How I quit my tobacco and alcohol addiction

My name is PS (name changed). I am a 40-year-old government sector employee and work as a crane operator.

My sister recently died due to COVID-19, which triggered my tobacco habit. Since her death, I increased tobacco and alcohol intake. The habit soon took the form of an addiction. I was aware that my tobacco use, if not resolved, can affect my health in the future.

On seeing a local doctor, I was referred from MGM Hospital to Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation’s LifeFirst Counseling Program in Mumbai to quit tobacco.

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LifeFirst, a tobacco dependence treatment programme, initiated by Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation in collaboration with Salaam Bombay Foundation, has been created to catalyse, build capacity and establish a high quality, proven tobacco treatment service for individuals from all social strata.

After gathering information and understanding my trigger points,

LifeFirst counsellor Harshali Gaikwad started the session by educating me about the ill effects of both tobacco and alcohol. She then helped me quit both substances by suggesting measures that I could adopt in my daily life.

I followed all instructions and trusted the process because of which I gradually started having control over his tobacco intake and cravings.

I was asked to use a replacement when I crave tobacco. As per her instructions, I started consuming carom seeds and fennel seeds during cravings.

During the quitting process, I experienced mild headaches and shivering but the counsellor suggested techniques like deep breathing and drinking water that helped me cope with the symptoms.

Within three months of enrolling in the LifeFirst program, I saw improvements. After the sixth session of the program, I completely quit tobacco.