1 Year Anniversary from Smoking Cessation

Today marks the one year milestone from when I gave up cigarettes. Last January 20, my wife and I went to the famous Mad Russian* in Brookline, MA. Twenty anxious smokers sat in a room facing each other while Yefim Shubentsov talked about how "serious" he was: "I don't joke about life," he said in a thick Russian accent. After about two hours of anecdotes and explanations about bio-energy manipulation, he took us individually, waved his hand over us while making a short buzzing sound, then said, "that's it, my friend." I walked through the door skeptically towards the cashier. Bam! 65 clams a person, like an assembly line.

I'd tell you it was all bullshit, but I can't. I don't know how, but it worked. Though he didn't name-drop during the session, you can find copied articles in the lobby from prominent magazines about celebrities who have flown in to see him. There have been like 12 bazillion people who have come through those doors.

There is a guarantee of sorts as well. He allows you to come back as many times as you need without paying anything additional.

I still think about smoking -- and it hits me at weird inopportune times -- but it's definitely manageable. And I certainly have no regrets. When you get a nic-fit, the Mad Russian instructs us to repeat the words "I am smoking." After having done this countless times, I realized that this serves two purposes. One addresses the nic-fit causing us to be mindful that its happening and to monitor our behavior accordingly. The next is to be compassionate towards our cravings, giving it a chance to pass. It always does.

My next date milestone is fifteen months -- the longest I've been off cigarettes since I was eighteen. There's a risk I could go back to smoking at anytime, but the longer I stay off the butts, the less likely I'd go back to them. By the way, "I am smoking, I am smoking, I am smoking..."

* Though he is most famous for working with smokers, he offers his services for any sort of addictions, cravings, and phobias from nail biting, sex, drugs, alcohol, and food to name a few.