Keith Richards Reflects On Quitting Cigarettes After 55 Years Of Addiction

Keith Richards opened up on quitting cigarettes after fifty-five years of being addicted in a recent interview with "CBS Sunday Morning."

"You know, it's funny. I don't think about it much anymore," the Rolling Stone guitarist said. Although he went mostly cold turkey, he admitted that there were times when he went back to it. Eventually, he realized it was time to finally ditch the habit.

 "Sometimes, you know, a bell rings, and something inside says, 'Hey, pal, enough.' And so, yeah, I just put the hammer on it," he explained. He added, "Luckily, I just don't miss it, and that makes me feel good."

He also mentioned that he realized that he had "10 times more wind" since he stopped smoking. Even his bandmates have noticed a lot of differences. Steve Jordan, a member of his band, said, "Richards is singing in more original keys."

The Rolling Stones legend, famous for being a party animal and hell-raiser, told Jim Kerr on the Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show that he hasn't smoked a cigarette since October 2019.

"Done that, been there," he added.

In February 2019, the singer revealed he was cutting down on his beloved cigarettes and alcohol per an interview with MOJO Magazine.

He admitted to starting 2019 with a health kick since December turned into a long party for his 35th wedding anniversary with wife Patti Hansen and his 75th birthday at his lavish Turks & Caicos house on Parrot Cay.  

"By January 1, you're knackered. And that's a good way to start a new year, right?! I'm drying out now! I've knocked the hard stuff on the head. I have a little wine with meals and a Guinness or a beer or two, but otherwise, no. It's like heroin – the experiment is over."

Although he allows himself to drink a glass or two of alcohol, Keith spoke to Rolling Stone about how nipping his drinking addiction was an "adjustment."

"You can call it that, yeah. But I don't notice any difference really – except for I don't drink. I wasn't feeling [right]. I've done it. I didn't want that anymore."

A band member testified that Richards has become "pleasant to work with" since he cut back on alcohol. "Much more mellow. He's open to more ideas, whereas before, I'd kind of grit my teeth and go, 'He's gonna give me some shit for saying this.' Now, he'll say, 'That's cool, man,'" the member of the band concluded.

He replied affirmatively when asked if he had ever tried to give up smoking.

"I have tried. So far, unsuccessfully! Lou Reed claimed nicotine was harder to quit than heroin. Quitting heroin is like hell, but it's a short hell. I mean, the actual process. Cigarettes are just always there, and you've always done it."

He added, "I pick them up and light them up without thinking about it. But lately, in fact – spread the news! – I've managed to cut it down by a substantial amount every day, and I'm still working on it. Because I realized I didn't need it. I realized it's just a useless habit. But hey, when you're 75, habits are pretty ingrained." 

The Rolling Stones, of which Richards was a founding member, are so famous for their debauchery and hedonism that they have set the bar for what it means to be a decadent band ever since.

Richards, also called Keef by die-hard fans, set himself apart from his band members through his wild antics. The guitarist was arrested five times for drug offenses; once in 1967, twice in 1973, twice in 1977, and once in 1978.

He was also sentenced to a year in prison for allowing cannabis to be smoked on his property. However, that was overturned. The band was also relentlessly pursued by the police throughout their North America tour. On their way to a show in Nebraska, the Stones were stopped by the police, who uncovered an enormous stash of illegal drugs.

Nothing major came out from it–save for a 16.50 dollar fine for reckless driving. However, Richards noted of the tour in his biography, "The State Department had noted riots (true), civil disobedience (also true), illicit sex (whatever that is), and violence across the United States."

One of the founding members of the band, Mick Jagger, has updated fans on the Rolling Stones' album, adding that they still need some time to finish the material they've been working on.

Don't hold your breath!" he jokingly told the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show when asked about the album. "We recorded a bunch of tracks at the same time we did ["Living in a Ghost Town"], actually I've been finishing off the vocals and some other instruments on them and doing some mixes on them. So I'm working on it."

He mentioned that the band needs to "get together and have some couple more sessions" before being released.

"We're not gonna get together right now," he said. "But it sounds good, what we've already done — [it] sounds pretty good to me."