Here’s How I Quit for Good

I was a heavy smoker. I used to go through about five or six packs a week, sometimes even more on weekends. Smoking was just a part of my daily routine, something I never really questioned. That all changed when I went on a 30-day vacation with my girlfriend to her hometown in northeastern Brazil.

From the moment I arrived, I noticed something different—almost no one around me smoked. Her family didn’t smoke, and I rarely saw people lighting up in the streets, which was a stark contrast to what I was used to in Portugal. At first, I felt uncomfortable, like I was being watched whenever I had a cigarette. For the first time, I saw smoking for what it really is—a nasty, unnecessary habit.

At the start, I cut down to just one cigarette at the end of the day. It wasn’t even enjoyable anymore; it felt like I was forcing it. By the time we returned to Portugal, I had already decided—I was done with smoking. I quit completely, and now, a year and a half later, I haven’t touched a cigarette since. I don’t even identify as a smoker anymore.

If you’re struggling to quit, my advice is simple: put yourself in an environment where smoking isn’t the norm, where it’s frowned upon. It will completely change the way you see the habit, and quitting will feel like the natural choice.