and those around you—and ask others to pray for you. (Or just think positive thoughts towards one another throughout the day.)
- Start “Stop Smoking” groups and have group meetings at lunch or after work. (Dedicate your day to this.)
- Pass out flyers, organize marches, and talk to people about quitting.
- Talk to Quit-Coaches and chat on-line with those who support your success in giving up tobacco.
- Volunteer to go to schools and put on presentations about the dangers of nicotine addiction.
- Learn about tobacco laws. Get involved; push for stronger 2nd hand smoking laws.
This addiction has been passed down from one generation to another. Yes, the Tobacco companies are to blame to some degree; but really it is us who are responsible to stop buying their products. Let’s change it once and for all and make it National “Quit–Tobacco” Tuesday one day at a time.
X-Smokers—U-Nite
We at “X-Smokers—U-Nite” no longer refer to tobacco as cigarettes, chew, or snuff, but simply as a cancer-causing agent. For more information on how to stop smoking call: 1-800-Quit-Now.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Fales
Jonathan used the following “7–Day Stop Smoking Plan” and found it effective.
A similar plan can be found here.
7 – Day Stop Smoking Plan
Instructions:
- Make the commitment. That is a must before beginning this or any smoking cessation plan. Think about all the reasons you should quit and write them down. Write a statement of intent. Tell your friends and family and ask for their support.
- Clean house. Destroy and discard all cigarettes (yes, all of them). Throw away all smoking accessories, e.g., lighters, matches and ashtrays. Clean your car, office, and home thoroughly to get rid of residual cigarette smoke odor. Some go as far as washing drapes and bedding, shampooing carpets and even painting the walls.
- Start the 7-day plan. For the next seven days, drink three large glasses of grapefruit juice, one before every meal. Take 500 mg of Vitamin C upon rising, with each meal, and before going to bed. Research suggests that smokers have significantly lower levels of Vitamin C than others.
- Brush your teeth after every meal and follow with a cinnamon mouthwash rinse. Try not to snack between meals. You may want to chew gum instead. If you do snack, brush your teeth and use the mouthwash immediately afterward. Drink plenty of water. Consume half your body weight converted to ounces each day. (A 200-pound person would need around 100 ounces of water).
Things You'll Need:
- 5 or 6 bottles of plain grapefruit juice
- 1 large bottle of 500 mg Vitamin C tablets
- 2 bottles of cinnamon mouthwash: 1 for home, 1 for work